A Map Working on Geography Details

[Darkovika]

I mostly started on this map with the idea of being more considerate of like, terrain and geography, which is something I do know I struggle with. I was trying to get used to fading the biomes together and more naturally mixing land types. The biomes are a little close together- also, I changed my mind on distance. Distance is ANOTHER issue I have processing, I don't know if anyone's got some tips or tricks to looking at something and figuring out the distance, but man I just cannot wrap my head around it. I think currently, at least according to a walking calculator I found online, it'd take between 7 and 11 days to get to Barzor'Baine- but then, as I was thinking about it, it would make more sense for it to take about a month for people to get there, in which case, there should be a great deal more towns centered around the main roads or travel paths between these main hubs. It's a work in progress, haha.

Also what is the "Latest Work In Progress" tag typically used for? Would I used it here?

It's made with Wonderdraft, so no hand drawn aspects here, but sometimes I just like putting together maps.

[Redrobes]

Hi and welcome to the guild.

Nice map you are gonna love it here. Theres lots of discussion about geography and how real or fantastic you want it to be. For distance its best not to think about distances per se but to think about where someone might like to live or build houses. Where is it convenient or advantageous to live. Then cities might spring up there and then you have wandering travellers where at about a days ride you might get a stopping point, a quarry or other resource or a river crossing or something like that and then a small town springs up. Then that leads you to what might be happening at that town and its real easy to fill in back story for it.

The latest WIP tags we put in when we do the challenges. We have some automated scripts here which rip out the latest work in progress images that people are doing for the challenges and we compile them all on to one page of thumbnails so you can have one page to see the overall progress of everyone. When it comes to the monthly vote then you have a place to look over the images and also we can archive them. So when you feel like having a go at a monthly challenge try the "lite" one first and look at the sticky posts for them and it will explain it all there.

[Darkovika]

Hi and welcome to the guild.

Nice map you are gonna love it here. Theres lots of discussion about geography and how real or fantastic you want it to be. For distance its best not to think about distances per se but to think about where someone might like to live or build houses. Where is it convenient or advantageous to live. Then cities might spring up there and then you have wandering travellers where at about a days ride you might get a stopping point, a quarry or other resource or a river crossing or something like that and then a small town springs up. Then that leads you to what might be happening at that town and its real easy to fill in back story for it.

The latest WIP tags we put in when we do the challenges. We have some automated scripts here which rip out the latest work in progress images that people are doing for the challenges and we compile them all on to one page of thumbnails so you can have one page to see the overall progress of everyone. When it comes to the monthly vote then you have a place to look over the images and also we can archive them. So when you feel like having a go at a monthly challenge try the "lite" one first and look at the sticky posts for them and it will explain it all there.

Thank you so much! That all makes a ton of sense, that's incredibly helpful. So not per se distance in numbers, but distance in terms of usage. I definitely like that mindset a lot, I'll have to give that a lot of thought, particularly with this map.

Thank you for the explanation! I'll get the hang soon! I'm already enjoying it here, I'm ecstatic. Cartography is just so mesmerizing- entire worlds, entire stories, entire creations.

[Tiana]

Welcome, yes beware, cartography can be an addiction. Wonderdraft is a perfectly fine way to get started. Eventually you'll probably find you want to make custom assets to fill in gaps in those sorts of programs inclusions, but it's a great way to put together a first map and get the itch.

[Arimel]

Really nice map! Everything in it fits together really well.

I also agree with Redrobes here, the distance is not as important as what is around the town (resources available, competition from other towns avoided, and most importantly, a good story able to be told). That said though, here is an older cartog. guild thread discussing how far people might be able to travel in a single day depending on terrain and speed should you be interested.

[Darkovika]

Welcome, yes beware, cartography can be an addiction. Wonderdraft is a perfectly fine way to get started. Eventually you'll probably find you want to make custom assets to fill in gaps in those sorts of programs inclusions, but it's a great way to put together a first map and get the itch.

It totally is! It's just so fun. I've definitely felt that itch- I've kind of messed around with making my own brushes in Sketchbook for when I hand draw maps (which is rare, as they take infinitely longer haha), so I definitely know the feeling of needing to create my own assets. Sometimes, there just stuff missing!

Really nice map! Everything in it fits together really well.

I also agree with Redrobes here, the distance is not as important as what is around the town (resources available, competition from other towns avoided, and most importantly, a good story able to be told). That said though, here is an older cartog. guild thread discussing how far people might be able to travel in a single day depending on terrain and speed should you be interested.

That is a TRUE gold mine right there, thank you so much!! It's so tricky when one realizes that we don't really know this kind of information, yet it's something that someone would point at and go "That doesn't make sense" if you didn't actively seek that information out.