Its a lot bigger than Merelan City. Lets put it that way. MC is only about a mile square all included. This is just the city centre - the walled bit. There's as much again outside the wall.
That grass texture is (believe it or not) a stretched and HSL adjusted version of HW green land - an isometric regional map texture, but it goes with the ocean, which is also HW. I found it more restful on the eye over the considerable area it has to cover compared to any of the built in city fills, and also much more acceptable than the grass I made for this map. There will of course be fields and things, but there will be quite a bit of HWs green land still showing by the time I've finished.
One of the most interesting things I'm having to do is find new ways of bending the built in fills to give this map the style I want. If this wasn't for the Atlas I would already have made far more than just the 4 new fills that are available in the Malajuri folder.
After a few questions about the proper defence of Sanctuary over at the Guild I have made a few changes.
The gates are now the right way around :P
The towers protrude from the outside of the wall to give better angles on attackers who get as far as the wall. There are griddles in a new proper channel for the river under the wall, and there is a Constantinople style chain across the mouth of the harbour that can be raised by two underground winching stations.
I've also started playing around with the road system in the southernmost district of the city, where there will be the oldest part of the city - the original village of Sanctuary, which nestles in a bend of the river and is overshadowed by the fort. These days (present day for the map sometime in the medieval fantasy period) the old village of Sanctuary is known as 'Fort Gardens', and is where most of the fort household and servants live with their families - those for whom there is not room in the old fort except in emergency situations. The fort itself is used mainly by the military. Their families mingle with the household families in the Fort Gardens area.
Across the river from Fort Gardens is the original elf settlement (not yet named). The elves have been there almost as long as the fort and the village, so the city has been built around them, leaving them in the green heart of the city with the river flowing mainly through their district.
Meant to mention that I really like what you've done with the water. It looks really good and isn't just the standard water we all use!
Also, at this view, the top level of soil/stone doesn't look shiny. I don't know if you did something to change it or it is just the level of zoom before. The whole thing is just lovely and is going to be a sight to see when finished, I can tell already!
I've reduced the size of the towers in the wall (they were 90ft across). There's now a draft castle and a palace, and I've added most of the buildings in the old village of Sanctuary.
Looking at it again with fresh eyes this morning I think I may have a relative scale problem - the thatched houses in the village are meant to be cottages, but they do seem to be bigger than the gothic buildings on the South Docks quayside, which are mostly municipal buildings and by definition should be at least 4 times the size of a simple cottage!
I think that may have been down to the extra large wall towers (90 ft across, but now down to 60ft across) that still existed when I was laying out the village. I may have to redesign the village again.
I've done a lot of things, but they are mostly detail work, so this may not look all that different at a glance.
I've reduced the size of the houses in Sanctuary Village, and added a newer section to the north of the old village - originally built for the families of the men who were brought in to build the city walls. I've added a few taverns and a temple, crenulated the city walls and towers, added gardens to the village and started naming things.
Posted By: PeteFThis is an excellent map. I really like the textures and the detail. It looks very real. The shading has given me some ideas. Inspiring - Thank you.
Thank you
Although everyone will see exactly how its done when I upload the map to the Atlas, I imagine that might be some time yet, so I will tell you that the shading was created by drawing a mid grey polygon on a sheet with a lighted bevel, a large edge fade inner, and a Blend mode set to Overlay and 100% opacity
Rimtown is a bit disappointing. I clearly didn't have my story head on when I did that area. So I've moved onto a different area so that I can come back to it later and sort it out a bit better. After not looking at it for just half a day I can see that the roads are a bit too far apart, and that the houses are all a bit samey.
So, this morning I moved onto Mandel to the North West of Rimtown on the other side of the castle.
Absolutely beautiful. I can only imagine how stunning this city will be when it's finished. I commend your dedication to detail, and some of the techniques you're using to attain the look and feel of the city and its environments are a credit to your skill.
What's more wonderful, to a Dungeon Master like me, is the adventure you're going on while making the map. All the little stories and backgrounds that give the places, districts and buildings meaning and life are my favourite bits
Posted By: LadieStormWow, it's really coming together! I know.. still a long way to go, but I like what I see so far!
Aw, thank you, Storm
Posted By: Dungeon Master GazAbsolutely beautiful. I can only imagine how stunning this city will be when it's finished. I commend your dedication to detail, and some of the techniques you're using to attain the look and feel of the city and its environments are a credit to your skill.
What's more wonderful, to a Dungeon Master like me, is the adventure you're going on while making the map. All the little stories and backgrounds that give the places, districts and buildings meaning and life are my favourite bits
DMG
Thank you very much
I only hope it doesn't disappoint by the time I've finished it.
I haven't gone on about the little stories I've made up for myself for fear of boring the socks off everyone, but I did rather enjoy a little fast paced daydream about being in one of two gangs of kids from Mandel earlier (the Wall Monkeys, and the Shoreside Rats), who were doing battle in and around the amphitheatre, but then had to join forces to rescue one of their number who fell into a forgotten labyrinth beneath the arena. That sort of thing?
This hole was once a large lake, but it was drained and further excavated by the dwarves for building stone (an export of the city as well as used within it) and extra living space within the safety of Sanctuary's walls. It extends some way out beyond the city walls away from the coast, but so deep that it would be easier to penetrate the city wall than burrow down to get into Sanctuary that way.
Not sure about how the winch on the funicular (the incline tram system) should be powered just yet. I'm reluctant to add a thundering great steam engine. Maybe it uses a counterweight - two carriages balanced by water tanks - one on each side of the incline. Then it would just need a very big braking system, and something to move the top carriage over the rim and onto the slope of the incline. It would still need a really big horizontal pulley quite apart from the power.
So for now I've hidden it inside a really large building while I think about it.
How about a water brake ? A cylinder inside a cylinder that pushes on water in the inner cylinder. The size of the water holes would need to not be too large, nor too small. Too large and the provide no braking. Too small and the water comes out at such a high velocity the streams could cut metal.
Comments
Same in return - I learn a lot from you too
Hahahhaaa…. I've just realised that I totally forgot to leave a gap in the dyke for the river to flow through! :P
Load of other howlers - like buildings in the middle of the street, but that's just about the best uphill flowing river I've ever done in my life
I hope it will be small enough for people to enjoy by the time I've finished it - file size that is, not the city
Thank you
Its a lot bigger than Merelan City. Lets put it that way. MC is only about a mile square all included. This is just the city centre - the walled bit. There's as much again outside the wall.
Its right here:
The City of Sanctuary (restarted) (the Guild thread)
That grass texture is (believe it or not) a stretched and HSL adjusted version of HW green land - an isometric regional map texture, but it goes with the ocean, which is also HW. I found it more restful on the eye over the considerable area it has to cover compared to any of the built in city fills, and also much more acceptable than the grass I made for this map. There will of course be fields and things, but there will be quite a bit of HWs green land still showing by the time I've finished.
One of the most interesting things I'm having to do is find new ways of bending the built in fills to give this map the style I want. If this wasn't for the Atlas I would already have made far more than just the 4 new fills that are available in the Malajuri folder.
The gates are now the right way around :P
The towers protrude from the outside of the wall to give better angles on attackers who get as far as the wall. There are griddles in a new proper channel for the river under the wall, and there is a Constantinople style chain across the mouth of the harbour that can be raised by two underground winching stations.
I've also started playing around with the road system in the southernmost district of the city, where there will be the oldest part of the city - the original village of Sanctuary, which nestles in a bend of the river and is overshadowed by the fort. These days (present day for the map sometime in the medieval fantasy period) the old village of Sanctuary is known as 'Fort Gardens', and is where most of the fort household and servants live with their families - those for whom there is not room in the old fort except in emergency situations. The fort itself is used mainly by the military. Their families mingle with the household families in the Fort Gardens area.
Across the river from Fort Gardens is the original elf settlement (not yet named). The elves have been there almost as long as the fort and the village, so the city has been built around them, leaving them in the green heart of the city with the river flowing mainly through their district.
Also, at this view, the top level of soil/stone doesn't look shiny. I don't know if you did something to change it or it is just the level of zoom before. The whole thing is just lovely and is going to be a sight to see when finished, I can tell already!
I used a burn blend mode this time instead of a multiply blend mode (bottom sheet of just two). Otherwise its just the usual HW Sea Bue fill
I covered most of the stone with grass now, so only the cliff faces are really showing. And thank you very much for the vote of confidence
I've never heard of them being called that. I would have called them grated culverts. Interesting.
Love the map so far!
THAT's what you call them - those griddly things in the water that catch things from going through :P
I blame the meds myself
Thanks Shessar
I've also put the gridle thing right :P
[Image_10816]
The larger image is here:
https://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=41375&p=376202&viewfull=1#post376202
Looking at it again with fresh eyes this morning I think I may have a relative scale problem - the thatched houses in the village are meant to be cottages, but they do seem to be bigger than the gothic buildings on the South Docks quayside, which are mostly municipal buildings and by definition should be at least 4 times the size of a simple cottage!
I think that may have been down to the extra large wall towers (90 ft across, but now down to 60ft across) that still existed when I was laying out the village. I may have to redesign the village again.
I've reduced the size of the houses in Sanctuary Village, and added a newer section to the north of the old village - originally built for the families of the men who were brought in to build the city walls. I've added a few taverns and a temple, crenulated the city walls and towers, added gardens to the village and started naming things.
[Image_10839]
The larger image is here. (click for enlargement)
Although everyone will see exactly how its done when I upload the map to the Atlas, I imagine that might be some time yet, so I will tell you that the shading was created by drawing a mid grey polygon on a sheet with a lighted bevel, a large edge fade inner, and a Blend mode set to Overlay and 100% opacity
So, this morning I moved onto Mandel to the North West of Rimtown on the other side of the castle.
Hope you like the ampitheatre
[Image_10843]
The larger image is here:
https://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=41375&p=376471&viewfull=1#post376471
What's more wonderful, to a Dungeon Master like me, is the adventure you're going on while making the map. All the little stories and backgrounds that give the places, districts and buildings meaning and life are my favourite bits
DMG
I only hope it doesn't disappoint by the time I've finished it.
I haven't gone on about the little stories I've made up for myself for fear of boring the socks off everyone, but I did rather enjoy a little fast paced daydream about being in one of two gangs of kids from Mandel earlier (the Wall Monkeys, and the Shoreside Rats), who were doing battle in and around the amphitheatre, but then had to join forces to rescue one of their number who fell into a forgotten labyrinth beneath the arena. That sort of thing?
DMG
This hole was once a large lake, but it was drained and further excavated by the dwarves for building stone (an export of the city as well as used within it) and extra living space within the safety of Sanctuary's walls. It extends some way out beyond the city walls away from the coast, but so deep that it would be easier to penetrate the city wall than burrow down to get into Sanctuary that way.
[Image_10850]
Larger image here: https://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=41375&p=376552&viewfull=1#post376552 (click the thumnail in the Guild comment, and then click it again for the full size).
Not sure about how the winch on the funicular (the incline tram system) should be powered just yet. I'm reluctant to add a thundering great steam engine. Maybe it uses a counterweight - two carriages balanced by water tanks - one on each side of the incline. Then it would just need a very big braking system, and something to move the top carriage over the rim and onto the slope of the incline. It would still need a really big horizontal pulley quite apart from the power.
So for now I've hidden it inside a really large building while I think about it.
How would you apply it to the funicular mechanism?