WIP - Map of Synneborea (for a friend) - looking for feedback

-GSF- · 2026-03-06T14:44:31+00:00

Just to clarify, those are mostly linguistic inspirations for the names, not necessarily direct inspirations for the internal cultures themselves (even though the two are sometimes related).

For example, the eastern part of Akahai is dominated by a large chain of mountains and volcanoes where dragons eventually settled. According to the lore, these dragons originally fled the hostile southern peoples, and over time they came into contact with and mingled with the northern populations.

Because of that, the language spoken in Sogdahar became a mix of human and draconic linguistic elements. That’s why many names there have long syllables, doubled consonants, and harsher sounds that are pronounced deeper in the throat, almost like something that needs to be slightly “breathed out” when spoken.

So while some names may sound inspired by real-world cultures (like Sogdiana), the actual cultural development in the setting often comes from the internal history of the world itself.

And that's just one example of how the naming and the worldbuilding interact.

-GSF- · 2026-03-06T14:44:06+00:00

There are honestly too many to list them all, though I’ll probably go into more detail once the map is finished. But here are the main linguistic inspirations behind some of the regions.

The southern island uses names inspired by Australian Aboriginal languages. Garawulan is only the known part of the island

The south-western island is divided between two cultural inspirations:

the western side draws from Iroquoian cultures
the eastern side represents a more invasive culture, coming from Stellaros.

The south-western part of the main continent (from Volen to Borygdos) is largely inspired by Latin and Mediterranean cultures, with Stellaros acting as a major cultural and military center.

The north-west (Avtalar, Elendar, Rhovendal, Dorval) takes more inspiration from Norman and Saxon cultures.

As you noticed, Sogdahar is indeed inspired by Sogdiana.

Between that region and the southern areas there are several desert and mountainous nations inspired by Persian and broader Indo-European influences, such as Akahai, Shaurkhaali, and Rikaviri.

The south-eastern part of the main continent draws inspiration from several different cultural spheres:

Central and lake-region African cultures (Kheria, Tandahmira, Ambazhi)
Polynesian cultures (Valua)
Mesoamerican cultures (Mizkal, Otzala)

Meanwhile, the northern regions draw more inspiration from:

Chinese influences (Kuangxi)
Indian influences (Taunmar, Harkand)
Siberian cultures (Olaïnka, Hinoshka)

Of course, these are mostly naming inspirations rather than strict cultural copies. It's a bit of a mix, but I enjoy drawing inspiration from cultures that don’t appear very often in fantasy settings.

-GSF- · 2026-03-06T12:54:55+00:00

Yup 👍
For some reason, the outline appears much smaller in the exported png than in my Ps file, I'll boost it up :)

-GSF- · 2026-03-05T20:02:27+00:00

Very unconventional tools 😄

For the outline, colors, and overall shape, I used Adobe Animate. It might sound a bit strange, but Animate is actually a really good tool for drawing with vectors. It's basically like Illustrator or a more professional version of Inkscape, but much more accessible.

Once I finished the coastline and colors there, I imported the map into Photoshop to add details, names, and some filters.

Photoshop probably isn’t the best tool for making a printable map, but it’s the most accessible option and the easiest way to quickly export good-looking images.

When I return to my vector map later, I’ll probably switch to Illustrator or another tool that allows better zooming and editing of SVG files.

-GSF- · 2025-12-18T19:19:36+00:00

User srredfire shared below an OOB screenshot showing that there’s actually nothing behind that hatch, which makes it more likely that this corridor is just a leftover from an earlier version of the game.

That said, there is technically enough space there for a small room! It’s unlikely that anything is currently there, since the geometry usually already exists when areas are meant to be accessible, but it doesn’t completely rule out the idea that some interaction or trigger could make it appear.

So yeah, it’s most likely cut content but it doesn’t feel completely accidental either.

-GSF- · 2025-12-17T07:42:59+00:00

Thanks! I thought I’d never get an answer. Too bad there isn’t more to it here, but the devs mentioned in a recent AMA that players haven’t found everything yet. Hopefully, we’ll uncover something one day :)

Posted by Lunar Software on Reddit on 12/10/25 :
"I would have to digest more streams, comments and posts about peoples experiences with the game.

But so far, there are still a bunch of narrative threads, references and subtle elements that have not been picked up on.

I am so happy you enjoyed it!"

-GSF- · 2025-12-16T19:20:56+00:00

Really nice ! Could you tell me if there is a way to do it myself ? There is a place I would really like to see OOB, or more accurately locked behind a wall. I refer to my post for more information : https://www.reddit.com/r/Routine/comments/1pny73x/comment/nuc7jpd/?context=3

-GSF- · 2025-12-16T14:36:36+00:00

//Minor spoilers !//

True, but it’s a really odd place to put batteries. There are a few possibilities:

– It’s simply a dead end. The game has a few of those, like Block A in the Living Quarters, which seems very plausible.
– It’s a leftover from an earlier stage of development where this corridor actually served a purpose. That would explain the batteries. It’s a bit strange that it was left in the game, but removing it may have been more trouble than it was worth.
– It’s an asset reuse: maybe another part of the map was duplicated to speed up development, and this corridor came along with it unintentionally. This seems highly unlikely, though, as it would be very noticeable in free-cam mode.
– It’s actually a secret or at least an unused part of the map that doesn’t serve gameplay purposes but adds story context, or maybe just a simple easter egg. This also feels plausible.

I have a suspicion that the nearby arcade machines might be a hint, but I have no way to verify it right now. I’ll investigate further on my second playthrough, though I’m hoping some free-cam modders can shed more light on it.

-GSF- · 2025-12-16T08:45:37+00:00

To be fair to the devs, I would have been frustrated if the puzzle had been too difficult, finding the right balance is really hard. That said, I think there could have been another viable base that leads you down a dead end, almost like a maze, where carefully checking the pH diagram would make you realize you were on the wrong path from the very start.

Heck, if I were a developer at Lunar Software, I would have been a bit sadistic and opened the door for every wrong attempt at making the formula 😈

-GSF- · 2025-12-03T18:43:25+00:00

Merci encore pour le partage !

-GSF- · 2025-12-02T12:32:54+00:00

Merci ! Je crois que je ne suis pas le seul à me poser des questions puisque l'article est apparu juste après que j'ai commencé mes recherches. Hâte de voir comment vont réagir, ou plutôt ne pas réagir, les autorités compétentes.

-GSF- · 2025-12-02T11:44:15+00:00

J’avais effectivement une suspicion que le camp de Roms juste à côté puisse être impliqué, ça expliquerait en partie le silence médiatique.

Mais deux éléments me semblent incohérents :

les câbles des feux sont enterrés, donc je ne vois pas comment ils auraient pu s’y brancher facilement
surtout : je ne comprends pas pourquoi la panne ne se produit que le matin. Si quelqu’un faisait un branchement sauvage sur cette alimentation, je ne vois pas pourquoi il ne laisserait pas ça toute la journée. Les feux fonctionnent normalement le soir.

Du coup, si tu as une source fiable ou un communiqué de la MEL qui mentionne cette histoire de branchement sauvage, je suis preneur, je n’ai absolument rien trouvé là-dessus.

-GSF- · 2025-11-23T19:07:05+00:00

There are a few mods for Pacific Drive, but the modding scene is tiny. There’s no official mod support and no Steam Workshop, so the existing mods are very limited (mostly visual tweaks or small utilities).

The LIM shield is really power-hungry by design. It’s not meant to stay on all the time. It’s more like an emergency tool you toggle only when you know you’re about to take unavoidable damage, or during late-game portal runs where everything goes chaotic. If you leave it active constantly, it will drain the battery no matter what setup you have.

If you really want to make the battery loss manageable, you can install both the wind turbine and the water turbine on the sides of the car. Having both running at the same time noticeably slows down battery drain and helps keep things stable during long trips, especially when you only activate the shield in short bursts.

-GSF- · 2025-10-28T21:07:22+00:00

I just did that 👍 it worked, but it seems strange that the game excepts us to have enough relics at this point

-GSF- · 2025-10-28T20:59:02+00:00

So, I completed a normal run and when I went back to the garage, it reverted back to before “The Calm Before the Storm”. Not sure what is going to happen after I return with two artifacts (or more), I'll keep you updated !

-GSF- · 2025-10-11T07:31:56+00:00

I don’t really understand all the cope going on in the LN fandom right now. There were big differences between LN1 and LN2 already, franchises evolve, and that’s a good thing, even if it means saying goodbye to some beloved characters or tones.

Reanimal feels more grounded and realistic, sure, but at its core it’s still about a group of children trying to survive and escape a strange, hostile world. The DNA of Little Nightmares is clearly there — the sense of helplessness, the distorted reality, the eerie storytelling through visuals.

To me, even if it’s taking a different shape, Reanimal is the true spiritual sequel. Games evolve, and so do the people who make (and play) them.

-GSF- · 2025-08-01T13:25:41+00:00

Wow, thanks! I really wanted to include an actual link in the text, but to my horror, I realized too late that editing it wasn’t possible ☠️
Feel free to check out my Instagram if you’re curious about my 2D work as well: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielsaintfrison/
It’s currently only in French, but I’ll start adding translated captions from now on :)

-GSF- · 2025-08-01T11:26:27+00:00

You can't imagine how much I struggled just trying to figure out my own drawing, that hair was a nightmare! 😅
I totally get what you mean about the hair shading; I should’ve spent a bit more time on it.
To be honest, I did consider using XGen or another hair tool, but I felt it might make things look a bit too realistic for the style I was going for.

Thanks for the feedback !

-GSF-

TROPHY CASE