January 2018 Challenge: The Great Railroad

[Diamond]

Having a hard time going forward with this. I have a two great railroad brushes, one that J.Ed made, one that I made, but I can't stroke a path cleanly enough to make the routes look right. Dang, I really need to learn Illustrator - that clean vector look is so nice. Maybe I'll just make them solid lines of different thicknesses and colors.

Also not sure about the mountains. I may switch over to the style I used on my Bannarith map. That actually may be what I end up doing because this map is going to be hella text-heavy, just like Bannarith.

[Ilanthar]

What makes the routes not right? I'm curious (and know nothing about illustrator as well).

About the mountains, well I surely love what you did with Bannarith (and I'm very glad something nominated it, btw ).

[fabio p]

I'm already looking forward to another great job of worldbuilding translated into a detailed and clean map.
I love the colour palette you chose and I agree, the parchments for the city names are truly fitting.

[Diamond]

What makes the routes not right? I'm curious (and know nothing about illustrator as well).

I always end up with some off-set or weird looking areas where the brush doesn't 'curve' right. I'll have to end up going in by hand and cleaning up all the weird bits, I guess. That actually may be LESS time-consuming than trying to figure out something new halfway through the month...

[Azélor]

If you have Illustrator, it's very easy to use a path that look like a track. Or make a custom one.

Untitled-1.zip

[Diamond]

I don't have Illustrator. Yet. But yes, I love the smooth and easy look of how you can do tracks, roads, etc. with it.

[Southern Crane]

I hope you figure out a solution, I am very excited for this map!

[Ilanthar]

Yeah, I know that kind of problems... I had the same issue with my old PSP7.

[Diamond]

I guess I'll focus on getting all the other stuff done before I tackle the railroads.

I lightened the overlaying parchment texture a bit so it's not so heavy and dominant. Also cleaned up the city labels a little bit, made them a bit more legible. Other minor tweaks.

Some lore:

The Matriarchate - The principal ally of the Railmens Guild, and one of the main reasons the Guild is as powerful as it is. The Matriarchate is a theocratic state ruled by the Fire Priestesses of Krana, Goddess of Fire and Creation. Once a widespread faith, it has shrunk significantly since the Collapse, and only its alliance with the Guild has allowed it to maintain a modicum of power in the region. For the Guild's part, they are reliant on the help of the Priestesses not only for protection of their trains, but for assistance in the fabrication of the Urns, the sorcerous/scientific engines that power the locomotives. It's a symbiotic relationship that has its hidden opponents on both sides. Some in the Guild feel that to rely too heavily on religious zealot sorceresses is to give up logical secular control, while a growing movement among the Priestesses bides their time until they can seize control of the Rails from the heretical Guild and finally use the Rails to bring the Word of Krana to every corner of the Civilized Realms...

The Great Silt Sea - Once a shallow sea that served as a major nexus of trade and culture, a tectonic upheaval resulted in a shift of the seabed and a gradual silting up of the sea. The archipelago nation of Astaru died a slow, strangling death, and the ruins of its great cities are scattered throughout the mangroves and shadows.

Ilas Nova - The greatest port and trade center of the Civilized Realms. Ruled by the Order of the Blue Magi, an order of storm warlocks, they protect the shipping lanes from pirates and monstrous attacks... for a price. The city of Ilas Nova is built on and in a mountainous, craggy island with imposing cliffs and only one easily accessible bay, where the city's docks are situated.

### Latest WIP ###

[Mouse]

Beautifully drawn, D

Is there anything going in the two top corners?