Heya folks, it has been two weeks since I first posted a map for the contest : it was a quick and dirty version that can still be seen in the initial teasing banner above (that one too got revamped later on).

Extra editions

Goes with the mood and satiated evening, some bits of behind-the-scenes musings tonight.

Since I just posted/edited my 3rd edition map and I'm quite pleased to have done it in (extended) time for the contest, as it is an essential part of the auroran project and was to be done anyway.

Sadly with my poor graphic skills there wasn't more that I could do : one simple example, getting the shiny toreshian textures for the roofs is way beyond me... and yeah roofs are rough to draw, so I passed on that as well. Though I'm pretty sure I got a level-up or two during these last weeks.

At one point, I even lost the first edition and part of their building pieces, I could say that's the problem with free softwares and online programs, but it was simply on me, rookie mistakes. My advice, save often (ok-milestones) and name them well.

A flag to rally around

I have pinned that logo/flag for Aurora a few years back, when I thought about how to design the initial layout for a fledgling city in Elyria, one of cultivation and refinement.

• The golden ratio, Phi, was used to draw the crescent boulevard (Ombrelune means moon's shadow after all) and do the initial groundwork for the layout.
• Then the care and support of green leaves, about the many ideas on how to nurture the nature and our environment to thrive rather than survive : steps up towards a virtuous circle and a reflection about the seasonal cycles.
• The flame lantern in the middle, both for the implied tech (sand to glass) and mastery over those elements, our skills shall fuel further innovation up.
• The towering open book is also a field of knowledge, giving shape for the campus in many senses as its new seeds and wards are cared for.
• The two dots on the size resonates with our credo of fairness, which is slightly assymetrical (that's what non-digital beauty is after all); and musicians may have picked the drawn bass key in the ensemble.
• And below flows a river, just like how spreads knowledge, with purpose and dedication till they reach their meant ocean.

Lastly the four key corners represent each one of the essential ditricts : art (treble key), port (anchor), ranch (horseshoe) and workshop (gear).

See you next time

Voilà, final touches will still be done, new editions though about, but it's the closing chapter for this contest. It has been an interesting ride, a bit hurried in my schedule for sure, but happy to share the results.

Have a lovely Settlers of Elyria, and as a parting quote, "I love when a plan comes together". ;-)

Since the contest is done, lets add some words behind the map, quoting the description found on the Aurora Beach's forum post.

City tour

South, the Emporium Hub district, link between the shore and the commerces, is probably where most visitors got their first step in town, disembarking from the harbor, the coach station or at the caravanserail.

Next, acting as our business incubator, the nearby Workshop Central could as well be called a fully-fledged shopping center, with its food court and rent-a-stall markets jouxting commodities and luxury frontstores. Most other districts radiate from that commercial plaza and the crescent boulevard rounding it.

North, the Farm Ranch, with its many exotic features like its jousting facilities and racetrack, extends deeper inland. Quite the sight and size of an atypical pastoral village, with cultivated grovefields and agroforests - in more ways than meet the eye - a successful mix of mann's vision and nature's bounty.

On the eastern side, the Skyfall Campus is dedicated to the Arts, their expressions and teachings (from parkour to acting), fostering arts, performances and skills of many kinds with a fundation as gentlemann-farmers.

A little further both along time and shore, you'll witness the essor of our more private residential districts, Cloud Nine, with its stilted architecture hovering the seashore. While along the west side of the estuary is the historical founding location of Blacklantern Corner.

Finally your steps may eventually round up towards the Riverside Gardens and its iconic beach resort for some hard-earned R&R.