WIP: Exeder

Jeff B

I started working on converting a 30 year old hex map to a CC3+ Overland style (Spectrum Overland). I added more rivers and the mountains changed a bit but think it represents the original map.

I might need to scale down the mountains and hills.

Please let me know how to improve the map.

Original Hex Map

CC3+ Spectrum Overland

Loopysue

It looks like a pretty good copy, though I can't really see the original very well. You wanted suggestions, so here are a few general ideas.

• Maybe jiggle the mountains around a bit so that they aren't so evenly spaced. It's perfectly ok to overlap them.
• Maybe work with the rivers a little bit - make them a bit more wiggly, and give them some more tributaries - taper them towards the source.
• Modern roads are relatively straight, but old roads (except for Roman roads) tend to be more wiggly as they follow the driest/flattest/safest way between all the local features that are too small to be shown at this scale. If you add a few very small detours to them that will make them feel like they belong with the land.
• Some of the forests have nicely faded edges where you have placed single trees around the edge, but there are other forests that still have a very sharp edge. You could try adding the same sort of scattering of individual trees to get rid of those sharp edges a little more.

Jeff B

Thank You Sue I will work on those changes. The roads are not an issue as we use this for a not RPG game Battletech (3027 - 3050) and use it for various campaign games but I'll also look making changes to the roads as you suggested.

Thanks Again.

Wyvern

To be honest, I find something very appealing in the clarity of older style hex maps like the original, especially where they're intended to work as game maps/boards. While the updated version looks impressive and more modern, I'd have been tempted to redraw the original using a newer hex-mapping style, I think!

Jeff B

https://forum.profantasy.com/discussion/comment/106385#Comment_106385

Wyvern just for you.

Exeder in Overland Hex Style

And as a Bonus Exeder in Spectrum Overland Hex. I still have some work to do on the map but wanted to get it posted with the overland style to compare.

Wyvern

Of course, there's also something about the time when you first used the map while gaming, and the various associations that has as well, which all contribute to why the look of something that many now might probably consider quite basic (the original B&W map in your first post) has such resonance still.

The two hex maps look really good, and I love the "glow" about the Spectrum Overland Hex version. Probably just me, but I think that looks even better than the earlier Spectrum Overland version.

Jeff B

Thanks Wyvern

I have to agree I like the SO version better than the Overland hex. The SO version took much more work doing the hexes. I tried to keep the hex them throughout the map by creating straight tools for tracing the hex outlines and then adjusting the shading to keep the hex look throughout. I thought able single tree hexes but decided I liked the groups of trees in the hexes much better.

I now need to tackle the other three hex maps I need to convert. They are much bigger than this one.