Nostapyrax

[Domino44]

This is looking so cool! It's been really fun watching it grow!

[GreatWhiteNorth]

I'm about to embark on my own city-mapping odyssey and I was wondering if you could comment on the size of your city? What's the scale like? About how many miles across is it and do you know anything about the population size?

[fifty]

Hi GreatWhiteNorth -

Some of this may be open to change but for now....

Nostapyrax is a mercantile hub and a premier city in the setting, we're a late medieval early renaissance sort of place (with a good deal of Byzantium flavour chucked in) and as such it has a fluctuating population (within the walls) varying between 120 thousand to 170 thousand souls.
The city is a bit over 2.5 miles long and about 2 miles wide (not including buildings close to, but outside the main walls).

Given that many of the buildings are three stories tall or more with residential accommodation above street level shops and businesses I think It will be big enough to fairly represent that sort of scale when I've finished!

[fifty]

Thanks J.Edward, Domino44 & Fabio p I'm really chuffed that you guys like what I'm doing!

One thing I do to keep me going is to set myself little mini goals - so finish that block by the end of today, colour that section before you do another little special building, or make a different looking roof texture... etc..

That keeps me progressing and lets me feel like I've achieved a little bit each time I have a session

[fifty]

I've had to briefly slow down because I'm working on the quickplay rules the our system and setting this city is in, but i've made a little progress

Completed a bit more shading and highlighting


.. and moved on to the next section of rooflines


so city dock area looks a little fuller now

[Ilanthar]

Keep going, that's looking very good !

[ascanius]

Hey Fifty the map is coming along very nicely, very very nicely. I have a question, how did you go about determing the shapes of the important buildgs? Was it just random or did you have something in mind before hand. Oh and I like the theater, I think it's a theater at least.

[Larb]

The shading on the buildings - it gives them a lot of depth I think. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it's finished.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

I'm interested in the answer to ascanius' question as well.

And a follow up: What's the scale of the map? You said the city was about 2x2.5 miles. How big is your document, and do you have a geographic scale in mind, like 1:10,000, 1:15,000 etc?

[Wingshaw]

I don't want to seem too negative (or, for that matter, obsessive about realism), but there are a few issues developing in the roofs of your latest updates. For example, is there a reason the second last image has those triangular houses on the right-hand side? I think there are some other houses that are being distorted in some very odd ways (a pink house in the lower right of that same image, that is a pointy diamond shape, for example).

Something else that I am starting to notice is the significant absence of gardens (private or public). Is that a deliberate decision?

I still think the overall layout is fantastic, and the little alleyways and courtyards are brilliant.

THW