All About Maps for Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories

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waldo93

Does anyone know a tool to make maps? Like most fantasys my stories will take place in an imaginery world. So is there an app or do i have to do it by hand and if so whats the best way
 

ChunkyC

Re: Maps?

I'm sure there are dedicated map making programs out there, but I just use PAINT, the little graphics program that comes with Windows. With it you can draw shapes and fill them with colours, add text, etc., and from the Windows 98 version on, it can open and save in JPEG file format as well as the native BMP file format. For my own use in helping visualize a world, it does everything I need.
 

maestrowork

Re: Maps?

Either a paint program like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro or an illustration program like Adobe Illustrator would do the job. If you can't afford them, I'm sure there are shareware/freeware programs out there (Paint Shop Pro used to be shareware, but no more).
 

XThe NavigatorX

Re: Maps?

Man, I can't remember what it's called, but there is a program out there just for maps. It's geekware for D&D type stuff, but it would be perfect for what you're looking for.
 

CindyBidar

Re: Maps?

Man, I can't remember what it's called, but there is a program out there just for maps. It's geekware for D&D type stuff, but it would be perfect for what you're looking for.

This might be the one Navigator is talking about. It is meant for gamers, but it's perfect for fantasy works as well.

It's freeware, and open source, so there is lots of info available on the net about it, such as tutorials and sample maps, but the learning curve can be a little steep. If you enjoy teaching yourself this type of thing, it might be just what you are looking for.

I used it for a while, but ultimately decided that I prefer pencil and paper.
 

Vomaxx

Re: Maps?

If you are better at computer stuff than I am--which would not be difficult--you might investigate "Campaign Cartographer" and its associated add-ons, at www.profantasy.com. It can certainly make nice maps, but my experiments with it haven't been very successful because it is (to me, anyway) very complicated.

I have numerous maps in my fantasy trilogy, all drawn by hand and not yet on disk. I am hopeful that a publisher--if I ever get one--will do that (and, indeed, draw the maps more professionally.) (After all, we authors can't do -everything-.
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: Maps?

One thing to keep in mind about maps, particularly those you include as a drawing with your manuscript, is that those can limit you should you find success and your publisher ask for a sequel. Then you have to either come up with a suitable story idea that will work within the world you created or come up with more of your world and an explanation why it wasn't mentioned or referred to before.
 

Ravenlocks01

Re: Maps?

Your map should always include more of your world than figures in your story, or at least hints that there is more, such as lands that continue beyond the physical edge of your map.
 

arainsb123

Re: Maps?

I used the GIMP (basically a freeware photoshop) to make a map. I didn't actually use the map, but it turned out nicely.
 

Nyki27

Re: Maps?

I've got a map-making program downloaded, which I haven't figured out how to use. Haven't got the address off-hand, but I'll try and find it.

Like Vomaxx. I draw my maps by hand. At least, I've taken to drawing the basic features by hand, scanning it in then adding the lettering in Word and saving it as a JPG. And I don't have a problem with needing more - I've got virtually the entire world mapped, and use bits for specific stories.
 

TheIT

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Mapping a Village

Does anyone have any recommendations or tools for making maps of a village? I need something on a building level, not just streets.

The action for my fantasy WIP is finally going to reach the village (yay!), but I'm hitting a stumbling block while trying to figure out what buildings go where and why. The village in question is small, but eventually I'll need to map some of the blocks in the city, too.

All help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 

Jamesaritchie

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village

TheIT said:
Does anyone have any recommendations or tools for making maps of a village? I need something on a building level, not just streets.

The action for my fantasy WIP is finally going to reach the village (yay!), but I'm hitting a stumbling block while trying to figure out what buildings go where and why. The village in question is small, but eventually I'll need to map some of the blocks in the city, too.

All help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Find a real village and change the names.
 

TheIT

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Jamesaritchie said:
Find a real village and change the names.

I'd love to. I've already done something similar on a larger scale with the country, but I'm having trouble finding maps which show buildings instead of just the streets.
 

bylinebree

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What about the tiny buildings from Monopoly? Or get some small pieces of wood, like balsa from a hobby store, and cut out various sizes to use on a design board?

Or could you make small templates out of heavy craft paper, in the shape of what you have in mind, like designers do with furniture when arranging a room? Then you could draw the streets on paper and move the structures around, playing with your village lay-out.

I'm kinesthetic and a hands-on approach helps me mucho.
 

LeeFlower

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TheIT said:
I'd love to. I've already done something similar on a larger scale with the country, but I'm having trouble finding maps which show buildings instead of just the streets.

http://maps.google.com/. Switch to 'Satellite.' It gives you arial photographs that definetely show buildings-- zoom in enough and you'll even see cars.

'hybrid' will display streets as well as buildings.

WARNING: it's addictive.
 

Jamesaritchie

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TheIT said:
I'd love to. I've already done something similar on a larger scale with the country, but I'm having trouble finding maps which show buildings instead of just the streets.

You can go with maps alone. There isn't a map in existance that will tell you why this buidling has two stories, why that buidling was built next to a stream, or why that shop over there has double doors. Pick a real village, and then do some research. Find photos of the village. Read the history of the village. Get tourists books. On and on.
 

Pthom

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Jamesaritchie said:
There isn't a map in existance that will tell you why this buidling has two stories, why that buidling was built next to a stream, or why that shop over there has double doors.
Actually, there are such maps--they're used by urban planners and are a part of the GIS (Geophysical Information System). However, it is highly likely there no such maps for medieval villages. (sigh)
 

badducky

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I sometimes use NWN Aurora Toolkit. Then, I get to physically (not really, but push the buttons) walk around and get a sense of space in a fantasy world.

But, this is not enough. I also like to read anthropology and archaeology books. And history books.

Also, I travel constantly, and explore different kinds of cities with a mind for design. I'm already planning my next info-gathering adventure.
 

Ordinary_Guy

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A lot of great suggestions. Note that the GIS or Google Map tools give a villiage/town layout that is typically american. Depending on your story, you may want to look up maps for european, asian or african towns, depending on what kind of civil enginnering (city planning) you're trying to replicate.
 

badducky

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Another great idea is reading fantasy books that have a powerful sense of "fantasy" space.

Poke around. Plenty of threads have book recommendations. Pay attention when you're reading books to see how the sense of space happens.
 

TheIT

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Thanks, this helps. I managed to draw a rough map of the village last night which is enough to keep me writing, but I'd still like to make the map more realistic.

Some of the sources I've been using are history books and books on medieval fortresses and castles. I picked up a book on medieval walled cities this weekend which is excellent at showing the city's defenses but unfortunately doesn't show the layout of the buildings. I've also been looking at some of the Dungeons and Dragons source books about dungeon design, but I'm not expecting true realism from that source. ;)

The line drawn children's books by David Macaulay are also excellent primers. I especially recommend City and Castle for simple looks at how a town is put together. Cathedral is good, too.

Part of what floors me when looking at the old maps is how small the area of a town seems to be. The book on walled cities has scales on some of the drawings. If I'm reading the legend correctly, some of these fortified cities were surrounded by a roughly circular wall with a diameter of about 100 meters. That's about the size of an American football field, yet hundreds, maybe thousands, of people lived there. That just seems amazing to me.
 

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One thing I like to do is "make stuff up as I go." It's a powerful tool.
 

Higgins

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Space and buildings and things

badducky said:
Another great idea is reading fantasy books that have a powerful sense of "fantasy" space.

Poke around. Plenty of threads have book recommendations. Pay attention when you're reading books to see how the sense of space happens.

I'm not sure how well space works once a writer gets it down, but I think a writer needs to be able to see the place in his mind's eye if he is going to write about it. For that, you're right, traveling the world and going to all kinds of places is the best preparation.
 

MattW

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Remember that most villages (And even most cities) are built without central planning. Things won't seem to make sense because the village was built of stages.

Maybe first was a well and a hunter's or logger's lodge. Maybe a mill was on a stream where all the local farmers brought their grain, then a blacksmith set up shop. Maybe it was only a tavern on a crossroads.

Think about how and why the people came there. Who were they, where did they come from? What materials do they use? Are there ruins they cannibalize for cut stone?

The tech level, age of civilization, and corresponding age of the village would determine how it was built and laid out.

No help from me.
 
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