(https://image.ibb.co/f8VaHv/World_Map_S.jpg)
I am wondering what you guys think of the world map that I created for my game. Does is look okay? It's suppose to look medievalish and weathered. I am also still struggling with the color palette. Any tips for improvement?
Looks awesome, but a little bare. Maybe add some forests etc. like in the classic Lord Of The Rings maps Tolkien drew for his books?
Quote from: Mandle on Mon 10/07/2017 14:18:26
Looks awesome, but a little bare. Maybe add some forests etc. like in the classic Lord Of The Rings maps Tolkien drew for his books?
This, more or less. Needs rivers. And maybe hints that the landscape isn't completely flat.
Quote from: ClickClickClick on Mon 10/07/2017 14:21:14
Quote from: Mandle on Mon 10/07/2017 14:18:26
Looks awesome, but a little bare. Maybe add some forests etc. like in the classic Lord Of The Rings maps Tolkien drew for his books?
This, more or less. Needs rivers. And maybe hints that the landscape isn't completely flat.
The darker grey lines going into the sea are rivers. Maybe I should use a different color(tint)?
Rivers should "wiggle" more, and maybe end in a delta at the sea.
Maybe some affluents for the rivers, too...
(http://i.imgur.com/YpbsWx0.jpg)
And be wider in some points, and thinner in others.
And yes, the delta at end +1. (nod)
Yes, the rivers could need some work, and trees or hills would help the map look less flat and more interesting.
Also, I think it's a bad idea to copy/paste a few very similar mountains over and over again and then mirror them on the right side of the map. If you don't want to draw them all by yourself you could still put more variation to it and arrange them in different ways.
I'd find a piece of coastline that is of a similar size than the depicted one and use that for inspiration (https://www.google.de/maps/@50.2369737,-4.8206891,14z?hl=en).
Here's a paintover to show what I mean:
(http://i.imgur.com/le7UnpA.jpg)
(I didn't think through the color choice :-D red = rivers, green = roads)
Rivers basically run wherever most of the water gets to a lower elevation the fastest, following the terrain. Roads tend to follow or cross rivers, to keep elevation changes to a minimum.
And thus the rivers ran red with blood!
Or wine... your choice. (laugh)
This map really needs some trees by the way.
Quote from: Danvzare on Thu 13/07/2017 12:22:33
This map really needs some trees by the way.
The sawmill was busy
An alternative to adding more trees, etc. could be making all the location markers a bit larger so it's easier to see the illustrations.
Quote from: Funkpanzer on Thu 13/07/2017 19:12:22
An alternative to adding more trees, etc. could be making all the location markers a bit larger so it's easier to see the illustrations.
Easier to read the letters, too.
Quote from: ClickClickClick on Thu 13/07/2017 13:21:38
Quote from: Danvzare on Thu 13/07/2017 12:22:33
This map really needs some trees by the way.
The sawmill was busy
You're telling me. There are five trees on that map by my count. Which suggests that there's a lot of truth to that statement. (laugh)
Those are guideposts, I think :-D
But that does highlight a certain issue with the map; it's kind of hard to tell how big it is. Going by the mountain range, it could be hundreds of kilometers wide, in which case putting trees on it doesn't make much sense. But with places like a mansion, sawmill and lighthouse, it's looks more like it's actually a few dozen kilometers, and putting some huge trees on it would fit the proportions.
Quote from: Khris on Sat 15/07/2017 12:41:45
Going by the mountain range, it could be hundreds of kilometers wide, in which case putting trees on it doesn't make much sense.
I'm sure everyone has seen this before, but this is how Tolkien did it:
CLICK HERE TO LINK TO MUCH TOO LARGE IMAGE FOR THESE FORUMS (http://www.donsmaps.com/images29/middleearthlargelargerstill.jpg)
Quote from: Khris on Sat 15/07/2017 12:41:45
Those are guideposts, I think :-D
Ah! I thought they were palm trees too :-D It's all a bit hard to read, especially the font.
As for the trees: They would be as symbolic as the rest, no matter how large exactly the map is supposed to be (with its villages and castles). A bunch of trees can indicate that there's a forest. And as it says "Oakwood" on the left, I think the map would benefit from some visual indication of that.
If you are going for a medieval style, you can also add small drawings of wild animals and fairytale creatures on the map,
it's a fun way to fill in the blanks and add some flavor to the world. For example, look at the famous Piri Reis map:
[imgzoom]http://www.caffenews.it/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/mappa_piri_reis.jpg[/imgzoom]
Quote from: Blondbraid on Mon 17/07/2017 12:06:06
If you are going for a medieval style, you can also add small drawings of wild animals and fairytale creatures on the map,
it's a fun way to fill in the blanks and add some flavor to the world. For example, look at the famous Piri Reis map:
I think that just goes to show how much spare time map makers had back then... or how bored they were. (laugh)
Quote from: Danvzare on Tue 18/07/2017 12:05:11
Quote from: Blondbraid on Mon 17/07/2017 12:06:06
If you are going for a medieval style, you can also add small drawings of wild animals and fairytale creatures on the map,
it's a fun way to fill in the blanks and add some flavor to the world. For example, look at the famous Piri Reis map:
I think that just goes to show how much spare time map makers had back then... or how bored they were. (laugh)
Maybe they were not paid for empty spaces.
The first thing that struck me about the map is the sheer amount of locations to visit! That's quite an ambitious world to develop, what sort of style are you using for the background art?
I think you've already got some really solid advice from the posters above, so I'll go ahead and agree with their comments. Khris made a good point about the coastline and I second Blondbraid about the additional illustrations.