Thoughts on applying realistic geography to world maps?

[ECG Wolf 36]

So I've been making maps and I've found myself doing research on geography cause it occurred to me that I don't really know a whole lot on the subject, so I'm curious to hear other peoples opinions on the topic.

 

How realistic do you make your maps? What kind of expectation do you have of other people when applying realistic geography to their maps?

[+ Chaosian 617]

I would figure maps are a bit like armor. Some armor looks realistic, some armor fakes realistic, some armor is ornate, some armor is barely even armor, and some armor is pretty much something completely different.

I think it can be the same for your maps, it all kinda ties into the tone of your game. If your game has Orcs, it might be cool to have a random desert surrounded by mountains, but it might also be kinda weird to have a desert surrounded by lakes. If your game takes place across the cosmos, or in some alternate reality, it might be totally okay to have a sea of plastic.

[Gui 61]

Is your world filled with magic? If yes, realism may not be the best way to go, although a bit of common sense cannot hurt (like Chaosian was saying about a desert surrounded by lakes)...

 

In the end, it all depends of the experience you want to provide: if the player has to cross the entire world map every time he begins a new quest because realism pushed you into placing the required areas very far the ones from the others, this may become a bother quickly, especially if there are random encounters on the world map and/or if there is no airship available.

 

So, no, I don't really consider realism for my world maps, but I try to provide the best variety instead: a bored player is the most susceptible to give up on the game after all.

[ECG Wolf 36]

I would figure maps are a bit like armor. Some armor looks realistic, some armor fakes realistic, some armor is ornate, some armor is barely even armor, and some armor is pretty much something completely different.

I think it can be the same for your maps, it all kinda ties into the tone of your game. If your game has Orcs, it might be cool to have a random desert surrounded by mountains, but it might also be kinda weird to have a desert surrounded by lakes. If your game takes place across the cosmos, or in some alternate reality, it might be totally okay to have a sea of plastic.

 

That's a really great analogy, I like that.  

 

In the end, it all depends of the experience you want to provide: if the player has to cross the entire world map every time he begins a new quest because realism pushed you into placing the required areas very far the ones from the others, this may become a bother quickly, especially if there are random encounters on the world map and/or if there is no airship available.

 

That's a good point as well, I'll have to keep that in mind.