I just calls 'em like I sees 'em. I automatically assume that because it's what's hard-wired into me. I don't think that straight bump-mapping works too well for bodies of water anyway, mainly because water scatters light around, so I feel like there shouldn't be very much definition except at the very edges to hint at a sloping shore.
Hey guys, thanks for the thoughts!
Re satellite vs. hand-held: Yeah, it's a bit betwixt and between right now, isn't it? I think that on balance I'd like it to look more like a hand-held map, though. Any tips on doing this would be gratefully received!This probably won't be the final iteration - I'm happy with it as a first go but I think I could start over and do something better now. Practice makes perfect, right?
Re rivers: I think I've done both! I've been to the Red Centre of Aus and seen the "dry" rivers you refer to - that's pretty much what I was thinking of.
Re politics etc.: Perhaps if I describe the races and their typical organisations, it might help? So far, there are:
Bird-like people who usually live in large tribes up in the hills and mountains and who would stick primarily to the same (large) area.
A semi-nomadic bipedal lizard race with good heat tolerance who live in family groups.
A race of beetle people who build enormous hives like termite mounds the size of skyscrapers.
Desert bariaur (I love bariaur!) modelled vaguely on the indigenous peoples of Australia.
And those Johnny-come-lately humans who get just about everywhere.
Every living thing (to the best of our knowledge!) needs water, so oases and rivers would be the most likely overlap places for most of these races (the beetles would need these less because their hives trap a certain amount of moisture from the air and they can tunnel down to underground springs and wells). There are obviously other fauna, but I've never been comfortable with the idea of sentient races that it's ok to slaughter, so at the moment that's about it for playable races.
Something I've noticed: The map looks very different now I see it on my monitor at work. The land plateaux seem flattened and harder to see and the colours (especially the green I used) look much more yellow and undifferentiated. I don't know if it's the compression I used to get the file size down, the different monitor, or both, and I wonder what you are all seeing.
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