WIP - Space Archaeology Mission Map

[Abu Lafia]

Damn, i'm sorry you guys, i knew it wasn't a good idea to upload in a hurry... no wonder the regional map pleases you the most...i uploaded the wrong version with this wonderful shaded relief map (only coloured by me) from an anonymous person, maybe somewhere in Virginia I only used it as a placeholder and an inspiration for my own (not yet finished) attempts to make a regional map and forgot to take it out before uploading
I focussed more on the other elements recently, like the depiction of the "Boas System", heavily inspired by Jim Burrows StarGen SVG Graphic File Output , and the revamping of the layout and border.

The next steps are the following:

- Replacing the black placeholder circles with various "proper" planets and after that, i'll finally write the "review" on Ilanthars Planet Tutorial as i promised

- I try to fit in detailed info about the different planets (and maybe the star itself), and add a legend

- Doing something with the border!?!

- Adding some light effects to some stars on the starfield-map

- Adding some sandstorms on the planet-map

- placing a logbook text from Prof. Bohrenheimer on the left side of the map for some background info on the mission

- last but not least the regional map with maybe two "zoomed-in-map-in-map" maps (don't know the right term) depicting the base camp and (one of) the dig site(s). This is the most artistically challenging part, so i decided to make it in the end. For the camp i was thinking about something like these nice hexagonal building-block containers.

Well that's it for now. I promise to take a second look on the map the next time i upload something... or preemptively quoting properly all the stuff that i didn't created myself

Cheers,
AL

Edit: totally forgot to say a proper "thank you" to arsheesh and Ilanthar...glad you like the colours and the layout!!!

[Ilanthar]

It's looking good Abu! A few questions/comments: I think that your planetary grid is a bit too strong, did you try with a brighter one? What does the ball around giant gases like Sapir represents? Will you add a texture effect on the border?
I really like your sartfield and the IASA logo is excellent !

[Abu Lafia]

It's looking good Abu! A few questions/comments: I think that your planetary grid is a bit too strong, did you try with a brighter one? What does the ball around giant gases like Sapir represents? Will you add a texture effect on the border?
I really like your sartfield and the IASA logo is excellent !

Hey Ilanthar, thanks a lot for the nice feedback!
Regarding your Questions:
- I'm working on an other texture for the border. There is a slight "brushed" texture already on it, but maybe i'll add a bit more "grunge" to it, to make it look more shabby...
- Glad you asked about the Gas-giants! I totally forgot to mention, that the low-opacity Planets behind them are depicting the original size compared to the other planets.
- I altered the grid a bit, does it look better now?
- The logo was inspired by a pretty popular gimp-logo-tutorial on youtube.
-I also made some subtle labels in the style of the ones on your Aarklash-in-space map, hope you are ok with it? They look so nice, i couldn't resist... Now the starfield isn't looking so empty anymore, as chick rightly pointed out.

I finally finished the Star-system map with some detailed information about the planets and a key.
And well, i reworked the planet (again... ) because i still wasn't too happy with it...

As always, any kind of thoughts, suggestions and critique are much appreciated.

Cheers,
AL

[Ilanthar]

By Abu Lafia
Glad you asked about the Gas-giants! I totally forgot to mention, that the low-opacity Planets behind them are depicting the original size compared to the other planets

Ok! I thought it might be something like that. Good idea!

I altered the grid a bit, does it look better now?

Yep! It looks just fine now .

I also made some subtle labels in the style of the ones on your Aarklash-in-space map, hope you are ok with it? They look so nice, i couldn't resist... Now the starfield isn't looking so empty anymore, as chick rightly pointed out.

Completely! Rachmaninov and Prokofiev belts, cool names !

And well, i reworked the planet (again... )

Successfully!

[Abu Lafia]

Hello fellow cartographers,
i haven't been around too much lately, but i wanted to show you the latest progress of my space-archaeology-map:



I'm not sure but some parts of the map seem not fit together too well... maybe it's because i was working only every now and then on the map the last weeks. I actually hesitate to call it "finished" and would love to hear what you think about it.

Cheers,
AL

[J.Edward]

Looks great Abu.
I couldn't say what else you might need. I think it looks wonderful.

[Abu Lafia]

Looks great Abu.
I couldn't say what else you might need. I think it looks wonderful.

Thank you J.Edward, glad you like it.
My first "trip to space" (-mapping) has been a lot of fun, but seeing many of you guys heading towards middle-earth, and doing wonderful work there, makes my fingers itchy and i might need a dose of good-old fantasy pretty soon

[J.Edward]

My pleasure Abu.
Maybe once I'm done with ME I have to trip out to space. I have some unfinished domed cities on other planets to complete.
I'd love for you to get in on the whole ME thing too.

[Ilanthar]

I concur, it looks great Abu. The Dovahkiin font is a very nice touch.

[Abu Lafia]

I concur, it looks great Abu. The Dovahkiin font is a very nice touch.

Thank you Ilanthar, as stated already, your fantastic space-maps (which i discovered only recently in your album) have been a great inspiration for this.
Didn't know that the font is from Skyrim (i haven't played it, only Morrowind back then ). I downloaded it as "Dragon Alphabet" and it reminded me of the sumerian cuneiform script, which i thought might fit with the archaeological theme of the map.