Sunday 21 March 2010

Pictures of the Real Zama

I thought it might be useful to show some links to photos of Zama I found on the interweb, which explain why I've made the terrain colours a bit muted (some might say a bit grey!).  

Here's the approach to Zama at sunset:-

http://www.woodbrothers.tv/image.axd?picture=2009%2F11%2FWood+Brothers+-+Zama+sunset.jpg

And this picture, in particular, is very much what I'm trying to capture:-


http://www.woodbrothers.tv/image.axd?picture=2009%2F12%2FWood+Brothers+-+battlefield+of+Zama.jpg

The field is slightly browner than mine, but appears to be an umber-type shade.  I wanted to achieve a very dried out , dusty post-harvest look.  In hindsight, I could have bunged a bit of yellow ochre into the mix when highlighting, which I do with the mix I use for basing.  I'll need to work in some clumps of dark green vegetation.  If anyone could whip up some trees looking like those, that would be very helpful!

The below looks like it is taken much earlier in the year, as it is a lot greener, but appears to include an olive grove (I have one on order):-

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/23/95148729_137d2b6ba9.jpg

5 comments:

Broeders said...

Don't worry. That's Jama - not Zama.

Dante said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BigRedBat said...

You say Zama, and I say Jama; Zama, Jama, Osama, Obama... let's call the whole thing off...

Doc Smith said...

Hey there BRB - I always thought Zama was a big flat plain. I note in the last pic that it dips quite markedly in the middle and is marked with shallow gullies. I gather some of this erosion has occurred over the last millennium, not the previous?? You could hide well... - an elephant or two in that wash! (Well, a dead Nellie anyway - I notice you've got a few of those!) How do these photo references reconcile with your terrain mapping/modeling?

Just interested as I always wanted to try my hand at terrain making for gaming too and wondered how you'd deal with these issues.

Cheers,
Doc

BigRedBat said...

Hi DocSmith, I think that they know the rough area where the battle was fought but not the exact location. The last picture I'm doubtful about, because it isn't a plain, as described, and as you say; but it does give an idea of colours/vegetation. Other pics (there's one in Goldsworthy) suggest flat.