The Cathedral Galaxy

[ThomasR]

Hadn't said anything yet but it is a marvelous project you have here and the execution is spotless. Congrats on a great map Joseph !

[-K2-]

As impressive as the finished all-inclusive map is, the regional maps above with all their notes and graphic representations really grab my eye. Great work on all of it!

K2

[jshoer]

It is quite daunting to try and replicate a galaxy and I am really enjoying what you've done here.

Went to give you rep and realised I can't, already did so for the last competition.

Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it.

Hadn't said anything yet but it is a marvelous project you have here and the execution is spotless. Congrats on a great map Joseph !

Spotless, well, I don't know about that! It's certainly a fun project and I'm thrilled that you like it.

As impressive as the finished all-inclusive map is, the regional maps above with all their notes and graphic representations really grab my eye. Great work on all of it!

Thanks! The regional maps are really adding a lot to my worldbuilding.

Funnily enough, I had the sense that there wasn't enough information on these maps! So I tried a little experiment, and I'm wondering what people on the Guild think. Here is the latest on the Traders' Rim (including new line art for the wormhole-in-a-cage):

CathedralGalaxy_TradersRim_210514a.jpg

I decided to try adding in highlights for inhabited worlds and common (non-wormhole) travel routes between them, to give a sense of habitation density. Does this add to the map, or is it too much?

CathedralGalaxy_TradersRim_210514b.jpg

[-K2-]

Inhabited Worlds: This is just my uneducated opinion, but I'd think it might depend upon what form of media these maps might be used with (if you said earlier, I missed it). If print, so smaller in size, though it might be recognizable I'd be concerned that it blends in too much. In that case, perhaps blurring/dimming un-associated stars might help them stand out (naturally, that means one map for the works, another for inhabited worlds). In a digital format the chartreuse rings stand out, but the connecting lines / direct paths are rather light (even zoomed in). That said, the rings alone somewhat obscure or more distract from the galaxy as a whole. So, it makes me wonder what a similar suggestion to the printed maps might look like.

IOW, Here is the all inclusive system map..."Bob, bring up the inhabited worlds," and then there is the IW map with the noted worlds in the foreground and clear, with the balance there but not as obvious (blurred/dimmed).

In the end, I don't know the project so such an addition might be not worth the effort, too much/many maps, or whatever. Inhabited worlds, however, do have value whichever way you choose to present it.

Just my 2 cents worth, nice addition!

K2

[jshoer]

Ha! You're cutting right to the heart of things by asking what it's for, aren't you?

The Cathedral Galaxy is a personal project of mine. I have written a few short stories that take place here, and I do have an overarching plot in mind. I don't have a particular purpose in mind for this map series other than to build out details of the setting, practice my Photoshop technique, draw cool space megastructures, and give the setting a unique series of illustrations/maps. There's not a specific gameplay environment in mind, though I am aware of one RPG group that's been using it for their adventures. (Man, would I love to play a Skyrim-type PC RPG in this galaxy! But that's a pipe dream.)

For the two options above, I was really just thinking about aesthetics and "terrain" variation within a map. My raw material mostly shows stars as dots, and I was looking for a way to add interest (and indicate that there are more settled worlds than just the homeworlds, besides). But there's not really a specific purpose in mind here -- part of why I'm on the fence about adding so much stuff to the map. Also, yes, while each regional map had a unique highlight feature (like the trade resources in the Traders' Rim) I was thinking of adding inhabited worlds to all the regional maps.

[-K2-]

Thanks for the response. Well, if it's not something to be published or used by others, as long as it suits you, then it works. Personally, I think the addition of denoted inhabited planetary systems has value, however you choose to go about it. My only thought related to your question of "too much." The connecting lines I also liked, though they could be JUST a tad more obvious. But that's just my opinion.

Have you tried this addition without the encompassing chartreuse rings and just the connecting lines?

In any case, known inhabited areas have value IMO.

K2

[jshoer]

I think maybe I will leave off further detail in the maps for now -- it's not like I don't have plenty!

I decided to go spend some time on the my newly inserted landmark and illustration drawings. Here's the Imperium of the Triumvirate (secretly my favorite region map so far) with the sketches turned into space stations! The Presidio, Seat, Magesterium, Naeus, and Ocula are also new drawings.

CathedralGalaxy_Imperium_210522.jpg

I think this one is rapidly approaching completion.

[Simkin]

Well, how to say that? Oh yes... I think your work is amazing. I like the design, the names, the timeline of each empire, the illustrations, all. Congrats and keep posting your work.

[jshoer]

Thanks!

I think the three maps I've been showing above are complete now...I will put them up in the Finished section in a few days, I think. Then there are a couple more regional maps I'm working on (The Sea of Relics and The Exiles) before I'll head off to totally new territories.

CathedralGalaxy_TradersRim_210531.jpg CathedralGalaxy_Imperium_210531.jpg
CathedralGalaxy_TradersRim_210531.jpg

[jshoer]

Here's a look at my current progress on the Burial Grounds. This is a region where lots of ruined stations and derelicts tend to concentrate, and as a result archaeologists and scrappers venture in to salvage materials and artifacts of the ancient civilization. So, for the thing I wanted to highlight in this map, I thought the common salvage routes and locations made a lot of sense. What do you think of the layout, route indicators, and so on?
CathedralGalaxy_BurialGrounds_210724.jpg