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Thread: WIP - Fantasy City Map: City of Crossroads

  1. #1

    Map WIP - Fantasy City Map: City of Crossroads

    Hi
    I have been working on a city map that I have had sitting around for ages. This city is the home base for many of the RPGs I have run over the years.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I am not sure of the exact protocol for link posting but the full map is over at my blog.

    http://woolshedwargamer.com/2015/08/...ap-crossroads/

    I used MS Paint and Paint.NET. No labels on this map as yet.

    Cheers
    Brian

  2. #2
    Community Leader Facebook Connected tilt's Avatar
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    great start ... I went to your blog and saw the big version, lot of work you've done, and it looks good especially considering the program you made it in. There are some inconsistencies in line width it seems and not much room for labeling. A map like that would be perfect for doing in a vector program instead. But thank for sharing, and good luck with finishing it. Feel free to upload the full map here - we prefer that so that if your blog should ever be down, the map will still be intact in our threads
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  3. #3

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    Thanks for that feedback @tilt. I really need to get some actual drawing software but I am the original cheapskate. I tried GIMP but just couldn't get my head around it. Maybe I should give it another go. Do you recommend any "free" vector based software?

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    Guild Expert Facebook Connected Meshon's Avatar
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    InkScape is free and seems well supported. There's lots of people here who are good at it.

    Edit: Though I am not one of them

  5. #5

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    I will look that one up. Cheers for the info.
    Brian

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Meshon View Post
    InkScape is free and seems well supported. There's lots of people here who are good at it.

    Edit: Though I am not one of them
    I downloaded Inkscape and gave it a go. I did a small section of my city map. The results were fantastic by comparison but the extra time - not sure I could do a big city without going mad I might carry on with it. Seemed really fiddly. Here is my first go saved as a png.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Brian Smaller; 08-18-2015 at 04:55 AM.

  7. #7
    Administrator ChickPea's Avatar
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    Hi Brian! Just out of curiosity, can I ask what you found especially fiddly and time-consuming with Inkscape?
    "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams"

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by ChickPea View Post
    Hi Brian! Just out of curiosity, can I ask what you found especially fiddly and time-consuming with Inkscape?
    The drawing and positioning of the objects - I just had real trouble getting it right. Probably more a function of my cheapo mouse than anything else to be honest. Like I said I will persevere and see if I can't do the whole city in time.

  9. #9
    Administrator ChickPea's Avatar
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    I suspect it's not your mouse that's the problem. I have a tablet but I probably use my mouse more in Inkscape as, for most things, it's just as easy. I think it's probably just unfamiliarity with the software that's holding you back.

    Looking at your map, the vast majority of your buildings are simple shapes and they shouldn't be hard to draw. Have you tried duplicating rectangles once you've got them in place, i.e. instead of drawing a whole new shape and positioning it from scratch, just hit Ctrl+D on an existing shape, then drag it over a bit and use the selection arrows to tweak the size or rotate. You can also use the snapping tools to help you align objects (be selective with the snapping options. Do *not* turn them all on or it'll be a nightmare to position anything!)

    The other thing you could look into is Cloned Tiles. You create one shape, then clone it. You can make the clones bigger or smaller, rotate them, and change their colour, but you can't alter their basic shape. I think cloned tiles are a little less resource-intense, which can help if you're creating a large image with lots of nodes.

    Anyway, just some thoughts on how to make the workflow easier. I love Inkscape and find it really easy to use, so it's worth sticking with it and trying to get over that initial learning bump. Good luck and I hope you'll post some more updates as you work on your map.
    "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams"

  10. #10

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    Thanks for that advice - I was thinking about same things as I saw rectangles and lines in my head last night as I fell asleep.

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