The World of Eldaron [WIP]

[ScotlandTom]

They seem too "low" at the edges or something.

Yeah, the conifers do have a different type of styling going on and stand apart from the other forests quite a bit, but I'm not quite sure what you mean. I'd be interested if you could explain a bit more what you're getting at.

EDIT: The more I look at it the more I think I might see what you're seeing. While the edges of the conifers are actually about the same height as the trees in the other forests, the greater detail in the center of the coniferous forests seems to be making them appear to be shorter than the rest. Is that what you're seeing? If so, the only ways I can see to solve the issue are somehow remove the detail work or raise the level of detail work in the other forests to match. Not sure which approach to take though.

[ScotlandTom]

Alright, all the major detail elements are in.

Eldaron 06.png

I'm sure there are things I could do to improve things detail-wise, but I'm going to hold off on anything there until I get some feedback. Lukc, I think I fixed the pine forests; let me know what you think. My next major step will be all the labeling and whatnot. I have to admit I'm looking forward to doing something other than hand drawing all these little details. I'm gonna have to make my own brush set.

[geamon]

My only qualm is how saturated some of the colors are, I dunno. Another detail that may have issues is the shadows on the mountains in the north east continent (not the islands).

Here's what I mean by the saturation.

[ScotlandTom]

Thanks for the suggestions, geamon! I may play around with the saturation a bit, but I probably won't bring things down as far as you have in your example. Just looks a bit drab to me, which may be a touch more realistic, but it's not really what I'm aiming for.

Those mountains are bothering me too. I'll fix them up.

[wynn]

Looking awesome! I love your style you've got going.

[ScotlandTom]

The latest and greatest:

Eldaron 07.png

Touched up those mountains on the northeastern continent; I'm fairly satisfied with them now. Did all the major labeling (which is probably all I'll do). Desaturated the whole thing ever so slightly. I'm also experimenting with removing the border. I kind of like the map being borderless; it gives me more room for a couple of the labels and the look is a little cleaner, though I miss the extra splash of red. Ultimately I think I may simply minimize the border rather than remove it completely, but I'll wait for feedback on that. No legend or scale as they're not currently necessary for my purposes anyway.

Before I call this one done I'd be very interested in any comments and critique I can get. And thanks to everyone who has supplied me with feedback so far, it's been quite helpful.

[Lukc]

Hi ScotlandTom - sorry I took my time . Yeah, you got it exactly. The coniferous forests *seem* lower than the deciduous. I would definitely not touch the deciduous trees, as they look awesome. It's just a visual thing, but you might be able to solve it by adding more shadow beneath the conifers. Particularly the Noregar conifer woods seem to grow right out of the ground, like a hedge ... some bottom shadows and it would just look much higher.

Damn, it's hard to type with a cat on my lap :S

[ScotlandTom]

I still see what you're saying about the coniferous forests, Lukc, but I think I'm at a point where I'm satisfied with how they look. Altering the level of detail in the center of the masses of pines went a long way toward fixing the issue for me.

Here's what's probably going to be the final version:

Eldaron 08.png

I replaced the border (I missed it), though it is thinner and less bold than it used to be. I've also altered a few labels and done final levels and color adjustments to unify the look of the piece. Unless I receive any further feedback on significant issues that I should address I'll probably be posting this here and on DeviantArt as a finished work sometime this evening.

[ScotlandTom]

Hm... 9 hours and no feedback. That must mean it's perfect! I'll post the completed work in about 2 hours, just in case anyone finds any flaws at the last minute.

[maxsdaddy]

Looking good. Nice map Scott.