Three choices:
1) Alphatia
2) Adri Varma
3) Sind/Sepent Peninsular
4) Ochalea/ Alatian Islands
Whichever is chosen will be done in 8mph format, and it is more a case of which order they are done rather than when they will be done.
If you'll allow one critique, I'm having trouble reading the text in several places. I've found Ironwolf's (adamantyr's) method of a 1-pixel white outline for black text makes it readable on any terrain.
I don't know about Illustrator, but for something like Photoshop or the GIMP, making a white outline is child's play (as long as you have the text on a seperate layer).
One thing, although the WotI map doesn't include it, I would like to see the ruins from the orange B3 placed on the plateau. (I believe it's been done, but didn't combine other canon materials.)
Roger
Three choices:
1) Alphatia
2) Adri Varma
3) Sind/Sepent Peninsular
4) Ochalea/ Alatian Islands
Three? Can't you vote for Ochalea? :D
Anyway make it three votes for Adri Varma
Regards
Gary
Wow, I hadn't seen any of these maps. Are you using Thorf's Illustrator files?
If you'll allow one critique, I'm having trouble reading the text in several places. I've found Ironwolf's (adamantyr's) method of a 1-pixel white outline for black text makes it readable on any terrain.
I don't know about Illustrator, but for something like Photoshop or the GIMP, making a white outline is child's play (as long as you have the text on a seperate layer).
I did toy with different types of text when I first did this, but this was the one I felt most comfortable with (and I was using old software). And no, I'm not using Thorf's files, I've played around with Illustrator, but I don't have the time or patience to get to grips with it. I've only just gotten hold of GIMP, and will be playing about with it in due course.
I've only just gotten hold of GIMP, and will be playing about with it in due course.
If you learn how to make really good hex maps with the GIMP, be sure to post how to do it. I know I would use the information.
--Ray.
If you learn how to make really good hex maps with the GIMP, be sure to post how to do it. I know I would use the information.
It's all about the layers (top to bottom):
Text
Territory Boundaries
Black Hex-Grid
Cities/Specials
Roads
Water
Terrain Hexes
And that's the bare minimum. Often, I end up making multiple other layers. This leads to big xcf files (the GIMP default file type), so make sure you have a lot of RAM or pagefile/swap space.
For the text I described before, you can put all of your text originally on a white background, select the text color, then "grow" the selection by 1 pixel, and copy to a transparent background.
To create large swathes of terrain, you can switch to the hex grid layer, select the "transparent hexes" where terrain you like is, then switch to the terrain layer and copy the terrain hexes, then paste as much as you like. The two things that Illustrator beats this method with are: the vector graphics, and the snap-into-position ability for the hexes (saves lining up a lot..).
If anyone's interested, they can be made available.
Roger
I'm no artist so I only use HexMapper. I did, however take Thorf's hexes and turn them into hex files for HexMapper (most of them, anyway) instead of using the default ones.
If anyone's interested, they can be made available.
Roger
Yes! I am!
--Ray.
It's all about the layers (top to bottom):
Text
Territory Boundaries
Black Hex-Grid
Cities/Specials
Roads
Water
Terrain Hexes
For illustrator, I've found that small islands need to be on the water layer or or a separate one of their own. Its easier to add them on top of the water than turning the lake/ocean into a complex path (hole cut out).
Depending on the width of your territory lines, it looks nice to put it below the hex layer. (3pts border to 1 pt (or less) hex line) If you have thinner borders, or subdomains, then it needs to go on top.
Except for a few particulars (cities, volcano, etc), I don't directly use Thorf's hexes. I turned them into sets of wallpaper. It has its own tradeoffs (like an extra process affecting resolution vs ease of constructing large patterns with the pen tool)
I'm still using 8.0, so this version at least doesn't tile hex patterns. To set the pattern properly, construct a 5x5 array of similar hexes (no hex grid showing). Behind that place a rectangle of solid background color identical to the hex backgrounds. This covers up any gaps you might not have noticed.
Now to place the bounding box. The box has no fill or line. to set it properly, use the Artwork view. In the first or second column, first or second row, set the first box corner at the hex's rightmost vertex. Drag two columns and two columns over so that bottom right corner of the box is also on a rightmost vertex. [double check to make sure all corners are thus so]. Now select the bounding box and send it to the back of the stack. Select everything and the choose make pattern.
What you are left with is a pattern than can used with arrays of hexes. As wallpaper, you will definitely have to move the pattern to fit your particular hex array. After you've constructed the shape, right-click to bring up move, make sure only the move pattern option is chosen. Use the preview as a guide to chosing the best horizontal and vertical shifts. If you made slight errors in aligning your grid in setting the pattern, you will also have to scale the wallpaper (also available on the context menu). I made this mistake with the grasslands, for instance,
On the matter of next mapping projects
1) Alphatia
2) Adri Varma
3) Sind/Sepent Peninsular
4) Ochalea/ Alatian Islands
I believe there is already an 8mph of the nation of Sind by Thorf. I would personally like to see one for the Serpent Peninsula, Ochalea, the Pearl Islands, and the Alatians.
Of course, I have some Gaz-related requests that'll be pm'ed later.
On the matter of next mapping projects
I believe there is already an 8mph of the nation of Sind by Thorf. I would personally like to see one for the Serpent Peninsula, Ochalea, the Pearl Islands, and the Alatians.
My mapping method is by a fairly large region before I release it, and where I can I do use Thorf's maps, as they do largely agree with my interpretation, certainly for the known world. Because of the methods I use(basically continuing to expand from what I have already done outwards), the Pearl Islands will be after Ochalea and the Alatians, but probably before Bellisaria (and certainly before Esterhold, which I want to do, but that's beacuse I ran a campaign there a few years ago. And, unfortunately I've lost all my campaign notes from them so I'll have to start from scratch
).