OpenGeofiction
Hello, everyone. I’m fairly new to this website, and I’ve recently decided to start mapping some things. I just finished working on the downtown area of the city of Alexandria in Mecyna. I added some new streets and buildings, and created a few parks. I’m currently looking for some constructive criticism on this location. If someone could also tell me how to find out more about the region’s Climate and geography, that would be very helpful.
Location; http://opengeofiction.net/#map=17/-24.98585/146.03271
Discussion
Comment from stjur on 23 June 2017 at 15:56
Hi and welcome to OpenGeofiction!
I think you did a great job in Alexandria, just keep an eye on the scale; most buildings are over 500ft long. It could be possible to have such big buildings, but in an American styled downtown (like in New York), buildings never really pass a length of 200ft. Also the parks could have, on my opinion, more footpaths, but other than that it’s very good for the beginning!
About the climate and the geography, I think it doesn’t really matter if you’re mapping in a “blue country”, but I’m glad you are trying to make your city as realistic as possible! Here is a rough sketch of a world climate map, just so you know later where to choose your very own country to be:
http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/6737/51351719.14/0_a6251_4389e0dc_orig
Comment from Luciano on 23 June 2017 at 20:29
@Stjur
Most users are working from a different climate map:
http://i.imgur.com/cGhMUQJ.jpg
I personally prefer it, because it proposes less desert in the warmer latitudes. The map you link to, by Danny11 (author of Suria, but he’s no longer at the site) is a bit “unkind” to many country owners, assuming the least hospitable climate possible in many cases.
Comment from stjur on 23 June 2017 at 20:35
@Luciano Wow, I have never seen this map! Thanks :))
Comment from zhenkang on 24 June 2017 at 00:23
@Luciano and Stjur Well, I like both maps. Actually I still prefer the 1st one as it is quite easy to read.
Although I don’t map in Mecyna, here is some tips(when mapping in your 1st week):
Find some space elsewhere and create a small town or city. You can see OGF:Making Realistic Cities on the wiki. I recommend you building one to hon your mapping skills before asking for your own territory.
Don’t ask for a wiki account yet. After having your first territory, map something significant so that you can write something. Otherwise there will be stubs or overwikified pages. Alternatively you can create a sandbox page.
Collaborate with other mappers who also often map in the area.
Comment from Marcello on 1 July 2017 at 19:50
I see you started your own Tropical Paradise. Always a good idea ;-) But I have the faint feeling (I investigated TA097a myself as potential territory) that there is much less island than there used to be. Are you flooding your main island on purpose or by accident ?
happy mapping !
Marcello.
Comment from Qwertyuiop on 3 July 2017 at 14:48
I’m currently working on editing some of the islands on TAO97a. Unfortunately, the main island seems to have disappeared off the map. Instead, there’s just some water where it used to be. If you could tell me how to fix this problem, that would be greatly appreciated.
Comment from Marcello on 3 July 2017 at 15:46
Your main island - located at the far end of your bridge - was almost square with a large bay in the east (right side). It looks like you extended the bay more and more into the island until you met the other coastline… There the (former) east and west coastlines collided and instead of one island (being a single closed polygon) you now have 2 sorts of island (two closed polygons but with strange lateral connections) and that does not seem to define as ‘proper cioastline’ anymore.
I do not know whether you intended to extend to bay so much inland, or split the island alltogether, so the solution depends on your oroginal plan (or you may reconsider, of course):
You have at this moment 2 options: first is to split the island alltogether into 2. Then you have to remove the connection between the two coastline contours - roughly halfway at the west (left) side of the island. This may do even more harm if you do that not carefull, but it is feasible. Option two is to keep the island as one, and revert the ‘bay extension project. Then you have to join the two island contours by one more way (defined as coastline) and remove the obsolete coastline parts that are now inland. This is also a risky one.
Option three is to remove both contours and make a new island of roughly the same size.
Of you work in Potlatch or ID: good luck. If you work in JOSM and still know the ID of the change-set that did the harm, you can revert that changeset in one go. If you made proper comments on your changesets you have a fair chance, and otherwise…
Oh, and please read the info on coastlines in the FAQ before you do anything.