[Region 1][Map 25][Location 5] - Qwinyon Shai

[industrygothica]

I'm quite happy with the style I used in my map of Port Magalie, and wanted to play with it a bit more.

Qwinyon Shai is a desolate region nestled in a secluded valley in the Bloodspires, in the northern region of the Witchlight Strand. The city is in ruins and is nearly uninhabitable to all but the growing tribe of orcs currently residing in the crumbling buildings.

Control of Qwinyon Shai is a key element in the Savage War, a centuries long struggle between the orcs of the Bloodspires and the hordes of goblinoid in the southern Blackblade Forest. Control of the city has shifted between the two factions numerous times throughout the decades, but the orcs have it now firmly in their grasp and show no sign of loosening their grip.

As the orcs seek to further secure their control of Qwinyon Shai, pushing the goblins back into the Blackblades and out of the Bloodspires, it is only a matter of time before the epic Savage War comes to an end and both sides turn their attention elsewhere.

[Steel General]

I think you've found yourself a really cool 'style' here - looks great!

[industrygothica]

Thanks! Here's an update

I lowered the opacity on the roads to fade them out almost completely. They'd be wicked overgrown right now.

I played with the docks and added some erosion and a little detail to the wood. I think it turned out pretty good.

I also changed the color of the water; the other was just too much.

I think that's all I did this time. Oh yeah, I also fiddled with the buildings to make them a little less blobby and a little more buildingy. Still have some work there I think, though I don't want them perfect.


-IG

[Hoel]

I have one or two ideas for you, totally free of course.
-Make two or three layers for the buildings, so they overlap in some places. That way each building gets its own bevel and doesn't clump up that much. Try experimenting with some different layers on the wall rubble too to make the stones separate more.
-Since it's been in a siege, why not adding some burned patches to the buildings and the terrain.
-I think some foliage, trees and brushes and some high res grass textures would make it pop.
-The drop shadow on the houses are too far away, they seem to be floating a bit.
Nice work. Cheers

[industrygothica]

I have one or two ideas for you, totally free of course.
-Make two or three layers for the buildings, so they overlap in some places. That way each building gets its own bevel and doesn't clump up that much. Try experimenting with some different layers on the wall rubble too to make the stones separate more.
-Since it's been in a siege, why not adding some burned patches to the buildings and the terrain.
-I think some foliage, trees and brushes and some high res grass textures would make it pop.
-The drop shadow on the houses are too far away, they seem to be floating a bit.
Nice work. Cheers

Those are good ideas. I'll try them in a bit.

Thanks,

-IG

[RobA]

IG-

I really like the look of that rubble wall!

-Rob A>

[Midgardsormr]

Rather than drop shadows, why don't you try that motion blur shadow technique that Ascension has been using: http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...4&postcount=18

[Hoel]

There's also the extrude method for 3d shadows. Find an extrude filter somewhere (there's a lot, about 1 in every commercial filter pack and alot of free ones) and copy layer->extrude->blur->multiply layer->opacity 75%.

[industrygothica]

Thanks for the comments!

Here's another update. I played with the shadows a bit, and added some dimension to the walls.

[Hoel]

Coming along nicely. Very good!
The walls look alot better... I think the stones look a bit too smooth, try adding some noise to the color.
If you got a wood or stone floor texture hidden away somewhere, it should look nice on the top of the towers..
Looks like you went with the motion blur shadow variant.. looks good, but if i can nit pick a bit you could move the shadow 1-2px up and to the left. I think you got a couple of pixels outside the center of the blur.