[WIP] Kervria Regional map

[eepjr24]

Some progress made, I think I am done with rivers for the moment.

kervria_rivers.jpg

[eepjr24]

A good bit of progress in adding the mountains. I will need to tweak some of the river paths, but I expected it and it should not be a big deal to do. Would love to hear thoughts on realism or any critiques.

mountains_fixed.jpg

- E

[Blindkingofbohemia]

Hey, this looks cool. Just looking at the mountains I think you could get them looking somewhat more real: at the moment they look as though they run along a fault line between tectonic plates, which is good: mountains run in ridges. Besides running in ridges, though, mountains build up over time and in ranges. If you look at (for example) a satellite map of New Zealand's South Island you will see that instead of a single long ridge a mountain range is made up of several parallel ridges of greater and lower height. I think adding that kind of depth to your mountains would help to make this map more realistic.

Also consider that mountain ridges don't necessarily run in the same direction as the range itself: mountains are formed by a slow motion but ultimately very violent process. They are bits of crust broken and forced up into the sky, not gently shoved into place. Looking again at the South Island you will note that the mountain range (the Southern Alps) runs roughly southwest to northeast, along the tectonic margin. The ridges or massifs that make up the range, though, run across its general grain, often from the southeast to northwest.

So I think if you take a look at your mountains and look at a) building them out from ridges into ranges and b) making sure the ridges flow in varied (but broadly consistent) directions sometimes opposed to the overall orientation of the range, you will have a much more realistic map. Then we will look at weathering: those two processes are basically how you get foothills and highlands around your mountains, anyway.