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Thread: Westrock - My First Town

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  1. #1

    Post Westrock - My First Town

    Westrock lies on the northwestern side of the middle continent of Bloodmyr (http://www.cartographersguild.com//s...ead.php?t=6420), just west of the West Rocks formation.

    Westrock is my first attempt at a town map (thanks for the very useful tutorial at http://www.cartographersguild.com//s...ferrerid=11683). I decided to go with a town that is small (and do many small towns first) so that I can learn these methods on a not-so-steep curve. I've always had vast difficulty with city mapping, but I think this one turned out at least a step above mediocre.

    Westrock is a small town consisting of, primarily, peasants, craftspeople, and farmers. The buildings are made of wood and straw roofing, with some of the wealthier residents having accents of stone. The wealthiest person in the town, Kaldran, owns an estate on the southerly end of town, along with his fine vineyard and wine-making facilities. The market row lies southerly-centric to the town, along with the south commons and the larger, central commons. (these are the oldest parts of the town, with everything else finding room where it could)

    The Honeydew Inn is a newer addition to the town. Everyone was very excited to see it built, as it signaled a new age for Westrock: you aren't a real town without a tavern and inn!

    Anyhow, enjoy the map, my first town map, crafted in two hours.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by kittrellbj; 07-25-2009 at 07:00 AM.

  2. #2
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    That's a nice town map, certainly for only two hours of work! I like the houses and layout.

    Anyway, some criticism/suggestions:

    - There's a lot of docks for such a small town.
    - The forest can be improved a lot I think.
    - You might want to experiment with some different looking roofs next time. It will give the town a more organic, realistic look.
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

    Gandwarf has fallen into shadow...

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gandwarf View Post
    That's a nice town map, certainly for only two hours of work! I like the houses and layout.

    Anyway, some criticism/suggestions:

    - There's a lot of docks for such a small town.
    - The forest can be improved a lot I think.
    - You might want to experiment with some different looking roofs next time. It will give the town a more organic, realistic look.
    I definitely agree about the forests. I am going to try to find something that I am happier with myself. I kept tweaking them for 20 minutes trying to get it to look somewhat decent.

    I also agree about the roofs. Need to make a straw texture to make them look more rich.

    As far as the docks, it's relative to the world. The town is in a key position along the Wayfairer's Straight, which is a massive trade route. If you glance at the world map, it is the route that everyone takes to the dwarven lands on the Almarian Isle, as well as Torana (it's a major shipping port, similar in style to Venice, Italy, with the canals and everything). Most of the time, the piers are used solely for ships to lay anchor while repairing from storms or just to get a night's rest during a long voyage, and half the time the sailors don't even get off the ships.

  4. #4
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    If you have a reason for so many docks, it's fine with me then

    Especially if a lot of sailors get off their ships I would expect more services catering to them (more inns, brothels, etc).
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

    Gandwarf has fallen into shadow...

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gandwarf View Post
    If you have a reason for so many docks, it's fine with me then

    Especially if a lot of sailors get off their ships I would expect more services catering to them (more inns, brothels, etc).
    hehe Yeah, part of the reason they built the Honeydew Inn was the increased shipping traffic. But, it's quite a conservative little town; the brothels and bath-houses aren't allowed.

    I am going to give these trees the what-for one more time before I take a nap. I think I have found something that will look nice.

  6. #6

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    I am much more pleased with the forest on this one. Had alot of fun painting the trees, too. Changed my foliage tile to something a little more tree-looking. Still not perfect, but it is alot better than the first one, imo.

    Still working on the straw roofs.

    Edit: You can actually see some of the relief in the forest to the south now. It's a very gently downward slope.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by kittrellbj; 07-25-2009 at 07:51 AM.

  7. #7

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    the road seems to have somekind of fading when it goes around the town, but when it hits the beach, the fading dissapears and there is a clear border.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jykke View Post
    the road seems to have somekind of fading when it goes around the town, but when it hits the beach, the fading dissapears and there is a clear border.
    Actually, that was intentional. I wanted the road to have a built-up look around the beach. I wanted it to look like that part was better kept than the rest of the roads (they keep the sand well-kept around the piers so the wagons don't get stuck and the sand doesn't erode it as fast)

  9. #9

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    Oh, good to know You are making nice progress with this map, keep up the good work !

  10. #10
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    The forest looks much better.
    Most of the trees look like clones of each other however, that's kinda messing with my head.
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

    Gandwarf has fallen into shadow...

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