Map Thread XIX

Status
Not open for further replies.
Followup and roughly to scale with my previous Mata Nui basemap, here is my interpretation of Bionicle's Matoran Universe and how it all fits together with all of the canon islands.
ddvw16x-63966588-6834-45cc-8779-47c56b3cb923.png
 
Start with a dark background layer, then make a layer where you'll write the text and make the boxes and map and everything: do everything in a neon color (in this instance blue) and when you've created it then apply Paint.NET's glow effect (any glow effect will probably do) and fiddle with the settings until it looks about right. As for the scan lines on the portrait at the top, I used PHOTOMOSH.com and screencapped the output to paste in (because the regular download output comes in a low quality jpeg.

Can I ask you if you can make one for me ? I tried multiple times with nothing , a Greater Italy with all of Dalmazia , Ljubiana (just the city and surrounding region), Malta , Corsica and the lands in France that once belonged to the Savoy Kingdom of Sardinia https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regno_di_Sardegna_(1720-1861) .
 
Start with a dark background layer, then make a layer where you'll write the text and make the boxes and map and everything: do everything in a neon color (in this instance blue) and when you've created it then apply Paint.NET's glow effect (any glow effect will probably do) and fiddle with the settings until it looks about right. As for the scan lines on the portrait at the top, I used PHOTOMOSH.com and screencapped the output to paste in (because the regular download output comes in a low quality jpeg.

It would be like a country profile a not an insurgency profile
 

Skallagrim

Banned

Ohio Question.png

I've been experimenting a bit more with "conflicting claims" maps. This one is inspired by a recent discussion about ways to improve the lot of Nieuw-Nederland. What we see here is just such a scenario. One wherein the British are driven from the North-Eastern end of North America, whereas the French (and Spanish) are pushed out of the South-Eastern regions. In between a French North-East and a British South-East, the Dutch manage to hold onto their colony. The British, more oriented towards the Caribbean, deprive the Dutch of their colonies in that region. Nieuw-Nederland becomes the only Dutch colony in the Western hemisphere, and is taken over by the Staten-Generaal as the Dutch West India Company folds.

Diplomatic endeavours by the Dutch result in border treaties with both neighbouring powers. A straight line drawn East from the shores of Lake Ontario is initially agreed upon as the Franco-Dutch colonial borders. The border between the Dutch and British colonies is eventually settled as tracing the Susquehanna River (Sietseweikanna to the Dutch), and then following a line West until it meets the Allegheny River (Wellikanna to the Dutch). Since the regions beyond the Appalachians (Appalatsjen in Dutch) and the Great Lakes are still largely unexplored at the time, the relatively vague wording of the treaties isn't a concern... yet.

As it happens, the Dutch understood the "Sietseweikanna" to mean the Western branch of the river, whereas the British had the Eastern branch in mind. The Dutch subsequently also imagined the line running towards the "Wellikanna" to be further to the South than the British envisioned. Furthermore, nothing was decided about the lands North-West of the Ohio River (Owiejo in Dutch). The British considered this region to be West of the Allegheny and therefore excluded from any Dutch claim by the border treaty. The Dutch considered everything North of the "Wellikanna" (and therefore everything North of the "Owiejo") to be excluded from the British claim. Both the British and the Dutch felt that anything seen as "beyond the Great Lakes" was not part of the French claim, whereas the Frenxh saw the Ohio River as their Southern boundary. They would come to refer to the region between that river and the Great Lakes as Illinois, whereas the British called it Ohio Country, and the Dutch knew it as the Westland.

All three powers would encourage settlers to move into the disputed areas. The French rapidly settled the Northern shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, but where thereafter somewhat hamstrung by the limited demographic base of their colony (as well as their economic interest in settling the extensive shore-line of the vast region they claimed, so as to keep out British interests). The British, having deprived the French of Nouvelle-Orléans (and having renamed it New London), moved up the Mississippi while at the same time exploring routes across the Appalachians. The Dutch, meanwhile, were seriously impaired by the presence of the Iroquois (whom they historically referred to as Irokezen). It took three wars to subdue the Iroquois Confederacy; only thereafter were the Dutch settlers able to freely move into the coveted "Westland" via the Great Lakes. Once this route was opened up, though, it proved by far the safest and most expedient one. Enthousiastically moving West through a salient in between the advancing presence of the British and the French, Dutch settlers soon staked a claim to a vast North-Western portion of the disputed regions.

The conflicting claims remained a diplomatic issue -- one that repeatedly threatened to cause a war -- until the European Revolutions of 1800. The colonies in the New World, unwilling to get dragged into the bloody wars of the Mother Continent, found themselves drifing into independence. The post-war regimes of their parent countries proved to be, by and large, unacceptable to colonial populations. Thus, the former colonial entities of New Britain, Nieuw-Nederland, Nouvelle France and Nueva España found themselves... sovereign countries. The border disputes that had until that point seemed irreconcilable were negotiated out of existence within a year. The final treaty of 1815 marked the beginning of a long-lasting peace in North America, which most historians have dubbed the "Era of Good Feelings".
 
...Wow. Just wow. I, uh, have so many questions to ask, this scenario is so amazing and, well... here goes.
Well thank you so much! I'm really flattered to hear that!

  • What's the deal with the darker (Louisiana, Virginia, Florida and the Carolinas) and the lighter (California, Utah, Texas) U.S. states?
The darker states are territories that lost statehood due to the chaos caused by the Climate Crisis. The destruction of infrastructure, mass exodus, and commonplace violence meant that the federal government essentially seized control over these states in the late 2050s to focus on reconstruction. As the American government isn't in the best financial position right now and resettling land where infrastructure is depleted and deadly tropical storms are commonplace isn't an appeal offer, so for the time being these regions remain territories until statehood is feasible.

As for the lighter states, these are autonomous regions, for a handful of reasons. Basically, as the United States became more unstable, Texas and California became more self-sufficient in dealing with local (primarily ecological) crises while Utah also became more self-sufficient and also ideologically distinct as Mormon conservative movements took control of the state's government. Throughout the 2060s and 2070s, the three states often resisted federal programs in favor of seizing management for themselves, which culminated in the eventual autonomy of all three states. They share militaristic, economic, and foreign affairs with the federal government, but otherwise, the autonomous states manage everything by themselves.

  • What's the difference between the Russian Federation and the Russian Provisional Government?
The Russian Federation is a centralized military junta established following the coup on the actual Russian Federation, hence the retaining of the name. For the most part, it seized total control over local oblasts and heavily centralized authority around Moscow, but some more autonomous regions took advantage of the emerging warlordism across the Ural Mountains in the 2070s and opted to become de facto independent warlord states that aligned with the Russian Federation, otherwise often referred to under the exonym "Moscow Clique," especially by Omsk.

The Russian Provisional Government, or the Omsk Clique, is a confederation of oblasts that seceded from the Russian Federation following the military coup with the goal of overthrowing the Moscow junta and re-establishing Russian democracy. Of course, things didn't go to plan and bickering oblasts loyal to both Moscow and Omsk secured autonomy as warlord states while military and secessionist authorities came to power in Siberia, which is now under the control of the Empire of Japan. The Russian Provisional Government retains some democracy, but it is highly limited and oligarchic due to the ruling coalition seeking to maintain authority through the Russian Warlord Era and ensuring that potential dissidents are purged. The internal provinces directly controlled by Omsk also often push the boundaries of what they can and cannot do.

  • What's the deal with Botswana, and what are its relations with South Africa like?
System of government-wise, the Republic of Botswana hasn't actually changed all that much. Political parties come and go and demographics change, but it remains a unitary (excluding the two autonomous regions established out of South Africa) parliamentary republic. With the exception of its brief intervention in the South African Civil War and a conflict against a pariah dictatorship in Namibia in the 2080s, Botswana has actually remained fairly neutral in African political affairs, opting to become a sort of South African Switzerland. It does very well economically, being one of the largest economic forces on the continent, but it stays completely out of the affairs of the Juba Alliance and the Communalists. Botswana maintains a very small and local sphere of influence of neighboring neutral states, and they are all in a mutual defense agreement with Botswana, which maintains a very large military force to defend from potential encroachments. As for relations with South Africa, things were initially bitter following the annexation of two provinces (it didn't help that Botswana was a capitalist state seizing territory claimed by a socialist government), but that was decades ago and free movement between South Africa and the autonomous regions is common. Collectivized modes of production are increasingly common throughout remaining capitalist nations, but due to strong interconnection between South Africa and the Botswanan autonomous provinces, this is especially the case within South Africa. Simply put, Botswana is still cautious around South Africa and the Communalists, but any former active hostilities are water under the bridge.

  • Does the United States of Venezuela have any kind of affection for Gran Colombia and Simon Bolivar's vision of Latin America?
Actually, Simon Bolivar is looked upon in an increasingly negative light within Venezuela, considering that the current government is a product of the regime installed by the United States after the defeat of Maduro's Bolivar-admiring regime in the 2020s. While Caracas recognizes Bolivar as one of the founders of Venezuela and admire his fight for independence, his less redeeming qualities are displayed more openly and the leadership of other revolutionaries, such as Miranda, is emphasized much more these days. It doesn't help that the South American socialists (especially Bolivia) strongly admire Simon Bolivar. The USV has instead glorified the Founding Fathers of the United States to a large degree, especially James Monroe. Venezuela's foreign policy is essentially just a copy and paste of the Monroe Doctrine, and you may have noticed that all Venezuelan allies on this map are states that, in the present day, contain American military presence. That's no coincidence, as Venezuela sought to consolidate authority over the previous American sphere of influence first and also happened to find some local support for a sort of recreation of the Monroe Doctrine.

  • Is there, broadly speaking, any sort of capitalist counterculture as of 2113?
You mean within the socialist states? No, capitalism is viewed pretty negatively throughout the Arabian sphere of influence. Through the eyes of the Arabian world, capitalism is nearly universally viewed as inherently undemocratic, so no prominent pro-capitalist movements exist outside of states that had recently undergone revolutions and amongst clubs of pre-revolutionary officers and nostalgics. That's not to say capitalist sympathies are unheard of throughout the Arabian sphere of influence, we're talking about some of the most populated nations on the planet so of course there will be some diverse opinions, but it's a mostly niche line of thought primarily relegated to edgy hubs online. With that being said, the DCAR and its allies do maintain cordial relations with most capitalist states and there are varying opinions on the ethics of these governments and how to interact with them. Some don't care, some think that the fact that liberal democracies are okay but could get better, and some think diplomatic ties to any capitalist state is reprehensible.

  • What is life for non-Japanese in Alaska, Hawaii and the former Russian Far East like?
Bad. Internment, second-class citizenship, assimilation policies, brutal socioeconomic conditions, and ethnic cleansing as Japanese colonists move inwards is all commonplace in directly-managed territories. Imagine Japanese Korea, but in the 2110s. The autonomous regions within the Siberian interior are basically protectorates, so they don't have it as bad, but they still face bad economic conditions and poor treatment by Japanese colonial authorities. This has caused an influx of Russian refugees to Central Asia (or, for the really desperate or naive, the Russian warlord states) whereas treatment of the non-Japanese within Alaska and Hawaii has only fueled the flames of American revanchism. It's also worth pointing out that people of Japanese descent who were born in the colonies prior to their annexation, don't have it well-off either and are either treated like traitors or second class colonials, as was a similar case for Japanese-Americans during WWII.

  • Did the Sudanese Christian Republic originate from South Sudan?
Exactly! South Sudan would invade Sudan in the 2030s alongside the ADCF, annexing the southern chunk. From here, the region was very difficult to control, and as Sudan went through constant regime changes, Christian theocratic sentiments began to grow within the south. This led to the establishment of the Sudanese Christian Republic following a theocratic coup in the 2050s that subsequently went about efficiently consolidating control over the historically unstable state. Juba remains the capital, and both the cultural and religious identity of South Sudan have been permeated by the theocratic regime.

  • Does the DCAR attract a lot of immigrants?
Yes it does. As the global superpower, it's a pretty stable place with a high standard of living, good economy, and absence of persecution found elsewhere in the world. Many migrants are just people abroad seeking a better life by moving to the DCAR, and these groups don't come from any one nation in particular and usually don't leave their homes due to local circumstances, however, there are also often large influxes of refugees from the Russian warlord states, who often cross the Caspian Sea to avoid Ukrainian forces in the Caucasus. Furthermore, the DCAR faced a large influx of refugees in the 2090s from southern Asia following the Third West Asian War due to the region being devastated by the Hindu State and warfare that plagued much of Asia during this time period. Even though the region was stabilizing, South Asia was still in ruin from warfare and many wanted to start a new life in the stable and prosperous DCAR. In the decades since the end of the Third West Asian War, however, migration from South Asia has steadily declined. Finally, while I don't think they qualify as migrants per say, there have also historically been many international volunteers throughout the DCAR and its predecessors' history that ultimately chose to settle down and start a new life within the DCAR, with many volunteers becoming prominent military or political officials.

Sorry that I didn't get around to answering these earlier, as I had some work to do in the morning!
 
(WIP ahead!)

cyberpunkwip.png


This was supposed to be a quick cliché cyberpunk world from a map series I'm working on, but it quickly consumed my entire afternoon, so I decided to post it and get some feedback while I work in other things I need to. The gist is very basic: the year is 200X, and megacorporations rule neon-lit megacities and jostle over the wild, wild Net. Everybody in the boardrooms agrees that the new hypercapitalist order is here to stay forever, but anarchist hackers, the few remnants of the old Second World, populist movements and Islamic jihadists seem to disagree...

Some notes:
  • The North American Free Trade Agreement is basically 3 (or 5) megacorporations in a trenchcoat. Business minded IBM-Microsoft, pseudo-progressive Apple-Amazon, and U.S. Oil & Steel (basically the Military-Industrial complex given a brand) compete for the presidency of NAFTA, while other "Minor" megacorps like McDonalds-Walmart and Commonwealth Resources wait in the sidelines.
  • The USSR fell messily. The new Russian goverment (actually way less united than shown in the WIP) is basically an oligarchy that sold everything that wasn't bolted to the floor, and then the floor itself, as the Far Eastern Trade Zone can tell you. But as far as the USSR is concerned (yes, it's that... thing in central Asia) they just changed capitals... and some would insist, only temporaly. Many remnants of the old Soviet order can be found elsewhere, from petty dictatorships such as Belarus to actually very sucessful models such as Vietnam, and revolutionary socialism has even taken hold in even some new places, like Bolivia... which makes some corporate suits very nervous.
  • The European Community isn't really looking for new members right now. But vass- I mean, fellow partners? Sure! Most nations have their own internal cartels (Germany has two, because 90s Germany was just that good), Shell Petroleum provides Europe with much needed oil and other resources. The EC competes for influence with NAFTA over the decaying cities of Russia and the former Warsaw Pact, as well as the resource rich Third World.
  • Japan Takes Over The World!!! as you would expect. Well, actually, countries like Korea and Singapore, while subordinated to Japan's economic and political power, are quite independent themselves with their own growing megacorporations. Japan has a lot of new vassals in the former USSR and former PRC, but there it has to compete with its former partner...
  • ...the Republic of China, which is fighting the Civil War Part Two against what remains of the People's Republic of China, though now with hackers, cyborgs and mechas. The Hong Kong and Macau Free Cities play each other out and keep Japan at bay too, but nobody knows how long the neon libertarian 'utopia' will last...
  • (Do I regret making this overly complex and hard to paint China? Perhaps.)
  • Mercosur looks like a big powerful player here, but it's actually sold out to megacorporations from all over the world. With one particular exception; the Multinational Hydroenergy Entity, which started as the owners of Yacyretá, and now own Itaípu, Salto Grande, and so many more, and are quickly branching in other business. Seems like the Paraguayans are playing the long game here...
  • Chile, meanwhile, has been completely sold out to corporations after Pincohet's death. The Chilean Administration is just a board of directors and little else.
  • The UK is an increasingly Orwellian dystopia almost wholly owned by Commowealth Resources, an Evil Australian-Canadian-South African megacorp that has gigantic mining operations all over the world. They also sell tea and kitchen appliances.
  • The Inevitable Indo-Pakistani Nuclear War finally happened (still a WIP of course), just a few years ago. The remains of India are quickly being eaten by Naxalite insurgents, while Pakistan has become a Jihadist state, with nukes. The corporate world order is quickly finding out this isn't a problem they can throw money or mercenaries at...
Not shown (yet!): the corporate scramble for Africa, and Asia, and the Americas, and everywhere else really... a further broken Russia, Middle Eastern conflicts, other minor corporations, mafias, and non-corporate groups, other states 'out of the market' like Iran and Libya, changing the megacorps for more subtle names, a totally cool cyberpunk color scheme, and so on. I also might put some crazier things like AIs and space colonies to the mix.
 
Last edited:

Eparkhos

Banned
Language Map, 1400.png

Primary Languages within the Roman Empire and its two vassals/autonomous regions, the Despotate of Thessalia and the Turkmen Sultanate in 1400;

Purple - Greek (Rhomaioi), in all its different dialects. It's the official language of the Empire, the language of business across the state and makes up the plurality, but has made little inroad amongst ethnic minorities in Anatolia
Green-Gray - Salchouq Turkish (Saltzoukoi), the language of the old Seljuks. Most of the sedentary population in Anatolia either speaks Salchouq or Greek
Green-Blue - Bulgarian (Voulgaroi), which has been reduced only to farmers in the hinterland and the upper Axios. Anyone with class has transitioned to Greek.
Yellow-Bronze - Aromanian (Vlakh), which is spoken primarily by herders in Europe that migrated into Anatolia during the reign of Alexios VI. Their primary wintering grounds are in Paphlagonia and the Anatolian Gates
Red - Albanian (Arbanoi), which like Aromanian is spoken primarily amongst herders in both continents. Notably, most have transitioned to sedentary farming in western Paphlagonia and the Meandros valley.
Brown - Circassian (Kassagoi), which is slowly fading away as younger generations transition to Greek, Albanian or Aromanian. There are still some groups in Paphlagonia and on the left bank of the Sangarios, but the primary impact of their migration during the previous century has been on their old homeland, which has strong ties to Rhomaion.
Silver - Gothic (Gothoi), which is spoken by the Goths. Little has changed in Crimea, as it is the most autonomous of the regular provinces.
Green - Italian (Italoi), which is spoken by the Italians, primarily of Genoese origin. Only in certain parts of the Crimea do they form a plurality, but there are many small populations scattered across the empire. Most merchants are Italians or of partial Italian origin.
Pink - Armenian (Armenioi), which is spoken by the Armenians. The largest populations are in Cilicia and the Tauruses, where they live in almost the exact same way as they have for millenia. There is a smaller populace in the city of Dorylaion, in Western Anatolia.
Orange - Turkmen (Ouzoi), which is spoken exculsively by nomads living on the Anatolian plateau. They proved to troublesome to govern from Konstantinoupoli, and so power was devolved to the Turkmen Sultanate, which is held by a branch of the Atmanoglu Dynasty, which has loyally served the throne since the late 1200s.
 
Disunited America.png

In an alternate 1780s, The Articles of Confederation is kept in the constitution. This, however, is a death toll to the young United States. WIth the states being more loyal to themselves than the federal republic, This caused instability and rebellion. With disputed borders over states being unresolved, The US begins to collapses. Eventually, the US economy would begin to slump, especially with Lousiana purchases. By 1810, The US was dissolved into multiple small states. The remaining members loyal to the federal government establish the United States of Columbus. Meanwhile, the smaller northern states establish the Republic of New England. New England would gain a Protectorate status to Great Britain. Eventually, American settlers would expand west through an alternate manifest density, With the belief that the American people should expand to the pacific. Eventually, Texas and California would gain independence from Mexico. Meanwhile The Spanish colonies in Florida, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the DC, All declared independence and became the Caribbean republic. In 1858, The Confederation of America was founded to aid the southern states. By 1914, Many nations have been formed in the former united states. However, once WW1 started, Many of the countries became divided. New England and New York would join the entente once the war began. Eventually, Border skirmishes in the midwest would cause Texas and California to join the war on the central powers. Eventually, Virginia and Ohio join on CP while Mighican joins on the entente. The Central powers still win thanks to the Russians collapsing and No US troops or supplies supporting the entente. France soon collapses and surrender in late 1918 with the fall of Paris but the British stay in a cold war-like conflict with Germany until the end of 1919 with the Treaty of London, Which created a status quo ante Bellum with Germany, Britain Japan and Portugal. Meanwhile, in America, Texas would occupy New Mexico and Colorado. California would occupy Utah. It is now 1925, The multiple American nations would either be in a roaring age or a depressing age.
 
This is an interesting take on the oft-used AoC analogue, but I think butterflies will not permit for both the state names and boundaries in the western United States. Its all too similar to OTL.
Yeah, honestly every internal border from the eastern line of OTL Mississippi west needs to be altered. Most of America's straight lines and box-shaped states out there have rather arbitrary boundaries that could easily have been changed with far less of a divergent timeline than this.
 
unknown-211.png

The North Atlantic Islands in Earth 98. (Newfoundland for reference)
In Pink, is the Ursuline Islands. Discovered by the Portugalicians in 1467 they were named after Saint Ursula and the legend of the 10000 Armorican virgins, It remained under Portugalician control until the English invaded the islands in the late 1500s, and they've been in UK control ever since as a first a crown colony, and later a dependency. Most of the population of roughly 170,000 people makes a living fishing and herding animals.

In Yellow is the Republic of Antillia. discovered by Spanish sailors during 1430s at the same time as the Azores, these islands were populated by Spaniards of Cantabrian descent. During the age of revolution, The isles declared independence from the Spanish crown after the Spanish war of independence from Italy. The islands of roughly 1.7 million people are known for their seafood, historic precious metal mining, and their staunch independence.

In Green are the Portugalician Azores. not much different from OTL besides having a population of roughly 3.2 million people.

In Blue is the Republic of the Great Waves, or also known as the Ile de la Grandes Vagues. The small group of isolated islands were discovered by Basque sailors heading to the Grand Banks sometime in the 1300s, and are believed to have been referenced earlier as St. Brendan's Islands, but weren't settled until the 1530s by French mostly from the Santoinge and Breton regions. The gained there independence in 1921 after the Great War. the 24.000 Vagueois/Wavers make a living fishing, shipbuilding, and acting as a resupply for transatlantic shipping.
 
I've been experimenting a bit more with "conflicting claims" maps. This one is inspired by a recent discussion about ways to improve the lot of Nieuw-Nederland. What we see here is just such a scenario. One wherein the British are driven from the North-Eastern end of North America, whereas the French (and Spanish) are pushed out of the South-Eastern regions. In between a French North-East and a British South-East, the Dutch manage to hold onto their colony. The British, more oriented towards the Caribbean, deprive the Dutch of their colonies in that region. Nieuw-Nederland becomes the only Dutch colony in the Western hemisphere, and is taken over by the Staten-Generaal as the Dutch West India Company folds.
"Draw the line to the Allegheny, then... I dunno, keep going?"
 

Skallagrim

Banned
"Draw the line to the Allegheny, then... I dunno, keep going?"
That's the compromise they end up with. The Dutch position initially was: draw a line West to the Allegeny, and then everything South of the Allegheny/Ohio is definitely for the British, but everything North of it is ours for the claiming, yes?
 
Top
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top