Charredcrowns, the twin cities

[mystic badger]

Charredcrowns is a twin community founded on the remains of a gigantic battle. Two archimages, mightiest of their orders, had a month-long battle on the site, each positioned on a hill across the river. None knows who finally won, but the remains of their mana-use was scorched into the ground, changing the mud intho firm earth along the lines of their pentacles.
People used these areas of stone as roads and squares, and built their homes around them.


I'm still in the early stages of making the buildings, using my particular style. Two thirds of the buildings are defined, but there's a lot more to be done (green spaces in the city, walls, bridges, textures and forests,...wip1.jpg

Comments & critiques are welcome, especially as I'm not very Photoshop-gifted.

[mystic badger]

Thanks to the snowstorm (no job today), I've had time to work a little more.wip2.jpg

[mystic badger]

Ihoped to have at least one comment to help me... Seems I'm still continents away from the other maps of the guild, it seems.

In this next WIP, I've begun coloring the buildings to indicate their use. Red denotes municipal buildings, gold guild buildings, green ones are shops.

What do you think ? Good idea or distracting one ?
wip3.jpg

[- Max -]

Sorry you haven't got some comments here. It's not really my kind of stuff. It looks too computer generated for me and the overall map (especially batiments) is too blurry. The shape is interesting though and I like the use of different colors to indicate batiments use.

[mystic badger]

THanks ! I'll think about some ways to alleviate the CG-look. Time to plunge again into the tutorials...

[vorropohaiah]

I agree with Max - it seems 'artificial' as in it's very obvious that I was created on a computer. now, depending on the look you;re going for, that might be intended. if not, maybe try less bright colours and maybe some subtle textures to break up the large areas. I'm not sure if the blurriness is part of the decreased size of the upload or if the original map is the same.

I do like the structure shapes and the overall layout of the map, as well as the use of different colours to denote different structures (if you weren't going to do it, you should add a key to another part of the map describing the different areas. A scale-marker will help with conveying the... well, scale!

[- Max -]

it's very obvious that I was created on a computer.!

This freudian slip is somehow disturbing

[vorropohaiah]

This freudian slip is somehow disturbing

LOL! well secret's out of the bag now...

[mystic badger]

Thnak you for the input, even if you're only a AI ( :-) ) . I think it will be better when I'll add fields, and more terrain features (rocks, trees,...). For the bluriness, I think the problem comes from both sources : the jpg and the initial resolution. It was only a test at the beginning, and it evolved... I intend to make a legend to the right in the final stages, thank you for reminding me !

[mystic badger]

I've added a few wooden areas to add diversity to the map (all of it hile riding in a bumpy coach). I've tried to understand the bluriness, but I'm not sure of what causes it exactly (still a noob).
wip4.jpg