Fantasy Maps by blade2k5

[dadyrghluv]

what would be your other online activity? don't tell me it's WoW or something, i'll cry!

glad to see all the new maps, looking forward to more. the map aroknan, only thing i don't like on it is the pyramid style mountain on the little island in the middle of the water, other than that it's a great map!

[beskhu3epnm]

Is it possible? Can it be?

I think back to your older projects, and of course they always knocked my socks off (literally). Your performance behind the MSPaint was nothing short of amazing.

But recently, you seemed to have improved a few more steps somehow. I never thought it was possible.

You make bigger (king size) maps, and more detailed at that as of late. It's like the SC4TF was too easy to conquer for you. There is a severe demand for your product right now. It's like, map after map of pure fantasy genius.

I suggest you keep it up! I've some ideas for your skilled hand at the TF tool... we'll definitely be in touch!

[blade2k5]

dadyrghluv - The reason for the pyramid on that tiny little island was put there because I thought it would look cool with Berethor's pyramids plopped about it

beskhu3epnm - When Paint is all you have to hand draw maps, well, after awhile you get pretty darn good at it, but that will soon change as I'm on the hunt for a much easier imaging program and Heblem has suggested macromedia fireworks 8 and has already sent a tutorial on it .  Once I master that, well, let's just say that my mountains will begin to look as cool as Heblem's does

I'm going to cut back on the massive maps like the Dragonmounts map I uploaded a couple of weeks ago and concentrate on more reasonable-sized maps.  Right now I have 8 4x4 maps done [the last 4 pictured on page one + 4 more not pictured just yet], that will be uploaded as two-packs.

I suggest you get in touch with me about these ideas of yours on Sun or Mon this week as I'm off work those two days and will be online as I work more of my magic.

[blade2k5]

The first NHP Map 2-Pak has just been uploaded to the LEX and features the two maps pictured below, each comes completete in it's own folder with images and config included with the zip file.  Enjoy

Map 1


Map 2

[Vandy]

Hi, Blade.

Excellent maps.  It is so good to see you creating maps again.  You certainly have not lost your touch or your creativity.  Thanks for sharing these beauties!

Regards,

Gary

[blade2k5]

Thanks again Vandy.  Here's the remaining four new maps I've yet to showcase.  These are the coastline themed maps which will be uploaded as 2-packs in the very near future

Coastline Map 1


Coastline Map 2


Coastline Map 3


Coastline Map 4

[dadyrghluv]

no more disapearing on us, because what else we gonna play on, the sea floor? glad to see u doing maps again.

[blade2k5]

I have just finished the first two island maps in a series of 4 to 6 that will be uploaded as two-packs. 

Anchor Isles:  Anchor Isles were formed tens of millions of years ago through volcanic activity over a hot spot in the planets' crust.  Three ancient craters remain, two forming semi-circular steep ridges, the third has been transformed into a lake.  The youngest, and still very much active periodically, forms the north-western most island and rises over 2000 meters in height.  This map is good for developing seaside resorts, port towns/cities and could be a great map for using ferry's to connect the islands together instead of bridges.

This a re-do of an older map I originally drew with Paint [before SC4TF was available], and uploaded to the STEX on  February 18, 2006 linkie.  In this re-working of this map, I added in four new islands for a total of eight altogether.  This allows those that want easier to accomplish bridge-building to connect the various islands together without having to do a lot of terraforming. 



This map features two islands that were once one island, but due to tectonic plate movements, the island over the last few hundred-thousand years has slowly ripped this island in two, separated by a narrow channel of water.  The western island features five volcanic peaks ranging from 1600 meters to 2000 meters and have been dormant for several thousand years.  The eastern island more jagged ridges and mountain peaks and features the only more recent active volcano in the region.  Though it has erupted in several hundred years, there's always a chance the slumbering giant could re-awaken at any time.  Both islands are rocked by thousands of earthquakes, most of them in the magnitude range of 2 to 2.5 on a daily basis, though quakes with magnitudes of 6.5 to 7.5 can strike the region.  This map was hand-drawn with Paint, then loaded into sc4tf for further terrafoming and touching up.



This 2-pak will be uploaded at some point today.

[Pat]

Blade those are by far some great maps!!! You are truly a great cartographer 

[Starmanw402007]

I agree, those maps are outstanding . Keep Up the Great Work!

Your Friend;
Mayor Of Steven's Point & Maxiston
(Proud To Be Cities Of Sim Nation!)

[Vandy]

Hey, Blade.

You never cease to amaze me with the depth and bredth of your creative talent.  What absolutely gorgeous maps you've created in your latest two offerings.  You've got some pretty serious mountain ranges going on in these maps.

This two map-pak will be a great addition to your already great catalog of maps.

Regards,

Gary

[blade2k5]

Thanks Vandy, Starman and Pat   I have many more surprises coming down the pipe soon.  There's a conspiracy afoot, so keep a look-out

[Pat]

LoL Blade I'm painstakingly awaiting to hear more news on the conspiracy theory's...

[blade2k5]

In regards to a question by Vandy in another thread, I blew the dust off an old map project I never completely finished to answer that question.  That question was about taking pictures of the stars and turning those into maps for sc4.  Well, since I'm an avid astronomy buff, I took a Hubble photo of a spiral galaxy I downloaded some years back and made a greyscale bitmap from it.  After tinkering with it using Paint, this is what I came up with:

sc4tf view


sc4tf Sideviews




Rendered View


Keep in mind this project is still unfinished at this time.  Can't say when it will be as other projects have come up that take precedent over this one.  Any ideas or suggestions would be welcomed though as I'll continue to tinker with it when I can.

[wouanagaine]

Nice one

[dadyrghluv]

i like this map, although the point being so....pointy in the middle looks to me like a pencil sticking out of the ground...a really BIG pencil that is. dont change a thing about the surrounding area's, it has a nice smooth natural swirl with jagged edges like apearance to it, like nature intended it that way so to speak. it looks like mud when u throw something in it, like a rock. that surrounding area like crater swirl is the shiznit! lol. 

[blade2k5]

I have an idea for the 'pencil peak' in the center of the map as it does look a bit dorky

[beskhu3epnm]

Isn't that cool? I guess you could take an image of anything really, and make a map of it. All you would have to do is adjust the gradients so that the highest points are white, etc.

I take it that was your method here? The results are pretty cool. The more I look at that thing in the center (pencil peak), the less I like it. hahaha!

[Kitsune]

Hey now, I kinda like the supper massive blackhole induced mountain, it adds a nice touch to the area, almost like a rising volcano.

[blade2k5]

Isn't that cool? I guess you could take an image of anything really, and make a map of it. All you would have to do is adjust the gradients so that the highest points are white, etc.

I take it that was your method here? The results are pretty cool. The more I look at that thing in the center (pencil peak), the less I like it. hahaha!

What I did was take the color image, loaded it up with Irfanview, switched the image to greyscale, re-sized it to suit my preferences, then opened the greyscale with Paint and went to work on it.  After getting rid of all the star points that were not needed in the map [would have ended up with pencil thin mountain peaks which would have looked silly], and afterwards opened it up with sc4tf to see what I had so far.  The pic above in my previous post are the results.  Now of course, things may have been easier if I had had a better imaging program back then, but Paint can work wonders if you're a master at it like I am