World map

[chaiboy]

Just joined the forum and thought I would share a map that I have been working on. This is a WIP. So far I got the continents put together but I still have to clean up the mountains and add rivers.
globe-final.jpg

[- Max -]

Welcome Chaîboy. Looks odd to me I don't really uinderstand the projection/distorsion on this map...

[chaiboy]

it is a cylinder map from a globe. So the poles are distorted.

[Hai-Etlik]

it is a cylinder map from a globe. So the poles are distorted.

Well, the only cylindrical projection I know of that gives such wide aspect ratios is Cylindrical Equal Area, which is rarely used because, well, it's really ugly. It also doesn't match up at the edges of the map.

[jbgibson]

Is it raw output from a fractal generation process, or have you edited it some for sensibility? Random terrain tends to generate some blind depressions that need either to be filled in or to have outlets cut - either of which is a totally realistic process.

I've built a couple of worlds using Fractal Terrains as the base, but it will only generate fractals of one degree - either all rough mountains, or all low relief, or all flatness - no mixture like you would expect geology to have produced. Since the rough stuff is the hardest for me to devise on my own I start that way then smooth some out into plains, steppes, river valleys, and the like. As well as filling some depressions as lakes, then drawing outlet rivers where they would overflow.

Your continents do have a pleasingly random shape, and I can see a lot of need for naval work by your occupants. Most of the mountains are in clumps rather than strings of ranges like seem to happen on earth, but at least they're more wrinkly than a lot of mountain methods.

What do you plan to use it for? That'll partly determine how much realism you want to strive for.

Oh, and welcome to the Guild! I think putting a map right in your first post is worth a smidgen of rep all by itself.