My journey to use GIS started back in 2017 when I set out to learn how to create maps using Geographical Information System technology. My then 20 year old World of Greyhawk map started out back in 1997 using Bryce 3D and Corel Draw, which where the tools I used until around 2009. Since the start my goal was to make an atlas by creating it page by page, my computer could barely handle a page at a time. With 64-bit computers coming of age the possibility of making a single big map emerged, and I switched from Corel to Adobe, who had a much better 64-bit support in Illustrator.
The Illustrator map has been a good staple for over a decade, but it is limited to a single size, resolution and scale. It is also only an image which can’t be used for anything besides being used in its current form. This is very inefficient use of all the work that went into it. I didn’t know at the time I started making it how big this project would be, and how technology would develop. Now with new, more powerful tools, more skills and resources it is time to move beyond a mere image of a map to utilize state-of-the-art cartography technology and put it to good use mapping our Greyhawk.
The first step is to put all the date in, from georeferenced the existing terrain image to draw all the roads, borders and sea lanes, and then enter all the places and names of everything. Thousands of pieces of data required hundreds of hours, but now it is almost all done. I have a few province and local names left to do.
Now its time to start presenting all this data, to make sure QGIS (and my computer and skills) are up to the task, and as usual I start with the most difficult task first. I tend to want to start with the most dauting task, knowing that if I can pull that off the rest is easier. In this case a full Flanaess map with the same level of detail as the current map was a good hard tsk to start with.
This map is a first test to see if it is possible to export a 30,000 pixel map, in layers that looks good, which I think is an affirmative success. There are still issues to investigate, like overlapping labels, and complicated settings in QGIS for label placement. In tight places with colliding details and labels, what gets displayed where (or left out) is governed by a set of hierarchies that I still have to fully understand.
Style choices are another thing I’m using this map to test out, like bright instead of dark political names that are blended into the map rather than being firmly superimposed above. I find them easier to see, zoomed out and yet less intrusive closeup. I’m not sure I like the looks of them that much. Do you like them or are I’m just screwing things up?
One of the benefits of using GIS is that I can just change the settings for a class of labels, and they all change, no need to adjust every object individually which I had to do in Illustrator. This means experimentation and style changes are much easier to do.
Added a few shields to see how they would look and used the new more detailed heraldry. I wasn’t sure how they would look, but I like them better, what do you think?
I didn't include grid, scale on this map. Its purpose is to test out the capacity to make big maps so t save time I skipped that part of this map. Another quick note is the mile makers on the roads, small pink dots are every 5 miles, large ones every 50 miles.
You can download the map here (99MB) JPG: https://annabmeyer.com/Downloads/GIS/Flanaess%208.5%20x%2011%20Test%20Map%201%20-%2030K.jpg
