Druids! Monsters! Crumpets! It's the Post-Apocalyptic British Isles!
Oi! What's this bullocks, you say? It's a fair cop, guv'nah. You've got me bang to rights. I've gone and knackered the home islands like a right proper sodding berk. Yes, yes, I know, that's not good cricket, old chap, but before you go gobbing some palaver about your stiff upper lips and how this is just tosh, have a cuppa and read on, and we'll all be getting along tickity-boo. Ta.
If you have the time, please look this over and let me know how I might improve this map. I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on the colors, as my color vision deficiency sometimes makes it hard for me to gage the appropriate level of saturation, especially for political borders.
This was intended to be a quick experiment originally, just taking a real-world height map and modifying it to make it fit the ravaged British Isles of the Rifts RPG setting. I finished the terrain in 2 days. The other elements have taken me about a week to get it to this state, and I think this is ready for some outside criticism.
For those not familiar with the setting, this is set about 300 years after a major global event that re-shaped continents as huge magic forces emerged and concentrated into ley lines. These ley lines and especially their nexus points are areas of occasional dimensional instability, bringing other-wordly creatures to Earth and creating a world in which just about anything can show up in a story. The British Isles have the highest density of ley lines and nexuses in the world, and most people live at a fairly primitive level of technology, using the magic of druids and friendship with supernatural allies to keep them safe. This region also has many Millennium Trees, gigantic and wondrous magical trees that grow on nexus points.
Pip pip, cheerio, and all that rot.
Last edited by Coriolis; 10-29-2016 at 12:57 AM. Reason: Updating the map to the latest version
Looks good Coriolis, very similar to you're last map, and I'm still a fan of you're city icons. The only thing I notice about the colours is the wood grain on the border is looking orange to me, maybe a little over saturated? It might be personal preference, but if it were me I would tone down the orange on the border a bit.
Close... home islands ??? "Ole Blighty" and you would have nailed it. As such I declare you a spy !Originally Posted by Coriolis
Edit to add - like the map ! Actually placing Camelot will start a riot you understand. Not that I would be the one complaining as you have put it in the correct place.
Last edited by Redrobes; 10-31-2016 at 01:40 PM.
This is bloody marvelous! Never heard about that setting, blew me right away. Is that from/for a RPG? I have a soft spot for the British Isles and it's history.
As to critique... I can't find a flaw! Maybe kacey's point, but that would be about all.
Cheers!
As I mentioned on DA, I love the work you've done on the terrain here. The colors of the landscape look pretty good to me, though as kacey mentioned the hue of the wood along the boarder is fairly orange. A well done piece indeed.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
Thanks for the feedback! Yep, I used the same wood pattern as I did for my last map's frame, and I was going for a similar style, though I was going for a distinctly Celtic flavor with this map; I've incorporated five different Celtic knots to try to work in some artistry. Thanks for the kind words on the city icons. The color is something of a golden oak color, but I could adjust it, maybe with a darkening overlay layer or by partly desaturating it. I'll do some experimenting on that.
Guilty as charged, though if I had used "Ole Blighty," then some Irishman would probably have objected. I couldn't find an expression that covered all of the British Isles, so I improvised by borrowing an expression for all the Japanese Islands. I lived in Nottinghamshire for a year, but otherwise I'm about as American as we come, and as long as the riots stay on your side of the pond, then have at it! I'm glad you approve of the map. I'm rather surprised at how many different places claim to be home to the original Camelot.Close... home islands ??? "Ole Blighty" and you would have nailed it. As such I declare you a spy !
Edit to add - like the map ! Actually placing Camelot will start a riot you understand. Not that I would be the one complaining as you have put it in the correct place.
I'm glad you approve. It is indeed from the Rifts RPG, by Palladium Books. Thanks for the feedback!
Nice map, nice textures and topography. The orange border is in keeping with the false tan culture that exists among modern day Britons
"On second thoughts let's not go to Camelot. Tis a silly place."
On the border between what is presently Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire lies a rather unremarkable little town called Royston. To diviners, though, it is the convergence point of two ley lines - the Mary and Michael lines. Two ancient trackways/roads, the Icknield Way and Ermine Street, cross at this point and hidden beneath the street lies a mysterious cave with many carvings in its chalk walls:
http://www.roystoncave.co.uk/carvings.php
It is believed that the cave was once a secret meeting place for Knights Templar.
Update: I've added a thematic wraparound frame inscription. I also tweaked the wood textures to be about 40% less saturated and a little darker. I also tweaked the frame top to make the big Celtic knot around the edge stand out a bit better. Thanks for the suggestions, and please do let me know if you see anything else. Cheers,
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