WIP- My Homebrew Setting Map

[jfrazierjr]

Its a massive improvement, I would try to reduce the opacity of the texture on what I will call the plains (the rendered clouds layer) and possible merge a few similar layers together to get a less structured look to that layer.

I think in general you are suffering from the textures on each layer being to large (I am guessing the original for this is quite large). What I do then is render clouds on a much smaller layer and save it as a tileable pattern, then paste this onto a new layer.

Agreed.

Question? Do you have anywhere you can upload the xcf file(since it is more than likely larger than what GC will allow) that is publicly viewable? It would be nice to see exactly what your layer composition is.

The noise stuff in the bottom right and center of the image are way to big IMO. What you have(texture wise) in the lighter green might be ok representing hilly country though. Also, one of the tricks I have found is to never bump map directly onto a color layer (well.. not never.. but rarely). What I tend to do is create a 50% gray layer and apply the texture to that. Then put that above the color layer and set the layer mode to Overlay. This "applies" the texture, but you get the flexibility of making changes to the color without having to redo the texture bits.

[Karro]

Another river point.

On the river in the lower-right quadrant, it appears the river has it's headwaters in a lake in the mountains, and it heads down towad another lake (joined by a couple of tributaries along the way).

Then the river leaves the lake and goes... somewhere in the middle of the plains and stops.

Is there a particular reason for this? Or is the lake the final destination, and the other branch another river feeding the same lake? Is there a reason this lake doesn't overflow and create another river that will eventually empty toward the ocean?

With regard to the mountains, have you looked at some of the other tutorials and ideas on the board about how to make mountains? Currently they look a little flat, like just gray blobs on a green field.

Finally, there's lot of good advice being presented on how to tone down some of the heavy-looking cloud-noise on the plains sections. As you post more, I'm sure you'll get more great feedback!

[heathan666]

actually that's how I've been doin' the bump maps. I've been following the tutorial on here (however like the man says this isn't for World sized maps) so That's probably why it doesn't look as good as it "could be". Right now I've got all the layers merged per terrain type (ocean, rivers & lakes, hills, land, mountains, etc). I've been trying to blend the hill and land terrain, together. I may "blur" the land to lessen the texturing and spread it out more.

[Karro]

actually that's how I've been doin' the bump maps. I've been following the tutorial on here (however like the man says this isn't for World sized maps) so That's probably why it doesn't look as good as it "could be". Right now I've got all the layers merged per terrain type (ocean, rivers & lakes, hills, land, mountains, etc). I've been trying to blend the hill and land terrain, together. I may "blur" the land to lessen the texturing and spread it out more.

I noticed when I went through the tutorial that it didn't produce mountains quite like I was exspecting, either--they didn't have quite the effect I wanted.

So I played around and came up with a composite approach that gets more nearly to what I want (and which I'll be using on the world map I'm working on to.

I started with RobA's other mountain tutorial Here, which I combined with RobA's regional map tutorial to produce results in this map.

Then I built on that with some ideas presented by jfrazierjr in this thread (which I believe he was also developing for use on a world-scale map), and my process matured into the products shown here.

I wonder if I should get around to writing a tutorial on how I arrived at a version I actually liked... I suppose it would be helpful to myself just to have my process detailed in a step-by-step fashion.

Another point of advice: I never merge layers until I'm absolutely sure that I won't need the separated layers again.

And even then, I save it down as a new version of the file so that I can always go back to the older version if I decide I want to make changes later.

It's saved my bacon several times as I have decided to go back and change things (like in my world map thread where I had to go back and redo all my islands... I had a based black-and-white layer I could work on that formed the basis of the land and ocean masks).

[jfrazierjr]

I noticed when I went through the tutorial that it didn't produce mountains quite like I was exspecting, either--they didn't have quite the effect I wanted.

So I played around and came up with a composite approach that gets more nearly to what I want (and which I'll be using on the world map I'm working on to.

I started with RobA's other mountain tutorial Here, which I combined with RobA's regional map tutorial to produce results in this map.

Then I built on that with some ideas presented by jfrazierjr in this thread (which I believe he was also developing for use on a world-scale map), and my process matured into the products shown here.

Thanks... I am particulary proud of my mountains in the thread you link to in this post.

I wonder if I should get around to writing a tutorial on how I arrived at a version I actually liked... I suppose it would be helpful to myself just to have my process detailed in a step-by-step fashion.

Ditto.. I keep meaning to do a tutorial on how I adapted RobA's mountain technique and created the mountains in my above link, I just have not gotten around to it yet.
[/quote]

Another point of advice: I never merge layers until I'm absolutely sure that I won't need the separated layers again.

Quoted For Truth!!!

And even then, I save it down as a new version of the file so that I can always go back to the older version if I decide I want to make changes later.

It's saved my bacon several times as I have decided to go back and change things (like in my world map thread where I had to go back and redo all my islands... I had a based black-and-white layer I could work on that formed the basis of the land and ocean masks).

Ditto. I also tend to have 4-6 versions of each map saved to separate files as it progresses. I try to not merge if possible unless my RAM gives out. On my Sept Challenge entry, I ended have some 1.5 GB in memory spikes for GIMP due to the resolution and number of layers. Sometimes, things took 1+ minute to refresh. Fortunately, I had just gotten a new computer, so I was not forced by the RAM size or speed to merge any layers before the project was finished and I was so glad as I had to tweak some things even at the last minute on several layers.

Likewise, as Karro points out about changing things, I also try find techniques that allow me to make some type of style layer "thingy" without any destructive techniques. This is one of the primary reasons why I am such a big proponent of people learning to use layer masks(and thus the tutorial I wrote on that subject) since it allows you to use some effects that would normally be descrutive and take extra time to modify something simple like color to be a 2 second change with a layer mask. For me, it just makes sense to try to limit techniques that are destructive it at all possible. Using the 50% grey layer for your bump maps and setting it to overlay is another good example. I know some people cannot always do that because of memory issues since you have to have another layer lying around taking up space, but it's still better to know of the technique and then consiously decide not to use it for some reason. Of course, I am still learning GIMP also, so I know there are tons of other thing I will eventually figure out or someone will show me.

[heathan666]

Well I'm not gonna say my map is perfect, but I am happy with it atm. I mean for my first map, to me it looks good, but yes I have been editing it and looking at it. But I will post the original hand drawn crap map if you guys wanna take a stab at it, and maybe edit it.

[Karro]

Well I'm not gonna say my map is perfect, but I am happy with it atm. I mean for my first map, to me it looks good, but yes I have been editing it and looking at it. But I will post the original hand drawn crap map if you guys wanna take a stab at it, and maybe edit it.

Don't take the critique the wrong way. The idea of the forum is to help folks make something good even better.

In some of those threads I linked, you can follow a process that takes something that already good looking and makes them, well, just a bit better.

But you're right, your map is pretty good already. And, ultimately, it most has to please you, as it's creator, more than anyone else, I think.

So we're just offering ideas that we think might help you make your own work better. None of us is perfect... yet.

[heathan666]

Color Codes:
Brown=Mountains
Yelllow=Desert
Blues=Water
Neon Green=Swamp
Light Green=Plains
Med Green=Hills
Dark Green=Forrest
Red=Kingdom/Region Borders.

Oh no I'm not takin' it the wrong way, i'm just sayin' I'm very happy with it atm, I mean I went from this image to what I posted.