Very cool map! I like it. Care to elaborate a bit on the setting itself?
As for your question: I like the darker color better. Just looks more ocean-y to me.
I have been working on a map for a couple weeks now, but I have come to a dilemma about which ocean color to use.
and
are the two options. Any other criticisms are welcome!
This cavern is below all, and is the foe of all. It is hatred, without exception. This cavern knows no philosophers; its dagger has never cut a pen. Its blackness has no connection with the sublime blackness of the inkstand. Never have the fingers of night which contract beneath this stifling ceiling, turned the leaves of a book nor unfolded a newspaper.
Very cool map! I like it. Care to elaborate a bit on the setting itself?
As for your question: I like the darker color better. Just looks more ocean-y to me.
I'm trapped in Darkness,
Still I reach out for the Stars
The major continent is dominated by an empire similar to Rome, Reaching northward into the White Mountains, Eastward into the Green, encompassing the Plains of the Sun and ending at the Sea of Sands. they control the Golden Coast in all but name, and they control the Ivory Coast in nothing but name. They control the Plateau between the Rockwall and the Northern mountains, and none of the islands in the Sea of Magic.
The Red Plains are home to a land of warring tribes in a net of shifting alliances, but they have always stood together in order to repel invading forces. The lands bordering the blood sea on the same continent are controlled by a total monarchy.
The Sea of Sands is similar to the Sahara, with the Golden Coast similar to North Africa after the Muslim Conquest and the Ivory Coast similar to ancient Nubia. Consider the large island off of the Ivory Coast part of the Ivory Coast. The Chain and the Sharktooth Isles have a climate similar to South Asia but culturally similar to Japan during Sakoku, or their seclusion from the rest of the world. The Chain Islands do not trade with each other unless in extreme circumstances and do not trade with the outside world at all.
The White Tundra and the coast bordering the Sea of Ice is filled with different variants on nobility trying to rule their own kingdom. The most successful is a country in the Green Mountains and the eastern side of the White Tundra.
This cavern is below all, and is the foe of all. It is hatred, without exception. This cavern knows no philosophers; its dagger has never cut a pen. Its blackness has no connection with the sublime blackness of the inkstand. Never have the fingers of night which contract beneath this stifling ceiling, turned the leaves of a book nor unfolded a newspaper.
I like the darker color better as well. The lighter color tries to burn my eyes. The only criticism I have of this map is that perhaps the mountains should be brushed in a similar style to the rivers. At the moment, the mountains seem SUPER dark compared to the rivers and the text. Maybe a little bit of shading wouldn't go amiss either. But otherwise a very good map, something similar to what I am trying, and a good source of ideas
The first darker version is better IMO.
Agree with the others, the darker blue looks much better. The difference of scale between the mountains worries me a bit. Besides, is the rockwall on the top left a natural or an artificial formation ? In both cases, i think it doesn't really fit well in the map... maybe a line of dots or smaller lines would work better ?
I prefer the darker as well . I second the mountains are too dark compared to the rest. And that the "WALL" seems to stark and out of place. Otherwise very nice piece !!
"Aye The skies be clear , the seas be calm and the winds be with us .....
ARGH!! but the damn compass be broken!! "
Capt. Noah Swalter Last voyage of the " Silver Crest"
I'll throw my voice in with the rest concerning the color scheme selection and the mountains.
It would be nice if some of the political information you gave could be shown. Borders, important cities, etc. Also, on both versions of the map, you have some dark marks which I take to be smudges on the paper but which radiate from the center of the map and make it look strangely like the map is flying away from the viewer and towards the paper below. If those marks have more meaning that just as smudging, then you might want to make that clearer somehow, otherwise if the marks were more random and less radial I think the flying-map look would go away.
It's a very nice map, and I look forward to seeing its developments.
Okay, I'm working on adding cities and borders; but I think I fixed the mountains.
This cavern is below all, and is the foe of all. It is hatred, without exception. This cavern knows no philosophers; its dagger has never cut a pen. Its blackness has no connection with the sublime blackness of the inkstand. Never have the fingers of night which contract beneath this stifling ceiling, turned the leaves of a book nor unfolded a newspaper.
I feel the darker and more saturated water is really the way to go. This may be because darks generally tend to recede and lighter shades pop forward. For example, if you stare at your lighter water version too long the land and water can flip visually with the water areas appearing to be land masses...
Looking good overall.