Tectonics, weather and other processes

[humanist_geek]

If you look around you'll see people spending months or even years creating realistic worlds from scratch, and some people post amazing WIPs that slowly stop getting updates. To avoid overcommitment and burnout, I recommend setting goals and constraints on your project so that the pursuit of perfection doesn't drive away the good.

It's now just over 3 and 1/2 years since I started this. That's 42 months of "often interrupted work". I can't count the hours spent on this project, and while it's incredibly difficult for a sane adult to justify this investment, I can't help feeling proud of the direction it's taking. I say it's taking a certain direction because it's very much a Work In Progress. It's far from finished. In fact, some areas might be up for complete devastation and remake, as I grow increasingly unsatisfied with some tectonic aspects in the background.

In the meanwhile, this project has generated a number of spinoffs:
A joint work with Azelor and others on climates for a conworld. Interesting discussions with several members on culture and technology diffusion. Daunting (pointless?) exercises on tectonics with so many newcomers. A couple of tutorials for the Guild. A starting-to-become-detailed history of the world, from Neolithic to Present (although I didn't even reach the Iron Age). A series of detailed modern atlas maps.

Ramblings aside, I'm writing this post, basically, to share the current state of the world map.
Attachment 96591
(Yay, long live large attachments! - click to enlarge and have a look at it further zoomed in)

Right, so I've finally gotten at least a piece of Eocidar into a more-or-less finished state. I should probably mention that I've basically overhauled most of the elevation map from what I had back in February when I made that ill-advised statement that "it will done soon".

I might post something about the geologic features underlying the sub-continent at a later point, but since I'm feeling a bit lazy that will have to wait. However, here's the elevation map for the sub-continent of Akanrias, the southernmost of the three pieces that make up the continent as a whole. I should note that the bathymetry is pretty rough at this point, since the focus is on the topography, and there will probably be some changes to some of the continents and the associated tectonic features (exact location of the ridges and what-not). I've shelved that update for a later date though, for the moment I'm just focusing on this particular continent. So, here's the map:

Attachment 96857

Within the global map, here's the location and size of the area depicted here:

Attachment 96858

And finally, for purposes of comparison, a map of the Earth using the same elevation scheme and intervals (this is generated from the ETOPO1 global relief model, using the "ice surface" version, note that the glaciers are not coloured separately, but are instead regarded as part of the surface):

Attachment 96859

The colour scheme is still a bit WIP, though I'm pretty happy with the lower elevation levels. However, I'm not sure if the dark brown->white transition with the higher levels is all that good right now. So, any feedback on the colour scheme is appreciated.

Anyway, that's it for this update. Any comments/suggestions are welcome as usual, and I'll try to post the relevant geology and tectonics regarding Akanrias at a later date.

Here is the latest update.

Attachment 74985

I need your opinion on a few things.

First are the rivers. R1 or R2

lakes, L1 or L2, right now I like L1 the most.

and lastly the coasts, which are a reall pain to do. I have to zoom %2000 to tweak the coasts. but anyway. C1 has a lighter blue on the layer beneath, C2 is a mid way between C1 and C4, C3 is with no modification, and C4 is with the light blue layer beneath and the most extensive rework involving %2k zoom. I think C4 looks the best but this is getting rediculous, and is what I am leaning towards.

On to the next thing, I tried to start with labling and adding settlments and giving it a sense of being inhabited and things didn't work out well. I don't know what it says about me but simply adding towns and cities left me so overwhelmed that I only added one. I was having a problem of trying to figure out the hisorical context of a single settlment and the people who lived there by starting with a prehistory population map, the idea didn't work. I need to come at this from a different angle. Hopefully I'll figure it out.

[Pixie]

To avoid overcommitment and burnout, I recommend setting goals and constraints on your project so that the pursuit of perfection doesn't drive away the good.

Very good point. I often advise people looking to start with tectonics, that making it right is very consuming and that 99% of the folks give up. But this is much better wording for the same advice.. I might steal it someday, humanist_geek.

Yet, still, what's wrong with having a 10-year plan for your conworlding hobby - it's a grownmen's hobby anyway.