Hexingtide [WIP]

[Diamond]

That border is absolutely fantastic. And for what it's worth, I like the folds as they are.

The only thing I'm a little iffy on now is that road (?), the light blue line running from Oongala to Asweyr. It looks off somehow. I don't know if it's because it contrasts too much with the terrain, or if it looks too smooth, as in not going around impassable natural features, or what.

[Will Phillips]

The only thing I'm a little iffy on now is that road (?), the light blue line running from Oongala to Asweyr. It looks off somehow. I don't know if it's because it contrasts too much with the terrain, or if it looks too smooth, as in not going around impassable natural features, or what.

I concur 100% and probably would admit in even stronger terms how much the current road design suck big ole hairy gorilla balls. I don't like it, but for the time being, the road system is sitting a bit at the bottom of the list: I need to take a gander at other maps and see how other people are styling them.

Given the varying colors and textures of the map itself, I will need to use some kind of border to strengthen it visually, and along with the textures of the typeface, I don't think a flat color line will work...

[Diamond]

You could do a very low-opacity white line, varied in thickness/dotted depending on if it's a major or minor road. That way you'd still see the terrain and the roads might blend in a little better while still being visible.

[Will Phillips]

OOOOOOHH SHIIIITTTT IT'S BAAAAAACK.

Because I've torn the world down and built it back up again - or at least a substantive part of it, even thought some familiar geographic elements remain in place.

Still working out the topography, weather, and drainage systems. Specifically, the weather and biomes of the northern third of the map is proving tricky for me.

How would that big Mediterranean-esque sea affect weather patterns and rainfall? How would the rain shadow work with those horizontal mountains and the big fjord-gulfs (even though it's going to be pretty dry on that coast, anyway)?

And large body of land drawing antarctic weather to the tropics? Any sort of monsoon effect from the open ocean?

Please note: the rivers are an obvious quick and dirty sketch of general placements, the raised relief effect is a WIP, and I've no particular interest in going all the way back to the nitty gritty of plate tectonics.

[Diamond]

Right on! Nice to see you (and this map) back in action.

[Will Phillips]

Right on! Nice to see you (and this map) back in action.

Thanks! We'll see how it shakes out, eh?

[jbgibson]

First thought re climate & weather - if you want a coherent, plausible pattern, might it be worth roughing out the rest of the planet? Or at least the rest of the Southern Hemisphere? Effects on this continent won't be hugely affected by mountains, gulfs, or inhabitants elsewhere, but whether the rest of the Southern Hemisphere not depicted is all ocean or 75% land could affect air & sea circulation massively.

Not sure barely touching the Antarctic circle is enough continental coldness to slurp beaucoups of frigidity equator-ward -- are you pegging average warmth of the globe as roughly earth like? Using earthly equivalents, Tierra del Fuego isn't nearly as big a weather maker as Siberia and Nunavut.

Nice landforms. Those bodies of water up north are going to have interesting societal effects...

[Will Phillips]

First thought re climate & weather - if you want a coherent, plausible pattern, might it be worth roughing out the rest of the planet? Or at least the rest of the Southern Hemisphere? Effects on this continent won't be hugely affected by mountains, gulfs, or inhabitants elsewhere, but whether the rest of the Southern Hemisphere not depicted is all ocean or 75% land could affect air & sea circulation massively.

Not sure barely touching the Antarctic circle is enough continental coldness to slurp beaucoups of frigidity equator-ward -- are you pegging average warmth of the globe as roughly earth like? Using earthly equivalents, Tierra del Fuego isn't nearly as big a weather maker as Siberia and Nunavut.

Nice landforms. Those bodies of water up north are going to have interesting societal effects...

Thanks for the reply!

I could get around to sussing out a world map. From a writing and setting perspective, I'm exclusively focused on this particular area, but wouldn't mind having the rest of it for reference. For now, would setting a general 50% work?

The only important part of the world, historically, is ensuring that a Polynesian level of technology culture of people in crude boats could reach the northern tip of the world from some other point. Past that, I don't care, truthfully.

I've attached a set of maps that I'm using to work out the climate and biomes. The first is the general overview of prevailing winds and ocean currents, followed by a couple stabs at areas of high/low pressure and guesses at precipitation. The precipitation maps really threw me for a loop, and I'm not sure what is right and what is wrong.

My stab at the biomes is the last map (the one with all the color). It doesn't exactly match up with the precipitation maps, so I'm not sure what I should go with.

Also, the effect of that large sea in the top third and the biomes/climate of the top subcontinent is giving me fits.

Would appreciate any help in getting this sorted out!

[Will Phillips]

Am still open for suggestions and input about the biomes and climate.

But, I spent some time this week working on the antique paper map style. Still a long, long ways to go, so consider this more of a design experiment. But, still, I'm pleased with large swaths of it (even though large swaths also remain in bad shape, unfinished, or not even started).

HXTD_Map_Wip_2014_02Feb_19.jpg

[arsheesh]

Those borders are killer! Did you draw those yourself?

Cheers,
-Arsheesh