I like that third one, but needs a bit more color, IMO. The ridges giving the illusion of changes in elevation is nice as well.

Its hard to get the uber realistic look out of my mapping, with mountains and all, but I'm sure I could train myself to tame this aspect from me!

GP

You mean like this?

I realize I only created 3 regions, and that's certainly not enough. Again, just an example. If I had any forethought, I would have divided the larger central island into 2 or 3 separate divisions (like Europe and Asia are separate player areas in traditional RISK, yet ...

In the style of a regional or continental map, how is this for an example? I spent the last hour and a half whipping this up - a Fantasy/Viking Era map (hardly complete) with enough RISK game qualities to qualify for Conquer Club.

This is not an entry, just a startup example.

How far off is this ...

Although Cartographers' Guild caters to all types of mapping, especially for use in games. The majority of maps are for storytelling games - like Dungeons & Dragons, but there are hundreds of others from cowboys to Battlestar Galactica, in every timeline real or imagined.

There are generally 3 ...

I must have been unclear. I was showing an exception to my rule, "where I usually don't rely on photographs exclusively for the creation of map objects." Generally I create shapes, apply varying levels of transparency, layer effects, bevels, edge feathering and sometimes photo fills to achieve ...

Actually there are rare instances where I use pretty much a photo cut and paste technique to create map objects. In RPG mapping, "map objects" are pre-made content like individual trees, buildings, monsters, etc used to place into a map. I never use map objects created by someone else - I consider ...

Sorry, my response was too strongly worded. I didn't mean to offend. I was a little shocked that someone would find using photos to be a problem. I just wanted to emphasize I use whichever techniques best suits my needs at the time and using aerial photographs and digital camera shots for natural ...

Sorry to be so vain but alot of that looks like cutting and pasting of photos. Tell me if im wrong >.<

In a way, you are very much right, but I am using transparency, feathering, image fills for doing this particular technique I am developing.

However, I also do hand-drawn work, 3D modeling ...

This is my latest map I'm working on for my own gaming group. I'm currently working on the first of a series of regional maps that I may eventually repost to replace this existing map.

Though I could easily add national borders that could make this more like a RISK map. But I might require ...

I'm one of those mappers from Cartographers' Guild - just dropped in to say "Hi". I have no doubt I create maps really not of your flavor.

CG was actually introduced to the Conquer Club from a member named Widowmaker, from back in April...

http://forum.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=1738 ...