First go at map making!!!

[Djmaxx]

Hey guys this is my first map that I have made. Please tell me what you think.

[Trenloe]

That's really good for a first map - great work!

I'd add a bit of a white glow (not much) to the labels that are over the map details - this will make the labels easier to see.

Also experiment with glow settings around the coastline and for the ocean, you might get some effects that you are happy with that give more of an idea of the shallow water near the coast.

EDIT: Same for the lake in the western island - an inner glow could be used to give a sense of depth.

The above aren't meant as criticism at all - just a few pointers in using Campaign Cartographer as the effects can be confusing to use.

[Djmaxx]

That's really good for a first map - great work!

I'd add a bit of a white glow (not much) to the labels that are over the map details - this will make the labels easier to see.

Also experiment with glow settings around the coastline and for the ocean, you might get some effects that you are happy with that give more of an idea of the shallow water near the coast.

EDIT: Same for the lake in the western island - an inner glow could be used to give a sense of depth.

The above aren't meant as criticism at all - just a few pointers in using Campaign Cartographer as the effects can be confusing to use.

Thanks I'll keep that in-mind.

Also there is a glow around the outer edge of the land.

[Valarian]

I agree, as a first map, it's good work. Mine was a lot worse, trust me. Many of the templates have pre-set effects that can be used. You can have a play with some of these. The white glow on the text is a standard effect to bring text out of the background symbols. You can copy one of the standard effects. A black outline around the land can give a firm definition between land and sea. A lighter blue outer glow can define shallower waters, perhaps extending the one you have out further or grading with several different glow effects. Where you use the forest symbols, rim the forest with single tree symbols to signify the edge. The terrain drawing tools will do this for you.

On the map itself. Making maps will teach you about physical geography. Deserts are usually in the rain shadow of mountains, or other area where moisture will be reduced due to winds. Rivers run downhill, they join together, and rarely fork downstream (possibly around physical barriers). On the island with Solite City, it looks as though you have rivers bisecting the island with no determinable source. That may just be the size of the map on screen though.

The Cartographer's Guild is a good resource to learn about mapping.

[Djmaxx]

I agree, as a first map, it's good work. Mine was a lot worse, trust me. Many of the templates have pre-set effects that can be used. You can have a play with some of these. The white glow on the text is a standard effect to bring text out of the background symbols. You can copy one of the standard effects. A black outline around the land can give a firm definition between land and sea. A lighter blue outer glow can define shallower waters, perhaps extending the one you have out further or grading with several different glow effects. Where you use the forest symbols, rim the forest with single tree symbols to signify the edge. The terrain drawing tools will do this for you.

On the map itself. Making maps will teach you about physical geography. Deserts are usually in the rain shadow of mountains, or other area where moisture will be reduced due to winds. Rivers run downhill, they join together, and rarely fork downstream (possibly around physical barriers). On the island with Solite City, it looks as though you have rivers bisecting the island with no determinable source. That may just be the size of the map on screen though.

The Cartographer's Guild is a good resource to learn about mapping.


Yea im still learning how the land should be laid out and im still learning how to use the program (CC3). Also the world of Sierra is from a galaxy that has three suns and four moons so the geographical lay out is going to be different compared to earth.

[Valarian]

Also the world of Sierra is from a galaxy that has three suns and four moons so the geographical lay out is going to be different compared to earth.
Not as much as you'd think. The planet would orbit one sun, with other suns in a wide orbit, or it would orbit a binary/trinary sun system. This would affect hours of daylight and average temperatures of the planet but not basic geological features. The multiple moons would affect tides, height/frequency of mountain ranges and volcanic activity but, again, not the basic rules of hydrology and geology.

[Trenloe]

Also there is a glow around the outer edge of the land.
Yep, I'd noticed that. :) My suggestion was to experiment with settings around the coastline and the ocean itself and see the various differences you can come up with. It's amazing how much you can change the look and feel of your map if you give the ocean a more graduated colour look than just a single, flat colour.

See the final map in this web page: https://www.profantasy.com/rpgmaps/?p=864

The coastline looks like it has a green inner glow (on the land side) and a lighter outer glow to make it look like the "deep blue sea" is not so deep close to land - click on the image to see more detail.

[Djmaxx]

Yep, I'd noticed that. :) My suggestion was to experiment with settings around the coastline and the ocean itself and see the various differences you can come up with. It's amazing how much you can change the look and feel of your map if you give the ocean a more graduated colour look than just a single, flat colour.

See the final map in this web page: https://www.profantasy.com/rpgmaps/?p=864

The coastline looks like it has a green inner glow (on the land side) and a lighter outer glow to make it look like the "deep blue sea" is not so deep close to land - click on the image to see more detail.

well im still playing around with CC3 so it might take some time to get use to all the functions of the program.

[Valarian]

It will take time, but well worth the effort. The tutorials help if you go through them step by step, and the videos on YouTube previously mentioned by Trenloe. You're off to a good start.

[Trenloe]

Yep, off to a very good start. If you update the map, please post the update/s here so we can see how you progress. :)

[Djmaxx]

will do guys thanks