[unpaid]Little map of a medieval Italian city

[J4ckZ]

(Sorry in advance for my probably poor English, I'm Italian and I try to do my best for you to have a pleasant reading and understanding)

Hi there, I follow you for a long time, struggling with myself to learn how to do some awesome map like many artists among you are able to do...

I have a campaign in my own RPG (my rules, some kind of veeeeeery light D&D) set in medieval Italy, and my PGs arrived to Albenga, a historical town in ancient Republic of Genoa. According to desires of my players (and because of my will of something different from go to cavern/ kill the goblins / return the head of their master to mayor) I decided to play the "Palio di Albenga", some kind of horse race (in Italy it's typical in Siena, maybe you've heard about it). So, the story is that PGs will stay there for about six months, and they have to choose which Contrada (city district) join and support.

Now, my problem... I have in mind how Albenga have to be, but I really don't have the ability to do a map by myself... I tried several tutorials, but I've never completed one in a decent way...

So... Here's my request!

Commission
Unpaid... I'm a poor master who wants to make my players happy and proud of their DM If I'll find a cartographer who decide to put his hand on the mouse for me, I will never stop thanking him!

Time Costraints
It's not a urgency, I told my players to wait for the map to be ready... Of course me and them will be enthusiastic if the map arrive in a short time... Ok, let's see... A week will be good?

Style
Oh well, I would like a map in colors, 2d... But I do not want to bother anyone of you cartographers... It's all according to your best way of working!

Description of map
Let's see the concept of the city.
Albenga is a medieval city, protected by walls and with a Castle on a hill. The city developed in "layers mode", that is from the Castle on the hill towards the shore following the river, which gave the inhabitants fishes and fresh water.
So, contrades were born and developed in different times, from the elder "Borgo Vecchio" (Ancient Village) to the newest "Del Grifo" (Griffin's).
Mh... I don't think you are interested in my story for the city So back to description.

http://i31.tinypic.com/2lkuomx.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/af8v7l.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/20sdkk9.jpg

Roads are not linear, the follow natural heights; there are three bridges, that one across the little island in the river is the principal. There's a lighthouse on a cliff at the end of the river. On the little island there's a big plaza where the Palio is set once a year.

There are five contrades separated by large roads, in particular Borgo Vecchio is around the hill with the Castle, San Teodoro is around the Cathedral, Marina (Harbour) is along the coast, Del Grifo is on the plain on NW. San Michele (is not a contrade) is the Barracks, a big edifice with a even bigger courtyard for training.

The general geography of the city is: coastal town, crossed by a river with a little island, a hill NE, a big cliff on the left side of the river at the end, straight plain NW.

The point of view of the map is at your discretion; I saw a lot of "from the zenith" maps, for me that's ok this way, maybe (I said MAYBE) a little of isometric perspective will give a good taste!

Quality & Size
Obviously I don't pretend a professional work. For me is enough a nice and pleasant map, with principal and minor roads, normal buildings, some special buildings (like I said, the Castle, the Lighthouse, a Cathedral, maybe some nice plazas with monuments...) and no more.

I will print the map, obviously. Don't know your tastes, but for me it's enough a 2000x2000 px work.

Copyright
The artist will own ALL rights. I will simply print the map and play it with my players



I think it's enough, I will wait for your answers! Thank you!!!!

[Ascension]

We've got so many people here that they should be jumping at the chance to do a city with so much of it already planned out by you. If you don't get anyone in two weeks then I'll give it a go but I really hope someone takes this up. I don't want to hog the good stuff and there are so many people that can do a nicer job than I can do.

[J4ckZ]

Thank you, my friend! I planned a lot for this city, but the most is about the history... I tried to be short in words in order to not bother you... Maybe after we play this campaign with the map, I will leave you a short story of what "Albenga" was and is

[ravells]

Sorry this is a bit of a tease (it needs a lot of work anyway)...but I'm experimenting here with using Alfar's context free buildings as walls and buildings, but using them as line styles - so you cut your roads through a shape and then use the buiildings as the line style so they sit roughly at the right angle to the roads. It's a good, quick lazy way of making lots of reasonably varied buildings that border roads fast. After setting up the line style, putting these buildings down took less than a second. Which is pretty cool.

I'm afraid I just wont have time to finish this for at least 3 weeks but if you have time to wait (I'm talking a few months) I could come back to it.

[ravells]

Here's another with a google Earth texture map of parma overlaid on top of the buildings....it's too sattelity for my tastes but with time one could play with the google earth image to make a more graphic type of building style.

[ravells]

And by making the line width smaller you get smaller buildings....I'm begining to like this.

[Gandwarf]

I very much like that last one Ravells. Some of the space should still be filled up I think, but it's already looking very good and very natural.

[ravells]

Should be pretty straightforward....still exprimenting.

[Steel General]

I think you're definitely on to something here Ravs!

[J4ckZ]

My God, Ravells, your work is great! The idea to put in Google Earth image is awesome, if you want I can suggest a few medieval cities which lasted in that style NOWADAYS.

For my purpose, your style would be perfect. But there's a problem... Time... We (me and my players) get used to play once a week, obviously if I tell them to wait a pair of weeks they will surely agree, but you talked about "a few months"... I don't know, if you can shorten waiting time (obviously I'm just asking you) it would be better for me...

Anyway, thank you so much for interesting in my request