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Thread: Mapmaking! >.<

  1. #1

    Question Mapmaking! >.<

    Ok. I'm new at this. How on earth do you start making maps on this site? Anybody? I'm kind of... lost.

  2. #2
    Community Leader NeonKnight's Avatar
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    Welcome to the Guild!

    First thing I do, is come up with a general idea of where I want my campaign/stories to take place. Coastal region, Tropical, Temperate, Desert, etc, and then go from there.
    Daniel the Neon Knight: Campaign Cartographer User

    Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice!

    Any questions on CC3? Post them with CC3 in the Subject Line!
    MY 'FAMOUS' CC3 MAPS: Thunderspire; Pyramid of Shadows; King of the Trollhaunt Warrens; Demon Queen's Enclave

  3. #3

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    Thanks!

    Ok... but do I draw one by hand and then upload it? Or is there some kind of program on this site that I can use?

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    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    Welcome Aboard!

    There is no actual software on the site for you to use. You could draw it by hand, scan it, then upload it.

    Most of us use software (Campaign Cartographer, Photoshop, GIMP, Illustrator, etc.) - then upload it to get critiques, etc.
    My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...

    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.



  5. #5
    Community Leader Guild Sponsor Korash's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronstan View Post
    Thanks!

    Ok... but do I draw one by hand and then upload it? Or is there some kind of program on this site that I can use?
    LOL

    this is the second post that I saw today along the same lines. I think someone is send the impresion that we have the Holy Grail of Mapping hidden away here. This is a site where you can find all sorts of help with mapping, be it tutorials, critique (freindly and helpfull), elements to put in your map, inspiration, a place to "flaunt your wares" or even ask for getting a map done for you. But no magic button. Sorry

    Welcome to the Guild and have fun mapping!
    Art Critic = Someone with the Eye of an Artist, Words of a Bard, and the Talent of a Rock.

    Please take my critiques as someone who Wishes he had the Talent

  6. #6

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    Oh pffpht.

  7. #7

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    Hey there Ronstan, welcome to the Guild. Don't lose heart, learning how to doe cartography (especially if you are unfamiliar with the software involved) may not be an easy "just-add-water-and-stir" process, but, with a bit of initiative and allot of effort on your part, it is totally achievable, and even fun, once you get past the frustration of the initial learning curve. Here's where to start. Check out the "Quick-start guide to fantasy mapping" sticky posted at the top of the member introduction sub-forum. Next, pick the software that you want to use, my recommendation is to start with GIMP, since it is totally free and can be used to create some beautiful maps. Next, check out the tutorials sub-forum where you will find walk-thoughs on how to create various styles of maps. There are two really good walk throughs in regional map-making in GIMP by the way which you can find here:

    http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?4084-[Award-Winner]-My-atlas-style-in-PS/page15

    http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?1142-[Award-Winner]-Using-GIMP-to-Create-an-Artistic-Regional-RPG-Map

    If you do decide to go with GIMP, it is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the GIMP users guide, which you can find at the GIMP site. I am fairly new to the guild myself, and have just completed my first map, so I know how daunting the learning process can be, but I also know that it's achievable. Once you've gone through the tutorials and have started to the map-making process, post a WIP and you will receive allot of helpful feedback from the Guild. Have fun.

    Cheers,

    -Arsheesh

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    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    We actually do have the Holy Grail of mapping here but only Arcana and RobA are allowed to see it as they are the Grand Masters of the Temple Cartographique. The rest of us would just get melted.
    If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
    -J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)


    My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps

  9. #9
    Community Leader mearrin69's Avatar
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    You don't get to touch the instamapping machine until your rep reaches 700...and, by then, you don't need it. Welcome to the guild! You don't need no steekin' macheens to make maps. Give it a shot.
    M

  10. #10
    Community Leader Guild Sponsor Korash's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ascension View Post
    We actually do have the Holy Grail of mapping here but only Arcana and RobA are allowed to see it as they are the Grand Masters of the Temple Cartographique. The rest of us would just get melted.
    Why, oh Why am I forever stuck in the lower mysteries!!!!
    Art Critic = Someone with the Eye of an Artist, Words of a Bard, and the Talent of a Rock.

    Please take my critiques as someone who Wishes he had the Talent

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