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10:57, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Modern city map generator.

Posted by creegun
creegun
member, 62 posts
Fri 6 Jul 2018
at 10:59
  • msg #1

Modern city map generator

Hello,
I'm soon to start a Vtm game irl and I thought of sorting an actual map to visualize elements of the game. Is there a premade map generator or atleast good advice how to easily design something like that?
It's suppose to be a made up big city somewhere west of the great lakes.
Hapax Legomenon
member, 13 posts
Fri 6 Jul 2018
at 11:04
  • msg #2

Modern city map generator

This is genuinely not intended to be a smartass reply, but is there some special reason you can't just use an actual RL map of an actual city west of the Great Lakes?
creegun
member, 63 posts
Fri 6 Jul 2018
at 11:46
  • msg #3

Modern city map generator

I have an American player and I'd be damned if he starts stating real facts about my city >.<
But for real, I guess I could work with that if there's an easy way to remove street names and such and do slight modifications to suit my needs
DarkLightHitomi
member, 1393 posts
Fri 6 Jul 2018
at 16:44
  • msg #4

Modern city map generator

There are tons of premade fantasy maps out there too. I have a gta5 map and a couple others from video games (they came in the boxes as extras).

But even so, just google up fantasy city maps.

That said, there are a couple generators out there that will generate a city including a key to what all the buildings are.
pdboddy
member, 616 posts
EST/EDT [GMT-5/GMT-4]
Fri 6 Jul 2018
at 17:34
  • msg #5

Modern city map generator

https://watabou.itch.io/mediev...ntasy-city-generator

Probably not what you want, it's a fantasy city generator.  However, you could turn off the options for castles and such, and just get streets and buildings.  Which might work for what you want?
creegun
member, 64 posts
Fri 6 Jul 2018
at 20:41
  • msg #6

Modern city map generator

Eh... Not quite. Thank you
muledonkey
member, 21 posts
Fri 6 Jul 2018
at 22:53
  • msg #7

Modern city map generator

I wasn't able to find a generator online right away, but I did find some sound advice for designing your own fictional city maps here: https://worldbuilding.stackexc...for-a-fictional-city

The answer given by Serban Tanasa in that thread seems like a particularly useful step-by-step checklist.

There was a promotional free PDF download years ago when Monte Cook's World of Darkness was published; it had several blank city blocks in it, along with advice on how to use the same maps to create very different-feeling districts. I'm having trouble remembering the name of it from here at work, but once I get home I can look it up and see if it's still available through DriveThruRPG.
Alyse
member, 639 posts
Pretty, witty, and gay
(married since 2011!)
Fri 6 Jul 2018
at 23:21
  • msg #8

Modern city map generator

I usually check out the Town/City Mapping subforum on Cartographer's Guild and browse the maps there.

 ~ https://www.cartographersguild...orumdisplay.php?f=39
muledonkey
member, 22 posts
Sat 7 Jul 2018
at 01:57
  • msg #9

Modern city map generator

Here it is: Damnation City District Map Segments:

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/pr...istrict-Map-Segments
MrKinister
member, 15 posts
Sat 7 Jul 2018
at 04:40
  • [deleted]
  • msg #10

Modern city map generator

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 04:48, Sat 07 July 2018.
icosahedron152
member, 871 posts
Sat 7 Jul 2018
at 05:05
  • msg #11

Modern city map generator

I often use RL city maps. You're the GM, just tell the guy straight that the only connection between your city and any real city is the street layout, and even that may be open to change. Assert yourself! :)

You can make it a little easier by taking a city from some other part of the English-speaking world and transposing it into the area you want. It'll take him a long time to figure out even which city you're using.

I used parts of RL South Africa to represent another planet in a game once, and I've used RL Southampton, England, to represent... Southampton, Zombiefied England, without any problems from players.

A 'cease and desist' order from the GM (should it even prove necessary) is a lot less effort than designing a city from scratch, IMO.
NowhereMan
member, 220 posts
Sat 7 Jul 2018
at 05:12
  • msg #12

Modern city map generator

What I would do is use a real, small city. Your American player might know Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, but probably doesn't know Aurora, Colorado. It'd still end up being bigger than most fictional cities in video games by a huge margin, not to mention more realistic, and unless you happen to pick precisely the wrong city (the one your player lives in), it's highly unlikely someone will know it.
Larrikin
member, 36 posts
Fri 5 Oct 2018
at 17:37
  • msg #13

Modern city map generator

I realize it's been a few months but I recently found this and I think it suits the purpose of all sorts of city maps. It creates hamlets, villages, towns, and cities. All various sizes and time periods.

https://www.rpglibrary.org/sof..._city_map_generator/
BlzBub666
member, 380 posts
Better The Devil ...
... You Know???
Sun 7 Oct 2018
at 07:42
  • msg #14

Modern city map generator

A very big (huge, actually), thank you to muledonkey and Larrikin for your links.  I had been looking for something like this for such a long time without success.
Kilgs
member, 361 posts
Sat 10 Nov 2018
at 17:59
  • msg #15

Modern city map generator

This doesn't generate maps but uses different filters on real maps. It's one of my all-time favorite sites. You can pull up street maps without names and do all sorts of cool stuff.

http://maps.stamen.com/#terrai.../14/30.8374/-87.8872
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