Free Maps/ Map requesting

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LAYF
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Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by LAYF » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:31 am

This thread is for Maps, and Mapping requests.

This be it maps of any kind; World maps, local maps, city maps, dungeon maps or even maps of a single house.
As long as you agree to let others use and/or alter them to fit their own needs. Other than commercial use that is.

When posting maps, if of own and digital creation, try to include a copy without labels and name tags. So as to allow people to fill out places themselves, thatÔÇÖs one of the hardest things to find out there, a map where everything is not already pre decided.

If requesting maps, please include a rought drafth, or a brainstorm chart over the wanted map, specify style if you can and be sure to write if you do not want the map to be puplic shown because you'll use it in a forum game.

When taking requests, please post here AND PM the one who requested said map, that you'll take the offer.

No commercial use of this thread is allowed, that includes, selling buying or in any other way trading items in a way that is in vioalation with the forum rules. all mapping must be free.

Here is my first map for you. Anyone up for naming some stuff?

Image
Last edited by LAYF on Fri Mar 29, 2013 6:10 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Free Maps

Post by LAYF » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:39 am

Another map. sadly I dont have the lable free version any more.

Image
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Re: Free Maps

Post by Arydra » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:47 am

I must say, I am in awe of your map-making skills. I tried to make one using Gimp but it was a failure.
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Re: Free Maps

Post by LAYF » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:55 am

Thank you :)
In the upcomming god school, I have a world map making lesson. :)
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Re: Free Maps

Post by I'mBob » Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:15 pm

Will there be town map making lessons, too? I really want these ones.
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Re: Free Maps

Post by LAYF » Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:16 pm

Maybe later.. I'll have to be a bit more fammilliar with town mapping befoer I teach :)
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Re: Free Maps

Post by ThroughTheWell » Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:31 pm

1st city map. It looks cool and all, but a bit impractical. That is an aweful lot of wall for a very tiny town. The ship gives a nice sense of scale. And other quibbles. The harbor entrance could use the southern tower extended to the water's edge so that they could run a chain across the entrance to keep out big boats... but the place is so small a big boat would just come up to the chain and then shoot everything inside. The southern tower should still be closer to the edge anyway to give a bit more room inside the wall, since that space is precious. The north eastern wall could stand to go in 2 lines instead of 3. The town could use a second gate on the SW side, but again the whole place is so small. The inner harbor tower is superflous. The inner keep could probably be expanded to the whole of the inner city / same contour line, saving 1 whole wall. Kill the concave-ness to the NW and make a convex wall instead. WTH are lakes doing inside the city up a countour level? The NE wall should actualy head NE for a ways, then curve back around. And, none of your buildings actualy join the wall, which historicaly they did (It gives the builder a solid wall for free, and it makes for 1 less road). Etc.

Like I said, cool looking, until you actualy start looking at it and thinking, who would build like this and why, and how defensible is it, and how expensive is it.

A concave wall cost just as much as a convex wall, and protects less area. So don't do it unless, you are following a contour line or you are building a star or arrowhead fort, where you are protecting the shooters at the inner vertex. But you have round towers, and not even at every other vertex, so that is not what you are doing.

Ah. You have 4 different roof designs... seriously? Then you have wa too much greenspace inside the walls, and way too much paved space, and I alredy mentioned your overuse of roads, not to mention your odd polygon shaped buildings, though that at least has some precident, usualy due to crowding and radial streets, neither of which you have. I say again, ahh.

Out of 5 gates you don't even have a proper gatehouse, which the keep at least ought to have.
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Re: Free Maps

Post by LAYF » Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:53 pm

1 at a time. Size, yep small, it was practice, next will be a bit bigger.
The suggestions are good in general. But a few things.

The houses placement are actually the most common practice in European medieval fortified cities, they often had the houses 2-3 meters away from any wall, for several reasons, 1 was fire hazard, and another was that this way the houses could work as another line of defense, once the enemy was past the towers and walls.

The lakes or pounds, was/is another common practice, at least in northern cities, within the city walls, one would dig out stone and clay, for use in the city construction, as a benefit the holes dogged would be filled by rain water (because of the clay and rock ground) and would then be used for geese, duck and eel keeping. So that the castle had at least some supplied of meats should an attack occur.

Other than that it is note worthy to say that it was also common that the castle city and the actual city laid apart from each other, so should the city be overrun, the castle would be a defensive position.

About the big boat shooting everything apart. Yea... thatÔÇÖs a bad thing...
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Re: Free Maps

Post by ThroughTheWell » Wed Mar 27, 2013 1:01 pm

Now, your 1st big country map. It cries out to extend a bit further south to at least show an unbroken stretch of water. Then, cities, it needs cities and somewhat prominantly. Other than that, it is a bit bland. I like the increasing white on certain mountains, but the basic brownish tone to much of the land seems... uninformative. And I'm a bit suprised at how few forests there are. So, paint your mountains, forest, and water, but leave off the rest of the color unless it means something.

And I'm not a fan of the half shadowed mountain. Stick to M's, and either bold them a bit more or have their region be one of the few that is painted.

The map needs a scale, and possibly a key, both of which you have room for in the western sea.

Then, although water trave is probably primary, you need a few shortcut roads way up towards the heads (not the mouths) of the rivers. But this would come after placing cities and establishing a scale.
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Re: Free Maps

Post by ThroughTheWell » Wed Mar 27, 2013 1:15 pm

LooksAtYouFunny wrote:The houses placement are actually the most common practice in European medieval fortified cities, they often had the houses 2-3 meters away from any wall, for several reasons, 1 was fire hazard, and another was that this way the houses could work as another line of defense, once the enemy was past the towers and walls.
If you are going to make that kind of defensive claim, then back it up with rows of buildings that do that. You have huge swaths where no buildings are to be found. You wall should be stone, and not subject to burning down.
LooksAtYouFunny wrote: The lakes or pounds, was/is another common practice, at least in northern cities, within the city walls, one would dig out stone and clay, for use in the city construction, as a benefit the holes dogged would be filled by rain water (because of the clay and rock ground) and would then be used for geese, duck and eel keeping. So that the castle had at least some supplied of meats should an attack occur.
Then dig your lakes reasonably and not like paint splatter. Not to mention, it is still kind of a lot of lakes for the size, AND the whole town can likely get food from the sea. If all you need is water for water, then cisterns and wells work just fine. They could also do desalination easily too unless the shore is literaly swarming with soldiers.
LooksAtYouFunny wrote: Other than that it is note worthy to say that it was also common that the castle city and the actual city laid apart from each other, so should the city be overrun, the castle would be a defensive position.
Did I say kill the keep, no. I said kill 1 inner wall, and that mainly for reasons of scale and expense.
LooksAtYouFunny wrote: About the big boat shooting everything apart. Yea... thatÔÇÖs a bad thing...
If you jut the S tower far enough out, you could force a turn thus protecting the inner harbor. It is probably worth it.

Even at this small size, there are things that would be done differently.

Oh, 1 thing I did like was the switchbacks shown going up the contour.
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Re: Free Maps

Post by LAYF » Wed Mar 27, 2013 1:59 pm

I must agree with you in most of your claims, but try search for ÔÇ£medieval fortified townsÔÇØ on google. Not all is perfect, and fare from as we would like them to be.
But this is not a discussion thread, this is for maps and map requests. IÔÇÖd be happy to take the discussion up in PM or in a thread for such matter (the random thread comes to mind)

But: If you have a mapping request; set with specific needs, please do tell. Then IÔÇÖll try and uphold the rules that is due!
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Re: Free Maps

Post by LAYF » Thu Mar 28, 2013 8:35 pm

So, I decided to take up the City again, trying to improve on my skills, here among mostly my buildings.
So: same location, new city (if anyone wants it without Text, just say so and i can send it to you)

With text on distrects:
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Image

Hope you like it. Comments are welcome
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by BadgeAddict » Fri Mar 29, 2013 6:13 am

May I ask what software you are using?

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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by LAYF » Fri Mar 29, 2013 6:15 am

BadgeAddict wrote:May I ask what software you are using?
Gimp only. :) (I like freeware, so that all can come along :))
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by John » Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:14 am

I like walls. Never can have too many. Separate those lower class scum :P
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by LAYF » Fri Mar 29, 2013 12:23 pm

John wrote:I like walls. Never can have too many. Separate those lower class scum :P
Ah well... thats?... eh... good!... I guess? :P

Starting a new map. here is a link to full size tarrain:

Any special wishes?

Image (The image is the link) ;)
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by LAYF » Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:11 pm

Just wanted to give an update.. It's still not done... but its on its way... not sure about the colors... might be to dim...

(if you cannot see the whole image, just clik it, its a link)

Image

What do you think?
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by ThroughTheWell » Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:41 am

One bridge inside the city is superflous. The center island ought to consider life with ferries only instead of any bridges. The island could stand to have its own walls. The lower harbor tower could be further out to sea. The upper harbor tower could stand to have 1 more tower to the east of it, for support. I'd kill both bridges outside of the city. You could still stand to have a better gatehouse. And I miss the piers (NW looks like a fair spot for a few). Your river wall implies this is not a navagatable river.

I do like the layout of the houses better this time.
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by thinkslogically » Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:51 am

not sure what the structure on the island is, but without walls / a seagate it would be my first target for storming your city via a naval attack since it provides easy access to the rest of your city :)

Disagree with TTW about the bridges though - a large, commercial city would greatly benefit from free travel over bridges rather than reliance on ferries (I've lived in enough tiny places to know how importance bridge connections can be in connecting people).

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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by ThroughTheWell » Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:59 am

The island is more defensible without bridges. The city is more defensible without bridges right outside helping armies. Plus you can charge a toll to cross the river using your bridges. And, if we reduce the number of bridges inside the city by 1 only, then you can still get everywhere without ferries.

I had reasons for what I said. Some of it depends on what LAYF intends.

Oh, and if you want to make the harbor entrance more defensible without a complete gate, then add a second tower at the south. This would make a triangle of towers for crossfire fun. You might also add a 'gate' to your bridge, at either end, which for certain kinds of bridge might actualy help the structure. A wall along the southern waterfront might also help with flooding. (Assuming the souther bank is low and most of the norther bank is high.)
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by LAYF » Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:42 am

Thanks for the review. Will answer each question.
First. The layout of the city is based on a height map, so something would simply be impossible or really costly at least.

The ÔÇ£extra bridgeÔÇØ Is there for both easy access inside the city, and the soldiers and visitors to the city. Why that is IÔÇÖll come to later. Right next actually

The center island need bridges, as for easy access, as itÔÇÖs the Temple island, this is also the reason for the other bridge, as it is considered rude for strangers to ÔÇ£just passÔÇØ temples of other gods, in addition, one is a temple of peace, and therefore soldiers must walk the long way. It do not have walls as it resides on top of a cliff. And, could enemies get to the island, they could also get to the other banks. But adding a gate on the main land at the end of bridges is no bad idea, and I think IÔÇÖll do that.

The towers are places so far in because the waters are too deep longer out.

The bridges outside the city is for farmers and travelers, as a city donÔÇÖt want everyone inside without reason. The bridges are build to be easily collapsed.

The gate house? WhatÔÇÖs with it?

Piers are among the things I have not added yet, along with markets, farms and other small details.

You are correct about the river, it is not navigateable, by anything other than the smallest crafts that are dragged from the shore or with pole paddling, hence all the stones in the water.... The river wall is a Dam, as in the spring, the river water level raises, and poses a danger to the city if not for the dam.

I still cannot see why the island on a cliff gives better aces than the actual cityÔÇÖs own banks? And bridges can be collapses... but the gate suggestion is good... just for measures...

Maybe I should ignore the depth of the water, and then add a ÔÇ£half bridge towerÔÇØ (What do you call those things that do not connect to the ground, but is only settled on one side of the water?


Thanks for the review... gave me some things to think about...
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by thinkslogically » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:18 am

Ok cool - I guess it's not really clear from the map how high the land (the cliffs) is.

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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by LAYF » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:20 am

Hmm.. true... I'll try and find a way to make that more visible... hoped the shadow under the bridges helped a little...
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Tue Apr 02, 2013 11:50 am

Yes, what I wanted to mention is that the sense of height is not always clear. All these maps so far seem to be a bit "plain", I mean in stead of an irregular heightmap they tend to be consisting only of terraces of different heights like the great rice-growing plains in Asia, or the maps made in the old game Transport Tycoon, if you remember it. It's not a bad thing though, mind you. It's just making height/depth perception a little harder.

Also, if the water is deep already near to the bay, you may want to add another layer with a much deeper blue. (Or a transition into a deeper color)
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Re: Free Maps/ Map requesting

Post by DragonTurtle » Fri Jun 14, 2013 11:36 am

I think the original concept of this thread is a great idea. I'm going to go dig up a map to share.
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