Isolden (my 1st world map)

[Neyjour]

You're right...dangit! But I really don't feel like re-doing all the trees, so I'll just have to keep that in mind for future maps.

[- Max -]

sad to hear...

[jbgibson]

It's a pleasant combination of features, Neyjour. All kinds of things, that could be argued against by themselves, can potentially work well together. You've found such a set - I find i just *like* this one.

What I'd suggest you file away for the next map is that the moderate-sized hills look a bit like lumps on top of the ground, rather than bumps *in* the ground. Maybe it's the shading at the bottom - could they use a little more gradual fade on the bottom-edge shadow? Everything I've done in that vein looks *very* dodgy, so I'm no expert in how to tweak hill symbols to blend in better.

Keep up the good work - and a Merry Christmas to you as well!

[Neyjour]

Thanks so much, jbgibson.

The hills have a layer of colour underneath them. That's what was making them look so "lumpy" and smooth (texture-wise). I got rid of that altogether, so now the actual ground texture shows through. I also reduced the contrast of the lines a little bit. Do you think this looks better now?

[Althaen]

I love the dark look of the map. What are you making the map for?

[Neyjour]

Thanks very much, Althaen. I don't have plans to use it myself...I just love making maps, and wanted to try making a world map rather than my usual battlemaps. When it's finished, I plan to offer the full-rez version as a free download, for others to use in their gaming.

[jbgibson]

Yup, that blends better - nice!

[Neyjour]

Great, thanks!

One last edit (or a question, really) before I start on the labels. I'm wondering if maybe the lava is a bit too bright? I prefer the bright version (when looking at it on its own), but combined with the rest of the map...I'm just not too sure. So...here's the original (bright) version, and a slightly darker one. I've included the northern lake in the crop, so you can compare the two together, since the lava and the water are the two elements of the map that are the most colourful.



EDIT: Or maybe bump up the level of brightness/saturation of the water to match the bright version of the lava?

[Larb]

I think I prefer the second version of the lava. Although I am wondering if it might look better with a few subtle orangey-yellow highlights? It doesn't seem as "warm" as it could be if that makes sense.

[Neyjour]

Yes, I understand what you mean! Thanks for the suggestion!

Here's a version with orangy/yellow highlights. I can't seem to get the results I want (and I'll probably fiddle with it some more) but hopefully this is a bit of an improvement. Of course, adding highlights bumped the brightness back up again. And I also darkened the terrain a bit more, which bumps the contrast up as well, but I think I like this dark/bright version. Gives it more of a dangerous, uninviting atmosphere, IMO.

I'm still not sure if the lava (and that zone in general) is a bit too overpowering compared to everything else. It seems to draw my eye away from the rest of the map...although, maybe that's not exactly a bad thing. Ugh! I dunno. Some opinions on that would be much appreciated!