Nov/Dec 2011 Lite Challenge Entry: The Mage's Tale - episode 6

[gwiley]

Pencil on paper. Partially done - main features and primary focus. Unsure what to use for forests and grasslands...
Gary

[ravells]

Looks great, I'll remove the other entry. You might want to post it in the 'Finished Maps' section though, it's a beauty.

[tilt]

what a great start - just remember to "mapify" it

[gwiley]

Thank you Tilt... by mapify, do you mean it should be more like a top-down view? flat? do not think I can do that with this one. So, next time I enter, I will think in terms of flat map next time. Is that a standard? My drawings tend to be "pictorial".
Gary

[jbgibson]

No, the oblique angle doesn't keep it from being sufficiently 'mappish'. Rather, one needs the annotations that tell you more about the place - (one or more of: ) scale, labeling of SoMeThInG, key, title,maybe some human features. Mind you, the human stuff isn't crucial - I mean there's maps of Mars, ja? :-) This could be a strictly geological map, ignoring millions of people and network of highways, and, and, and..... whatever you want to make it.

The pictorial oblique views are great - don't shift viewpoint 'less you want to!

[gwiley]

Thanks for the information - I think I understand. My maps are usually linked to a story episode so there is almost never more than an indication of human presence. My thought is that, during pre-modern times, human impact on the land was less pronounced than today. For instance, around 500 B.C.E., Europe was forest. By 1000 C.E., you could probably pick out Rome on a landscape map of the coast of Italy but just.

In the case of this map, it is the view from the balcony of a wizard named Nessum. His view is north-east toward a distant sea coast. So, someone reading the episode and seeing the map can see what the character sees.

Also, I have not been successful with making a role playing map - because I have not figured out how to make mountains, etc. that look like mountains from the perspectives of four players sitting around a table. That is definitely a wip. I tend to the view that the landscape is more important and is sometimes lost with all the symbols of human occupation.

I will try a map with labels and such (town, castle, roads, ports...) and see what comes out of the pencil. And, truthfully, I'm pretty much a tectonics freak - I like the looks of mountains, rift valleys, colliding plates, roving hot spots and all that showbiz.

Regards,
Gary

[maxsdaddy]

That first thumbnail is beautiful! Add to that and go! Or not. A great "map"

[tilt]

yep, what jbgibson said - to go from picture to map you need stuff like labels, compass rose, scale bar etc - any or all, in the end it is up to the voters to judge if your entry fits the rules of the competition.
Two more things that are important - you can only submit one file for the entry, it can however be a multipage pdf - but they tend not to go down as well as a simple jpg. (download, opening etc) - and are mostly used for maps of several levels (I made a necromancers tower for a challenge for instance).
In addition to choosing the right picture/map for the contest you also have to mark it according to the rules for it to be picked up by the thumb scraper.
hex hex hex Latest WIP hex hex hex
should be put before the picture you want to enter

[gwiley]

Thanks Tilt - I'm going with the first map (the small addition was just to test what a combination might look like...). I appreciate a distinction can be made between pictures and maps. For myself, I think of it more as types of cartography. The type used often depends on the purpose - game playing for example or the cultural/political aspects of a region.

I will remember to title the final version with the ###'s. I thought about adding names, compass, roads etc. to my map last evening. For example, the volcano could be called the Mouth of God or the Eldest Sister or something; the city in the top can be named Oosra. Those names are in my mind but, granted, any one who looks at it will not know that. Something to chew on.

Regards,
Gary

[gwiley]

Forests. Getting "busy"...
Regards,
Gary