Jhendor World Map

[Uthoroc]

I'm currently working on a new big map for my game world, and thought I'd post my progress here for comments. This is a bit farther along than what I posted on the CC mailing list earlier. What do you think?

See this link for a larger version:
http://www.jhendor.de/images/maps/dyra_mercator.png

[RobA]

Nice (And I don't usually go for geo-political maps

Just a couple things that jar for me:
1) The cities all have a red "blurry spot" (for lack of a better term) behind them. This is lost in the red territory, so another colour might be more effective (or eliminate it?).

2) The borders are obviously delineated by then mountains but aren't very clear/sharp. I am suspecting this is intentional, indicating the mountain border is not well defined, but it looks unfinished to my eye, especially compared to the rest. I know in the real world, borders typically fo in straight lined from peak to peak in mountains, or follow a terrain feature (like a foothill ridge line).

Otherwise, very nice. I really like the mercator projection in the subtle lat/long lines as well as the mountain ranges.

-Rob A>

[pyrandon]

I really like it! Nice work. I especially like the font you've chosen, which has a nice early calligraphic look. Even the fact that they sometimes run together works well for authenticity, even if clarity is lost a tad.

The sea is also well done, although the curvature of the lattitude lines and such are very sharp--like this is at the north pole of the world. If just stylistic, though, it works fine & has a pleasing effect!

The color for the trees and such all seem too vivid for my tastes; I'd drop the opacity a tad. (also, the trees in Gwynneth are individually colored, while elsewhere they are not.)

Overall, this style of map is coming along wonderfully! Good work!

[Uthoroc]

It is actually pretty close to the world's north pole, although the (fictional) cartographer moved some stuff too far north. He's a Narsarian, and got a few things wrong outside his own country.

Here's a larger section, as I'm filling in more areas.

The whole map is based on these original maps:
http://www.jhendor.de/geo/topograph.htm
http://www.jhendor.de/geo/southern_topo.htm

Inspiration comes from Mercator maps like this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M..._World_Map.jpg

[pyrandon]

Although well after the Medieval Era for maps, you cant go wrong emulating Mercator!

Can you say a few words about how you created your map. Like what program you're using, any tricks & tips you've relied on? I also like the yellow "globe round", is that an original?

Looking great!

[Uthoroc]

It's done in Camapign Cartographer 3 with the help of the Mercator style from the Cartographer's Annual (created by yours truly).

Can't really give much tipps beyond that, since the Mercator style takes care of almost everything.

The only thing I can think of for maps of this kind is go wild with the details. Fill up as much as you can with symbols, text, lines etc. It will take time, but the results are worth. Actual historical maps are mostly not noteworthy of the beauty of inidividual elements (e.g. a mountain symbol is very plain), but for the meticulous detail included.

[Eru]

Very cool, I like the style - looks like something the characters could be staring at in their own hands. I also found myself going into the larger scale maps to see more and then straining at the boundaries of the image, wanting to know what lay beyond. Half a ship? I wanna see the rest of it!

The only thing I can possibly think of that could be added is a spot in the middle of the ocean that says "Here there be monsters". But that's just me.

Incidentally, I stumbled upon the Jhendor website several months ago and spent quite a long time reading all about it, and especially enjoying its maps. You've done a fantastic job on the high-level concepts of the world as well as creating a strong visual representation of geography. The descriptions of cultures, holidays, laws, and such that you put into Gwynneth capture the attention and imagination, and I hope to see that spread to other countries and regions. In short, I'm glad to see Jhendor is still alive and growing!

[Publius]

Yes, I like the style too. It would make a great handout, get it printed off somewhere that they can do quality work. Use Vellum or something similar, gives it a great feel.


I like the "Here there be Monsters" idea, you might want to use a specific creature instead though, maybe something that a particular area is well known. Like "Here there be Kraken's" or perhaps "Sea Witch's Abound"...