In the case of your map you’ve mentioned that you were intending for a utilitarian map, and you have mentioned that. It is good that you have included labels though its more than most.Not everyone is a creative genius. Me, for example, I tend to make maps that are useful to me and post them for opinions on the world in question, not the quality of map. I don't care if people think it looks crap, at least it's a damn-sight better than some others.
Anyway, you could do without calling them 'crappy UCS maps', especially when they take a lot longer to make than you seem to think. I was planning on Munroing my last one, but now maybe I won't.
My comments are not a rant directed at your map, I simply didn’t see it when I was writing my post.
There is nothing wrong with the CS basemap, it’s how people use it, as a crutch. After all people have been making maps long before the CS basemap come along in its current form.Their is nothing wrong with the CS Basemap (especially given how much time we've put into ficing it), further more, unless you already have an idea before you start making a map doing a map of the world allows for far more creativity..
People don’t plan things out? My process is this:
1) What do I want to make a map of?
2) Where will that map focus on?
3) Find if I have a vector base already, if not create one and make my map.
I’d assume most people would do something similar.
That's my point. I am ignoring them because they all look the same. When I make a map and post it here I want comments. Praise is good, but I want the criticism so I can learn from my mistakes and make better maps.When it comes right down ot it, if you don't like them, then don't look at them and certainly don't bitch because people are'nt doing what you want.
I completely disagree. I am actually quite fond of the UCS and base map. Variety is great, but a complaint about how people aren't as skilled in Gimp and the like seems inappropriate. I know what your intentions are, but your post was too in-your-face and did not come off as con instructive criticism but instead any old rant.
Fair points Zach. In retrospect my rant may have been a little bit harsh. My rant isn't that people are not skilled at GIMP, Photoshop, etc., it’s about people sticking with the same old skill set. There are really good maps that can be made in Paint.NET, but the implication by using UCS is that you haven’t put the effort in.