*** March Challenge VOTING - Mapping in Black and White ***

[Lukc]

I wished I had 3 votes too ... Vectorgrass, Altamira, Canada, all beautiful maps.

[rpgmapmaker]

Great job to everyone who competed! This forum is Awesome! Sapiento's would have been pick 3... it was hard to vote just twice.

[Hai-Etlik]

A very hard choice, but here's a run down of my thinking on each of the other finished maps with my votes highlighted.

March Challenge Entry - The Principality of Altamira by Diamond

I quite like it, but there's a kind of graphical mismatch in the degree of aliasing that makes the elements not look like they fit together. The pixel perfect outlining of the text also kind of conflicts with the rough looking font used. The mountains are superb.

March Challenge Entry - B&W try-out by Djekspek

It's a bit small and simple compared to the other maps, but absolutely gorgeous anyway.

March Challenge Entry - Tåvnar by EricPoehlsen

I really like the hand drawn looking mountains and symbols, but they clash with the sharp, polygonal rivers and the compass.

March Challenge Entry : Serpent Isles by lostatsea

It's an interesting idea, but you have a lot of grey in there that isn't really in keeping with the theme, and tossing a halftone filter over a grey scale image does seem little a bit like it's trying to bypass the spirit of the rules. It also makes for poor contrast which makes the map harder to read.

March Challenge Entry - Rudvik: City of the Pit Lord by Lukc

The drawing is incredible and I wish i could manage anything remotely like it, but then the text spoils it by looking so out of place. Also, with the perspective effect, the scale bar seems pointless; the scale of deeper portions would be smaller than higher portions, so there is no single scale for the map for the scale bar to indicate.

March Challenge Entry - The Land of Danor by rpgmapmaker

I like it, although I have the same criticism about the outlined text as with Diamond's map. The coast outline has noticeable raster aliasing. Some of the symbols look like they were drawn at different scales and a few of them are rather noticeably repeated.

March Challenge Entry - The land of Vectograss by Sapiento

More drawing which I'm completely unable to do and so very impressed by. The hatching pattern is very good. Not as good as the real thing, but still very impressive for being just a repeated pattern. The bone-scale is a nice touch and the only real criticism I have is that the font doesn't really go with the rest of the map.

[Lukc]

In my defence, I will argue that the use of Rockwell - a very nice, modern slab serif - was perfectly intentional, as was the jarring effect. Two (well, maybe three) things motivated me to use this font: a) an indication of the dissonant nature of the setting, which mixes dwarven and human influences, as well as sci-fi and fantasy, and b) legibility issues on an dithered (or should that be unti-aliased?) b/w map. Finally there is, of course, issue c) I was running out of time. Could I have used a different font? Yes, I could have. Would it have helped a potential DM printing this map? Well ... I doubt it. With the DM (i.e. me) in mind I also left white spaces in the corners for additional notes.

However, I may be completely wrong on the issue of the fonts! I will probably endeavour to make a colour version of this map at some point and I will be very happy to hear any and all suggestions.

As to the scale, I perfectly agree it is pointless, which is why it is based on an arbitrary and indeterminate measure - the valley cubit.

[Hai-Etlik]

As to the scale, I perfectly agree it is pointless, which is why it is based on an arbitrary and indeterminate measure - the valley cubit.

Pointless wasn't really the right word, technically it's just wrong but I was trying not to be too blunt about it. However long a valley cubit is, the scale can only be correct for certain parts of the map, and not for the rest.

[Lukc]

Pointless wasn't really the right word, technically it's just wrong but I was trying not to be too blunt about it. However long a valley cubit is, the scale can only be correct for certain parts of the map, and not for the rest.

Well, I agree, it is 'wrong' in the sense that it is only correct at a certain elevation and distance from the center - but how would you go about giving some sense of scale? In the same way you have "panoramic" views of cities and tourist destinations where a rough guide to the distance, say from the Church of Alpha to the Castle of Omega, gives the visitor an idea of how long they will have to walk.

Would it make more sense to note something along the lines of, "Ye river here be 100 valley cubits wide"?

[Gidde]

Not to jump on Hai-Etlik's point here, but for my two cents, I think it would indeed make more sense. And for the record, a color version would be awesome.

[lostatsea]

Hi everyone . This is a long one Sorry ! First let me state that I Knew the kind of reception My entry would get. I knew it would be confused as a Grey-Scale. I have “Different” tastes. At the picnic where everyone else is eating a vanilla ice cream cone I have the sundae with Hot fudge Marshmallow sauce, nuts and sprinkles. I don’t go against the flow just to go against the flow. I just have much different tastes. It show in my “works” . I didn't expect it to fair well ! It was quite a learning session for me and PS.Well worth the time and effort.
When this contest IDEA was posted I stated I was looking forward to seeing how others would "Attack" the limitations of this contest .The entries are all technically excellent . But I was hoping for more than the typical hand drawn line art effect. Nothing wrong with that style just too Vanilla for me!

I voted for Rudvik: City of the Pit Lord by Lukc because of the different approach of its unique perspective And REAL Hand drawn Look.
I voted for The Principality of Altamira by Diamond because it has his usual great composition and attention to detail.

Hai-Etlik

March Challenge Entry : Serpent Isles by lostatsea

It's an interesting idea, but you have a lot of grey in there that isn't really in keeping with the theme.

Actually if you save the attachment to desktop and use a viewer that zooms to more than 100% you will see that the only “REAL” greys are the HUTS, the TREES and the “Watermark”. The Greys in the Huts and Trees Are from PS anti-aliasing the brushes. The watermark is Black but in order to “look” right the opacity is greatly reduced Thereby causing the grey color. I was willing to be disqualified on this account for the sake of the “EFFECT”.
If the “Theme” is to look like a hand drawn line drawing in Black and White then I Missed that condition in the Challenge description. Also That would eliminate Your entry as well as Yours doesn’t meet those conditions either.
Earlier versions of my entry had a different resolution which show the Black and White clearly at 100% . But It was hard on the eyes! I tried to balance the aesthetic of the 37% and the 100% view. Looks Grey now at both those Resolutions.

, and tossing a halftone filter over a grey scale image

Running Data package through a GIS program Seems to be the same thing.

Here's a test run of the stippling algorithm with 20000 points and 20 iterations. It took several hours. I may have to come up with a more efficient way to do this.

The original WIP was done in RGB Then the Individual elements were run through a halftone Filter many hand input settings were tried to explore the limitations and try to find the optimum effects for each element. It took several hours with varied amounts of success !? It was then converted to Grey-scale In order to shrink the file size before converting it to Jpeg at reduced Quality to get it under the posting size limit. Hardly the push of a “Magic” button and Viola Done.

does seem little a bit like it's trying to bypass the spirit of the rules.

“Bypass the Spirit of the contest “ Talk about a grey area! Some might say taking a already started And posted Color map and Keeping its Basic form changing it to Black and White and changing up the “stippling algorithm” Seems vaguely to violate the Non- previous work “rule” . (Yes I know there was more to it than that ! ) But then again most the rules in these contest Have been bent at one time or another for the sake of an interesting challenge. I am all for that ; It's all for fun Right ?

It also makes for poor contrast which makes the map harder to read.

Perhaps.

If I have any thing against your own entry, It is that the tree patterns Seem abit too dense ; this to me makes the map look crowded . Also harder too view specific details. This maybe Mathematically correct according to the data but still detracts from the map Aesthetically. IMHO.

If there "Seems" to be a Tone in this post there is. Tone begets Tone !

[ravells]

Peace everyone.

[cereth]

Peace everyone.

Lol Ravells