I fiddled with it some and got it a bit smaller, but yeah I will have to mess with it some more to reduce it further. The problem is, in this particular method (Ascension's), I basically have to delete the layer for the shelf effect and do the whole thing over. There is a method later in the tutorial for easily pushing the shelf *out*, but it doesn't work to push it *in*, unfortunately.
Yeah, I was just basically copying the method in the tutorial for creating the rivers, but I don't think it's very realistic. I agree--meanders tend to happen more on flat land, whereas on rocky mountainous terrain it would be straighter or more jagged as it went around cracks in the rocks or whatever.
Thanks for pointing that out...I will go back and double check the placement. As to the delta/swamp area...I will be going in and refining that later in the process. I wanted to give a general idea of land broken up by rivers and marshlands, and I had to go big in order to get the overall methods to work in the first parts. But I've been doing some research on wetlands and swamps, so I plan to go in and make it more realistic at some point.
Yeah, I'm not sure what Ascension was trying to accomplish with this texture technique for the seafloor...it doesn't really create a true seafloor height map. I think it was just to make the oceans a little more visually interesting.
Honestly? While the visual effect is somewhat pleasing, I don't really see why Ascension called this an "atlas" style in the first place. While I have seen a few topographical-style atlases, generally speaking most atlases (real-world) are designed as political maps--it shows national boundaries, regional/local political divisions, cities and roads, and major rivers. Occasionally in addition you'll get some indication of mountain ranges...but most of the real-world atlas maps I've looked at don't have nearly the level of topographical detail that Ascension attempts to put into his style.
I was just kind of experimenting with this tutorial, to see if I liked the style. But frankly, it seems to me that for a map that is going to be used for a fantasy story or fantasy RPG, you would probably want to have something a little more old-fashioned or antique looking anyway. So I am probably going to go with a hand-drawn or antique style rather than this one.
I've taken a break from this map for a bit...trying hard to get another job so I'm trying to focus on building job-related skills. But will try to get some time in on it maybe this coming weekend.
Thanks again for the critique! I agree with a lot of what you're saying, and I will definitely look into the river/waterways thing especially.
wisemoon