Very nice Industrygothica, there can never be enough city mapsI like the look of the houses and the overall look of the map. However, there are a few comments I would send your way:
First, I'm assuming Port Magalie is located on either side of a river gorge (which explains the lower area). If so, why is the upper and lower river area fortified with walls around or across them? While many Renaissance and Medieval cities would have fortifications guarding the entrances to bays and rivers, they would deny access to said body of water by stringing across a chain. Any raider or ship that wanted to enter would have to cut the chain, bringing it into range of catapults, trebuchets, and in an rpg setting, magic users.
Second, where's the bridge? A city that is a large as Port Magalie should have some type of bridge linking both halves. If the city has been there for awhile (several centuries), than it is likely to be a stone bridge, otherwise it will likely be wood. You may also want to experiment with putting structures on both sides of the bridge, as space in medieval cities was at such a premium that people built wherever they could (see the picture of old London Bridge at http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb...4-C01AA454.jpg).
Third, why do you have two cities instead of one? What do I mean by that? The two halves of Port Magalie are constructed as if they are two separate cities. There are no roads that lead from one side to the other and the houses are away from the sides of the gorge. While no one is going to be crazy enough to construct a house on a cliff, you need to think of a city growing out like rings on a tree. Take a look at this map of Paris (http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b77106992 --its a bit anachronistic as its from 1705). Notice how the city seems to grow out from the center island, which it did. I would cluster the buildings closely together nearest the river (and especially on whichever side the city started) and space them out as you get away from the urban core (like you've done on the north side).
Fourth, where are the markets? You have a large circular open area on the southeast side, but I do not see a gate in the wall to get to it from the outside. Markets are going to be along or just off major thoroughfares in your city as transportation to and from them was key--situate them accordingly. Also, if you have a port city, as this one seems to be, there should be at least one market near the docks, to handle all the fish and seafood coming in.
Lastly, if this is a large city (with a population in the tens of thousands), then the docks district is likely to be large. Make sure that you have plenty of warehouses, salting mills, and shipyards near the water.
As with all maps, you can take realism to far, but I do think that adding in some of the items mentioned above will make for a better map that is a bit more realistic to the eye. Regardless, great work Industrygothica and keep at it.
[Edit] Wow, in the time it took me to write this, quite a few folks chimed in, just ignore any redundant comments on my part.
Reply With Quote