Village of White Water

[Adversary]

This a finished (maybe) map of the village of White Water for use in a fantasy RPG adventure.

Most of the map was constructed in GIMP (the roads were imported from Open Office Draw).

This is my first posting so please tear this apart. I won't learn anything if I only get positive comments.

The best parts of this map were inspired by the cartographers on this site like Max (City of Yphyrion). The worst parts are all me.



Here are the changes:

[Wingshaw]

Hi Adversary. Nice going for a first map. A few things to point out:

--question: why is the logging camp on the N side of the river? It makes it harder and more expensive to transport logs (if the village is the destination of those logs, that is).
--question: why is the logging camp so far from the trees?
--suggestion: move the Belaya Voda label so it isn't sitting on top of the village. It currently obstructs part of the layout, and you could easily move it to the river, or the lower left or right of the village, where there is empty space currently.
--suggestion: some of the colours, I think, are problematic. The sand is the worst offender, but I'm not too keen on the roof colour either. Maybe make them more saturated, to match the other rather muted colours you've got there.
--suggestion: maybe add something under the trees, like a texture, to represent underbrush. It can extend a bit beyond the tree line, as well.
--suggestion: there is a lot of empty space in this map. This might just be personal taste, but I think it would look better if you filled that space up a bit. You could add some scattered trees (forests/jungles don't just end with a line, they tend to thin until eventually they stop; it's gradual); some texture to the grass areas; additional buildings/plantations/farms scattered around etc.
--suggestion: it might also look better if you change the angle of some of the buildings. Having them all at right angles to the picture frame looks a bit odd. The building beside the ferry on the north side, for example, could be made to align with the road.
--suggestion: increase the Key so that you have more room to fit the scale. At the moment it looks a bit squashed in there.
--question: some of those boats beside the docks look really, really small. Are they realistic sizes for boats?

THW

[Adversary]

Thanks for your comments!

The treeline is about 300-400 feet from the building and that is where the logging is taking place. (They are not very conscientious and are doing clear cut logging). I should maybe add some stumps for the area already logged, but I am not sure they would appear on a map. Moving the logging camp would be easy (just tents after all)

The logging started on the south side of the river. When that area was depleted (and the orchards were planted) the logging continued the other side of the river.

Some of the boats are a bit small. The smallest sailing vessels are about 15' and the other boats are about 5'. Need to fix that.

I agree with your comments about the sand. I think I will just remove it, unless there is an economic reason or travel hazard it would probably not be shown. And it is ugly.

I will try some other colors for the roofs. I was thinking tile roofs, but they are a bit orange.

The scale has been my bane. It was one of the first layers I added and has resided in several places on the map. The scale is so small that it hides almost anywhere I place it. I may try expanding it a bit along with the Key. That would correct the problem with size of the boats.

I like the idea adding a texture under the trees and maybe some in the open areas as well.

Thanks again for the comments!

[Falconius]

Before you decide how to do the roofs you should determine what type of climate this is in. Northern climes tend to have steeper roofs made of lighter material with better insulation properties than clay tiles (like thatch or wooden shingles). Climes without too much rain tend to haves roofs as flat as the perception allows because then they get a another floor for use, in these places it is more about shade than drainage. The second consideration is cost, stone shingles are going to be expensive (especially if thieves run around on your roofs breaking them all). Clay tiles are relatively easy to make but are heavy as hell and are not going to be transported very far, so the area around must have the materials necessity for their manufacturing as they are not going to be cheap when transported any significant distance. By the same token in places where it takes trees longer to grow they are not going to waste wood on building short lived roof tiles, but when trees are in abundance it makes a lot of sense.

[Adversary]

Falconius, you make an excellent point. This is a jungle/rainforest area just south of the equator. The climate would be similar to Panama's northern Atlantic side. (I chose this type of area because I was stationed in Panama for 3 years). Palm thatch roofs would be common in most areas at the edge of the jungles or near the coast. These roof keep the rain out but must be replaced every year to get rid of rot, insects, snakes and other vermin. The wealthier areas would have tile roofs. Both roof types would be sloped to allow heavy rain to run off. This village started as a logging town (about 30 years ago) to log expensive lumber. As areas were cleared allspice trees are being grown so this town has money.

This is a company town so the buildings are cookie cutter type with little variation in styles. The warehouses near the docks have side walls and roofs but no front or rear walls. They are used to keep the lumber out of they rain while waiting for transport.

There is one important building that I have forgotten (that you made me think of while reasoning out the history of this town) the sawmill. There is fast moving water east of the town that could provide power. If the logs are just rough cut, human power could do the job of ripping the logs. I am going to have to decide elevation changes in and around this town. If the ground is higher on the north side it may be feasible to build a log flume across the river near the ferry. This would not interfere with the sailing ships and would keep the ferry free for other uses.

You guys are great! Please keep me thinking!

[Wingshaw]

The updated picture is much better. I think the shoreline is particularly good, now.

A few minor suggestions:
--cemetary should be cemetery
--the texture you added under the trees ends too abruptly. If I were you, I would extend it beyond the edge of the trees, and make it fade to invisible as it does so.

THW

[Adversary]

Thanks (stoopid spell checker)