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Hey guys,
So I'm currently writing up some fiction with the intent of possibly releasing it as a novel. As it is Original Fiction (as in, not set on our Earth) I thought it would be quite handy to produce a map of the setting, the kind you normally find at the very front or very back of a Fantasy Novel.
My problem lies in that I have no real artistic skill to speak of. At the moment I have a crude drawing which is effectively a misshapen circle with some dots and crude lines scribbled over it, which I use as a basic reference of geography.
What I'd like to know, however, is whether anyone knows of any software or online tool that would help produce this kind of thing?
Steam: TheBrayster
PSN: TheBrayster_92
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I do this! Indeed, I made an entire setting with over 300 maps to date because I wanted my world to become fleshed out beyond my mind (see the link in my signature if you want examples).
There are three ways you can go about having your dreams come true:
If you decide to make yourself maps, feel free to send me a PM. I'd be happy to give you some tips and tricks on what I do in photoshop to get started.
I'll keep all of that in mind, and I'll try to remember you/this thread if I have any further queries!
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The hardest part of making an image is that first step. Rendering the landmasses is where it is make it or break it. Take the time and consider how your topography works. Some basic study in earth science is recommended (even just an hour or two in wikipedia about biomes). Some basic things to look out for so that you aren't violating the worst laws of fictional cartography:
I'll have more later, but thats enough to get started!
So, if a god wanted to make Mordor-mountain walls, how would that wreck the precipitation and geology of the surrounding countryside? Creating a horizontal line of mountains is going to wreck at least one side of that ridge from having ready-flow water. Look at the ranges around California, for example. Water comes up from the Pacific and then hits the mountains, falls with the updrafts, and doesn't usually make it to Nevada, creating a massive dry desert. So lets say a god raises mountains in a box, unless there is a font of water inside inexplicably/magically it will be dusty and dry.
Conversely, lets say a god raises a plateau in a desert. More likely than not rain will actually occur on the plateau due to the wind currents so plants and such might be possible there! Arizona's desert biomes are a good example of this, the higher up plateaus can support various draught-tolerant pine forests but not the lower areas.
With civilizations, if you have played Civilization 1-6 what do you immediately do with your cities? You look for a place to build with those three things (food, water, shelter) so you can grow. Historically, rivers tend to be the places where people live but there are other factors to consider. In Spain and Italy, for example, constant invasions and wars actually drove cities away from better sites near rivers to be on high, flat hills to be more fortified against attack. They are still very close to water and airable land, but they chose to dwell beyond it for their capitals to prevent sacking. If you have a culture that is in one of those invasion areas, moving them farther from rivers may be a good idea!
In the US, invasion wasn't really a concern as we were the invading culture, so as we wanted the fastest way for commerce nearly every major settlement on the east coast was on a river or sheltered bay or inlet for easy boat access. In early-modern Europe, the opposite occured at first due to Viking invasions sacking most of the river places.
These sorts of things flesh out your world. Where people are is always driven by why, and both of those things create the who. Who lives on this island? Well where do they live? At the top of an active volcano? What threats or benefits sent them there? The forest is filled with man eating dinosaurs that die in the volcanic fumes. Sure! I'll buy that. Or maybe they have a technology that uses those fumes. Maybe the island is in the arctic regions of your world and that volcano provides a dangerous, but desperately needed, warmth needed for shelter and growing food.
Swamps & Marshes: Hey, there are more than one kind of these and where they form is important. Swamps are not marshes. Neither are moors. Learn the difference and have a better world. Nothing irritates a reader who actually lives in a swamp than finding out its actually a barren, treeless salt marsh.
Deserts tend to form at specific places on earth-like planets (well, or at least on earth). Specifically, they generally are about 20-40% off of the equator, and those areas around the equator are densely forested and have a lot of rainfall. Desert islands of any size are often pretty rare unless there are mountains that block rainfall (such as Australia).
Other things may follow!
So you have the CIV 1-6 comment of where you build your cities. Aside from food, water and shelter there occasionally is a fourth place people live when those other three things are well satisfied in a nation: on luxury resources.
Got mithril? Is mithril found in this here mountain area? Well, heck. I'll build a colony to mine that and name it Moria. Of course, that mine isnt going to be my capital, because living in a mine sucks and mines tend to make a LOT of filth that the aristocracy probably doesn't want to live in. So Lets say my capital is Loney Mountain. I'm gonna make damn sure there is an actual usable road and probably a long AND WELL FORTIFIED series of towns and garrisons to ensure my precious Morian Mithril reaches Lonely Mountain for my flourishing economy. That forest has got to go. Or, at minimum, I'm going to make a road that isn't a maze with a river that makes you forget your job is to deliver my goddamn mithril halfway through complete with road-rangers with insecticide to handle those pesky spiders.
"But elves have a nation between me and my mithril!" - you might complain. Certainly it was their forest!
Well, not for long, bucko. Or that mithril isn't going to be yours. Wars are more often fought over luxury resource control and access than for anything else (and before you say religion, most of those religious wars were about the resources the cultures wanted; Jerusalem also controlled a good bit of the spice trade for much of it's history, for example). Want to come up with a reason two nations are fighting? Put some mines or extremely fertile farmland between them.
Alternatively, maybe the Elves have a thriving trade pact with the dwarves becauce, lets face it, mining sucks if you are an elf. Dwarves similarly feel the same way about field work. Hey, what if we trade our groceries for your mithril and everyone can be happy! Sure. But those kind of deals fall apart real quick with Gimli Trump appears and blames the recent lack of new ore seams on the Elves. Make Moria Great again. Whelp, time for another war.
Population economy is also important. How ~did~ Mordor field massive armies of Orcs? We see that have a strong industrial sector, but where the hell were they getting the wheat for their inferior "maggoty bread" we see the orcs slowly starve with when not foraging for man-flesh. Mordor clearly couldn't grow it, it was a dustbowl in the book and by any form of logic. Well, maybe they traded with the Haradrim for food, Near Harad was semi-tropical. If so, what did they trade? Cheaply made, mass produced garbage weaponry? Hrm. Why would they buy it?
"Well maybe Sauron was just compelling them to do it," you might say.
So then there needs to be some very established trade roads and Mordorian dominating fortifications in Haradrim to collect and move the food to their lovely dustbowl mountain box for food. Which means 1) a pass, 2) lots of people to do that moving, and 3) even more animals to do the carting.
I assume for every orc you see at the battle of Minas Tirith looking metal as fuck in their fucked up metal armor, there are at least 3-10 in overalls leading teamsters of trolls pulling carts from the south to feed that army (oh, wait a minute. What do the trolls eat? Hrmmmm).
Economy defines a lot also! It is defined by your landscape, and can help fill in those cultural gaps that develop when there are problems in your plots.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The Tarim Basin and the Afar Depression say hi!
(I very much agree with you, just poking fun )
River Bifurcation is a thing. It's rare (outside deltas), but it's a thing that happens.
The location of a city is almost directly related to how dominant that nation was at the time the city grew into the largest city around.
In the early middle-ages the vikings were dominant as fuck on the seas, with the Danish vikings being the most powerful of them all. Hence many of the dominant scandinavian cities at the time (Roskilde, Ribe, Oslo, Trondheim, Stockholm etc) lie in deep water bays. Protects ships from the weather, excellent for trading, usually decently defensive (especially Swedish towns as Denmark was the dominant northern power until the 17th century) but not necessarily so. This was the ideal defensive location for a dominant sea power, since you couldn't lay an effective siege if the city could be supplied/reinforced from the sea.
Conversly all continental (and english except those founded by vikings) major cities are located a fair distance upriver (London, Hamburg, Bremen, Paris etc). The most successful example is Paris, which is located upriver and with several fortress towns (like Rouen) blocking river access way before you can reach the capital.
Down in the mediterranean we have a mix of Roman cities (like Alexandria, Nice, Genoa and Istanbul) which are located on the coast, but were founded in an era where the ruling civilization was dominant as hell, and cities which werent like Rome and Athens (both are located on hills with separate harbour towns, Ostia and Pireus).
Venice is an exception, but old venice was basically a fortified island/marsh. There weren't any place to land troops so as long as the city had willing defenders it simply couldn't be taken. The surrounding islands made besieging it from the sea an even tougher job.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Coach roads either follow the rivers or take perilous forest routes if you are desperate and short of time.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
Robin Hobb was on this panel, wasn't she?
https://youtu.be/hvogh-t1BdU
But I hope it is useful!
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Well I guess I know what I'm doing when I get home
PSN: TheBrayster_92