Erdan map
Medio
Surveyor
Greetings all. This is the new map i´m preparing, my first overland world map with CC3, representing my campaign world, Erdan. For it, i chose the base of the Fantasy Worlds which appeared on an Annual, but decided to change some features. It´s a big map, 3000x2400, so i had to reduce it for being able to show it here. Also, up to now i didn´t use any kind of PS effect.
The map is yet uncomplete, lacking political borders, adornations, names and probably more than one change on some items that i´m not yet satisfied (like the tundra, the artic forest, maybe the jungle at the continent of the south, and the general look of forests. and also some forests which form has to be changed after i put rivers on them; also, the coastline could be a bit more renderized, the problem was that i was copying it from the original Erdan map). As i was tormenting the staff here with my unending questions, i guess it´s fair at least to show it wasn´t all wasted
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I promise to put the finished map once it´s done. Any kind of suggestion/constructive (or destructive) critic is welcomed.
The map is yet uncomplete, lacking political borders, adornations, names and probably more than one change on some items that i´m not yet satisfied (like the tundra, the artic forest, maybe the jungle at the continent of the south, and the general look of forests. and also some forests which form has to be changed after i put rivers on them; also, the coastline could be a bit more renderized, the problem was that i was copying it from the original Erdan map). As i was tormenting the staff here with my unending questions, i guess it´s fair at least to show it wasn´t all wasted
.I promise to put the finished map once it´s done. Any kind of suggestion/constructive (or destructive) critic is welcomed.
Comments
I like the forests the right-hand continent best, is the fill there a bit smaller than on the left?
If you want to fractalize the coastline a bit more, that's fairly easy to do:
- Delete the blue coastline of the continent you want to give more detail.
- Do Edit > Reshape > Fractalise on the continent, as often as you need.
- Do "Change like drawing tool" (right-click the Change Properties button) on the continent, selecting the Default Land tool - this re-adds the coastline.
An example could be:
I have a small issue about fractalizing. I was sure i had a part in the manual where the fractalize box was explained, but cannot find it now.
I want to fractalize my big continent and that means, considering the scale i´m using, that fractalizing is very "small", the frecuency of each section fractalized should be way larger than it appears, so i don´t get a "blurred" edge once i zoomed out. Which is the term for doing so? I thought the frecuency of the wave would be, but i don´t see any change if put a bigger value there. Thanks in advance.
CC3 Help Files
The thing is that fractalize adds at least one node among each two in the continent. As i had enough nodes, then it creates many of them, giving that effect i described earlier that i don´t like. I wish there was an option that would scarce the nodes added, for example letting two nodes as they were, and adding a node between the next two, but i think i´m asking too much
I found a solution, though. I first applied a Transform: straight to smooth, then fractalize the smooth continent. It worked (more or less). Now the map redraws a bit slower, but at least it´s worth the pay as the new coastline is sharp.
Thanks again Ralf for answering.
When I'm making a detail map, I use the original as a guide and draw a new coastline that mostly follows it. That allows me to put in narrow inlets (that were too narrow to show on the area map), smoother areas and rockier areas.
If you're committed to using the fractal command, you might take a look also at the Remove Nodes command, either before or after you fractalize. Make sure you're working on a copy of the map so that you can go back to where you started in case you don't like the results.
My understanding is the remove node command looks at how much each node changes the shape (i.e. the angle between the lines on either side) and removes the nodes that have less effect...but I may be wrong about that and it might just remove every xth node. In any case, it's worth trying (On a copy of your map, did I say that before?)
Steve
Not sure if i have a back up map, but i will try to use that Remove Node command. Thanks.
Turn off everything except the land and export as a fairly hi-res png. Cartographer's guild's forums has lots of tutorials on creating more realistic coastlines, both in photoshop and in gimp. Modify your coastlines until you have something you like. Import that back into CC3 on a separate layer. Zoom in a bit and manually trace that outline to create a new coastline.
It is definitely more work but I think you'll be happy with the results.
For coastlines I use the polygon tool, and use mouse clicks to place the exterior line of the polygon in a somewhat 'coast like' area. My small area detail maps are more likely to be fractalized.
Map example is at: surface map FM
This first one contains the geopolitics ( aka the kingdoms of my world)
Especially like the coast lines. I always have trouble making them look natural.
Those two Gods decided to parlay, and take one thousand years of peace; in such time, they would make pawns and those pawns would decide who would rule Erdan. But their plans didn´t work as expected; one, member of the Chaos, just decided to create monsters, and test them fighting each other to know which one was the most powerful ones; the God got so much pleasure on doing it, that with the centuries he forgot its primal intention, and just unleashed all his power on creating more and more monsters. He actually became mad, and it´s said by the sages that he´s still alive, in some deep valley of Vaulnar, the Tainted continent.
The other God had no luck either; he was a Law being, and he made born seven son and daughters, who became lesser Gods, for controlling his empire, and also created dwarfs, humans and elves for habitating it. But he was a tyrant as a ruler, and his own sons, who loved the people he did create, finally ended assasinating him. No one of his sons actually knew about the treaty.
The humans, elves and dwarfs, free from his tyranic father, grow and spread all around Erdan, but the magical barrier that exisred between both Gods lands was eroded once one of the Gods died, and small contingents of the other God creatures creations entered Erdan aswell. They are commonly called monsters ( being orcs, goblings, ogres and such the most common ones; these were the ones that actually fled from Vaulnar and the horrible fights the Mad God forced to ).
But, a thousand years later, the Pact expired and the maggical barrier fell. And then, the dragons, the ultimate race the Mad God created, who had oblivioned all the other creatures, spread into Erdan, into what was called the Oceans of Fire. All the Erdan´s empires, one after other, were conquistated by the dragon armies. Then, a desesperated handful of human archmages, found what they thought an ally for fighting the dragons. They were fooled, as such allies wasn´t other than Karre, the Demon Prince, son of Destruction. He ended up quickly with those humans, and his horde also beat the dragon armies, and started destroying Erdan.
It was some kind of luck that the Ilithians came. The Air People, some elemental race created by the Creator itself at the beginning, was powerful, and banished the demons off a desolated Erdan. They actually found some few survivors, protected by the last God alive off those seven ones ( all others died fighting the demons). Then, the Ilithians gave powers to such people to reconstruct Erdan.
Now, it´s 980 years after Erdan´s Reconstruction. The Ilithians are time gone, and the human, elves and dwarfs, along some few of the Mad God creatures, rule the world, without knowing that there is a small Rift where the demons are slowly and sneakly entering back to Erdan again ...
...
Beeing playing in Erdan since 1996 or so; with some (big) parenthesis; but my players have already seen all this. Well, i have to go, i hope this inspired you Monsen!