TLDR: I’m launching a new Realms Map project. Instead of this being a project that’s entirely mine I would like it to involve a lot of community consensus and I would like to communicate progress and solicit feedback through View articles. I know many of you have updates to make to the map. I’m not quite ready to start accepting all of your information but I will in the near future. I will also be publishing guidelines that we create for map addition in order to make the project most sustainable. Here’s the link to see it so far: https://www.realmsnet.net/maps
Hello Realms,
It’s been almost two decades since I last attempted to make a map of the entire Realms. Since some of the people reading this are probably unaware, I was the manager of the Realms map for about five years in the early 2000s after inheriting the project from Carrie Dolph and before passing the project on to the very talented Douglas Fisher who is the one who really transformed it to the version that exists today.
I’ve learned a bit since those early days about how to manage projects sustainably, about digital art and graphic design, and about how to balance many expectations and opinions to create something cohesive and amenable to many parties, and so I’d like to beg all of your indulgences and ask you to help me make this map so it’s less on an individual effort and more a result of the many voices of the Realms working together to create something valuable for our community.
This will be a project done in many steps and over the course of a few months. I don’t think it makes sense to hurry when we are trying to make something that endures. It’s also important to me that we build it in such a way that makes it easy to understand and edit over the long term. The map is something that needs regular updates and I expect that other people will inherit the map management from me one day and I want them to be able to continue to work on it seamlessly based on the foundation we make.
First, for those interested, please allow me to explain a little bit about how I am building the map and the techniques that I am using.
I am creating the new map file on a 27” iMac using CorelDraw 8. I know the Corel suite of programs is significantly less popular than Adobe but I’ve been using it since high school, so it’s what I know. The map is being created and displayed using vector graphics. A little bit of a technical explanation, the benefit of vector graphics over raster graphics (png, jpg, etc) is that it will not become pixelated at higher levels of zoom and allow for very fine detail. The overall document is sized for printing on an 11”x17” (tabloid) sized paper. The image is being created in layers depending on terrain type and the individual vector objects are named for their type and location on the map. Hopefully this system will allow us to stay organized and allow for easier future editing. Here is a screenshot of how I have things set up for those who are interested.
Ian Pushee has graciously agreed to host the new map on RealmsNET and has created a page that will allow the file to display as an SVG (scalable vector graphic) along with in-browser zooming and panning controls. Even more impressive, Ian has created a way that will allow layers of the map to be turned on and off in-browser, something you’ll be able to experience as the elevation, forests, and mountains can be toggled in the current version. As more detail gets added to the map this ability to zoom in will allow for very specific detailing to be visible at high magnification levels through the use of layers that only appear when the zoom level is high. Essentially, I’d like it to feel sort of like Google Maps. The more you zoom in the more fine detail you can see about each nation. Thank you, Ian, for your considerable help with making this project feasible.
Anyway, I’m sure you’re eager to see it. Here’s the link to the page. https://www.realmsnet.net/maps
For this initial unveiling of my work and the announcement of the project, I have spent the last few weeks creating the basic landform of the Realms. You’ll notice that my art style differs somewhat from previous versions of the map. What I’m creating is more of a technical drawing than it is a painting. I’m not really an artist of any merit, I’m a cartographer. I’m trying to create a definitive guide to where things are in the Realms and how our world is put together. The emphasis is on accuracy and less on aesthetics though of course I still have the goal of making it look nice.
The topography of the land is indicated through different green and grey colors and lakes, rivers, and forests are represented as well. A map key to make all of that more clear is forthcoming.
I’ve tried to stay very true to the last iteration of the map even as I change the overall art style. In some places where I have made subtle changes it is because I have already had considerable conversations with owners of those lands though the View’s O’er The Lands of the Realms series from a couple of years ago.
I know many of you are eager to have your nations added to the map, especially those of you who have had changes to your lands since the last time the previous version of the map was updated. I’m going to ask for your patience before we dive right into that part. Because I’d like to build this with community input I’m going to be getting feedback on one component of the map at a time and making adjustments as we go.
Please enjoy looking over the work I have done so far. It’s only the tip of the iceberg but I’m confident we’ll be able to make something awesome for our community. I’ll happily accept feedback by way of private message, responses to the View post on facebook, or over Realms discord and if you notice that something looks wrong in the topography, especially if it's in an area of the map you know you “own” please let me know so that I can address it.
In service,
Jason “Aeston” Rosa