November Challenge: Zyrcine Cluster
I just stumbled upon the November Challenge and thought; "What the heck? I've been wanting to build a new sector map anyway." This challenge really coincides with what I would like to do anyway so I figured I would stop putting off and try something.
Here is a WIP of the Zyrcine Cluster; a small group of densely packed habitable stars. Perfect for any space opera campaign you may decide to run.
### Latest WIP ###
Last edited by nolgroth; 11-11-2008 at 04:15 AM.
Yee-hah! More new meat for the grinder.
Great start, looking forward to seeing more of this.
Last edited by Steel General; 11-09-2008 at 03:57 PM.
My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Thank you.Originally Posted by Steel General
Stunning colours! One suggestion which might improve the 'coolness' factor is using a gradient to colour the numbers along the axes so they seague from one colour to the other over the numbers used....like this:
Thanks. Interesting idea. Mostly I put the numbers in there as a reference for placing the stars. The different colors arose as an interim solution to using a +/- system, which looked "cluttered."
I'll give it a shot.
Updated WIP
Here is an updated WIP. I turned on the 'background" star layer and added some labels and a legend.
One thing I wanted to stick to with this particular project was modularity. Each star is on its own layer, as is the star's label. That way, they can be turned on and off to suit the needs of the individual Game Master. It is also easy to add new stars or remove stars that you don't like. The legend can be toggled as well. For this contest, all that doesn't matter much. Afterward, I will post a Zip file with the XCF (Gimp native format) for y'all to play with.
The background stars are a love/hate thing with me. On one hand, I think they add a lot of beauty to the map. On the other hand, it sort of confuses the scale and makes my OCD scream out. I've settled on the idea that this map is as much an artistic representation as it is a functional map and left them in.
I actually find that I am getting close to the end of the graphical part of this project. I want to try to draw in a trade route. I tried that once already, but it looked nasty. I have some experimenting to do. I may also try a nebula. Not sure about that one yet.
Enjoy.
( That was much longer than I intented. )
### Latest WIP ###
Last edited by nolgroth; 11-11-2008 at 04:15 AM.
This looks really nice...I mean really. All except for the number colors (IMO). Might wanna gray 'em up a bit or fade 'em out a bit. The brightness is eye catching and distracting. Otherwise this one looks really nice...I mean really
If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)
My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps
Thank you for the compliment. Regarding the dim numbers, how's this?
### Latest WIP ###
Last edited by nolgroth; 11-11-2008 at 04:15 AM.
I kind of liked the numbers bright, it gave it a VDU feel.
This one is real nice generally. Kinda tugs on my vote strings. Its got a nice Christmassy feel to it too. Almost expect reindeer to be traveling through it on their galactic quest. But seriously the stars look like what you might actually see.
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