Here now the second part of the series I started last week. For this part, I shall talk about the most common (or pretty much the most common) type of map layer used: the geopolitical layer.
The geopolitical layer can have many variations, but in basic, it shows the geographical composition of the mapped area along with some political information, such as borders and such. So really, it's the "real terrain" with imaginary boundaries superimposed on it. This map is often used to depict settings, because it clearly shows the most relevant information needed: What's where, and how does it look like? Whether there's a forest next to the Imperial City, or a swamp beneath the mountains that form the natural border of some empire, it's this kind of information that is most often checked.
Most fantasy novels have some sort of map somewhere (usually in the front or the back), and often these are simple types of geopolitical maps. So why is this type of layer so popular?
As I've said before, they answer the most pressing questions readers and players (and pretty much anyone else) might have when consulting a map: What's where? Geopolitical layers help the map reader orientate him- or herself not only by geographical features, but also political boundaries. But another bonus is the ability that it is easy to add extra information onto this layer, essentially putting additional layers atop this one. The geopolitical layers has because such a basic map layer that it doesn't interfere with other layers, but instead acts as a background. Transportational layers are put onto this base layer to form road maps, for instance.
So it is safe to say that while the geopolitical layer is not all-encompassing, it shows the information most often required from maps, and is a good backdrop to additional layers. There's really not much more to say about this layer, but hopefully there'll be more analyses possible on other ones. Until my next post,
Qi
Part 1 (Introduction) - Part 2 (Geopolitical)
The geopolitical layer can have many variations, but in basic, it shows the geographical composition of the mapped area along with some political information, such as borders and such. So really, it's the "real terrain" with imaginary boundaries superimposed on it. This map is often used to depict settings, because it clearly shows the most relevant information needed: What's where, and how does it look like? Whether there's a forest next to the Imperial City, or a swamp beneath the mountains that form the natural border of some empire, it's this kind of information that is most often checked.
Most fantasy novels have some sort of map somewhere (usually in the front or the back), and often these are simple types of geopolitical maps. So why is this type of layer so popular?
As I've said before, they answer the most pressing questions readers and players (and pretty much anyone else) might have when consulting a map: What's where? Geopolitical layers help the map reader orientate him- or herself not only by geographical features, but also political boundaries. But another bonus is the ability that it is easy to add extra information onto this layer, essentially putting additional layers atop this one. The geopolitical layers has because such a basic map layer that it doesn't interfere with other layers, but instead acts as a background. Transportational layers are put onto this base layer to form road maps, for instance.
So it is safe to say that while the geopolitical layer is not all-encompassing, it shows the information most often required from maps, and is a good backdrop to additional layers. There's really not much more to say about this layer, but hopefully there'll be more analyses possible on other ones. Until my next post,
Qi
Part 1 (Introduction) - Part 2 (Geopolitical)
Good words.
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