Al Shammar - Cities of Schley fortified oasis
EukalyptusNow
🖼️ 61 images Surveyor
Sometimes things go different than planned. Wasn't happy with my first Empire of the Sun map, built a 1001 nights themed RPG character, started thinking about her origins/ background and ended up with this map. 🤗
Mainly used the Cities of Schley style, with cliffs from the City Cliffs Annual and palm trees from the Spectrum Overland style. Actually did a search for "palm" in the symbols folder to find them...
Manual shadows could be a bit better, but I think they'll do.
Might add Vignettes and two map Keys (one for the main settlement and one for the former slave gnome enclave on the left side) if I have the time.
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and 3 others.
Comments
That's a beautiful map :)
If you are having issues casting that cliff shadow using a line, where lines tend to cast that intermittent stripy shadow, the alternative is to make the line thicker, or to draw the shape of the shadow as a solid black polygon on a separate sheet, using the existing effect shadow as a guide. Then add a small blur effect, and a Blend Mode set to Multiply or overlay, with a low opacity - around 15% for multiply, but more for overlay.
Thanks a lot, Sue. I'll be away from my PC for a couple of day
s, but will try tweaking the cliff shadows a bit more when I'm back.Haven't really used blur and blend mode until now, so I'm looking forward to learning a bit more.
Well, there are actually several ways of getting the shadows to behave themselves properly. That was only one idea, which may or may not work for you. The other way is to create a new sheet called something like CLIFF TOPPING and use it to draw a shadow-casting plateau that covers the entire area of the higher ground a bit like this.
Here is the FCW for you so you can show and hide sheets and see what I did. It might be harder or easier to do it like this. I don't know. Only you can tell what issues might arise, as the creator of the map.
And here is the alternative I described before.
I haven't even tried to imitate those beautiful colours you created, but these are just 'how to' examples ;)
Thanks a lot, Sue.
I've created a "cliff shadow update" sheet, that is almost transparent (1% opacity) but casts a wall shadow.
This works well on the right side of the map, but fails at the ascending section near the left gate. I partially put a non shadow "mask"-sheet above the shadow, but it seems to create more issues than it solves.
I'll take a look at your FCW files and draw the left side shadows by hand.
That looks better - without all those stripy light bits in the shadow :)
Yes it does.
The left side is fixed - that was a lot easier than I thought. :)
Thanks again.
You're welcome :)
This is a tremendous desert city - would you consider adding it to the Atlas?
@Quenten :
No other publication plans for this, so I'll be glad to include it.
Think this map could make sense as Dekunu Oasis in Dungroth, Doriant.
https://atlas.monsen.cc/Maps/Dungroth
What do you say?
PS: Did one final correction of the left side shadows - the " shadow buckles" are gone now.
@EukalyptusNow Yes, that would be great. Do you think you could change the city name to say Dekunu?
No problem.
Also slightly enlarged the North/South road, since it's now the main trade route between Zanesh and the coast.
So, basically now all I need is to create a description, remove the signature (everything else, including the script should be CC3), and submit the final map to @Monsen ?
Wow, looks great. Just run ffix on the map.
Thanks a lot for mentioning that term - hadn't known about the FFIX command before.
Will do so as part of the "final check and touch up".
Here's the final update:
Added the following description text and submitted to @Monsen for The Atlas via email:
Dekunu Oasis
This fortified oasis provides water and shelter to caravans between Zanesh and the coast.
The caravanserai on the eastern plateau has been expanded to a fortified outpost. It now includes a temple to the Sun Goddess, several traders and craftsmen, as well as tents for visiting desert shamans who still consider the oasis a holy place.
The former slave gnomes living on the western plateau have created their own enclave after having attained freedom.
In addition to regular shops and traders, the enclave includes its own well, an inn, a skilled healer, a potions and talisman shop and a temple to the gnomes' „god family“.
The gnome enclave is even more fortified than the eastern side, with quick release rope bridges connecting the buildings and „non visitor rooms“ having a very low ceiling, giving the gnomes an advantage in defending them.
The oasis is now found in the community atlas. Thanks for the contribution and welcome to the atlas.