Holy cow—if you like fantasy maps, spend some time looking at New Orleans. WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON WITH THIS CITY?! If this came in from a freelancer, there are half a dozen things that would raise my eyebrows.
Like, look at this river. All these different places it could enter the lake or the sea, but no, it goes ALL THE WAY to the very tip of the land to enter the water. Artificial? Maybe, but who would bother? Totally unrealistic.
And let's take a look at this gem: A highway running between two GIGANTIC, FUCK-OFF LAKES NEAR THE OCEAN. A tiny strip of land barely wide enough for the road, and you're going to build HOUSES on it? No way. Nobody's that dumb.
And then there's this thing. What even is this? A canal? More like your eraser tool slipped, and you didn't notice until it was time to color things and you were too lazy to go back and fix it. Sloppy.
And speaking of sloppy: Did you seriously just label this thing as a LAKE? It is ATTACHED TO THE FUCKING OCEAN, STEVE. THAT MAKES IT, BY DEFINITION, NOT A LAKE.
And you like lakes? Then let's talk bridges. Building a bridge is HARD. Like, real hard. That's why we do it at the narrowest point. You wanna build one across the WIDEST POINT OF THE FUCKING LAKE, then you're putting that shit together by yourself, Steve.
Okay, all the texture you've got going on in here? It looks rad, I'll give you that. But killing yourself like this in a map turnover is pointless, because no cartographer is going to bother recreating every little puddle. They're gonna slap on a swamp texture and cash the check.
I'm sure there are many more things I could critique, but I don't want to be too harsh. It *is* a really interesting-looking design, but in the end, it's just not believable. (And don't give me your giant document on why it could be this way—we don't have space to print that.)
Anyway, big props to the South for convincing me that New Orleans was a real place—you really had me going there for a while. Please clean up your map and resubmit when it follows the rules of a real-world city.
@jameslsutter James, I invite you to travel to the city of New Orleans. I also invite you to take a tour with me at no charge. I would love to show you around.
@erniestours Thank you so much! I hope to get down there one day!
@jameslsutter If you ever wanna come down, DM me and I’d be happy to help you plan your visit. I want people to have a great time and stay the F off Bourbon. :)
@alex_and_harley Thanks! :)
@jameslsutter @WhoWhatWhyCast I referenced this recently in a podcast interview as a great example of why using the real world lets you get away with stuff you can't get away with in fiction.
@GMingBallistic @WhoWhatWhyCast Awesome! :D
@jameslsutter Still my favorite posts of the year. Tempted to build a MUD zone around this!
@calvnnhobs Thanks! :D
@ropirito How did we never see it before?!?!
@jameslsutter I'd have read a 50-tweet version of this. It was awesome.
@jameslsutter @McGrewSecurity I think it’s been conclusively proven that New Orleans wasn’t the best location on earth for a major city.
@jameslsutter Coastal erosion and letting oil companies build private canals explains most of it. Check similarly detailed maps from 20, 50, and 100 years ago to see the drastic changes
@jameslsutter Fun thread. I think much of what you're observing is the result of (white) people trying to create fixed structures out of natural systems that are radically dynamic. I also recommend Rebecca Solnit's "Unfathomable City": http://rebeccasolnit.net/book/...
@jameslsutter @thebarryhorns @LieutenantCool @dinoInHD this is a funny thread
@jameslsutter I work in a library and I just saw a book come through called THE ACCIDENTAL CITY. It's about New Orleans.
@jameslsutter Please make a series where you review maps of ridiculous but real places. I need more!
@jameslsutter This isn’t New Orleans, but this lake in Quebec, Canada always fascinated me... it just looks too round to be natural.
@jameslsutter @osmie If I were inventing a fake city, I’d probably put it at exactly 30°N, 90°W so I remembered where I put it.
@jameslsutter @ryanqnorth The history of New Orleans https://x.com/bjolet/status/76...
@jameslsutter My city is located on a fantasy map in an insane world. That is why I love it.
@jameslsutter @Popehat All good places have their issues. True West Coast story: Me to realtor: "Isn't there a fault line near this house? What about earthquakes?" Realtor *with dismissive wave of hand*: "Oh the Hayward fault is blocks away."
@jameslsutter You're absolutely right. Thank you. I have been thinking this for years, but never had the courage to say it. Now I can move on without trying to make rhyme or reason out of the bridges, (West Bank?) Crescent city connector, causeway, etc. And just get on with my life.
@jameslsutter best city in America - nothing like it clearly
@jameslsutter I'm trying to imagine driving on that highway in the middle of the lake in the rain and just-- NOPE.