The Map

[Admin]

I've had a few complaints about the distribution of land and mountains on the current map. And after looking at it I'm inclined to agree with them, so I am giving everything the possibility of switching to a different map, or keeping the one we have. If you've already gotten resources you will be able to keep your rolls as long as your new location is the same terrain as the old location, otherwise I'll provide a reroll.

Whichever one is chosen, it will be cleaned up a bit before being added - stuff like adding borders and compass, cropping out useless parts, etc.

Option 1: Current Map

Option 2: Continent

Option 3: Southern Continent

Option 4: Different style

[Admin]

We had some problems with filing and poll options. Issue is fixed now, but numbers 2 and 3 have been replaced with similar options, so we we must sadly redo the poll.

[Zurajai]

Bare in mind, all of them are subject to editing. May cut bits out to make the map seem closer together.

[Frostwander]

I like the 2nd one, but I feel it could use a few more mountain spaces ... only two ranges on the whole world there.

[MissMilkMaid]

I made the 4th one on photo shop and since the maps I make aren't randomly generated I can make more customized maps.

If people want to list one or two things they really want to see and something they defiantly don't like. I could take the information and make a new map option which everyone got to contribute to.

[AspenIvan]

I really like the art style of the 4th one. I find it easier to read and nicer to look at. Could we do the 2nd map in the style of the 4th?

[Frostwander]

I really like that there's a much broader distribution of resources, spread more evenly across and more rivers in the 4th one, and that art style. The main thing I like about the second is that it is much larger.

[AspenIvan]

Personally I would prefer a somewhat smaller map than #2, so we don't end up super distant from one another.

[Admin]

What will likely happen if we select #2 or #3 is that some of it will be trimmed off, something we actually did with the current map. The extra parts can be held in reserve until the map gets filled up, then made available.

[MissMilkMaid]

With the fourth map. I was actually thinking that it's only half of what we would eventually use and I would add a western half to it later on if more people join or the nations expand more. I have the rough draft for the western side of the continent done. I just did the east side for now, because I was trying to copy what they'd done with the currant map.

This way we all start closer together on the east side, but can then expand or add players later in the game.

Also if Talis will allow it, I'm willing to do a version of #2 in photo shop, but I'd want to spread out resources a little more, since I agree with frost that it seems pretty sparse in a lot of places. That whole western section has nothing but sparse forest and lakes on it.

[Zurajai]

The resources don't need to be spread. The real world does not consist of fairly spread around resources.

[MissMilkMaid]

I disagree.

The USA has like four mountain chains, several different forested areas, several major rivers, deserts and swamps and open plains. That's all in one county. I don't know what size these maps are susposed to be, but figure they are at least the size of the US or europe, which also has a wide range of geographical features.

My experience of the world is that there's more likely to be something than nothing. Heck even just the state of Texas, has a range of many geographical features, from swamps to mountains (admittedly small mountains, but still mountains) to hills, to deserts to open plains and rivers.

[Zurajai]

The mainland US has three major mountain chains; the Rockies, the Sierra Nevadas, and the Appalachians. All three are formed through tectonic plate movement. What you may call mountains in Texas, here in California we call hills. And the mountains in Western Texas are just part of the Rocky Mountains. They do not form odd shapes and follow the contours of the Pacific Plate impacting the North American plate. The continental US and indeed Canada and Mexico all have above average number of mountains due to the multiple plates that impact along them.

If you take the time to look at the maps I generated they are not "nothing". There are open spaces but these do not represent "nothing", they represent land that does not contain one dominating biome. In California we would define it as chaparral, in other regions it'd be known as scrubland. There would still be copses of trees and hills and the like. Something to keep in mind about this map style is that those biome indicators do not actually define what is in the region. Just because there's no tree symbol in one place doesn't mean there isn't any trees. It just means that the region with a tree marker is more likely to find an abundant, easily attainable source of trees. This goes the same for things like stone and precious metals being found outside of hills and mountains.

[MissMilkMaid]

Europe has the Alps, the Carpathian, the Ural and the Apennines which is four mountain ranges and technically the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains in the US interior constitute as a mountain range meaning that USA has four. Also the the Glass mountains in Texas weren't formed from continental collision but from a huge coral reef that formed when Texas was mostly a shallow ocean, and eroded much, much slower than the surrounding limestone, which is just one example of how mountains can form uniquely.

As a player who enjoys descriptions and flavor over mechanics I like more verity, detail and spice and so prefer a map with a lot of different and spread out features so that everyone can have a couple of different kinds of interesting biomes in their nation and not just one or two if they're lucky. So even if in California the mountains in Texas or the Ozarks in aren't up to stuff, I'd want them on the map, because it's more fun to have a nation rich with descriptions than a nation that's only got scrubland and a little forest to define it geographically.

[Ravigen]

Does the map have to be ultra realistic?


I mean this is a high-magic fantasy setting, does it have to ALL make complete logical sense? I like the spread of resources as it doesn't immediately force everyone to fight over a small area for resources. That can happen later.


I'm kinda disappointed we don't have like floating island continents or other fantastical stuff like that, would be cool.

[Admin]

How do you know we don't?

[Ravigen]

Haha true

[Admin]

Vote Tally is in and the new map is up. You may now decide on your location. As I said before, if you already had your resources rolled you can keep those rolls as long as you are using the same terrain as before. If you move to a different type of terrain I will reroll for you.

and just so everyone knows: we will be officially starting this Saturday.

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