Feb/Mar 2016 Lite Mapping Challenge: The Great Western of Cornwall in 2122

[Nidhöggr]

Hello,

this will be my very first map, and the very first map I am going to publish here in the forums, too.
I plan to map Cornwall and Devon in a post-apocalyptic setting, wherein the surviving society has set up
a crude but functioning railway/subway system. I plan to show major freight routes and try to show some
other details, which I haven´t thought of yet.

Most ideas are based around the idea, that people will come up with variants of historic inventions/technologies/social developments. The idea came while researching for the challenge topic, as I stumbled over the website of a
very dedicated person regarding trains. That guy has an impressive collection of historic train material, including some of Cornwall and surroundings.

Why Cornwall, your not even an Englishman ? I just found the shape of the coastline appealing and I thought that the weird setting would be more interesting when it is located in the "real world", because some features, even altered, become recognizable. We´ll see where it will lead us.
Please forgive me, it´s my first map, after all.

So here one of my current note overlays in GIMP: (Don´t bother reading anything of this, it makes not much sense)
(Reduced resolution)

### Latest WIP ###
MyCornwall_WIP_R01.jpg

[Diamond]

Well, I love me some post-apocalypse goodness, so I'll be watching this one with interest.

[Greg]

Welcome to the challenge! It's great you've decided to throw yourself right in to it.

I'll be following this map with great interest being Devon-born and currently living in Cornwall!

[Nidhöggr]

Haha, that´s quite nice! Later on you can expose my most obvious disgraces and my ignorance!
Well, I have to include a toffee or two for you to discover!

[ravells]

Lots of scope for some really cool map decorations with your idea. Looking forward to seeing it develop!

[Tonnichiwa]

This will be interesting. And welcome to the guild!

[ChickPea]

Welcome Nidhöggr, nice idea and watching with interest. You're absolutely correct that I cannot decipher your hieroglyphics!

[Nidhöggr]

Thank you all for the hearty welcome! (Hieroglyphs were written with the mouse, but my handwriting is not much better....)

So, what has happened:
- Added more detail in the coastline
- Started rivers, although not being true to the original and not completed yet
- Added faction capitals and major cities
- Added No-Go Areas, propably inhabitated by outlaws and/or other menaces.
- Not shown: Created some faction specific assets, hope they find their place eventually.

Whats next:

- Some environmental changes are high up on the list!
- Some other environmental related flavour is further down the list
- Currently thinking about the best way to show some other terrain features like hills, that fits the style
- Thinking about railways and the general flow of goods

Lowres:
### Latest WIP ###
MyCornwall_WIP_R02_lowres.jpg

Edit:

- Working on my Railway Brush, so that I only have to set up paths. Not quite there, but I am working on it.
Show_Railway_brush_r01.PNG

[ChickPea]

Looking good!

About your railway brush, do you use Inkscape per chance? I had messed about with a railway map months ago (never posted it here because it was only for practice and I never completed it). Anyway, I created some railway tracks in Inkscape (mine had rails and sleepers) then used the program's Pattern Along Path tool to apply them to my railway route. I had to do a small amount of tweaking, but it gave me some beautiful tracks with not too much work. The tracks you have in your pic above look quite simple and Inkscape might be able to do this really easily for you. Of course, if you're not at all familiar with the software, it might be more of a learning curve than you want, but thought I'd offer up the suggestion anyway.

[Nidhöggr]

Hey, thanks for the tip.
I´m considering it, at least for the last run. For now, I´ll set my paths quick and dirty with GIMP to get a feel for the look I want to have. Maybe I will insert some beautified tracks afterwards, with a better tool for jobs like that, like the suggested Inkscape. Gonna have to look into it, because I am not that much familiar with it.

So what´s going on:

- Environmental Change No. 1: The thermonuclear impacts on earth climate are very harsh in my scenario. That means, that the Irish Sea is completely frozen, and the ice is only slowly smelting away through the warm waters in Bristol Channel. The warm water comes from the river Severn there, which got heated up through radiation.
-Environmental Change No. 2: The radiation: Three major impact sites are near the mapped location, but not shown itself. One in the NE (area of Northhampton) one in SE (on the French side of the channel) one in the NW (Irish coast).
- I have added a radiation absorbing anomaly on Lundy Island. It is now obvious, why two of the major factions have settled down on those islands. The faction leaders chose to live over there to not be too exposed to the background radiation.

What´s next:

- Still thinking about my hills
- Definitely will set up some railways now, although those hills have some impact on routes.

Lowres:

### Latest WIP ###
Attachment 80646