Elyden map

[vorropohaiah]

thanks for the feedback.

regarding the font: that's actually my favourite font, however, I also realised its not very good for the map so in the new version I'm working on I replaced it with a Serif font, Dark11, so that should have fixed it.

regarding the text style: I never really thought about the curves in the text, though after looking between the old and newer version I realised I must have unconsciously toned down on the curves also (though they're still there). let me know what you think of the newer version (still very much a WIP and is still in need of grunge and other weathering, and various other details, including some colour correction to get a bit more life into it) again, any suggestions are move than welcome.

I also added another file; a cropped area on the original map, which should again be in higher res that the original pic (without grunging I believe)

[Clercon]

This is an amazing map you have accomplished. The details are stunning!

[Fury]

It's very good indeed. Though the way some of the borders cut across mountains and rivers is a little jarring. Perhaps the borders could use a little blending into the map? Some of the mountains near Mulciber are cut off and gives another jarring effect.

[Eilathen]

Wow...just wow! This is totally stunning. I love it. You hit the nail on the head as far as my map-taste goes
Now, i really want to know more about the world. Care to share the stuff about the world (as it sounds you have written up a lot)?

Btw, i dig the older map more. I just love the shapes better than in the new iteration.

Have some Rep.!

[vorropohaiah]

This is a great map! I agree with jfrazierjr on the grunging of some of the ink. It could use a little crackling/bleeding.

Good point, and something I've been wanting to try. I'm guessing you mean the text (or any aspect that, in real-life would have been applied to the canvas by ink). any ideas on how i can do that effefctively?

Now, i really want to know more about the world. Care to share the stuff about the world (as it sounds you have written up a lot)?

Btw, i dig the older map more. I just love the shapes better than in the new iteration.

Have some Rep.!

thanks well, without cluttering up the thread too much (dont want to start adding not map-related attachments) here's a few things done on PS that are related to the world of Elyden. the first is a poem that's about 8-years old now, that was intended as an introduction to a novel that's now stalled. the second is a fable from the same world.

both backgrounds were made from scratch on PS, with text imported from word and warped with a displacement layer.

both documents are now intended to be used as filler text-boxes for the in-world encyclopaedia im writing (a monolithic undertaking that i plan on self-publishing, if i ever finish it)

[Gidde]

Good point, and something I've been wanting to try. I'm guessing you mean the text (or any aspect that, in real-life would have been applied to the canvas by ink). any ideas on how i can do that effefctively?

I haven't found/figured out a good way to crackle it yet, but a low-strength spatter filter does wonders for making the edge a little less computer-generated-perfect (it doesn't work on transparency though, so it has to be a black ink/white background layer which then can be set to Multiply mode so the white disappears). The text itself would benefit, but what really caught my eye as needing it were the decorative swirlies in "ink" at the corners and such.

[arsheesh]

I really dig the Holy Korachani Empire map! Fantastic work on this.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[maxsdaddy]

Very nice work. The inner sea map looked disturbingly familiar, but happily different. I felt like I should recognize it. Like a Steven King "Dark Tower" todash. Or Deja vu. Have some rep.

[vorropohaiah]

I haven't found/figured out a good way to crackle it yet, but a low-strength spatter filter does wonders for making the edge a little less computer-generated-perfect (it doesn't work on transparency though, so it has to be a black ink/white background layer which then can be set to Multiply mode so the white disappears). The text itself would benefit, but what really caught my eye as needing it were the decorative swirlies in "ink" at the corners and such.

thanks for that, I'm gonna give it a try.

I really dig the Holy Korachani Empire map! Fantastic work on this.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

thanks

Very nice work. The inner sea map looked disturbingly familiar, but happily different. I felt like I should recognize it. Like a Steven King "Dark Tower" todash. Or Deja vu. Have some rep.

i hope you dont mean plagarised in any way! that's the last thing i want. if you mean it looks sort of like the Mediterranean, theres some logic to it, other than making a map thats somehow familiar (maybe invoking thoughts of the roman empire at its height) I thought that making something similar to the Med would make it easier to determine climate and weather, especially since im haveing a really hard time trying to sort out things like hadley cells and mid-latitude cells and trying to figure out where the rain-shadow would be. of course, all that after foolishly determining where my deserty and foresty places are going to be years ago, which means some of my forests are technically in rain-shadow zones, and vice versa for the deserts, so im either forced to retcon a lot of places' climates or finding ways to explain why they ignore global climate rules :s

ah well

EDIT: i was also probably a bit to rash in posting the map, though only realised after opening the thread that WIPS go somewhere else, so when i do get round nto positing more of the WIP thread I'll do it in a more appropriate place where i can hopefully get more crits.

thanks again for the comments

[Valtharius]

Fantastic map! A few names askew and difficult to read, but that can be easily fixed. I love the layout. Naming conventions are pretty much spot on. I did notice a few names of places taken from Egyptian mythology. Not sure if this was intentional, or perhaps the civilization in question simply came up with the name without prior knowledge of said god(s) because it sounded right. Personally, I like the heavy paper approach. It reminds me of some of the archived paper work in the Tower of London.

As far as climate goes... that is your call. It is your world after all. We can argue physics, river flow, and weather all we want, but it comes down to what you want. Perhaps there are physics at play that we don't know about. Maybe the star your planet orbits around has a slightly slow rotation, or the star gives off a pulse of solar radiation that causes the weather to be wacky and the climates to be different than our own. That's the beauty of creating your own FANTASY world. The operative word here is fantasy, imagination unrestricted by reality.

Have fun and I am looking forward to more of your work!

~Val

i hope you dont mean plagarised in any way! that's the last thing i want. if you mean it looks sort of like the Mediterranean, theres some logic to it, other than making a map thats somehow familiar (maybe invoking thoughts of the roman empire at its height) I thought that making something similar to the Med would make it easier to determine climate and weather, especially since im haveing a really hard time trying to sort out things like hadley cells and mid-latitude cells and trying to figure out where the rain-shadow would be. of course, all that after foolishly determining where my deserty and foresty places are going to be years ago, which means some of my forests are technically in rain-shadow zones, and vice versa for the deserts, so im either forced to retcon a lot of places climate or finding ways to explains why they ignore global climate rules :s