I am a new map-maker, please help.

[TrueUndeadHero]

I am new to map making, I am currently a huge GIMP User and I have tried so many things. A friend recommended this site and I was curious if you could help me.

I am currently working on a Steampunk story called "Honorable Causes" which takes place in the world of Amesyus, a country that has basically recovered from their World War I and now is facing new, supernatural and fearsome threats. I would like to know how to make maps and some good tutorials for me.

Please and thank you,
HAIL AMESYUS!

[TrueUndeadHero]

http://www.cartographersguild.com/at...nia-urenia.jpg

For anyone wondering. I want to make something similar to this. I wish to start with one nation at a time before creating a whole continent as I do not know what the whole continent looks like yet unless you guys recommend the latter.

[Azélor]

You can look at the tutorials here for Gimp : http://www.cartographersguild.com/tu...df-format.html

Mapping can be complex, so just asking how to make a map is a pretty large question.

[TrueUndeadHero]

Ah, I see. Well. What I really want to know is where to place mountains and rivers. You know, geographical stuff.

[Cuin]

What I really want to know is where to place mountains and rivers

That can get very very in depth as well. I suggest checking out some threads here about tectonics and simply sketching something out and posting what you come up with. It is easier to talk about what works and what doesn't when looking at an example.

[Azélor]

Placing rivers is really easy when you have the landscape and some knowledge of the climates.

Mountains can be more complicated. They form with tectonic activity. Plate tectonics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
either with transforming boundaries or converging boundaries.

Older mountains are smaller and not always located near the fault line. But were also created by tectonic activities.

[TrueUndeadHero]

Thank you, the plate techonics thing really helped me. I have also looked at a few other maps and decided that I will probably do a map of the "Known World" Such as territories and alliances, since the story takes five years after this universe "World War I", in which allies were both made and broken. So I won't do the WHOLE planet, but a large landmass and opposing continent.

Another question I have is the name Amesyus, as that is the name of the main country. I have been thinking it was a German-sounding name but recently a friend told me it sounded Latin, which makes me think of what sort of Steam-punk styled names I should go with. I want it to fit the land, not have a name like England with a capital that screams Berlin. What do you guys think of the name Amesyus, and how do countries normally get names.

[Azélor]

In latin in would be closer to Ametius maybe?

maybe you can try to ask this guy ? http://www.cartographersguild.com/ge...iscussion.html

[TrueUndeadHero]

Oh, I didn't know he was on here too. I had a friend who helped with this during our time in high school. This was a project we were both working on before I moved away. He grew uninterested and I haven't been in contact with him for about a year. I just learned of this site recently from a friend who works with me at my office. Huh, maybe I can find some of this early creations here.