Map's looking still more gorgeous now, Scott. Still thinking it should be in the Nibirum Atlas though! Might be difficult because of the map border now, sadly - I fear an attack of the Red X's for most of us - but it is a real delight.
Thanks too for the comments regarding your personal logo. Zooming right in, I thought it was the Man in the Moon smoking a pipe, but decided against showing my ignorance in case I'd misinterpreted!
Only thing now - glad you sorted the title font issue - is that the title looks too much acrostic to me - IDI MRS PAL EGA RON IND A L. I think I preferred it when the three words were staggered more. Reduce the font size to achieve that, perhaps?
I agree about the map title, Wyvern. I've changed it so many times. I'll try staggering it again and see if that helps. I really want a vertical title for this one. In an early version, I had it on a banner down the side, but the banner took up too much space and I didn't like it. I see I need to separate some of the labels, too, as a few almost run together. I actually hate putting on labels and obscuring or cluttering a lovely map! But I guess its a necessary evil.
I actually keep thinking I should participate in the world atlas here. Honestly, I haven't spent much time over there, though, so know next to nothing about the whole project, but the maps I've seen in the forums have been great. Is there anything that there is a particular need for? I would give you this map for it if it wasn't so entwined in my own fantasy world (which I am writing a sourcebook for... slowly...! And mapping -- continent map and three nations finished -- now just another 40+ nations to go!). Plus I've used a few of my own textures, so there's that red X issue. Although I would have no problem sharing any of my own textures with the forum.
I just saw that there is a "Dragon Island" on the CG Mapping Challenge forum. Gosh, I hope no one thinks I lifted that idea!
Dragon island? That's not even in the same challenge, Scott. Chillax
You are taking part in what is called the Lite Challenge, and the theme is to map one of four outline island shapes, which you are doing quite superbly I might add.
The other Dragon Island is part of the Main Challenge - supposedly a more difficult challenge intended for the pros to keep them out of the Lite Challenge (from which anyone who already has a Main Challenge gold compass is banned). Otherwise the really big boys like Diamond or Sapiento would instantly drown everyone else out - just like they do in the main challenge. Its to give everyone a chance - from newb to famous pro artist, of achieving an award as well as learning something new.
The Main Challenge this time was to make a map based on a list of words that Diamond gave us. Dragon was one of those words - that's all. I have... or had... a dragon coiled about the walls of the Midnight Fortress (another two of the words). I'm out of that challenge now because of Windows 10 and a messed up Wacom tablet driver, but I've already won it twice so its ok.
I think you're right to stick with the vertical title, Scott; it really looks the part. Hopefully, a little more tweaking will sort it.
As for map labelling, there've been various discussions about that here before too, as you might expect, given it's a recurrent problem for most mappers. There are probably as many solutions as there are maps though, which doesn't really help!
A letter or number key list for specific sites with longer names might help here, but I don't think there's enough space to fit that into without expanding the sea area around the island, and that'll likely upset the overall balance.
For the Community Atlas, as Jim mentioned, there's a lot of space and potential map types to play with there. However, a circa 100-mile-across island could also be easily added into any of the sea areas (given that those haven't been mapped in any detail at all, except close to the main landmasses and archipelagos). It also seems apt that something of such personal relevance to the mapper should be able to find a permanent home there (or as "permanent" as anything electronic ever can be). Plus when dealing with fantasy worlds, it's quite feasible a land could exist in more than one different world simultaneously, of course!
Any map is welcome in the community atlas, but there are a few things that needs to be considered when retrofitting a map not originally intended for a location in the atlas - It needs to follow the rules (i.e only official profantasy CC3+ compatible products, the four community symbol sets, and custom symbols/fills you have made yourself that you are willing to let be distributed with the atlas) - It needs to fit somewhere. While an island could theoretically exist anywhere on the globe, just plopping it down in an empty ocean doesn't work as well, simply because of map scale. The navigation between maps doesn't really work that well with lots of tiny links to small places on large-scale maps, for the atlas to work best, links on the world map should really only be to continent-sized chunks, so a new island should preferably be within the bounds of an existing continent map. - Adding an extra island to a continent (which would then link to this map) isn't that big of a problem though, as every continent will have lots of islands not visible form the world map (a 100-mile island should probably be visible from the continent map for most continents though, and not be introduced at a lower level). Of course, adding an extra island to an existing map should be done by the original mapper of that continent, but they may very well be willing to do that. I prefer if people don't do such changes too often, because it causes extra maintenance work, but as long as it happens only sporadically, it is fine.
That said, there are also several islands that probably already fits the bill. Remember, a detail map does by it's very definition add more detail, so the shape doesn't need to be perfect. For example, the outlined island from the Kumarikandam map which is roughly the right size and shape.
Well, I wouldn't want to go rogue and just throw something out there for the community atlas. I'd want to choose something from the map that needs to be done. As I said, I have no problem sharing any of my own textures, but I realize it would probably just be simpler to stick to official CC3 material. A dungeon is unlikely as that's an awful lot of work and I've never really done one beyond very basic stuff for my group. But an existing island or little part of a continent would be fun.
Posted By: ScottAWell, I wouldn't want to go rogue and just throw something out there for the community atlas. I'd want to choose something from the map that needs to be done.
The community atlas is such a huge undertaking and basically unlimited places to map, so if an existing map fits a location, it is very welcome even if it wasn't made for the atlas. My biggest concern is just that it should reasonably fit, this being an atlas and not just a collection of maps, but with all the areas that need mapping, there are lots of places to fit in things. (Cities and dungeons/floorplans are probably the easiest though, overland maps have more terrain considerations)
Posted By: ScottAI realize it would probably just be simpler to stick to official CC3 material
Simpler, yes, but everything doesn't have to be simple all the time. It is better to keep the amount of custom artwork to a minimum though, since it does affect the download size of the atlas, but that doesn't mean it should be avoided.
Anyway, there are lots of room on the atlas for any map you might want to make, so we would welcome your contribution(s).
Well, unless there is anything glaringly wrong with it, I think I may just call it quits on this one as it is. I don't want to tinker it to death! I'm pretty happy with it, and hope folks like it on the CG.
Comments
Thanks too for the comments regarding your personal logo. Zooming right in, I thought it was the Man in the Moon smoking a pipe, but decided against showing my ignorance in case I'd misinterpreted!
Only thing now - glad you sorted the title font issue - is that the title looks too much acrostic to me - IDI MRS PAL EGA RON IND A L. I think I preferred it when the three words were staggered more. Reduce the font size to achieve that, perhaps?
I agree about the map title, Wyvern. I've changed it so many times. I'll try staggering it again and see if that helps. I really want a vertical title for this one. In an early version, I had it on a banner down the side, but the banner took up too much space and I didn't like it. I see I need to separate some of the labels, too, as a few almost run together. I actually hate putting on labels and obscuring or cluttering a lovely map! But I guess its a necessary evil.
I actually keep thinking I should participate in the world atlas here. Honestly, I haven't spent much time over there, though, so know next to nothing about the whole project, but the maps I've seen in the forums have been great. Is there anything that there is a particular need for? I would give you this map for it if it wasn't so entwined in my own fantasy world (which I am writing a sourcebook for... slowly...! And mapping -- continent map and three nations finished -- now just another 40+ nations to go!). Plus I've used a few of my own textures, so there's that red X issue. Although I would have no problem sharing any of my own textures with the forum.
I just saw that there is a "Dragon Island" on the CG Mapping Challenge forum. Gosh, I hope no one thinks I lifted that idea!
You are taking part in what is called the Lite Challenge, and the theme is to map one of four outline island shapes, which you are doing quite superbly I might add.
The other Dragon Island is part of the Main Challenge - supposedly a more difficult challenge intended for the pros to keep them out of the Lite Challenge (from which anyone who already has a Main Challenge gold compass is banned). Otherwise the really big boys like Diamond or Sapiento would instantly drown everyone else out - just like they do in the main challenge. Its to give everyone a chance - from newb to famous pro artist, of achieving an award as well as learning something new.
The Main Challenge this time was to make a map based on a list of words that Diamond gave us. Dragon was one of those words - that's all. I have... or had... a dragon coiled about the walls of the Midnight Fortress (another two of the words). I'm out of that challenge now because of Windows 10 and a messed up Wacom tablet driver, but I've already won it twice so its ok.
As for map labelling, there've been various discussions about that here before too, as you might expect, given it's a recurrent problem for most mappers. There are probably as many solutions as there are maps though, which doesn't really help!
A letter or number key list for specific sites with longer names might help here, but I don't think there's enough space to fit that into without expanding the sea area around the island, and that'll likely upset the overall balance.
For the Community Atlas, as Jim mentioned, there's a lot of space and potential map types to play with there. However, a circa 100-mile-across island could also be easily added into any of the sea areas (given that those haven't been mapped in any detail at all, except close to the main landmasses and archipelagos). It also seems apt that something of such personal relevance to the mapper should be able to find a permanent home there (or as "permanent" as anything electronic ever can be). Plus when dealing with fantasy worlds, it's quite feasible a land could exist in more than one different world simultaneously, of course!
- It needs to follow the rules (i.e only official profantasy CC3+ compatible products, the four community symbol sets, and custom symbols/fills you have made yourself that you are willing to let be distributed with the atlas)
- It needs to fit somewhere. While an island could theoretically exist anywhere on the globe, just plopping it down in an empty ocean doesn't work as well, simply because of map scale. The navigation between maps doesn't really work that well with lots of tiny links to small places on large-scale maps, for the atlas to work best, links on the world map should really only be to continent-sized chunks, so a new island should preferably be within the bounds of an existing continent map.
- Adding an extra island to a continent (which would then link to this map) isn't that big of a problem though, as every continent will have lots of islands not visible form the world map (a 100-mile island should probably be visible from the continent map for most continents though, and not be introduced at a lower level). Of course, adding an extra island to an existing map should be done by the original mapper of that continent, but they may very well be willing to do that. I prefer if people don't do such changes too often, because it causes extra maintenance work, but as long as it happens only sporadically, it is fine.
That said, there are also several islands that probably already fits the bill. Remember, a detail map does by it's very definition add more detail, so the shape doesn't need to be perfect. For example, the outlined island from the Kumarikandam map which is roughly the right size and shape.
Simpler, yes, but everything doesn't have to be simple all the time. It is better to keep the amount of custom artwork to a minimum though, since it does affect the download size of the atlas, but that doesn't mean it should be avoided.
Anyway, there are lots of room on the atlas for any map you might want to make, so we would welcome your contribution(s).