World of Thersis

[Naima]

Hello , for some reasons I started to work on an enlarged portion of the Media , I wanted to make a more political map this time and I was working on making some map icons ... Somehow though they do not look that "great" on map , despite I like them a lot singularly... Perhaps couse I am yet undecided between the use of a classical neutral color map as background for political and a more colorfull geographic one ...

Here are the Icons I was working on :

In order from left right top bottom...

Keep
Fortress
Barbarian village
CIty
Capital
Village
Temple Complex
Shrine
Obelisk
Primitive Shrine
Nomad Camp
Ship
Caravan
Horses
Incense
Raiders
Oasis
Wine
Purpure
Oil
Iron
Salt
Cloths
Wood
Marble
Smokable
Art
Wheat
Center of Knowledge
Cattle
Herders
Goats

The icons are reduced and so have lesser definition in the image.






My main problem is on how can I do to make the Icons for :

Gold
Silver
Brass/Copper
Slaves
Weapons
Chariots
Mercenaries

And what else could be sugested as resources?

Here is the Sample of what I was trying ... Left plain map on wich I would overlay borders and color eventually the inside .. center the physical version instead, right a first attempt of borders and roads ...

On that I have to decide what kind of icons to overlay , if the round ones, if just the shapes without the round background ( but this makes them a little harder to see but blend better ) or something else?

[Courage]

Hi Naima,

I just wanted to start by saying how impressive this work is. Not just the art, but the overall effort.

I am a brand new member of the forum; I have been visiting for years, but I joined today in order to ask you if you could go into a bit more detail about your process in making this.

You mention having used Fractal Terrain, Wilbur, Gprojector, worldmachine, and lot of Photoshop.

As someone who has experience making digital maps but would like to learn more, perhaps you could take us through the steps it took to achieve which effects - and which software you used at which stages of composition? I have been running a campaign for almost 2 decades, and I think a new world map is in order!

Thanks so much for your hard work and for taking the time to answer my query.

Cheers,

Courage

[Naima]

Hello , thankyou for the kind words and honored that you registered on purpouse for that ...
I was thinking to make a tutorial , but I woudl feel a bit like stealing other people's work , but I guess I can limit to what I did of different from the tutorials I listed above and that I have used mostly ... Now is holiday time but when I will be back I hope to keep continuing on this .

[deaddmwalking]

I'm also a new member and would like to second a request for your version of a tutorial. I'm sure nobody would feel you were stealing - especially if you mention who inspired you. Even if you use techniques you learned from others it would be really amazing to see where you diverged - this is a really striking map.

[QED42]

Here are the Icons I was working on :

In order from left right top bottom...

Keep
Fortress
Barbarian village
CIty
Capital
Village
Temple Complex
Shrine
Obelisk
Primitive Shrine
Nomad Camp
Ship
Caravan
Horses
Incense
Raiders
Oasis
Wine
Purpure
Oil
Iron
Salt
Cloths
Wood
Marble
Smokable
Art
Wheat
Center of Knowledge
Cattle
Herders
Goats

The icons are reduced and so have lesser definition in the image.






My main problem is on how can I do to make the Icons for :

Gold
Silver
Brass/Copper
Slaves
Weapons
Chariots
Mercenaries

And what else could be sugested as resources?

Slaves often have chains for an icon, something like a ball and chain might work. I'd probably go with a spoked wheel or something similar for for chariots.

Having multiple precious metals is going to be tough to make them all different, especially if you want them all to be black and white. You could consider different objects that are commonly made from them so for example a gold ring, silver necklace and so on.

To increase your problems you might also want to add pearls, gems and incense as resources. You could also consider adding icons for specific activities like mining, plantations and fishing. Or you could just add icons for different food stuffs like bananas, fish, citrus and so on.

[Naima]

Why I always feel like i want to change this map ?

Now I wanted to Deearthize the map a little more ...

As sugestion what would you change to make it less evident its a pseudo earth style map ? I like the pseudoeuropean map , I am less satisfied of the pseudo Africa and Pseudo middle east/india part ... I was thinking for example to completely sink the "media Island" and or add a peninsula attached to the middle eastern portion in its place, eventually sink the dusar desert and carve in a deep cut or even carve an Island on the north west part of the Pseudoafrica ... As for India and middle east I am not sure ....

[Eilathen]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record : I think it is one of the strengths of this map, that it evokes the "earthlike" vibe. Sure, you can always fiddle with shapes a bit...i know i myself am also never really satisfied with my landshapes, but i really think you have a very good looking map here. I don't think it needs de-earthyfying.

That being said, if you do work on it, i will certainly be interested in how it turns out.

[Naima]

Here is what I did change.



New/Old

[Naima]

Hello , once again a little change in the overal geography of the world , I like to refine and change some stuff over the time , hoping to improve and implement more interesting things...

This time the major change regards the adding of new bodies of water and mostly break the central median large island in the centerof the image, that place was supposed to bea sort of Greek like zone but also It somehow seemed too big in a way so I was thinking to break it apart , I also added an internal megalake in the Dunia Desert region and on the east some further breaks...
What you think of those possible changes?

[Ryan Pourchot]

It definitely does improve the region. I love it man.

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