June/July 2014 Lite Challenge - After the fall

[Francissimo]

Hello guild! Post apocalyptic universe has always been a passion for me till i discovered the fallout game series. With this month subject i wanted to try a post apocalyptic map with modern size cities destroyed by huge impacts.

Story:
Before the end of the 21th Century mankind's civilisation had spread all over the earth, the continuous population growth was a major issue. But before starvation became a threat to civilisation, astronomers discovers that a huge asteroid was pointing earth, a big one, even bigger than the one that ended the dinosaurs era.
Of course science tried to prevent that, space missions with nuclears bombs were sent to destroy the asteroid. But those explosions failed to prevent the collision, the only result was the fragmentation of the asteroid in multiple parts. After that failure it was clear that civilisation was coming to a brutal and unexpected end. A few lucky ones had the chance to take place in atomic shelters, giving them a chance to survive the fall and maybe save mankind from exctinction. The rest of mankind became crazy, insurections and madness go higher and higer as the fall was approaching. During the last days before the fall multiple nuclear missiles were launched, a last scream of hate of condemned nations to each other. Then it was the fall, thousands of asteroid parts hit the planet, each with the energy of nuclear bombs. Almost all life at the surface of earth was instantly destroyed. The remaining survivors then had to face a nuclear winter, the dust raised by the impacts remains in the atmosphere for decades. A century after the fall and the end of the nuclear winter earth was unrecognizable, thousands of craters sprinkle the landscape, the only remaining noise being the wind whispering in the streets of ruined cities.
(sorry if my english sucks)
Technique:
First i download a digital elevation model of the moon and played with it a bit with QGIS wilbur and photoshop to make an hillshade. I think i'll try to do multiple views of the planet at different scales to show the desolation.
### Latest WIP ###
July_wip.jpg

[Ilanthar]

Very good start! I already like your colors choice.

[Bogie]

That is just wicked cool!!! Thanks for getting this challenge started!

[jtougas]

To quote my fellow New Englander.... Wicked cool indeed !!

[Diamond]

I agree with the other guys, great start, cool story. Very evocative.

[Meshon]

I'm really enjoying all your maps, your skills are running high! I like the style a lot. I'm looking forward to see what you do with the heavily cratered Earth!

cheers,
Meshon

[Francissimo]

Thx Meshon
I'll probably add a few lines to the background of the map, i plan to represent 2 type of survivors in the ruins of a big city: vault dwellers and barbarians
### Latest WIP ###
July_Challenge.jpg

[Meshon]

Whoa! I just realized the epic scale of this! I haven't played a sci-fi game in a long time but this map has got me looking for some post apocalyptic fun! Sorry for so much exclamation!

I really really like it. I'm interested to see what it looks like when you "populate" it. Also, out of curiosity, what is the pixel resolution of the image as you work on it?

cheers,
Meshon

[Francissimo]

Thanks Meshon, it's pleasant to know my project is appreciated! Doing this map makes me want to play again a post apocalyptic game too
About the pixel resolution i'm actually working at 380 DPI, the final map will be a bit larger than this one and maybe i'll allow to zoom a bit more, still not sure about the final format yet.

[Francissimo]

A century after the fall .. the Giants craters left by the fall have been filled with rainwater, and vegetation gradually hide the scars of earth. The sprawling metropolis of the ancients are gradually disappearing under a tangle and inexctricable jungle. Avenues once frequented by millions of vehicles are now covered with a thick carpet of moss, trees inexorably drilling concrete, nature's taking its revenge against the offense of mankind. A century of rain have covered skyscrapers with moisture. The sky who was furrowed by thousands of flying vehicles is now a blank space without any presence, birds already threatened by human pollution have not withstood decades of nuclear winter. Huge herds of wild animals now reign alone on the ruins .. almost. Although the huge size of the ancients city make it pitiful, evidence of human civilization are still visible, man has not been completely obliterated by the fall. However, the survivors do not have all taken the same path to survive the Apocalypse and two distinct civilizations seem to gradually emerge from the ruins of the ancient world ...
### Latest WIP ###
July_Challengewip.jpg