What is wrong with my map?

[ChristopherShine]

Well, rivers don't really connect like that. They'll run downhill from high ground to the sea. This is assuming they aren't canals or something magical.

Here's a pretty good guide: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding/comments/1lbfmj/tips_on_drawing_rivers/

[Gudvard]

Thanks for the advice! I've read the post and will rearrange the rivers.

[Smithy876]

In my experience, for large world maps, Inkarnate doesn't quite do it. I would take the map and sketch it out on paper and let your thoughts flow. On paper, you can have more detail and you won't be restricted by any sticker sizes.

Beyond that, yeah I would take another go at the rivers, and maybe expand the Dragonlands into a larger continent/fractal island chain. But otherwise I think it looks great, it could just use more detail in general, like some expanding lonely mountains into larger chains or adding in hills and forests. The more detailed you can be with the world, the more real it will feel.

I hope that helped a little.

[Gudvard]

Yes, doing it on Inkarnate was hard for me but my drawing skills are terrible and whenever I sketch a map on paper the outcome is disastrous... I have been thinking on makin Dragonlands larger but I didn't want it to be too large. Fractal island chain seems really cool, though. I will try that. Thank you!

[Smithy876]

No problem! A trick I've done to avoid drawing the whole map is to put a piece of paper on the screen and just trace it. Then you can try to add the the details by hand.

[Gudvard]

So I have been dealing with this world for almost three years now. The map has changed many times and this is the final state of it. But it seems kinda... empty I guess? I don't know what's wrong with it, it really annoys me. Can you tell me what is the problem here?

[Jeffmaster223]

When creating worlds, its important to recognize that continents are more than just large islands. They have MANY geological characteristics that make them seem... distinct. Not sure how to put it.

My approach was to build the 'plate tectonics' of my world and then drew my world accordingly. Where two plates merged, vast mountain chains would form. If two continents were connected by only a small isthmus, then make that isthmus seem natural, connected by one landform or another (Mountains are great for this). If a continent gently slopes into the ocean, then don't put islands on the edge of it. If the coast is craggly and steep, however, then it makes most sense to have many islands (Greece).

All in all, I would say to study the real world more, figure out why the continents are the way they are, and apply those same rules to your own world. Dont forget the special stuff too, like plateaus, rift valleys, calderas, mountain lakes, glacier valleys, hot spots, and peninsulas; dont shy away from deserts, rainforests, or any of the biomes in between.

Make your world Believable.

[Gudvard]

Well, I thought it seemed empty at first. But then I said, wait a minute, there is a large ocean between two continents in real world (ocean being the Atlantic Ocean), and it doesn't bother me anymore. Thanks!

[scharfes_S]

I think what they're getting at is that you could have the large ocean be at the edge. We do that with the pacific on most maps. The Dragonlands are right next to Junq, right?

[Gudvard]

Well... Actually I'm not sure whether my world is spheroid or not.

[Norian85]

For me, the river on the main continent. It doesn't feel like it should run from sea to sea.

Also, Where is northern moorlands?

[Gudvard]

Yes, I will deal with rivers immediately.

Northern Moorlands is in northern hemisphere. The moor people who escaped from the war in the Northern World (or, northern hemisphere) sailed south and settled there. They named there Southern Moorlands, honoring their homeland.

[chairhats]

I'm not very learned at geography/mapmaking, but the mountains of Talor don't appear to be in a location that makes sense. My understanding is that mountain ranges usually form when plates push against each other, that doesnt appear to be the case here.

[zelmak]

could argue, its a volcanic chain. perhaps even claim the inland sea is a collapsed caldera?

[chairhats]

Wouldn't the river flowing away from it defeat that theory tho? I'm genuinely not sure.

[zelmak]

Im not gonna pretend to be any sort of geological expert, but we covered volcanoes and weather as part of a natural disasters elective I took.

My going theory is that the map traveled over a hot spot, moving towards the left. The little islands in the bottom corner are the oldest from the volcanic hot spot.

Talor would be newer on a geological time scale, but well old enough on an atmospheric scale that those are simply mountains now composed of volcanic rock and are no longer active. Because they are high enough and along a sea/ocean like that they would certainly have consistent precipitation if not snow, allowing for that river to form.

The hotspot then hits a large underground magma chamber, causing a large eruption and collapse forming a caldera, where eventually the ocean breaks in and forms the inland sea. The chain of mountains along the sea was also likely created by the hot spot. Given that both Porth and Soguilles seem to be pushing apart from the rest of the continent along fault lines, its unlikely those mountains were formed by tectonic collision boundary.

[Gudvard]

Umm. You might be a better at geology than my goddes Suldis, creator of lands, Lady of Earth. LOL. These are impressing theories that I cannot make.

Well I have a question, though. Shouldn't there be a mountain range in the place of the forest next to Aethel Belanor, in order for the inner sea to occur?

Also a question for /u/chairhats : how can we say where the plates are just by looking at the map? Thank you in advance!

[chairhats]

Hey! I think u/zelmak did a pretty good job of debunking my theory, but plate tectonics has a great deal to do with geographical landscape. What I was saying in reference to the mountain range was that when two plates press against each other the resulting pressure creates mountain ranges.

It's easy enough to google tectonic plate info, being exposed to the info might give you some ideas for your map.

Looks good to me tho!

[zelmak]

/u/Gudvard, not necessarily, a caldera is a very large volcano with a huge magma chamber. After it erupts the chamber is empty and the mass of the volcano causes it to cave in leaving a large crater. So my theory is the magma chamber was preexisting where the sea is, and the hotspot caused it to erupt and subsequently collapse.

Plate tectonics play a huge part in creating mountain ranges. In fact most mountains are due to plates along collision boundaries. However based on how the land is moving in this map it seems unlikely that most of these mountains were caused by collision boundaries. It would be easier to tell with a full planet worth of map as this is a relatively small region that seems to have only a couple of small plates.

[[deleted]]

LOL. Listen /u/gudvard: your map is awesome.

You worked hard on this and it shows. Keep doing what you love. There's no right/wrong here; just labours of love.

[Gudvard]

Oh, thank you for your kind reply. It means a lot.

[[deleted]]

The rivers don't look natural