A Map of Ilaros

[RobA]

...from going wonky when I applied the blur to them...

I think he meant to blur (feather) the edges, not blur the mountain layer itself.

-Rob A>

[pyrandon]

When I wrote my previous message, I considered replacing, "God," with, "Nature," or some such to avoid offending anybody(I feel as if I've been annoying a lot of people lately), but it lost it's punch. Besides, if brilliant folks like Einstein and, now I know, Adams can say God, why not me?

First, I can't think of how you've been offending anyone as of late, su_liam. Say polite as always, help when you can, and in general get along, and all's well. Secondly, don't be afraid to state your beliefs in passing here--as long as you are not blugeoning anyone with them, of course, which is against our Guild rules. I can't see that the word "God" used in passing would be offensive. But hey, good of you to think about your posts and your integrity that carefully, though.

Sorry if that's a threadjack. Just wanted to add a couple thoughts here. Now, on with the maps!!

[Sular]

It kind of reminded me of Greece when I first saw it(specifically the Pelleponesian Peninsula), but now that I look at that chunk of the Great Frozen South, I realize it is more like Cape Horn, only more so. Dangerous storms there I imagine. Seafaring could be exciting.

I'm glad that the Peloponnesian peninsula and the far south of South America are both suggested by the map. I drew quite a bit of inspiration from those places as well as the coast of South-East Alaska when designing the general look of the place.

And as to seafaring, it is indeed "interesting" as well as vital to the people who live in this part of the world. I wanted to have a region that would require the use of boats.

When I wrote my previous message, I considered replacing, "God," with, "Nature," or some such to avoid offending anybody(I feel as if I've been annoying a lot of people lately), but it lost it's punch. Besides, if brilliant folks like Einstein and, now I know, Adams can say God, why not me?

I certainly took it in the Einsteinian spirit; I also had a rather good laugh over it. No worries on my account.

EDIT: One thing I wanted to add. There's a nice little java-based gis app called landserf that does things like finding pits(which, except in deserts, turn into lakes) channels and ridges and building slope maps. It's somewhat technical, but, even I, a rank novice, find great utility in using it to build masks for photoshop operations. Just apropos of filling holes with lakes.

I might have to look into that, although my knowledge of java is precisely nil.

--

Well, I'll keep working on the map. I'm fairly happy with the terrain for the moment so I am migrating to the political map. It is currently taking more time than it really should, but thats the way of things I guess.

[Sular]

Well, I've got a draft of the political map done. There are rather a large number of smallish nations so I hope the map is readable. I've left quite a bit of the map open, mostly out of a desire to keep some "unknown" regions.

[Yandor]

Just a thought, but I noticed a few of the politcal zones, to be very close to the same color, so it made it hard to actually visually see the difference right off hand with out having to compare the colors...

[The Cartographist]

Sular - Really like the map. It looks like a boardgame to me (maybe not your intention, but I LOVE boardgames).

Some thoughts:
- DON'T like the general gray color of the land. It is depressing to me. I think that you should bias it toward a tan color. (Just my two cents worth.)
- I like how you've used color at the political boundaries--especially how the color fades out as you move away from the boundary. BUT (and again, this is probably because I don't like the gray) I think that you should fade to a more washed-out version of the border color vice to the gray at the country interiors.
- Because of your emphasis on the sea and seafaring in general, I think that a political map would benefit greatly from markings depicting which countries hold sway over which water, or what the common trade routes are, etc. Politics does extend to the ocean as well!

[Sular]

Sular - Really like the map. It looks like a boardgame to me (maybe not your intention, but I LOVE boardgames).

I too love board games and so your comment is high praise indeed.

Some thoughts:
- DON'T like the general gray color of the land. It is depressing to me. I think that you should bias it toward a tan color. (Just my two cents worth.)

I agree with you here. I'm working on a "warmer" looking map which I hope will look more appealing.

- I like how you've used color at the political boundaries--especially how the color fades out as you move away from the boundary. BUT (and again, this is probably because I don't like the gray) I think that you should fade to a more washed-out version of the border color vice to the gray at the country interiors.

That's a very good point about the colors. I'm not sure how I will address it at the moment, but I'll try to come up with something.

- Because of your emphasis on the sea and seafaring in general, I think that a political map would benefit greatly from markings depicting which countries hold sway over which water, or what the common trade routes are, etc. Politics does extend to the ocean as well!

Do you have any ideas on how to go about this artfully? Everything I've tried looks like a bloody awful mess. Lines going everywhere (even when only major trade routes are featured), weird unpleasant looking maritime dominions, and all manner of aesthetic unpleasantness.

--

Well, back to work then.

[The Cartographist]

Do you have any ideas on how to go about this artfully?

Practically, maybe. Artfully--doubtful.

I think that you could slightly shade the oceans toward the color of that nation's boundaries. Again this keeps with the border shading aesthetic and "expands" the reach of the countries into the oceans they "control" -- although ocean control is nebulous at best.

Different issue: Looking back at your map, I've come to dislike the color of the ocean as well. Similar to the gray, it is drab, even depressing, to me. It would, I think, also inhibit my suggestion above. I think that if you lightened the shade and brightened it that you would have a blue that is more pleasant to the eye AND one that would more easily accept being washed-over with country-specific shading.

[ravells]

Beautiful. As TC said, this would make a beautiful basis for a boardgame. I like the muted colours of the land and sea, but that's just a matter of individual taste, I guess. What I would suggest is that you could afford to town down the size (but not the intensity) of the outer glow of the text. The purpose of the outerglow is to make text legible against a background which is cluttered or of a similar hue. Once the outer glow is large and intense enough to achieve that aim, it has served its purpose and doesn't have to be made any larger - unless there's some artistic principle to be served, I guess.

[The Cartographist]

While it burdens me to do so (), I have to agree with Ravells on this one. I think the outerglow could be toned-down a bit.

On another note - Also like how the rivers widen as they approach the sea.