August 2009 Entry: Oten'jo (ag7)

[armoredgear7]

Oten'jo seems like a good opportunity to try making a city map, so here are my thoughts.

The more stuff I looked at, the more I decided that I ought to work out the skirmish-scale stuff first, like the specific details of the buildings. I've done a lot of this, so it seems like a good starting point.

Once I figured out how the individual houses relate, I began figuring out how big I could make each one on the map. This will determine the level of detail and I'm really hoping I can work detailed roofs and trees (at least, detailed to the point of my sketches) into the map.

Here are some of my sketches, mostly skirmish & neighborhood scale:

[Gamerprinter]

AG7, glad to have you on board with the Challenge! The more the merrier.

I think there are many possible ways of developing a city map, since it is a more complicated challenge than a regional or world map - I don't think there is a wrong way to approach it. Your method seems viable to me.

As Mmmmmpig states, I like all the different styles and methodologies to getting the results you want.

I look forward to how this map progresses. Good luck!

GP

[Koor]

Wow, very nicely drawn. A lot of detail in there.

What will the end product be, hand drawn, or will you scan it in and use a program for coloring?

[armoredgear7]

Wow, very nicely drawn. A lot of detail in there.

What will the end product be, hand drawn, or will you scan it in and use a program for coloring?

Thanks. Right now I'm thinking I'll draw all the linework for buildings and manmade structures (canals, bridges, etc) in Illustrator, and then bring that image into Photoshop (at 11x17", 300dpi) to do the texturing, terrain and colour.

I haven't decided yet, but I'm also toying with the idea of drawing the buildings by hand and scanning them. It's probably too much work for me to bother for this challenge though. Something to keep in the back of my mind for a future challenge.

[Gamerprinter]

Or, you could draw 25 individual buildings, scan them, then use 20 duplicates and scatter them about throughout your city. With that many original buildings, the copies wouldn't look so obvious. And you can slightly resize the buildings so you have larger and smaller versions and not obviously copies of others. Then make the specific unique structures: castle, 3 temples, 1 shrine/park, docks, walled sections.

Though still some work, its not like drawing 600+ buildings from scratch.

Just how I'd do it.

GP

[Koor]

Or, you could draw 25 individual buildings, scan them, then use 20 duplicates and scatter them about throughout your city. With that many original buildings, the copies wouldn't look so obvious. And you can slightly resize the buildings so you have larger and smaller versions and not obviously copies of others. Then make the specific unique structures: castle, 3 temples, 1 shrine/park, docks, walled sections.

Though still some work, its not like drawing 600+ buildings from scratch.

Just how I'd do it.

GP

That's what I was thinking, along with the more selfish thought that he might then add those building patterns as a product that the community could use quick asian style maps.

[Alfar]

Without knowing anything about Illustrator, could you make the roof endings as custom line endings? (the normal use for such a feature would be arrow heads)

[armoredgear7]

Without knowing anything about Illustrator, could you make the roof endings as custom line endings? (the normal use for such a feature would be arrow heads)

I didn't post an image of it, but yes that's exactly what I've done.

[armoredgear7]

After numerous hand-drawn sketches, I've put together a rough layout of the city in Illustrator.

The orange buildings are temples (I still have to decide where I'm putting the third one, and the shrine), and the white boxes are scale placeholders for buildings. All of the elevation shading and colors are just for my own reference at this point.

I'm still deciding whether or not to keep the north & south walls around the regular city area; they're pretty restrictive for building placement and I suspect they don't make as much sense as they should. I may also include a bridge between the merchant area and the opposite bank.

Any feedback (especially from GP!) at this point is appreciated. Is this a believable enough layout for the city?

### Latest WIP ###

[Steel General]

Looking good so far.