Düsterbruch – Regional psuedo-realistic Map.

[Legrandblond]

Hey All. I am the new guy.
And this is my first post. glad to have joined!

This is my (kinda never-ending WIP) regional map for my home-brew game of D&D.

It is all done in Photoshop, I did not use any height map - this piece is all texture and satellite imagery based compositing.
I spend around 25 hours researching and collecting images from NASA, google.earth and other such sites and afterwards spend around 35+ hours just editing the f* out of it.
Blending, tweaking, color corrections and implementing different techniques and brushes to create this pseudo-realistic look.

I designed the iconography myself as well, and spend around 5 hours in illustrator to do so. It is visually based on medieval heraldic, but with a more modern, minimalistic approach in terms of overall design.
The typography is a combination of 3 fonts I meshed together, but I didn't create them by myself.
The naming is a combination of generator wordplays and an older nothern Germanlanguage called "Plattdeutsch".

I only uploaded a 1332x1776px by 74dpi Version - the originally the map is 5400x7000px by 300dpi.


I hope you like it - I will keep on editing and fine tuning the textures and look of the overall map. But so far, I am quite pleased with the result I archived.
Feedback is very welcome by the way.

[Harrg]

I very love sattelite style map. You also can cut height map, when u cut textures from google map and then mixe it. It added you relief deeps. Of corse it added 50+ hours work)

[QED42]

Looks really good.

[Kellerica]

Cool style! I love how it combines a realistic satellite look with something that kind of reminds me of an oil painting. Very effective!

[smiler127]

I love it! The textures are great and it makes me want to jump into the world and start exploring. It has an untamed, wilderness feel

[Legrandblond]

Thank you all - I really appreciate all the comments and feedback

[Bretton]

That's a great visual result! If you ever think of making a tutorial of your technique, I'd be very interested in following it.
I'd also like to know a lot more about the purpose of the map. Could you tell us?

[Legrandblond]

That's a great visual result! If you ever think of making a tutorial of your technique, I'd be very interested in following it.
I'd also like to know a lot more about the purpose of the map. Could you tell us?

Sure.

So I created this map for a pretty singular reason: I wanted to see if I can.
And I had the chance to create my very own home-brew setting for D&D in the process as well.

My technique is a mix of photo bashing (real life satellite imagery) and concept art brushes and textures, combined with a lot of layer editing, color corrections and tweaking and of cause, blending everything together. I started out by laying down a topographic map within illustrator (just by adding layer after layer of different colored shapes) until I was happy with the overall form and feeling of the landmasses itself. I had a vision of what my world should look and feel like (northern european feel, around the medieval age - more modern fantasy game map than traditional fantasy RPG. A kinda combination of Skyrim and The Witcher as a kinda google.earthly map.
And then it is just a lot like a huge jigsaw puzzle, with the difference that you actually don't exactly know what the end result will look like, and you have to cut and tweak the pieces together yourself. Many parts of the map created themselves by just adding another piece or layer onto of another.


I do have a sneak peak into my process on my personal portfolio (with a lot more explanation behind the reason and my personal approach, but it is in German) and I am not sure if I am allowed to post links in this sort of matter.

[Bretton]

Sure.

So I created this map for a pretty singular reason: I wanted to see if I can.
And I had the chance to create my very own home-brew setting for D&D in the process as well.

My technique is a mix of photo bashing (real life satellite imagery) and concept art brushes and textures, combined with a lot of layer editing, color corrections and tweaking and of cause, blending everything together. I started out by laying down a topographic map within illustrator (just by adding layer after layer of different colored shapes) until I was happy with the overall form and feeling of the landmasses itself. I had a vision of what my world should look and feel like (northern european feel, around the medieval age - more modern fantasy game map than traditional fantasy RPG. A kinda combination of Skyrim and The Witcher as a kinda google.earthly map.
And then it is just a lot like a huge jigsaw puzzle, with the difference that you actually don't exactly know what the end result will look like, and you have to cut and tweak the pieces together yourself. Many parts of the map created themselves by just adding another piece or layer onto of another.


I do have a sneak peak into my process on my personal portfolio (with a lot more explanation behind the reason and my personal approach, but it is in German) and I am not sure if I am allowed to post links in this sort of matter.

Thanks for sharing. I did a photo-bashing map once of Dune, but never came to the idea of mixing it later with brush strokes. It's a great result! I may try it some day. I guess there's nothing wrong with that link, but I'm new around here. End German is no a problem to me. Again, thanks for sharing.

[Legrandblond]

Thanks for sharing. I did a photo-bashing map once of Dune, but never came to the idea of mixing it later with brush strokes. It's a great result! I may try it some day. I guess there's nothing wrong with that link, but I'm new around here. End German is no a problem to me. Again, thanks for sharing.

Let's find out what the MODs think.
This would be the link to the project: https://www.legrandblond.de/nerdcore