Geographic Guide

[OboeKade]

OBOEKADE'S GEOGRAPHIC GUIDE



The Project

First of all, thank you for taking the time to check out my project! It means a lot.

So what will this entail? Well, I'm hoping to map out the world of DragonVale as described in existing in-game descriptions, from dragons to decorations to buildings and everything in between. The result of careful planning (and lots and lots of trial and error!) is what I plan to outline in this thread.

Lore Accuracy

I plan on staying quite true to the lore, especially for this project specifically. Of course some assumptions are made, and I created the continent names myself, but I want to try to ensure the integrity of this project. Anything explicitly stated is included, and anything contradicting existing statements will not be included. I just fill in the rest.

Planned Updates

I hope to post at the very least biweekly, hopefully weekly if my schedule allows. I won't set a specific day of the week for updates, but expect the weekends to be when I update. Anything new will be mentioned in the "Welcome to Help Boards" thread.

I will also incorporate a table of contents here for all future posts.

[OboeKade]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Landmass Maps
2. Tectonic Plates Map
3. Coming soon

[OboeKade]

Landmass Maps

It's been a decent amount of time since I created this thread, but I promise it hasn't died! The DV Geographic Guide is back in full swing, ready to be shared with the world.

Maps have always captivated my attention - from times before I remember to today, I've always been infatuated with this intricate art of simultaneously providing information and making complex and beautiful art. The maps I'm showing today are by no stretch of the imagination very complex, but every project bust have a starting point to build upon. These following maps will lay the foundation for the eventual "ultimate" map of the DV world, complete with every place mentioned in the lore (and a couple that I've come up with that are too interesting to leave out!) and a (hopefully) complete book outlining each location in vivid detail (more on that later). Let's begin, shall we?

Equirectangular Projection

Equirectangular projections are just as they sound - map projections that put equal distance between lines of longitude and latitude. Pictured below is an example using a planet you all should be quite familiar with - Earth!



Credit to Wikipedia for the picture.

Now, this map is interesting because it also serves as a satellite map, showing the landmasses as they might be pictured from, you guessed it, a satellite. My equirectangular map of the DV world serves strictly as an equirectangular map - that is, I have a separate satellite map I'll show off later. Pictured below is my equirectangular map of the world of DragonVale, drawn using maptoglobe.com, colored using Photoshop Elements, and gridded using NASA's G.Projector tool.



Already you can begin to see the ways I might craft tectonic plates or biomes after comparing it to the map of our world - but what if I combined the two maps?

Pictured below is the previous map with an overlay of our world.



Robinson Projection

Another common map projection is the Robinson - this one is often a sight in classrooms and is used globally. Pictured below is a map of our world in Robinson form, all credits to Wikipedia of course.



And here's my DV map conformed to this projection:



And finally, an overlayed version:



If you're still with me after that doozy of a post, bravo! You definitely deserve some koalas in your dragon park(s). And just for sticking with me, I'll let you know to be on the lookout for another map post next weekend - you might get to learn some plate tectonics.

Cheers!

OboeKade

[OboeKade]

Tectonic Plates Map

Welcome back! It's been far too long. Pull up a chair, sit back, and relax (with koala-approved beverages, of course) as I explore the plate tectonics of the DragonVale world.

Plate tectonics have always been intriguing to me (plate tectonics and cartography... nerd much? ) - they are the driving force behind planetary change and stability, and they are the reason we have formations ranging from sweeping mountain ranges to deep ocean ridges. Long story short, our planet would be a completely different place without them. In my eyes, the DV world functions much the same as ours in this regard.

Pictured below is a tectonic map of Earth for reference.



The Map

This map, pictured below, is a basic overview of plate movements across the DV world. Parallel arrows indicate transform faults (places prone to earthquakes - think the western USA), arrows pointing towards each other indicate convergent boundaries (places with mountains, volcanoes, island arcs, etc. - the Himalayas and Japan are examples of this), and arrows pointing away from one another indicate divergent boundaries (typically characterized by ocean ridges - the Mid-Atlantic Ridge being one of those).



Examples in the DV World

Fortunately for me, there's a ton of room left for interpretation as to the origins of each mentioned DV location. As a general rule I tried to place mountain ranges either along convergent boundaries (Kakapo Mountains, Drizzlemist Heights) or in places with now-defunct convergent boundaries (Windswept Peaks), and I treated island arcs much the same (especially the Shimmering Isles). Everything else, be it the Sandara Desert or the Thousand Acre Woods or even the Lantern Deeps, was filled in after I completed mountains and islands (but then climate had to be kept in mind - see one of my future posts for that).

Embarking on this project has definitely made me see the DV world in a completely new light - and I can't wait to continue sharing this project as it grows. Thanks for reading! Until next time,

OboeKade

[OboeKade]

Climate Map

Welcome back! In my previous segment, I explored the plate tectonics of the DV world. Now it's time to take a look at climate trends (and biomes, by extension) - using the Köppen classification, of course!

Please allow me precisely two minutes and eight seconds, Buckbeak's Flight just came on my playlist. It's heavenly. 

Okay, I'm back. Let's dive right in, shall we? For those unfamiliar with the Köppen classification, I've attached a picture below and linked a Wikipedia article - it's a lot, but it's super interesting! Also pictured below is a climate map of Earth for reference.


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification




The Map

Back from the super long Wikipedia article? Excellent! XD
You can always use the Earth map as reference too - and it's not like I'm just going to leave you in the dark as I take even deeper dives later!

This map attempts to accurately represent every mentioned location in DragonVale as a climate zone - more of this will be explored later, I promise. Without further introduction (because let's be real, you're here for the map!), allow me to present the DV climate map, complete with Köppen color coding to match the Wikipedia version.



Examples in the DV World

Fortunately for me, there's a ton of room left for interpretation as to the climate of every DV location. I chose to represent the Sandara Desert, for example, as a BWh climate - dark red on the map, representing arid deserts. And the Krollsmarsh is represented as Af - dark blue on the map, representing tropical rainforest (and by extension, some swamps!). A lot of my classifications are based on common sense, but a few assumptions were made that I'll explore later.

Following this map, I have two more posts until we begin extensively looking at each location - I can't wait to show you this part of the journey!
Until next time,

OboeKade