National Geographic 100 year anniversary

I thought this might be relevant to some people's interests. Sorry if it should go in another part of the forum.

http://news-beta.nationalgeographic.com/2015/01/150123-maps-mapping-cartography-history-national-geographic-centennial/

Thanks for sharing this with us naathim, this has always been a magazine and website that I am drawn to. Those guys hand drawing all those maps must have had some determination. When I am numbering trees at No.654 and nearly half way... The tediousness is stunning!

I particularly liked this quote and I'm sure Psymon can relate to it after the Balkan Peninsula map:

I didn't want to create a new thread for another article, but I thought this was pretty cool.

http://io9.com/an-artist-collaborated-with-bees-to-create-these-amazin-1692130363

HE'S OBVIOUSLY STEALING D12 MAPS!!

Yes, get the lawyers out of the broom cupboard and dust them off ready for action!

Can you sue bees? What can Fendi do with 20,000 kilos of honey?

what does it take to make maps? i could never muster the patience for it. i suspect u have to be very patient, analytical minded, a certain amount of geekiness (no offense) to enjoy the slow process and bit by bit progress watching it come together (like painting d&d figurines or something). i enjoy the game (both risk and d&d), but im not the gamemaster type, rather the player...do the people who make maps on this site also like for ex assembling model airplanes/ships, keeping exotic animals in aquariums, solving the rubrick cube or is it just an odd interest?

naturally having finished a good map, and wahtcing others enjoy it must be grand, but that takes many hours

Okay, I think you pushed the "geek" point well enough!
But, we like to think of it more of a honed craft and skill, which is quite unique, not an odd interest. We all initially came here to enjoy playing the game, but those with real talent in graphics and an acquired high knowledge of the game found themselves willing to give up all their spare time to create and maintain the essential tools for online risk & strategy to make the experience a good one for those that just like to play and make wrongly presumed & uncalled-for remarks with undertones.
BTW I have never painted a figurine, or kept exotic animals / fish, but I built model "aeroplanes" in 1975 & solved the Rubik's Cube in 1980 when it first hit the market, but preferred fixing real fighter jets & bombers for decades, working for the British Royal Family, playing & teaching guitar & bass, playing saxophone (Tenor & Alto), mandolin & singing in a live band, building websites, owning & running a retail store, riding race tuned superbikes, solving printer technical problems online & providing a high standard of living for my wife & children... Oh and making & supervising game maps for D12.

I hope you get a clearer picture of what sort of people are behind the scenes making the game experience one that you enjoy.

dont get me wrong im a geek too (i like computer games d&d and risk, chess reading about science and so forht), buti just think it takes some skill or probably trial by error to indulge in such a complicated task as making workable maps. Actually i think u fit what i imagined, having a wide set of interest that takes dedication to master

i guess im just to lazy to do such a thing, or maybe too fickel (or rather a combination of both, but i respect the effort of everybody who is willing to dedicate time to perfecttion no matter what the field

Well idk about anybody else. But I've always really liked maps to start with. I've got plenty of old atlases and maps and prints that I enjoy looking at.

What little I've done, it is pretty slow paced. You just kind of plod along. It's slow, but I find it pretty relaxing. Like sitting down with kids and coloring. You're like 'wow this is kind of fun'.

And then people want you to change things and your first reaction is like 'NO', but then you realize that what people suggest are actually good ideas.

Honestly, making up a rough draft doesn't take TOO long. But then the editing and polishing come into play and I think that is the longest/most frustrating part.

lol i can imagine, messing with my baby is a no go...but othereyes is a good thing. not so much a map freak myself, but i do like the old ones..they have some sort of serenity to them

 i liked ur comparison of making maps as colouring with kids...i imagine it does have this sort of relaxed feeling to it...wouldnt mind giving it a go myself, but as a pc neanderthal i wouldnt even know where to begin (and prob wouldnt finish either. My brother shares a similar interest in maps (but prob not as much as you), but he can also stare at maps for long time trying to decipher them. its the complexity that i find intriguing...but ok enough spamming from my side, i just find it interesting what motivates mapmakers.

i dont mean to be disrespectful, so sry if it seems so

Well my other interests are weight lifting / fitness comp's / martial arts any type of sport...

what inspired me to do a map was the maps already on d12, when aero brought out italia i was like woahhhh, that's impressive and then I was excited about seeing any more new maps. melee, anchor bay, brethren coast and baltic sea.
I only messed around with graphics before for fun, making gifs and stuff. but with the helpful d12 team i turned some practice into game maps. and the result is on d12 where i can enjoy seeing players play my favorite game on them, which continues to inspire.