I suck at drawing out maps that make sense to people, and I need a method of digitizing it so I can easily distribute my work without having to go buy a scanner. What do you guys use?
M.
A better place to check out would be The Cartographers Guild (http://www.cartographersguild.com/). There a site dedicated to map making. I know some people around here are good at making maps (Nomadic comes to mind).so perhaps they can help you out as well.
GIMP is a free editor that is good for making digital maps. That's all I know.
Found something called Campaign Cartographer, giving that a try.
M.
Draw one in MSPaint. It won't look amazing but it will look nice and convey what you need to.
[spoiler=A Map I drew in 5 Minutes in MSPAINT](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Land.png)[/spoiler]
Good point, however it will be insanely ugly :p
M.
Well if you were a good boy this year santa might bring you a late present (aka - draw me a sketch and we'll go from there; I love making maps). :P
Quote from: NomadicWell if you were a good boy this year santa might bring you a late present (aka - draw me a sketch and we'll go from there; I love making maps). :P
and he's being modest, his maps look great.
I posted up a crude one in the Homebrew section.
M.
i went looking but the post doesn't have a pic :(
It doesn't want to display it for some reason, so I posted a URL to it.
M.
I could make a touched-up version of the map if you want (or did you already say you would, Nomadic?).
Littl quick explanation oof what the different colours of dots refer too would help.
I'd offer my services but local mapping isn't my strong suit :(
Captain, the key is a post or two above the map.
M.
@captain - I was offering my services if he wants but it is up to him who he wants to help out with the map (I can give some example maps if he wants to see my work).
Well, I might add some features to it, but if you would like to take a stab at it, go ahead.
M.
I could give it a shot. I am more a large-scale mapmaker though. I don't usually do local stuff.
Same. I was actually sketching part of the continent, when I decided to make this more local so we can get more local flavor into the campaign.
M.
Just in case someone else dosent make you a map i made a quick 20min version of your map. If you want one without the symbols let me know, i tried to get them where your map put them but i may not have got them right. This is just a rush job to make sure you have something for your next session just in case... hope you like it!
(//../../e107_files/public/1230613049_729_FT60564_regonaltest_.jpg) (//../../e107_files/public/1230613049_729_FT60564_regonaltest.jpg)
That's quite nice, actually. What was it made in? And I have a long time before my next session; a month or two I think.
M.
i did it in GIMP (Photoshop freeware clone), i was board and had enough time to do a simple map. My laptop died a couple weeks ago and my wife's computer cant handle the large map file for my setting and big map projects so i decided to look around the CBG for some small maps to do for fun. I was able to learn a couple new tricks from doing the rivers in your map so thank you!
Dang, I would go with Lath's map. That is very professionally done.
I found a copy of Campaign Cartographer 2; going to try and figure it out. Still though, nice map. Only issue I see is that the mountains in the south are supposed to totally enclose the region.
M.
Quote from: CheomeshI found a copy of Campaign Cartographer 2; going to try and figure it out. Still though, nice map. Only issue I see is that the mountains in the south are supposed to totally enclose the region.
M.
Sorry i didnt quite understand what the brown region was, i alter the map and add more detail if you want to give me any other basic information you may want. Right now i am working on a little gift a special for a prominent CBG memeber. Gimmy a few days too a week.
Well, the only thing I spot is the lack of roads (the black lines), and a few locations being a bit off. I like the change to the eastern most river/stream, how it forks into one larger one before flowing off to the ocean. I think you misinterpreted the road as a river in that case, though.
M.
(http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a54/comnder09/?action=view¤t=untitled-7.jpg)
Not to one-up anyone, I thought I'd give your map a try, since the geology seemed rather simple. No roads placed yet, though. Tell me what you think, Cheomesh?
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/cheomesh-thumb.jpg)
Link to larger file:
Cheomesh's Regional Mao (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/cheomesh.jpg)
That's quite nice, actually. GIMP as well?
M.
Nope, you asked me about what software I use in my Northland Picts (homebrew) thread, and I answered it there... I use Xara Xtreme Pro 3.2 a hybrid raster/vector application for all my maps, almost exclusively. I'd like to better learn the bump mapping features of GIMP and apply those to my maps as well. But I almost exclusively use Xara for everything.
GP
Ah I had forgotten. I don't even know what rasters are :/ I know vector means it renders everything as a series of lines...wasn't rasters a series of points in space?
Have you ever heard of things like Geo Control and Terra Genesis? I used to dabble into them for heightmaps for mapping in the Crysis editor.
M.
Sure. And I've dabbled with Wilbur and a few other height map generators. Lots of times I work with actual 3D proggies to get landforms and to create objects. I just like the recent dirth of GIMP maps with cool looking hills.
I'd rather have the control to create hills, mountains, river valleys exactly where I want them. Most height map apps do a randomly generated thing, or the erosion takes more away from the original attempted terrain desired. They're cool, but don't work like I want them to.
So I generally stick with what I am comfortable using, then hack what I need when I want something different. Once I learn the bump map techniques in GIMP, I'll take me Xara created map export to JPG, then bring into GIMP apply the bump map and finish the job. Perhaps even bring it back into Xara to do the final grid and labeling.
GP
Here's another style of map I do - this is in the "home brews" but was really an experiment after completing my September Challenge Map at the Cartographers' Guild, which was the winning entry by the way.
Archean Trade League Map (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?55210)
GP
That's a nice map, and you got it much more accurate. I like the clean look of it, easy to navigate and read. No stepped toes like i said i just whipped up a quick one just i case Cheo didnt get another map befour his next session, i totaly expected to see a better map come along, its all for Cheomesh.
Now, in the experience of you guys as Cartographers, how can I improve the core design of my map?
M.
No really big issues. There's that city on the coast, apparently your largest population area, yet, there is a river to the west of it. Shouldn't the coastal city be located at the mouth of that river - so the city can have a volumous fresh water source?
I would do a number of things to all your cities. Although I placed dots - the standard for a city location on many maps, I would prefer to place a building symbol representing a major structure in that city/town/village to represent it. Or, if noble houses are located at each city, then heraldric symbols placed denoting the Knight or Baron's house located there.
Look at the city symbols I used in my Archean Trade League map in my previous post, to get an idea on the former of using building symbols.
The geology, though simple is believeable, so there is nothing wrong with your coastline, river placement, mountain locations or forests - its all very realistic and probable.
I haven't read your homebrew thread entirely, so I don't know your geo-political system regarding provincial borders and what not, or who leads the towns, etc.
That's about all I got!
GP
Quote from: Gamer PrintshopNo really big issues. There's that city on the coast, apparently your largest population area, yet, there is a river to the west of it. Shouldn't the coastal city be located at the mouth of that river - so the city can have a volumous fresh water source?
I ended up moving the icons to nearest logical location, but that did end up changing the map. However it all started by looking at that main city so close to that river mouth... i had to :)
The map area is localized enough that what you have works just fine. A nice simple coastal vale between a fork in the mountains, with rivers emptying into the sea... looks good to me.
I saw a thread at the CartoGuild about using city icons from Civ 4 and League of Nations PC Game Mods Communities as town and city icons. They looked great.
Agreed, its just I stayed to his original map design as much as possible - though I did prefer to move that city and what not.
For instance those towns near the rivers, for the same reason as putting the city at the mouth, shouldn't those towns be located on the rivers, rather than a few miles away from them?
Communities need a steady watersource to survive and grow. Springs may exist, but that will only keep a small village alive. Towns and cities need rivers and lakes, or something like an aqueduct bringing steady water source from somewhere else.
GP
Quote from: Gamer PrintshopAgreed, its just I stayed to his original map design as much as possible - though I did prefer to move that city and what not.
For instance those towns near the rivers, for the same reason as putting the city at the mouth, shouldn't those towns be located on the rivers, rather than a few miles away from them?
Communities need a steady watersource to survive and grow. Springs may exist, but that will only keep a small village alive. Towns and cities need rivers and lakes, or something like an aqueduct bringing steady water source from somewhere else.
GP
Trade and movement of goods is important too, and defensive ability (hill tops, shrubs, ect). A river on one side is one less town wall to build ;).
Very true on the water sources. The dots don't denote the exact exact location of the villages, and it was also done in MS paint on a hurry. Moving the locations around a bit should be fine (My mind totally slipped on the city's need for the river). The only towns that really need to be in certain places are the ones near the mountains (the roads going to the mountains are passes), those villages IN the mountains, and the one at the crossroads.
Technology wise these people do have aqueducts, and what they call the "Auger Screw", aka the Acrhemedies screw. Wells supply water to the village at the crossroad, and the one NE of that.
QuoteI haven't read your homebrew thread entirely, so I don't know your geo-political system regarding provincial borders and what not, or who leads the towns, etc.
I'll be making a more official call on that tonight, as I have made a few small changes to society.
M.
A very simple map I made using Inkscape:
(//../../e107_files/public/1238370530_14_FT60564_city_2_.png) (//../../e107_files/public/1238370530_14_FT60564_city_2.png)
Nice to see the blur effect of Inkscape in action...
Quote from: Jürgen HubertNice to see the blur effect of Inkscape in action...
If by "action", you mean "Oh God why is my computer running so slow?", then yes. :-p
Here's an updated edition, though you may have to save and rotate it...photobucket unrotated my version.
http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a54/comnder09/?action=view¤t=untitled-11.jpg
M.
If I'm interpreting the map symbols correctly, there's a river flowing from the mountains on the bottom left of the map that forks in two. Rivers don't usually behave that way, except in the deltas of very large rivers. Were a fork like that to form in nature, one of the outflows would eventually dry up until only the other one remains. Of corse, in a fantasy setting any natural oddity can be explained away by a supernatural cause.
You are most correct; I think I intended to shift that river over at one point and simply forgot. I also fixed that river that flows through Aedre -- it should curve and flow through the capital city, not into another river.
M.
Nice map Limetom.
On an off-topic idea- are you on the dwarf fortress message boards- someone there uses basically the same avatar...
Quote from: Light DragonNice map Limetom.
On an off-topic idea- are you on the dwarf fortress message boards- someone there uses basically the same avatar...
Not me.
Here is a parchment roll I designed to be used as a graphic element in fantasy maps. Already posted it at the Cartographer's Guild, but I'm placing another download here. Feel free to make use of this in any of your maps.
(http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9482/parchmentroll.th.png) (http://img207.imageshack.us/i/parchmentroll.png/)