WIP: Future Earth, my campaign/novel map

[Xeviat]

Hello all. I'm the founder of the Campaign Builder's Guild (though it's run by Ishmayl and others). I've been working on my setting for many years now, a world I use as a setting my D&D games and my novels in progress. While I am writing a fantasy world, I am approaching its creation from as natural a process as possible.

The world my stories and games take place in is earth in the future; 50 million years in the future to give a rough estimate. I spent a good deal of time researching scientists' future projections of plate tectonics. Since there's no singular accepted path for continental movement (and apparently there are some who discount tectonics entirely; read the expanding earth theories), I was pretty free to move the continents as I felt looked well.

I've already read a good deal of map making tutorials on this site, and they helped me out greatly. RobA's tutorial on using GIMP helped me out especially, giving me a method for randomizing the coastlines to look organic (and even created some nice looking costal islands).

Now that I have an outline map, I'd like to see if I can find some help placing terrains and biomes in an organic fashion. I don't need things to be 100% perfect, but I'd like some guidance if anyone can give it. In addition to my outline map, I have a map with colored bands placed to show general rainfall (dry, semidry, semiwet, and wet). I'm under the impression that the wet areas (dark blue) will tend to be forests (tropical or temperate) generally, with semiwet (light blue) being more sparse. Semidry (green) will be grasslands, and dry (yellow) will be deserts.

Please, offer any help you can, be it advice, guidelines, or (I wish) an edited map with where you think the biomes should be. Thanks for any contributions.

[ravells]

Are you shooting for a particular kind of style, Xeviat? I like your thought processes in going about the world creation (I just make stuff up and slap it down!).

[Xeviat]

Ravells, right now I'm not looking for a particular art style, though when I get to it I do want to make two maps: an "in world" map with political boundaries and a hand-drawn look, and a "functional" map for me with layers for altitude, terrain (grasslands, mountain, wetland, desert, forest ...), and political boundaries.

At the moment, I'm more concerned with placing altitude and terrain, because that will help determine rivers which will also help determine political boundaries.

I totally could have made things easier on myself and just created my own world, but where would the fun in that be?

[Xeviat]

Alright, I finished my altitude map, and included air and ocean currents. I'm trying to set climate zones (wet/dry, warm/cool). Things shouldn't largely be changed from how they currently are; a few continents have turned, but they're largely at the same longitude. If anyone has any observations they can share, please do.

Here's the picture

[Asharad]

I'm sure it's not intentional, but when you turn it upside down, it reminds me of Africa, India, and Australia. I even see Madagascar.

It's a cool world building concept you have going. It's way over my head, so I'll have nothing useful to add. Sorry.

[Xeviat]

I'm sure it's not intentional, but when you turn it upside down, it reminds me of Africa, India, and Australia. I even see Madagascar.

The world my stories and games take place in is earth in the future; 50 million years in the future to give a rough estimate.

Yup, that's Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia, repositioned. My tectonic movements aren't perfect, but they're fairly close to the various projections I've read. The altitudes are based off of Earth altitudes as well.

[Hoel]

Looks like a helluva project. I'm not read up on the subject enough to give any input, but I'll follow the thread and give any help I can.

[Asharad]

Yup, that's Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia, repositioned. My tectonic movements aren't perfect, but they're fairly close to the various projections I've read. The altitudes are based off of Earth altitudes as well.

Oh! Ok then. Two thumbs up!

[EDG]

I'd say just stick to geographic poles - yes, magnetic poles flip every now and then, but maps generally aren't drawn relative to the magnetic poles anyway and the geography still remains the same regardless.

[Xeviat]

I'd say just stick to geographic poles - yes, magnetic poles flip every now and then, but maps generally aren't drawn relative to the magnetic poles anyway and the geography still remains the same regardless.

Earth still rotates on the same axis, yes, but if polar north was suddenly very close to the south pole, people with compasses might consider that to be up. Several older cultures had west as "up" on their maps, so that the sun would rise up in the sky. So the direction of maps is really a cultural issue, and I contend that it's heavily influenced by compasses.

The poles on my map are the rotational axis. I haven't moved the angle of the axis, so the tropics are in the same spot.