All, much better. Thank you!

I can only give feedback on one point. Yes, your maps are great. I think the love that you put into them is important, and it shows in the output.

However, you may be asking the wrong crowd. We're probably the least likely to want to buy maps, so maybe we don't know as much about the needs of other people. We can make our own maps!

Seriously though, you're on the right track.

Loopysue! They can "shed some light!" At least *I* got it.

I've been working on this off and on for a few days. I appreciate all the help and input.

I experimented with matrices, and I think a scaled unity matrix (contrast) and adding brightness is exactly what I needed.

The multiply blend mode gives the texture underneath. This is a success.

Now to actually finish the text. That's another story...

Thanks again.

This style brings back memories. I found a photo of a time when Ernie Gygax visited my house. He was the oldest child of Gary Gygax who was one of the main people behind Dungeons and Dragons. Ernie brought an old map to run a game with. He made it as a child to play his dad's new game. This, by some accounts, was the first player-made map for D&D. These CC3 maps capture the feeling I had when I saw that map.

It's hard to see detail in this photo, but I assure you it looks a lot like Ralf's map. (Note the book in the foreground, which is Ernie's dad's original, hand annotated copy of the 1E Players Handbook.)

I think this style is very pure.

I will leave that to Xargun, as that is the owner of the maps. I also refrained from posting them here to avoid spoilers for the players!

I was asked to do everything but the roads, settlements, and labels. That left just the basics to do. I had a lot of fun doing it.

An interesting note: We selected SS1b as the style. I used that for everything including the symbols. I eventually split some things into their own sheets, like the hills vs mountain areas. I think I made my own river style based on the existing lake style. The point is that I used only what was in that style and nothing outside of it. Rather, I tried to do that. I somehow got some Darklands hill symbols in there. I don't know how that happened. It turned out to be good because the hills went well on that map. The downside was Xargun had to buy that annual. (Though I think one can never have too many annuals.)

Welcome! I've used it for fiction books, both to include in the print and for my own organization. It's very useful. I'm sure somebody more knowledgeable about the servers and installation will help. Have fun!

Thanks for your replies, everyone. Sorry for the timing. I've been overcome by life events, nothing bad. My lawn tractor broke twice in different ways, auto tire trouble, a deep cleaning of the house demanded by Mrs. KertDawg, etc. Ha! I'm working on setting up the test. Stay tuned.

I think this is great. I love the texture.

The only thing I suggest is to compare the length of the cliff's shadow with the shadow of, say, a building. I think the cliff shadow is too short.

Maybe that's a perspective thing. Most of the map is overhead, but the cliff is not. I'd say that if the cliff were narrower and the entrances were at a sharper angle, it would match even better.

These are just comments, as I think the map is really good.

As a child, my family went to Lake Erie for a short trip. At one of the shops, I saw on the wall a reproduction of an old depth map of Presque Isle Bay from the 18th century. I was fascinated. It was much different than the maps in my school books. It told a story with lines and numbers about the changes over a century of nature and civilization. Most importantly, I could see the actual bay in front of me, so it felt real. I wanted to buy a copy, but at that time we barely had money for a trip let alone a map.

Fast forward some decades, and I returned to that shop and bought a copy. My study and technical skills started when I bought the map, but my fascination started on that trip as a child.