RPG map. (WIP)

Thought i would get the ol' tablet out this week and finally get around to some more practise with "gimp", something i have been putting off for far too long.
My personal challenge was to make a map for an RPG game that i have had "on paper" for a LONG LONG time using only gimp and no external media -other than looking at some real old maps for inspiration. (i first drew a version of this map when i was 12 for a school project, (20 years ago :).

-It took me about 3-4 hours 100% in GIMP with the paper texture done using gradients and emboss filters, then stained with airbrush.
-The hardest bit so-far was naming places! Anyone from deep dark somerset may recognize a few familiar sounding places (south of the mountains)
-Should i include the scale,? I have included it mainly for myself for now, but it is basically 7 day marks making up 1 week.
-Have i achieved a medieval(ish) effect?



(c)D-Grafix 2008

What do you think?

PS: All my monitors are TFTs so i would be interested to know if it looks ok on a crt.

Looks great. How about a bit of colour for the fish and the dragon? It would really make them stand out, and give the look of an illuminated manuscript. If you only did it with those two items, I don't think it would detract from the intended single color effect of the main document.

Good map but the paper looks too modern, in my opinion. I’d personally go for a stained parchment look, as it tends to have a more ‘authentic ancient effect’ (again, this is just my personal opinion). Wikipedia.org has some good articles on the history of paper, parchment and related technologies.

This is awesome!

Looks good!

That's really nice!

The scale looks a bit off to me - apparently it's a 4-week march from one end of black lake to the other? That's a BIG lake!

Days March would be more appropriate I think.

Apart from that it's very very nice.

Ah, those are 7 day marks making up 1 week for the whole bar. I am working on the assumption of 10-15 miles for 1 days standard military march (based loosely around the romans who could do 20). The scale is supposed to be exagerated and completely innacurate like the old maps always were. Both lakes are supposed to be very large. There will be smaller ones too (not finished it yet).

@gabriel, i will try applying some faded red and blueygreen to those and see how it looks (got a huge DIY project to do today, so no PC-ing... BOO! :( .

@impixi, one of the layers is the staining so i will have a play with it. Now you mention it it does look a bit brown paper bag-ish.. I am going to add some rips to the edge, but while i want it to look old in style, i want it to look new enough to be 'not -that- old' in the gameworld (if you see what i mean)

Thanks for the encouraging comments, :)

Looks to good to be something you just knocked up.

Can I use it?

Sorry puki, its for my game.

Glad you like it though :)

I just made it my wallpaper, is that ok? I just think its awesome. Wish I had one....

I've taken it too - for my game.

Cant connect to your site nor see the screenshot

Here is some quick lo-res proofs with gabriel's color suggestions.


I honestly cannot decide if i like going down the color route or not. :/

@ mortis, perhaps it was when i was ftp-ing the images above :?
@ sauer, of course, (just dont use it in a game or book etc.).
@ Puki, that applies to you too. "Pu-ki" actually means 'Broken-fingers' in ancient 'Sarninian' you know. ;D

I think it looks great, but then it was my suggestion so perhaps you would expect that. In any case, that's exactly what I had in mind when I suggested it.

hmm, some of the names and the map in general remind me of the Eragon book series.


Looks great though!

I am flattered they 'remind' you (so must be good names :) but i assure you they are very different.
-HERE- is a map of C.Paolini's "Alägaesia".
A lot of his names and old elven in the book are based loosely around old english, germanic and scandinavian sounds and names. Can't spot any names too close to mine though.

A few of the place name in the south may have been used many times in literature or sound familiar. This is because they are based on or inspired by real place names in Devon and Somerset England (where i am from). Places like Axebridge, Elmswell, Stanton. etc are based on real places, eg. "Ogg's Well" (from 'East Ogwell' in devon). I chose them because i have always thought these names were cool and RPG-ish.

The ones in the north are made up of several different syllables of real placenames in and around Scotland/N England and has my own meanings too (Nas- village, kyp -keep, etc..).

Hum, I prefer it without the colour, it looks far classier that way. Adding the colour just looks like you couldn't stop adding stuff for the sake of it.

Stick to the shades of brown, far far better and consistent with the handdrawn theme.

Nice.

Lol, I live in Sandwell :-)

West brom right? Lol, (just looked on G.Earth)

It was actually one of the made up ones at the time (probably inspired by 'soundwell' in bristol or something) :D

Well, West Brom is actually in Sandwell. :-)

I personally live in Oldbury, about 25 mins walk from West Brom town centre. Not too far from Birmingham really.

But yes, that's the right place. :-)

Go without color. It's much better without. Very nice work.

Downright stunning. It looks completely real. I like it best without the color though.

It looks excellent, but the pixel art towns and cities really interrupt the mideval style.

Thanks,

Hmm, do you think different sized dots could be better (would possibly give a better scale impression)? It is after all a 7-8 week 'military march' from east to west.

Looks spectacular!

It does look nice. I don't mind the versions with colour - they still look good but the original looks better (in my opinion.)

non coloured one is better more authentic

Def go with the non colour, It is better that way :)

yeah, no color is better here..

That's a very pro looking map. Nice work. Kind of cross between TES: oblivion and Lord of the Rings, the map you got with the Hobbit book. I like it alot. The rest of your game has alot to live up to now ;o)

top class stuff
i would lose the colour

what about adding faint fold lines , may add a little touch

And a few rips?

What no Starbucks location markers?!

Really, really nice! Want a job? ;)

stunning looking maps, on your addition of colour I reckon the red lookng dragon goes in well, maybe coz the dragon colour is closer to the map - but the fish looks better in greyscale. However my 9 year old son thinks the fish is better in blue.

I'm very impressed though, I started writing a fantasy book a while back, didn't get too far, but I'll bookmark this post just incase I get around to finishing it... might send some work your way in the distant future - do you do quotes ?

Color might be good if you get the tones right, imo they are currently to foggy/overlayish.

Map looks great, but you should consider adding fold marks and tone down the crumpled look.. usually maps are folded, not crumpled and thrown away :D

@Tachyon & blitzplotter, would love to help out, just let me know :)

I am going to add some folds and rips when i get some time, i am renovating an appartment at the moment so am swamped.

I prefer the one without the colour. Both look great though, very impressive.

It kinda seems weird...

Like there's a river that goes between the sea and a lake but seem to start some distance from any high points like mountains.

Also, some settlements are distanced from sources of water and each other, one seems to have a lot of roads which take a strange route, whilst it remains far removed from... Everything else...

Aside from that, the forests nicely hug the coastline and the illustrations are 'cute' :)

Puki, if you really only wanted the map you'd take it (although against D4NM4N's permission) and just use it. But no, you go ahead and say to the guy that you stole the thing.

It feels as if you wanna confront the guy just because he made something far better than you could ever have done, not really steal the art asset.

I really do think these look great. Much better than what I was able to do for my WIP rpg.

Kryzon, puki does this with everything he sees. Mainly just joking about.

From his using Oblivion and Valve assets in publicized showcases leads me to believe otherwise.

I don't know why I feel so pissed about it then.

Haha you put Compton on there. Sweet!

Looks great. Maybe it should be a little more yellowish. Overall contrast seems a little low. Maybe try bold fonts. Ink should stay completely black, even when all other colors are getting pale. Colors would be nice, but not like those. More like the Initials of Names or Pages in early (handwritten) books. And maybe some Sheet Gold insignia, or a wax seal.

Maybe I would also replace the pencil-like drawings (dragons, hills, swords..) with ink-equivalents, using some stroke patterns for the shadows. I don't think they used something like a pencil for a map. Not sure if it's really a good idea. No question, it's already looking great.

Edit: about colors: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiale

I agree, you should make it look like medieval map made in medieval times. Right now it looks like a medieval map made in modern times.

Hmm, it isnt supposed to look 500 years old,
its supposed to look about 5 years old.. 500 years ago :)

Yes but they had parchment back then. It doesn't look like paper.

Overall, I like it a lopt. the crumpled-ness dowesn't work though. I think that's what malkes it look too modern. Maybe if it was much more crumpled or not at all would be best.

Colour - I'm not too sure myself, but I THINK I prefer the non-coloured version.

Edges- The biggest thing you can do to the image is make the edges of the papaer "torn" give it a really rough edge with occasional 'cracks' into the page. This will really do the biz :)

The paper looks like it is supposed to be a road map not a fantasy map. Also make the edges look torn a bit.