World Map Creation Sites?
- Thread starter Luxuria
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Don't be sorry. I laughed a lot. Thank you.
Do you also happen to know if there are map makers that work on a globe frame and can give me lat/long of a location?
I do not, I'm sorry. Hopefully someone does though. That would be cool.
I don't think there is, unfortunately, but I'm not sure those are that necessary.
You could always buy or print out a map, cut out the different cratons and manually move them around on a big sheet of paper. 
Yeah. Way back when (before i wvwn knew about map makers) this is how i made my map.You could always buy or print out a map, cut out the different cratons and manually move them around on a big sheet of paper.
I went to Google Earth and screen grabbed countries, continents and terrains, and rearranged them on a
.... actually, i might make another one this way....
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This might actually be what I do. Because Lat and Long are important to me, because they dictate climate and weather patterns. It's honestly one of my gripes with fantasy worlds that writers don't Lat and Long into account when creating a world map. I think I might see what I can do on Canva. Because I think I know HOW I want it to look, but also want to change something major. That this world turns in the opposite direction of ours. Which doesn't seem huge, but it's major.You could always buy or print out a map, cut out the different cratons and manually move them around on a big sheet of paper.
Honestly, for my story world, I want them. But good to know!
It's good that you take all that into account, but if your fantasy world has nothing to do with Earth, surely you can choose when a specific season happens? *confused* Unless your world is somehow connected to (or parodies, or satirises etc.) Earth...? That's up to you, of course. I'm not asking you to reveal anything you don't want to.
I write historical fiction, so I looked up weather patterns in a region specific to where I'm writing, so I can give my characters appropriate clothing and food specific to that season/region. But fantasy can have any rules it wants (within reason, obviously! Otherwise, it's like Munchkin, the card game).
Are you concerned about scientific plausibility? There are a few issues if you are, but it's not that important for fiction. I've read worlds with more extremely dynamics (geology? geography? physics? planet stuff?).
Thank you. As for if it's relevant, it is. Because this is an alternate earth. Same rules, continents, elements, location. Just different people and events. Like maybe South America is connected to Antarctica and Africa crashed into Europe. But yes, in this case and in all fictional worlds, general climate and lat/long do matter.It's good that you take all that into account, but if your fantasy world has nothing to do with Earth, surely you can choose when a specific season happens? *confused* Unless your world is somehow connected to (or parodies, or satirises etc.) Earth...? That's up to you, of course. I'm not asking you to reveal anything you don't want to.
I am concerned about it being plausible, yes. And what issues do you see? I would love to know them so I can correct them. As for me, I am not a fan of worlds that are abstract in geography. Like Game of Thrones drove me crazy and I just had to accept the idea that maybe their world is either flat or turns slower than ours. Or maybe, the tilt of their planet is greater than ours, which WOULD make winters very harsh and long.
Regarding GoT, I figured it was either magic or they had an elongated, elliptical orbit. Or atmospheric phenomena. Depends on how they defined "years."
Thank you! I agree. It must be one of these!
A few issues. First one isn't too important, but retrograde rotation happens for specific reasons. Venus has it, for example, but it is very slow - it takes 2/3rds of an Earth year to complete one full rotation. It's speculated that Venus may have collided with a massive object in its past that changed its orbit, and/or it may have initially formed differently, and gravitational dynamics may have changed it, but that is rare. The only other major objects that have different spin dynamics in the Solar System are Uranus and Triton. Triton is getting closer to Neptune, and will eventually break up.
Also, retrograde orbit changes the winds, so it becomes easier to sail (and fly) East, rather than West, hence great maritime trade empires may have emerged from the eastern part part your continents.
Latitude and longtitude alone aren't the only factors in climate. Where continents collide, mountains tend to rise up, which means the side facing away from the winds is in the rain shadow, and would be much drier. Also, when winds have to cross large areas of land, the interiors become drier - that's why Pangaea was all so dry, even though it stretched north to south throughout many latitudes. If the Mediterranean was closed up or dry(as it was before the Zanclean flood), southern Europe and northern Africa would be much drier and hotter.
This is just off the top of my head, and some of it could be inaccurate, so as they say, DYOR.
That is true. I also know Uranus is messed up in that regard as well. But I think I really want to find a way to show this is an Alternate Earth. I wonder then if WHAT collided with Earth is still roaming around. I don't think there is much in way of gravity differences, although there may be a little more tilt from impact. From what I know we current tilt around 23 degrees. I could up it to 25 and just make the seasons a bit more intense.
Yes, I had planned for that. It would change the locations of deserts and the Subtropic High Pressure Zones and ocean currents. Everything.
That is true. But they do determine the amount of insolation and such. Anyway, I appreciate all your thoughts and I had already begun to take all of these factors into account. Because WHY build a world if you're not BUILDING A WOLRD? Haha. Also, I got smart and used Canva to make a map. I think I like it.
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