[BAW] Chapter 1 - The Map

[Dan the Man]

Chapter 1 - The Map

“Writing has nothing to do with meaning. It has to do with landsurveying and cartography, including the mapping of countries yet to come.”
-Gilles Deleuze

In this thread we will begin the process of designing the map we will use for this scenario. This chapter will take place in three steps:

1. Basic Landmasses: The groundwork for the entire map. In this step we'll trace out the actual oceans and continents for our world.

2. Landforms: Mountains, plains, rivers, valleys, and more - all of them will be added to the map in this stage of development.

3. Biomes: The final stage of development for this chapter, at this point we will decide the locations of each type of ecosystem in our environment. Desert, grassland, forest, steppe, jungle, tundra, and more.

Post your ideas for discussion here and remember that creativity and cooperation are the key!

[Dan the Man]

I'd like to begin by proposing my own idea for a basic map:

[Xion]

Do maps have to be created by us or can we post maps found via (ex. google search) that we like?

[Dan the Man]

Yes, as long as you provide a source. It doesn't have to be something complex, just a quick link to the original website.

[MuttonChops]

A bigger map would be better. I'll see if I can find/make one

[Watercress]

Here's my proposal. A lovely near-Pangeia, with a number of temperate subcontinents for Europe-esque scenarios, vast mountains and steppes for barbaric empires, and many islands for your inevitable pirate factions I made it very quickly at http://worldgen.bin.sh/fantasy.cgi



Here's a much better, but much larger map. Admittedly it's rather rough, but certainly follows what I've got in mind.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Pericles of Athens]

... that map hurts my eyes Water.

I really like Dan's map, though I think there should be more island chains, and a large peninsula attached to the north of the main continent.

[Xion]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Source

[Dan the Man]

The only problem I have with these other two maps is that it's going to be awfully difficult to put countries on them later. Do either of you have blank versions of those maps?

@Perry - I am more than willing to edit my map to accommodate player preference.

[Xion]

I can try to find one.

I didn't see one when I was looking at it. So I don't know.

[Dan the Man]

Somebody with better photoshop skills might be able to make it into a blank map. That way we can kill two birds with one stone and have both a base map and a map with landforms. All we'd have to do from there is biomes.

Also somebody should probably notify the creator if we use it. One of the things about self-made maps is that, while they do take time, there's no need to worry about permissions. Honestly at this point I'm throwing my support behind my own map with necessary edits made.

[Watercress]

Well if I recall correctly, Mutton was great with graphics. He should be able to cook one up, or a properly large/detailed version of yours, Dan.

[Dan the Man]

Okay, if everybody else is cool with it I guess we'll see what Mutton says then.

On the other hand, I've started recoloring Rose's map by hand. It's going to take a really long time, but fortunately I happen have a lot of time on my hands at the moment.

On the other other hand, we could just draw in borders over the topographical map instead of having to color in a blank map.

[Watercress]

It's up to you. I do prefer Rose's map due to the simple fact that it is much larger canvas for us - and the two islands that look like dolphins!

[Pericles of Athens]

To be honest I don't like Rose's map, it's too crushed together, and there aren't any large land masses.

[Dan the Man]

I must admit, I'm really not a fan of maps that don't have large oceans separating landmasses. The cease to really be continents and become more like island chains, which probably is really unrealistic for the structure of an inhabitable planet. Apparently there's supposed to be some kind of minimum land to water ratio or somesuch, but I don't fully understand it.

I'll keep working on making a blank version of Rose's map, but in the meantime what does everybody think of Perry's idea of going with my map and making modifications? I'm open to any and all suggestions.

[Xion]

Well, seeing as I don't like your map, I don't like Perry's idea.

I personally think having massive ocean may not be a great idea as proven in Act II of the RB Space trilogy(with Interlude), we spread out too far and nobody had interaction with each other that much.

As for it being crushed...we haven't put in provinces yet, we could vary the scale of provinces?

[Amaz]

Well, to whom it helps, I was able to make a rough blank map looking image of it.


and I kinda have to agree with Perry. Although it looks absolutely fine with me, some might not like it for just the clustered-ness of the landforms

[Dan the Man]

...how did you do that?

[Amaz]

I use GIMP. Freeware substitute for Photoshop, used a color select tool to select out all the blue, inverted selection, then filled the remaining selection with white.