August Entry: Oten'jo WidowMakers [dropped out]

[WidowMakers]

WOW. All I can say is that this is really hard. I knew that making these maps would be difficult. Obviously not everyone can do this and it takes lots of time. Well I figured that with my years of CC map making and Photoshop, I would be ok. And by OK I mean that I would be able to make a map that looks ok but basically gets the idea finished. BUT……WOW. I don’t know where to start. Planning this city is really something different. I don’t know where to start. I look over all the pics and get an idea in my head then….. NOTHING. I can’t figure out what to do. So I read through the rules again and find a word I have never heard, wharfage. I assume it is the docks and such since it is located on the river but I never expected to learn new words too. lol

Well back to my city map. I am sure it has taken me about 5X longer than it should but I am still a noob. Now that I look back (2 days) and rethink the idea, I probably should not have started out my CG journey by entering a very hard city building contest (and from some of the stuff I have read, the hardest type of map to make)


Here are my ideas about the map as I started it:

1) During my reading of many of the tutorials on the site, river front cities are normally long and built close to the river. But when I tried to do that, the city layout was not close enough to the desires look of the contest rules. So I decided to go landscape orientation. Should I have kept going with the first edition and reworked the city to look different (as long as the requirements were met) or was it good to keep the initial layout (landscape). Can I arrange the city HOWEVER I want as long as it is close and has the numbers of people and places are close?
2) I decided to make the canals in the city slope gradually with the river flow direction. That way the water would tend to flow with the river and make it easier for boats to traverse them. Does this make sense? Should I be thinking this technically when making maps?

Here are some issues I encountered:

1) I have no clue how to make docks. I did not think it would be that hard but I feel mine just look wrong (based on other maps I have looked over)
2) How do people go about making cities and streets to scale? I think that is the hardest thing for me. Knowing how big a building should be compared to the overall map since I have never done a city.

But here it is. Please let me know what you think and what I can do better (within reason). Please be brutal (to the map not me )

### Latest WIP ###

[Gamerprinter]

By the looks of things you seem to be doing a reasonable job so far.

When I take on a big map project, I try to break the map down into manageable pieces. For instance, you are currently working on the docks, so spend the time you think is necessary to do a good enough job there. Then pick the castle on the hill with a couple moats and the stream on the outside. Then move district by district working on each until satisfaction. Then add to the so far completed map. Keep up the process until the whole map is done.

In other words take it step by step, and forgot about the entire map, that will just get you bogged down. Think of it as if you are creating six or eight maps. One map of the dockworks, one of the castle, etc.

This will make it easier to concentrate on the tasks at hand, and not bury you in thinking about the greater whole.

You're doing fine!

GP

PS: your arguement that you should not have taken on such a hard map project is the wrong way to think about it. Sure it would be nice to win a Challenge, but the real goal of the challenge, is to challenge yourself in doing a map within a limited amount of time. Trying a hard map, is the best reason to participate in a Mapping Challenge. You are doing the right thing, by participating.

[mmmmmpig]

I like the looks of this as well.

[WidowMakers]

Well sadly it looks like I will need to drop out of the race as well. I do not normally start something I do not intend to finish but...

1) I had vacation bible school volunteer at church all last week.
2) I have been busy all weekend with house stuff (we just moved) and family
3) After a huge rainstorm I just found my basement is leaking (even though the old homeowners said it never did.
4) And most important of all, I bit off way more than I could chew for my first challenge.

I never have done maps to this scale and complexity. I need to get my foundational skills set before trying to attempt this caliber of art.
I have been reading tutorials and just bought a graphics tablet.
So after a few months of doodling and getting things in real life in order, I will set off for another challenge (just not as big).

Good luck to everyone with their maps.