Help with world map

[smyrin]

My world project is finally reaching an end. I was hoping I could get some input on the project so far.

The project was built using resources from CC3 and a few tid bits from free online resources including some from users of CG. I corporated them into PS 7 to build everything. The purpose is to create a world for a D&D campaign I am running. I should note that the long wall near the center of the map uses some 3-D art I farmed from deviantArt and I am still trying to get permission to use by that artist (still waiting to hear from him/her).

I have a couple of problems I am trying to work out.

1) I am trying to work out a map scale that fits the map but also makes for a large explorable world. So far I have come up with 1 square = 75 miles. Curious what people think about that?

2) My next step is to add text for the names of cities, mountains, places, etc... What is the best way to do this? Should I use the original PSD file and add more layers are work off of a compiled image? What fonts work well and which ones should I avoid? How do you choose to align text (i.e. never use vertical, keep all text uniform size, etc...).

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

[Gidde]

Hmm, you have a very strange river near the middle of the map. Usually rivers will start skinny in the mountains and get fatter as they go toward the ocean; this system starts fat in the mountains and then tapers to skinny where it (ends?) in a forest. I'm confused

[smyrin]

Yeah that is supposed to represent a river that drys up at its end.

[jwbjerk]

2) My next step is to add text for the names of cities, mountains, places, etc... What is the best way to do this? Should I use the original PSD file and add more layers are work off of a compiled image? What fonts work well and which ones should I avoid? How do you choose to align text (i.e. never use vertical, keep all text uniform size, etc...).

If you have illustrator or another decent vector program you might want to import a .jpg, or .tif version of the map into that program and do the text stuff there.

As for the stylistic info, you are probably best off finding a map whose type you like and using it for guidance.

Yeah that is supposed to represent a river that drys up at its end.

A river isn't going to dry up in a forest or in grassland, since by definition forests and grasslands have precipitation that's greater than evaporation.

There's another river plausibility violation by the largest sea/lake. This is not a delta situation, but you have two rivers leaving it and heading toward the sea on widely separated paths. In reality rivers don't work that way, even if two such outlets were created, one would be at least a little more efficient while the other would silt up and disappear.

[smyrin]

I agree with your assessment and I have fixed the river so that it disappears into the underground. Not sure I get the other comment but am willing to live with it.

[Steel General]

This is coming along nicely, one thing that's a bit 'jarring' is the transition between the desert and grassland, its very abrupt. You may want to consider doing something to alleviate that.

[smyrin]

Thanks for input. In the future I will try to blend the two areas better.

[hohum]

Nice Map. I agree with Steel General, the transitions between terrain type are a bit jarring, especially the desert. Your labeling looks fine. Try adding an outline to the text over the lightest part of the desert. The drop shadow is not enough to keep it from washing out. I use a different font for cities vs. features vs. political, but that's just a personal preference. The river violation that jwbjerk is talking about is the Mere Aeturnum. It has an outlet at Pallas and another through Gloomwood. In nature you would not have both.

[smyrin]

What if the rivers were far enough apart?

[hohum]

I think the problem is it just doesn't happen. Water seeks the lowest point/ path of least resistance always. His point was that the lake would choose one outlet and the other would silt up or otherwise stop flowing. You can see a good example of this with the Great Lakes http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...from_space.jpg and a more legible version here http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...reat-Lakes.svg

It's your world, but it's just a violation of how water works in ours.