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Even if not finished, it's already a superb map !
Cymeria [WIP]
This is a map of Cymeria, the primary setting for my homebrew campaign setting called Miasmata. The map spans from the equator to the 60th parallel south, and therefore the climate of the region is predominantly tropical and subtropical, with the rugged landscape largely responsible for the drastic differences in biome that can be seen across the continent. Continental Cymeria stretches about 2800 miles east-to-west from the towering Kosmakri Mountains to the Altrusan Coast of the Abaseric Ocean, while the Prydic Isles (composed of Prydon, Caledon, and Hibern, from largest to smallest) occupy an area between the three of them somewhat smaller than Great Britain.
The major conceit of the campaign is that Cymeria's world, a planet much like our own, without magic and populated solely by humans, fell plague to a slow-burning apocalypse of sorts: a deadly miasma began sweeping across the countryside periodically, in great roiling clouds of black sparkling mist. Anyone who so much as touches the miasma is wracked with severe pain and exhaustion, and dies in short order if they do not escape exposure quickly; surviving exposure is absolutely possible so long as one escapes the miasma quickly, but even a little bit can takes days, sometimes weeks, to fully recover from. While measures were devised in time to ward homes and travelers against these noxious storms, many were wiped out in the early years right after the Fall.
However, not long after the miasma appeared, so too did otherworldly travelers, hailing from an exotic dimension, and with them they brought magic and technology that could be used to achieve a new sense of normalcy. All they asked in return was the right to settle amongst humanity and trade their wares, and this deal was readily accepted by all. Now, 50 years later, the miasma is still a constant menace, but the business of the world has largely resumed, only now it is inextricably linked to a larger, more magical world than anyone ever knew existed...
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As it stands, this map is far from complete. Textures are definitely not final, neither is the color, the placement of forests, and while I am finally happy with the relief style of the mountains, there's still work to be done better displaying differences in altitude between them and the surrounding terrain. Their position is also not final Also, labeling is obviously incomplete; as I am running a campaign that is currently set in the area around the Sehterre Mountains, that area received prioritization on that front.
Another big thing I want to revisit right now is color; I do like the current color scheme a lot, but it is in large part lifted from the Atlantide maps by Warlin that inspired me to start this rendering in the first place, and I would like for this map to come into it's own in time. I'm happy to answer questions about the setting at any time, and I'll be posting progress pics as I make substantive changes.
And for those angling for a better look, here's the central region with the most extensive labeling!
Last edited by jplet; 07-30-2018 at 05:48 PM.
Even if not finished, it's already a superb map !
This looks pretty awesome! I like the style and i think you have achieved a very own flavor, so thumbs up! The colors are also great, imo. Looking forward to this WIP! It will be interesting to see where you go with it.
I'm trapped in Darkness,
Still I reach out for the Stars
I'm a huge fan of the direction you're taking this in. I'm excited to see what the following versions look like!
Me too. That is gorgeousOriginally Posted by AlfansosRevenge
Artstation - | - Buy Me a Kofi
This is fantastic! Have some rep!
Questions: What software are you using, and what methods are you using for creating your mountain ranges?
Last edited by Dumont; 07-30-2018 at 04:21 PM.
Wow you guys thank you for all the feedback!
I’m using a combination of Clip Studio Pro and Photoshop CS4. Clip Studio is a lot better IMO for drawing with a tablet & stylus, so I used it to draw the coastlines and do a lot of the initial color work. From there I saved the file as a .PSD and transitioned to photoshop, where I’ve done everything else lol. Photoshop is a lot more powerful of an image editor,, has tons of filters and blending options and color manipulation tools and junk, so it’s better suited to handle all that. Plus it handles text better; for some reason Clip Studio rasterizes all my text layers when I open the file after saving and quitting.
I can post my mountain method when I get back to my comp; stay tuned!
EDIT: Ok, finally able to post this. The mountains are just goofy lines in 50% grey, set to overlay, with a bunch of blending options on them.
You just right click the layer and selecting "blending options" and then set it up to look like this:
And that's as far as I've gotten; there are aspects of this that I'm still not in love with and so I'm fiddling with the settings to fine tune their appearance, and obviously there are other colors and textures under the mountain layers on the map proper so they look a little better there than in these sample pics, so keep that in mind too.
Last edited by jplet; 07-31-2018 at 03:52 PM. Reason: answering two-part question
I love this map, and that mountain technique is great. Very similar in some respects to the way I do mine, but yours look MUCH better. I'll have to try this out.
Wonderful map, jplet, and that mountain technique
Wow, the colors are just perfect! Everything is very harmonious.
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