Playing With Map Scale
Added 2019-12-16 00:24:22 +0000 UTCSo I've been playing around with larger map scales and my assets trying to find the levels my assets stop looking good. I'm using the world map of Faerun as an example reference.
The top image here is an A2 map (7016x4960) at 20%. Really GIANT world map. Some of the larger Topo Mountains can look pretty decent at this level, but they will be best suited for a style of map where they "represent" mountain ranges rather than the exact scale of the mountains. That's because the realistic approach doesn't really work for such enormous scale. If you zoom out to the even a Continent map on Google Maps, all you'll really see is colors. You don't start seeing the kind of detail in my assets until you get to a state and closer zoom level.
The Bottom image is a local zoom at 100%. This level and lower is where I personally feel the Topo Mountains start looking good. That mountain range in that picture (using the scale from the Faerun Map) is roughly 220 miles.
My approach? I make an A2 map, zoom in to 100%, then use the Topo Mountains for a loose representation of my land features. Not all the assets look good at that scale.To zoom in any closer, I make completely new maps with more detail. The lower you go, the better looking the assets get, and the more detail you can squeeze out of them.
I highly recommend Landon's guide (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WJufe4c7sc) on how to easily create new maps at a closer zoom level and maintain consistent scale. One of the best tutorials on Wonderdraft there is!
