Apollos III - Preparation for Big Project

[MadLetter]

So I'm working on the big project (see my thread about it in this forum) and toying around with Pasis' style as a baseline.

While still working on the big project, I've also worked on this beauty for a smaller campaign for Classic Battletech I will be playing with a friend of mine.

What do you folks think?

[Gandwarf]

I think it's pretty damn cool! It still looks a lot like Pasis his maps (well, why wouldn't it after following his tutorial?) but I see you added some of your own stuff and it's looking good.

The mountains are very well done, although two of those fish grate mountains near each other are a bit too much for me. Your farmland looks exceptional (!) and I very much like the style on your cities (I actually like it better than the style Pasis is using). The swampland to the south and the little islands in the northern lake are very nice touches as well.

Really, the more I look at this map, the more I start wanting to rave
I am interested to see more progress, like roads and labels.

I am very much impressed by Pasis his work and it's great to see some spinoffs now. I am sure you will all learn from each other.

Repped for encouragement and because it's such a great start.

[MadLetter]

Thanks a bunch!

I think it's pretty damn cool! It still looks a lot like Pasis his maps (well, why wouldn't it after following his tutorial?) but I see you added some of your own stuff and it's looking good.

Yeah, I'm beginning to experiment with the style now that I have more or less gotten a good grip on Pasis' baseline!

The mountains are very well done, although two of those fish grate mountains near each other is a bit too much for me. Your farmland looks exceptional (!) and I very much like the style on your cities (I actually like it better than the style Pasis is using). The swampland to the south and the little islands in the northern lake are very nice touches as well.

The mountains were initially thought as one big mountain-ridge with a pass in between... well, as is obivous, that changed :-/

The Farmland is also taken from Pasis I must admit, but I simply love that texture and will keep using it with all likelihood.

The Swampland is one of my own additions and maybe needs a tad bit more work, maybe some yellow or brown color on top, just to give it a more dirty look...

Really, the more I look at this map, the more I start wanting to rave
I am interested to see more progress, like roads and labels.

I'll advance on the map tomorrow with all likelihood, trying to implement the main ways of transportation, even though for my own matters this map is basically done.

I'm using it for a Classic Battletech Campaign and so far it's finished for that purpose. I will most likely advance this map further, though, because I'd like to have another wholly finished map in my repertoire.

Repped for encouragement and because it's such a great start.

There's nothing like a little more Rep to get me started on a map

I'll keep you up-to-date when I advance a little more on this map, folks!

[landorl]

This style of map is now my favorite style. I will be going back and reworking a lot of my maps in this style!

The one thing that I am not too fond of in this map is the mountains. They are a little too "fishbony"(not that that's a real word) for my taste. The ridgelines seem to be a little too sharp.

I love the trees and... Well, pretty much everything else about this map! I am looking forward to seeing more!

[landorl]

Also, one quick question... How did you do the trees? I like them a lot!

[Redrobes]

There's nothing like a little more Rep to get me started on a map

Really ? Well you had better have some more then Nicely done - my comments would match those said already.

[MadLetter]

Thanks a lot Redrobes!

Also, one quick question... How did you do the trees? I like them a lot!

Quite simple.

You have to create a new bursh with 1 px size, activate scattering in the respective tab and set it to maximum. Hardness is 0%, Spacing is set to 422% in the Brush Tip Shape tab. I also use a texture when putting up the trees with the Pattern Stamp Tool.

So basically:

1. Open Photoshop (obviously...)
2. Activate the Brush Tool (B) and choose the first available bursh in the list of possible brushes (should be the 1px. hard one)
3. In the Menu go to View > Brushes; in CS3 also attainable with pressing F5
4. In the new window put Hardness to 0% and Spacing to something you like around 400%, maybe above. I use 422%.
5. Deactivate Shape Dynamics if you want, or leave it active and make the trees vary in size and angle and such. I deavtivate it or change from Pen Pressure to Off in the "Control"-Box.
6. Activate Scatter, set the Scatter-Value to maximum and activate "on both axes"
7. Put Count up to 8 or something similar; Count Jitter 0% or to your liking
8. I also have Smoothing active
9. That's it, you now only need to save your brush and find a good wood-texture to use for the Pattern Stamp Tool.

[MadLetter]

Update. Canvas suddenly got bigger, beginning to fill in the void

I 'fear' this might happen again, if my mood stays tuned towards "making this thing awesome!"



Enjoy and please give me your honest opinions / criticism (as long as it's constructive, that is).

[Ascension]

Looking true to the tut so far but I have a couple of things poking me in the eye. The arms sticking out of the main mountain ridge line look too long and too widely spaced apart...so I'd suggest shortening them up and putting them closer together. The color of the water...maybe something a lil more green and gray. Not too much but it looks kind of bright...maybe just a lighter tint or darker shade, I dunno, could just be me.