Dragongate Map

[Katerek]

In the thread for the Ft. Lusitern map I am working on a couple of you noted that you were interested in seeing what a city map in the mountains would look like.

Well, since Ft. Lusitern is a small settlement, I decided to play around with another city. Dragongate is the capital of the country that Ft. Lusitern is located in. It has 2 different forts/castles in it and they are all part of the same spire that ultimately is crowned by the Imperator's Palace that watches over them all. Some of the palatial 'footprints' make look familiar to some of you, most of them were inspired by various modules/adventures in Dragon Magazine and other places.

Since I tend to have about 57 different projects going at any given time, there is no telling when I will get back to Ft. Lusitern, but with this map, I am pretty pleased with how it is turning out.

I snagged a couple of fill patterns and textures from various different sources and played with making some of my own. So far I have about 40 hours or more in this already!

This is a long way from completion, but hopefully you can see where I am going with it.

Like always, comments and critiques are welcomed and encouraged! Thanks.

[Steel General]

Oh great! One more cool map to try and keep an eye on how it develops...

[Sigurd]

This is really good!


I like the way it works with the mountain shape.

Its also a great scale for RP games.

[Katerek]

Here is an update to this map. I have been working on it quite a bit. I have put about another 20 hours or so into it since the initial post. Although, that may not be immediately noticeable.

One thing I have done, and have mostly completed, is touching up the texture work on the various tiers of mountainous elevation. In a few places it was ambiguous as to which direction was up slope - using the Patch Tool in photoshop with a pattern fill I blended some of the edges so as to attempt to clear this up. Overall I am pleased with the effect. I have some more to do in places.

As is obvious, I have also laid out the bulk of the city curtain wall. There may be a few places to add yet. I also added a few defensive spots and inner and outer city gates.

I have also begun laying the road bed foundation. Note: this is just currently being used to show the core arteries and layouts - the finished product will be more clear. I have done something similar for water pathways. Again, the blue lines indicated are only to show the general direction of water and where it WOULD be if someone hadn't come along and built a city here.

The water in the north/west central part may seem confusing at first. This is because I cannot decide whether to add a reservoir there or have the water go under that central rise via an aqueduct. Opinions are welcome.

Thats it for now. As always, feed back is welcomed and encouraged. Thanks!

[Gandwarf]

Nice work so far.
It looks a lot better than the Ft. Lusitern map. I especially like the ridges.

[KeithC]

This is looking great! I love the transparency you're using for your roads. I'm not sure what you're planning for them in the finished map, but right now I like the way the colors underneath are coming through.

[Katerek]

Here is an update. It occurred to me that I hadn't posted anything in a day or two. I have been kind of busy with a few personal issues lately, so I haven't had as much time as I would like...ah well.

For this update you will find some more texture tweaks - but mostly, I have started to add buildings. In the south east portion of the map I have begun the arduous task of what I am calling 'the low city'. This region will be that area reserved largely for the working class and out-of-towners.

Towards the central tiers you will see the beginnings of the area I am nick-naming 'olympic village'. There I have placed a gladiatorial arena, as well as a chariot track and what I guess could be a jousting field or even an archery range. The smaller buildings with 'courtyards' are smaller arenas - I am thinking martial areas or grand melees.

Finally you will notice the reservoir in the central west portion of the central tiers. I labored back and forth over this most of the weekend - whether to do it or not. I like it alright. I just used a layering effect at low opacity fill with multiple ripple effects and textures applied as I went.

I am thinking that I might convert the other streams in the city to actual romanesque aqueducts. That is, if I can figure out a clear and concise way to represent such a thing. Any thoughts?

As always, comments and criticisms are genuinely encouraged and welcomed. They really do help. Thanks.

[Steel General]

I think at this scale an aqueduct would look much like a bridge with water running through it.

This is coming along nicely...

[waldronate]

I think at this scale an aqueduct would look much like a bridge with water running through it.

I would think that at any scale an aqueduct would look like a bridge with water running through it ( that is the definition of an aqueduct, after all ). Technically, an aqueduct is a water-carrier (Latin aqua + ducto), but the standard raised aqueduct most familiar to people is really just a bridge to maintain a relatively constant channel grade across a valley or plain. It's this grade in the channel that makes the water flow.

[Katerek]

Here is the latest update. I would VERY much like any comments or criticisms anyone can offer! ESPECIALLY concerning the aqueducts.

You can see the aqueducts pretty much right in the middle of the map. There are some pieces here and there that are not connected, they are actually the Aqueduct Palette layer that I accidentally left on while converting to a .jpg. Anyway, I am not sure how I feel about it so far. On one level I really like them, but I am not sure they convey exactly what it is that I am trying to get across.

In addition to piddling around with water transport I also added more to the main gate neighborhood. I am trying to keep it twisty/curvy and nice and cramped.

Up the hill, just up slope from 'olympic village' I have begun work on 'temple hill' - there tier portion that will house most of the temples and religious officials. There I am going for more wide open lanes and courtyards. When I come back through to do the roads my intention are to put several wide plazas and open areas with well-manicured gardens and lawn type features. I am also thinking that I want a fountain or two. If I can figure out how to do it, I will also be adding a couple of features like statues or monuments along the lines of Cleopatra's Needle or the Arc de'Triumph here and there. I am just not too sure if they would be very discernible at this scale. Speaking of which...

I haven't actually posted a scale yet, but I am working with a scale that would have the roads be roughly 50 feet (15 meters) wide.

So, what do you think? Give it to me with both barrels if you got it. Thanks.