Use pen and paper, you are no longer allowed to erase what you've created - this will help your maps improve instead of you improving the map.
Take your time.
Envision yourself hovering/flying/riding a mount over the land as your shaping it.
Let your mind and pen lead the way.
>give your landmass room to breathe >don't produce awkward slices of features on the rims of your map >don't use random generation to determine focal content >only use random generation to add greebling inbetween features you designed >don't base a layer on a random lower layer (I drew these random tectonic plates, time to execute a computer script manually for the next ten layers on top of that) >make the map with the setting conflict in mind use contrast of terrain features to model that conflict >continents are not pillowshaded (you'll get this when basing elevation on gaussian clouds) >choose readable font and symbols >learn to copy fractal land patterns >don't make terrain conform to the format of the map (square continent because of square map) >don't draw pictures with the terrain (dragon shaped island) >use the blending, density and geometry of features to build a more general mood instead >don't map out of obligation, if you don't know what you want to portray with a map, don't have one >learn your subconscious bias (drawing not!europe by accident)
steal one or hope a generator flukes out enough and produces a good one
90% of the maps i see are absolute dogshit, including my own
just b urself my dude
take you beverage and a sheet of paper and go to town
Depends on what you count as a 'good map'. Pic related is something I did, would it count as 'good'. If so I can explain my process.
Not OP, but you map looks interesting and I am curious as to how you made it and what the setting is.
When is more leviathan stuff coming out?
I just draw shapes in paint and then slap some cities and shit down
Use Earth
cumshot method.
I make a mostly random draft and slowly start to give more creative shapes and add new ones. Just go with ze flow.
Use pen and paper, you are no longer allowed to erase what you've created - this will help your maps improve instead of you improving the map.
Take your time.
Envision yourself hovering/flying/riding a mount over the land as your shaping it.
Let your mind and pen lead the way.
>give your landmass room to breathe
>don't produce awkward slices of features on the rims of your map
>don't use random generation to determine focal content
>only use random generation to add greebling inbetween features you designed
>don't base a layer on a random lower layer (I drew these random tectonic plates, time to execute a computer script manually for the next ten layers on top of that)
>make the map with the setting conflict in mind use contrast of terrain features to model that conflict
>continents are not pillowshaded (you'll get this when basing elevation on gaussian clouds)
>choose readable font and symbols
>learn to copy fractal land patterns
>don't make terrain conform to the format of the map (square continent because of square map)
>don't draw pictures with the terrain (dragon shaped island)
>use the blending, density and geometry of features to build a more general mood instead
>don't map out of obligation, if you don't know what you want to portray with a map, don't have one
>learn your subconscious bias (drawing not!europe by accident)
or guess
Define what you mean by 'good'.
Dirty cooking pans
Copy the shape on the walls.
honestly, just use a 4X game like Civilization to make a map for you and just go from there