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Thread: Utergast, overland map

  1. #1
    Guild Member Gan's Avatar
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    Default Utergast, overland map

    What do you like/dislike?

    Comments!

    PS: I have to say I've improved my skills in cartography

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    Link to DeviantArt: http://vankuss.deviantart.com/#/d498hs8

  2. #2

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    Looking good! I like the AD&D-3ed feeling it has.

    Comments: I'd curve the tilted text a bit so it looks more incorporated to the map, not just tilted. Also lightening the shadows of the mountains, or doing those dark brown instead of black would help make them look more integrated in the illo, right now they stand out a bit much.

  3. #3
    Guild Member Gan's Avatar
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    Thanks for the tips!

    I will try to do something for the mountains, but it'll be hard. I just painted with some brushes and added a filter, so it isn't going to be easy work on the shadows.

    Thanks anyway

  4. #4

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    To me the mountains look slightly out of place as well. They seem like something you'd see more on a photo-realistic type map whereas the rest of your map doesn't really appear to be photorealistic. I like the landscape though, and the colors work really nicely together.

    Cheers,
    -Arsheesh

  5. #5
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    Yeah, great colors. Nice shape for the area as well. Not too sure about the continent as a whole but this area has a good shape. The mountains, to me, seem like there are too many.
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  6. #6
    Community Leader Facebook Connected torstan's Avatar
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    Good colour choices and a clean, clear map. A few comments:
    • The rivers are a little odd - they usually run to the sea and there's a couple here that just stop. But that's not impossible. Some rivers can dry up when they enter a desert, but you have a lot of rivers ending in the middle of the land.
    • It could do with a scale. At the moment there's little to say whether those mountain ranges are huge or small.
    • I agree the mountain shadows are a little heavy. What software did you use for it? I'm sure someone here can give you a hand with any technical issues.
    • I'd suggest perhaps laying in some major roads to show connections between cities?

    I really like the idea of distinguishing cities of different nations by the colour of the text. That's subtle but very easy to read once you see it. I like the terrain names as well and the way they integrate into the map. Your coastline's wonderfully fractal too. Great job. I hope the comments are helpful, and congratulations on an excellent map. Have some rep!

  7. #7
    Guild Member Gan's Avatar
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    Oh my God! Thanks for all the comments. I agree with you all: the mountains are not so realistic, and maybe, as arsheesh said, they would be good in another map type.

    To Tostan: you're so nice I used Photoshop and a brush with a bevel on it. I thought adding roads was going to be confusionary, but I will try though. Yeah, I know about the river, they're very bad.

    Thanks to all.

  8. #8
    Guild Member Kelron's Avatar
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    The map is looking very good!

    As Hugo mentioned I`d also curve the titled text and maybe use another font (fonttype and much bigger size) and remove the glow for the description of the sea, but that`s just my personal taste

    In the final version I`d also draw the sea-routes and the most common roads.

    For the mountains, well nothing to add.

    Keep it up, you`re on a good way!
    Last edited by Kelron; 09-09-2011 at 03:10 AM. Reason: added the bigger size for the fonts

  9. #9
    Community Leader jfrazierjr's Avatar
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    Hmm... for the mountain shadows, could you do something like "Color to Alpha" and then "Alpha to selection" (or Color to selection if that is an option)and then fill with a light brown. The go back over the shadows on a multiple layer with and lightly build up a few deeper shadows in a few places using a small brush. I don't have photoshop, so don't know how much of that would work, but you might be able to get the idea and figure it out.
    My Finished Maps
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    Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
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