The World of Danhator

[Jordan A. Dunham]

Hi there!

I just saw that great maps you all made here and i'm a bit jealousy i can't handle such programs as good as you.
Now i wonder if it is silly to draw maps on microsoft Paint, but first i wanted to ask you for your opinions.

Here is the map:
Karte.PNG

General:
Danhator is a fictional fantasy world i used for one of my stories a few years ago. As you can see, there are six bigger countries called "West-Albentys", "Ost-Albentys", "Erokant", "Z'Haltana", "Atalia", and "Hasperr".

"Ost-Albentys" is a nation of very conservative and magic hating people who avoids most innovative ideas and prefers a deeplyreligious life of believing that magic shall only used by god's.
I had designed this land with abig mystirious forest and enormous border mountains in the north.

"West-Albentys" on the other hand is a more liberal island state that tolerates magic inofficial. I tried to isolate this with open minded populated freestate by the ocean. Smaller islands might be reachable by bridgesor ship.

"Erokant" is a now devasteted land that is surrounded by lots of mountains, making it to a all natural fortress. The wizards lived there a few decades ago but were forced to escape over the sea.
Now only ruins are left on the cold and monsterplagued plains.

"Z'Haltana" or "the new world", how i'll prefer to call it, is the new home of the former erokant wizards and mages. I have given it a desert in the south, some mountains in the center and a big forest in the north.

"Atalia" is nothing more than a swampy and overlarged salty lake with a swampy island in the centre that carries the wooden capitol of a amphibian race that lived there since eons. There's not much to tell about it.

"Hasperr", the land of gods! No mortal has ever crossed the border of this cold desert-highland. That's the reason why there are no town's ore special locations marked.



I hope you like it nevertheless it is done with such a crappy program like paint. I'm curious what you think and i hope i've done everything right in my post!

[Freehand 5.5]

Woah, Paint!!!
That reminds me to the graphic program I had on my Atari ST F back in the 90s. Drawing pixel for pixel. Only black and white (because I had that black and white monitor). With a mouse as big as a today's hard disk.

I like that map. It's very clear. And it has the rough charm of early computer adventures.
Perhaps the coastline could be double thick to get it visually different to the streets.

*thinks about a retro map-challenge in black and white (or 16 colors) and 640 x 480 VGA resolution*

[Korash]

Nice map. I do agree with Freehand about some sort of distiction between the coast and other lines.

I commend you on getting these sort of results with a prog like MSPaint. As has often been said here at the Guild (and could always bare repeating), "It is not nessarily the tools that make a good map, but what you do with them." Nice work and enjoy a wee bit of Rep for it

[Jordan A. Dunham]

Whoa! Thx for your awsome feedback!
I would have never thought to get such positive comment's from you guys!

I totally agree with you with the coastlines! I thought the same thing, but it was to late as i realized that thicker lines might look better!



You motivate me to make further maps on Paint and thank you very much again!

[Korash]

If you wish to do more in MSPaint, you should look at this as an example of what can be done. You should also be made aware that there are other programs that can do the job as well, and with plenty more options, and usually faster too. Paint.Net (PdN) is one such prog that was designed as a Paint substitute. If you want some tuts with PdN, look up posts by PeaceHeather in the tutorials section.

Which ever prog you end up using, I wish you many "lost" hours of exploring the worlds of you mind See you in the WIPS.

[Diamond]

It's not silly at all to draw with MSPaint. You can get some great looking results if you have the patience, this map being a case in point. Welcome to the Guild!

[waldronate]

There's only one burning question from me: who is Dan?

[Diamond]

There's only one burning question from me: who is Dan?

...And why does everyone hate him?

[Jordan A. Dunham]

Heehee, the name was more some kind of randomized. It never appeared in the story to be honest! ^^
But thanks again! It makes me hope to evolve my stlye of drawing with MSPaint!

@Korash:
Yes, i tried Paint.net a few weeks ago and i try to get in very quick. ^^

[Korash]

Like I said before it is not the tool that makes a good map, but the person using that tool. If you are comfy with Paint, by all means go with it. One suggestion would to work on a large canvas so that the pixels do not show as much, and lines can look smoother. Keep on using it and you might even teach us a few things in the future.