City of Fogdown - WIP

[Redstar]

Well, here is the latest. The buildings are coming slowly (argh! hand drawing!) but the largest area is almost done, which also contains the most small buildings (the slums). The other areas are smaller with larger buildings, so they should go quick.

I just went with white for the buildings to give them some contrast to the background. If I have time, I want to use a small palette of 3-4 colors for them. Any comments on the drop shadow? Keep it?

There is also a draft for the flooded abandoned docks/cemetery in the west.

Finally, I want to add ridges to the back side of the hills and perhaps some more elevation lives.

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated!

[Ascension]

So far so good I say. Keep it up.

[Badger]

Well, here is the latest. The buildings are coming slowly (argh! hand drawing!) but the largest area is almost done, which also contains the most small buildings (the slums). The other areas are smaller with larger buildings, so they should go quick.

I just went with white for the buildings to give them some contrast to the background. If I have time, I want to use a small palette of 3-4 colors for them. Any comments on the drop shadow? Keep it?

There is also a draft for the flooded abandoned docks/cemetery in the west.

Finally, I want to add ridges to the back side of the hills and perhaps some more elevation lives.

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated!

elevatioin lives .... oooooo what's that??? heh.

Looking good, and in this style of map, I personally wouldn't go with drop shadows..the buildings being so close together it might clutter it up too much. You might cut some time out of your day by using something like Illustrator or Inkscape... Xera also would probably work well to take some time off of use the pen too so much ... Photoshop has a pen tool as well, I find it works pretty good for something such as this... not quite as versatile as Illustrator, but it can get the job done...

awaiting the next wip

[Redrobes]

Very nice map on an opening post. Welcome and have some 'rep'

[Redstar]

elevatioin lives .... oooooo what's that??? heh.

ELEVATION LIVES! .... you get the idea.

Thanks everyone. Hopefully I'll get some more done this weekend.

[Redstar]

So, here is WIP numero 3. I completely redid the colors, because I felt like the last few WIPs had more of a "tropical getaway" and not a "city of larceny and murder", which is what Fogdown is! It's just just a piece of the city though. I need to finish penning out the buildings to the south.

A few thanks for this one: RPGMapmaker for his Brushes (when you need a compass on the rush!), RPMiller for inspiring style (the bandit camp rocks my socks), and Andy Law (who did Freeport's incredible map).

Of course all comments and critiques are welcome, a few things I'm particularly interested in hearing from others about:

1) I beveled the houses to try and give them a "roof" look. They looked too flat before and need a little pop. Any thoughts? Do they look like stones? any suggestions?

2) I put in a water texture I found and I thought it added a lot ot the map, but I wasn't sure if it was too texture-y for the other parts of the map

3) Mountains - do the elevation lines (LIVES!) work?

4) I green-shifted the "flooded cemetery" - does it just look like someone airbrushed a section of the city?

5) Are the roads too bland? They look like they are paved in vanilla icecream to me... like the off-white, "old fashion" kind they sell by the gallon.

EDIT: 6) And scale please

Thanks!

[thebax2k]

Redstar, I must say, that is one nice looking map. I look forward to when the entire map is complete.

As to your points:

1. I like what you did with the houses. They are distinct without being so cg and "plasticy" that they draw attention away from the rest of the map.

2. The water looks nice. Although I suspect you'd be better keeping it as is, being a fan of the old Darlene Greyhawk maps, I'd recommend you experiment with different blue and green colors and hues to depict different water depths. The harbors will not have an extreme variation, but the depth will drop off as you get beyond the island. If you think that depicting water depth would make the map too kaleidescopic, just forget it.

3. I like the elevation lines, nothing needs to be changed.

4. The cemetery does look a bit weird. I don't know if you should use transparency or shading effects, but there's got to be a better way to denote that its flooded. Right now it looks like pools in a level ground area.

5. Just remember the KISS principle for roads and houses. They look fine as they are--don't try and get overly elaborate, it will just clutter up the map.

One set of structures that I would mention for the south part of the city (or at least in an area thats walled off and controlleable) are granaries. An island city the size of yours (I'm guessing the population is in the tens of thousands) would require an enormous amount of food to keep fed. Obviously, the food is going to be shipped in--but there should be a controlled place to store it besides the warehouses near the docks (as a safeguard against food riots).

In any event Redstar, your map is shaping up into one of the better city maps I've seen on the guild. Keep it up and good luck to you.

[Ghalev]

1) I beveled the houses to try and give them a "roof" look. They looked too flat before and need a little pop. Any thoughts? Do they look like stones? any suggestions?

I thought the flat roofs fit the overall style just perfectly, but these bevels are very subtle and well-integrated.

2) I put in a water texture I found and I thought it added a lot ot the map, but I wasn't sure if it was too texture-y for the other parts of the map

Again, subtlety is the key to your success. The pattern is faint and suggestive and the colors sufficiently desaturated to make it evocative. The same pattern used more clumsily could be gaudy and distracting, but you sidestepped that trap, I think.

3) Mountains - do the elevation lines (LIVES!) work?

Given the Waterdeep-style inspiration, absolutely yes; they fit right in. That aside, I think they create a vague impression that the city is otherwise flat ... I'm not sure if that's the impression I should really be getting.

4) I green-shifted the "flooded cemetery" - does it just look like someone airbrushed a section of the city?

Yes; I find that element calls attention to itself as more explicitly digital.

5) Are the roads too bland?

I don't think they are, no. The contrast is a goodly, valuable, legible and friendly contrast.

EDIT: 6) And scale please

The bar itself could use just the faintest whiff of character to bring it in line with your other typographical choices, IMO. As for the overall scale of the city, it seems modestly and very believably-scaled for a trad-fantasy medieval-type burg.

... and if you're looking for some recommended additions, it'd be nice to see some conspicuously large structures that suggest some local equivalent of arenas, cathedrals, etc.

[Badger]

So, .....Condensed...... Thanks!

1. Swweeeeeeeet. I love that look, you've really nailed it and I don't even know what 'it' is.... but I love that look. You must teach me your ways sifu.

2. That water texture is nice. Very subtle and very greyhawk, which I'm a fan of. I like it, I like it a lot. Leave it BE!

3. In my eyes, Elevation lines need to die... I've never been a big fan of elevation lines, and in my minds eye, it does detract a bit from the overall 'city' map. This however is a personal observation, probably not the best advice I suppose. I think a subtle gradient might be more effective, a painterly version of topography lines.

4. I like the look, but I might not blur it quite as much. However I think it works the way it is... I like it.

5. The roads are fine. I know the urge to want to add something to it, I get that urge all the time. But you can step back and ask, does it accomplish what I need it too? ... if so, then your best bet is to leave it as is. Adding some grunge to the street might otherwise detract and clutter up an already beautiful map. The roads work for me! If you really don't like the vanilla flavor... try some shade toning for the background, maybe you'll find a more pleasing and less 'vanilla' color. Perhaps add a hue/saturation layer, colorized, and mess with the levels on it.... something subtle.

6. SCALE!!! I love scale.... lets me know how far I have to go before I can find a room at the Do Drop Inn. Or how many alley's there are and how far each one is away from the other when delivering a large sum of larcenous wealth from one fence to the other. It works for me.

Seriously tho, this is one excellent looking map, it is something I will benchmark any future city maps in this style.... most assuredly ... REPPED

[Turgenev]

Love the map! Here's some rep to you for such great work. A couple minor points. Is that suppose to tbe the grave yard in the bottom left corner (of the last map)? I don't get a flooded feel to that section. I'm also wondering why there would be a series of large docks connected to the graveyard. Historically, ancient graveyards were often located outside of settlements (for superstitous and health reasons). Obviously, you're free to do as you wish for a fantasy based map.

I do find the Fogdown (love the name BTW) logo a bit distracting from the map. I would either reduce the side and tone down the font a bit but that may be just me.

Over all, very nice work!