WIP: Lethlin Mire
A game I'm running calls for a gigantic swamp, large enough to qualify as a regional map. I'm aiming for a cold, barren sort of swamp -- very few small, stunted trees, long grass on the hummocks, more water than land, swept endlessly by long cold winds. Vasyugan Swamp in Russia is a good model.
Here's a first stab at it. Okay, I lie, this is my third attempt. Let us not discuss the hideous results of my first two tries.
LethlinMire-01.jpg
I put in a few long, meandering streams -- draining roughly from southeast to northwest, assuming north at the top of the map. They don't show up very well in the thumbnail, you'll need to click through for the full size version to see them more clearly.
It could work, I guess. But it's not terribly interesting. Partly that's the fact that, well, it's a barren, trackless swamp with not a lot in it. But I wonder if there's anything else I could do to improve it? Suggestions welcome.
Last edited by wdmartin; 07-02-2016 at 01:59 PM.
I've never done much with swamps, let alone on the scale you are working on, but my first thought was the overall map was too dark. Mainly the blue color. Or maybe it is just there isn't a lot of contrast overall.
I don't know if this is part of a larger map and fits that style, but as a stand alone map I think the lightest color of blue of the current map might be better as the darkest color and go lighter from there. Or if you want the water that dark the green could be lighter.
I agree with Savage Orc, it all looks a bit too dark. Adding some contrast would help a lot.
Another thing you might want to consider is some shading in the water. Small/thin shading around and in-between the moss/land patches for shallow water, and some larger/thicker/darker shading in the bigger channels. The shading around the land parts might also help to "ground" them more, as right now it looks a bit like they're floating above the water.
Maybe also join up some of the land pieces to make larger "islands". That would make it more interesting, and would help to break up the repeating pattern effect.
I've never seen a swamp done at this scale before! I'm really looking forward to seeing how it progresses.
My: maps ~ mapping freebies
Oo, good feedback. I'll take that into account in the next iteration, but I've got an updated version here that I just finished some work on. I very much like the idea of adding darker areas in the main channels and lighter areas at the shores of some islands.
LethlinMire-02.jpg
Stuff done:
- Added a thin (4px) band of dirt at the edges of the islands for a shore area
- Made an attempt at a scattering of very small trees.
- Cleared out the channels further -- they were clear on the black/white mask, but got lost in the full version.
- Added two layers of greenish murk over the water, which I am not satisfied with.
It's still got contrast issues -- maybe even more than before, after the murk. I'll have to experiment.
That's already looking much better!!
I really like the band of brown around the islands (makes them look like actual islands now!). And they don't look like they're floating anymore.
And the addition of the trees is great. They give a much better sense of scale now, and plus it just makes the terrain more interesting. Maybe add some small clusters as well, and make some of them different sizes (smaller than the ones currently there)?
I also like the overlay of green in the water. It's looking much more swamp-like now! I think once you add some depth shading, the water is going to look really nice.
Great job so far!
My: maps ~ mapping freebies
Further progress!
LethlinMire-03.jpg
- Darkened river channels
- Lightened areas of shallow water in the island clumps
- Added a teeny fortress (can you find it?)
I'm not entirely happy with the shallows. The blue of the water there seems too intense. I may have to adjust that.
More progress!
LethlinMire-04.jpg
Stuff:
- Added clumps of smaller trees
- Added a grave mound in the island to the north
- Added a witch hut (east quadrant, kind of hard to see at this scale)
- Added a laaaaarge cave entrance (south west quadrant, towards the center)
I think this is the final version, largely because the game I need this for is scheduled for Sunday, and I still have some encounter maps to make. Also I don't know what else to do with it.
Great work and progress wdmartin on the swamps. I have to admit that swamps is one part of mapping that I have not quite gotten around to doing much with. A little fog might be even better, but not sure if that would detract from the map or not. This map has a "mossy" feel to it.
-darcycardinal
Great job! I really like the addition of the buildings/structures, and that cave is awesome. In the bottom-right there's 2 white structures... I'm curious about what those are. Are they dolmens?
I'm guessing from your comments that the white dots are trees. That's probably the only thing I would recommend changing, from white to green (unless they're a specific species of tree that your players are aware of). But for me, they don't really translate well. If I was seeing this for the first time (without reading your comments), I wouldn't know what they were.
I'm kinda sad you're calling this done. I would have liked to see.... more (just other little details, structures, etc.).
My: maps ~ mapping freebies
Thought: here are some pictures of swamps.
Many of them are browner than that. Especially if you want a cold swamp, probably look for examples for a color palette. Cranesville Swamp in the US comes to mind to me as I've been there. Might also consider these tundra bogs.
Point is: swamps often have lots of brown, even brown-ish red, or yellow. The greens can be very vibrant, but are often interspered with other colors. The water too may be blue, or may be green, or brown. You might consider dropping saturation a bit and then adding in some more color variety around the region.
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