In our 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:previous article, we di💝scussed some of the key elements that a map needs. We also started to sketch out and develop our ideas by hand. In this article, we'll look at some more things that you need to think about when building your world and maps.
Theme, Style, And Presentation
In order to take your maps to the next level, we need to think about the theme, style, and presentation of your maps. This is all to do with the intended audience. Just for a moment, take the viewpoint of a creator or Games Master. In this situation, the maps need to be functional, easy to read, and have a gr꧑eater depth of detail. Whereas maps f🐟or player use have to be less technical, have fewer details and features, and focus on the adventure.
Another thing to think about is the time frame and/or setting. Maps with fantasy and/or historical twist will be hand-drawn. Place names will be written rather than printed and of﷽ten have a calligraphic style. To add an authentic feel for player maps, age your maps appropriately. It’s amazing what some torn pages and coffee stain will do. Sci-Fi and futuristic maps could be screen-based or if printed wiཧll have clean and stylistic typefaces. There will accuracy when drawing straight lines and curves and the detail level will be greater, representing advancements in technology.
As you can see, your maps tell a sto🦄ry. They are more than telling your adventurers where they need to go. They should provoke questions… Who (in-game…) made this map? Are there any hidden clues? Easter eggs or side quests? You could also plant the seed for a continually evolving story arc for future sessions.
Realism
How real are your maps? How do you know? While there is a lot🃏 of freedom in map making and world-building, there is one question that must always be answered by the creator. Why?
We can only take our inspiration from what we know, and what we know is influenced by the world around us. Geography and geology go a long way to ꧅explain why our earth is shaped the way it is. These ‘rules’ should provide the reason for why things are but don’t get too hung up on tectonic plates pushing against each other to form mountains, keep it simple. Things to think about:
- Rivers flow down and across, not up!
- S♚ettlements will always have a road or river connection.
- Sꦍettlements have g💎rown out of necessity, they start off small and grow.
- Market towns are often found on crossroads.
- Fishing villages are found by the water.
- Farm𒉰s are on flat land, free from excessive vegetatioℱn.
- Castles are usually found atop defensible landmarks and protect cities aᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚnd towns.
- Settlements will have higher traf💯fic flowin⛎g through and be surrounded by many smaller settlements
What's In A Name?
Names are important, if we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t be able to identify things. This is equally true for your maps. Towns, cities, rivers, mines, mountains… you name it, no pun inten🍬ded, they need a name. Choosing a realistic-sounding name may be harder than you think. A town by a lake might be easy to name – Laketown. But after the umpteenth town by a la𝓰ke and you have exhausted all the aquatic town sounding names, what do you do? A quick Google-fu will give you some sites that will help by . You should be able to find the perfect match for your location based on race, language, and geographic influence.
If all else fails and you have your own naming rules, ensure that they are consistent and match the tone sℱet for the culture the name is for.
Taking Things Digital
Up until now, we have talked about hand-drawn maps, and chances are you🦄 are ready to take your sketched ideas to the next level. If you have already been using a digit🧸al device then you are one step ahead already. For the rest of you, it's time to catch up.
First things first. Let's talk about software. The go-to app most people think of is Adobe Photoshop. STOP! Don’t get me wrong, Photoshop is gr💫eat for editing photographs but it isn’t the cheapest and might not be the best option for yo✱u. There are plenty of alternative graphics packages available that are up to the task and even some that are designed especially for map building. Some good free alternatives are GIMP and Inkscape. Commercial software such as Coral Draw and Affinity Photo/Designer offer a free trial so you can try before you buy.
Once you have an idea of what software you are going to use, its tiཧme to bring your sketches onto your computer. You can always redraw what you have but if you have access to a scanner that may be a quicker route. You can also use the camera on your phone but a scanner will give you a flatter and more accurate image. You may need to go over thin pencil lines with a fineliner. Fire up your graphics package and load up your image. It is time to either trace the sketch or correct artifacts from the scannin✱g process. Use layers to separate things out and help with organization. Have individual layers for different design elements, for example, shoreline, geographical features, settlements, roads, waterways, etc. And don’t forget to include one for place names.
To help produce your maps don’t be afraid to 💎use pre-created design assets. not only sell professionally designed maps but have a freebies section that has plenty of art packs that are suitable. You can also look for brush packs and tilesets. Search for “free mapmaking assets” and see what you can find. One word of caution, check the license under which they are supplied if you plan to sell your maps. Not all free assets allow commercial use.
We also talked about calligraphic and other typefaces for ‘writing’ out your place names. You will find a wide range of free fonts on places like that can be used. Another paid option is who provide fonts based upon real ol🌌d handwriting, calligraphy, and printed material and has a section dedicated to old maps.
A final note on digital maps. There are two ways of drawing digitally – raster and vector. You don’t need to know too much about this other than raster images do not look crisp when increased in size, whereas vector images maintain quality. Vector is usually the betꦉter way to go but is harder to master. Whichever route you take, practice makes perfect. Remember, there is no ‘correct way’ to do it, just what works best for you! Do it your way and have fun.