Schwarzkreuz: I'm glad I've inspired you, thank you, that's a really great compliment! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I don't mind at all that you've made or altered your own based on what I've done, go right ahead!
Schwarzkreuz: I'm glad I've inspired you, thank you, that's a really great compliment! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I don't mind at all that you've made or altered your own based on what I've done, go right ahead!
Seemed I had problems with the internet/pc yesterday. I've downloaded the brushes from another computer and now it works.
Thanks again for sharing this fantastic stuff. Perhaps you should open a thread in the resources section, so people can find it more easy?
Katto: I'll be creating a thread in the resources section once I've finished all the brushes. There are, I'm sure, more to come. I've already drawn several more mountains and a few more buildings than the original post, and I imagine I'll draw more than this as I progress on the map. Thank you for the compliments, and I'm glad you got them working!
I know what you mean, i started with only a hundred brushes to start and on progress draw till now more than 1000 and i am still not satisfied
Yes, those are some beautiful brushes. I look forward to seeing the rest! Consider yourself repped!
"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government."
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I've finally done all the mountain ranges, and the two hill ranges I had planned out. The preview image (attached, 50% zoom) also shows the slightly revised greenery distribution. I haven't placed cliffs on the map yet, as I want to place forests and settlements before I draw them (this order is purely for aesthetics).
I've varied the coast somewhat as well; some parts are smoother, others are rougher. I really could pay a little more attention to the coastline, but I'm honestly not too worried for this particular map (again, the intended audience aren't cartographers). However, I did spend some time taking a look at real coastlines (thank you, google maps), and have learned a thing or two about where the rough areas are, and where the smoother areas are, which mostly depends on tectonics and river outlets (I think, although correct me if I'm wrong).
Now that I have the mountains down, and the greenery approximated, I'm going to move on to placing the settlements, as they are based on resources, but also have an effect on the forest distribution.
@Schwarzkreuz: Yea, I get the feeling that I'm going to have quite a few brushes before I'm finished with this.
@cereth: Thank you, I'm glad you like them! Admittedly, I wont be showing the brushes in their own image until I finish this map and post a resources thread, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait (although I did use them in the attached map preview).
It's getting a nice shape...
I've finished adding the settlements (attached, 50% zoom, cropped). Admittedly not all of them will have names. This is so that the players can add their own flavour to the world by naming settlements in their back-stories, after which point I can add those labels to the map.
I am leaving the effects, such as the crinkled paper texture, water effects, and land textures until last. This is mostly to improve the time it takes for the map to open in photoshop, and the time it takes to appear on the screen. My computer is quite good, but I have gotten to the point where it actually takes a few seconds for the map to load; there's just that much data.
Next I will be placing the roads, and after that forests, and then cliff faces. If I weren't so busy in the real world, this would admittedly be progressing a lot faster. Ah well, real life comes first.
@Zorrier: Thanks, I'm glad you like the progress so far!
This is an excellent looking map. Color me impressed. I especially like your mountain style. I personally have a hard time preventing my mountains from appearing as if they are floating above the landscape, but you've done an impressive job of "grounding" them. Your city and town icons are also enviable. All in all you are definitely putting together a map you should be incredibly proud of. Have some rep!
I've completed the roads, and am currently working on the forest. After that comes the cliffs, then the political lines of separation. I'm afraid I don't have the map file with me, so I can't post a WIP picture.
@wittyoctopus: Thank you for the compliments! Perhaps the curve towards the horizontal at the edge of most of the mountains helps such a grounded perception? Shadows also help with grounding, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm glad you like the town and city icons!