Fast and efficient mapping for intermediate

Started by Blizzard, January 12, 2008, 12:48:21 pm

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Blizzard

January 12, 2008, 12:48:21 pm Last Edit: January 12, 2008, 01:00:32 pm by Blizzard
Fast and efficient mapping for intermediate


Note: This tutorial is not meant for newbies. To be able to really understand this tutorial and its purpose as well as the whole idea, you should have some more mapping experience and/or already have read easier tutorials.


The idea

How many times did you make a small map and it just took too long? 20 minutes? 30 minutes? Or even an hour? After reading this tutorial, this is never gonna happen again, especially not with bigger maps! (Ever got tired of a map sized 60x60 taking more than an hour?)
1st Note: This tutorial loses its function if you have a bad tileset to work with...
2nd Note: The speed also depends on how fast you move the mouse around, so don't expect to make large maps in 10~15 minutes, if you're too slow with the mouse.
3rd Note: Making maps this way can easily exhaust you (no joke, make 5 40x40 maps in one hour and you'll see, what I mean). So if you feel a little bit tired after a few maps, take a little break and continue later.


Long is the way of a mapper

Let's first see, what we need: We need an ice cave interior with 8~9 maps. The cave's maps should be too mazey, but they shouldn't be straight as well. Also no special "trigger something here to open something there" puzzles (this is only a mapping tutorial after all...).


Step 1: The very beginning

How does the exterior around the cave look like? Is it a mountain? Or is it an underground cave? These factors can affect mapping a lot. If it's an underground cave, there is no much concern about it, but if it's inside a mountain this makes a difference. You interior shouldn't go over the mountain edges, because this will make your maps look unreal in the eyes of a pro, who knows how to map.


Step 2: The plan

Now that you have an idea, where your cave will be, you need to design a sketch. (Paint can be of help...)

image 1:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Make a sketch of a few rooms (marked black) (assuming you have only one floor) and sketch a way through it (red) with a few dead ends (not too many, we don't want it too mazey, remember?)(image 1). You can put a box or two in the dead ends (or not...). Making a path will automatically create walls for you.

image 2:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Sketch the walls (marked blue)(image 2). Just sketch them, no special precision is needed here.


Step 3: Getting started

Now that you have a sketch of an interior comes the difficult part: The real mapping. To save my time and your time as well, I will explain the mapping of only one map. Use the same methods for the other maps and you will learn fast how to map fast AND good.
I will take the right map in the middle row. I will name it, set the ice cave tileset and size it 45x30 (so I don't have to scroll) Let's start with the cave floor(image 3). Set it to layer 1.

image 3:

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I will use the standard floor (marked green) and the bucket tool (marked blue) to make a floor on the 1st layer (marked red). (Not that I use a zoom of 1/2, my favorite: you can see a lot, and you're precise enough to do the rough work.)

image 4:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Now I will change to the 3rd layer, mark the exits of the map (image 4)(not neccesary, I never do it, but it may be easier for you that way).

image 5:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Now I change to the 2nd layer and start with the walls (image 5). Use the corners of walls (marked blue) to make a skelleton of the wall in the room. Don't use too many corners, don't make them too far away, don't make the map squary. The only important thing is that the exists are connected like in the sketch we made in Paint.
Using this method you can easily make the pre-map for your walls without fearing the room will look squary. And don't be afraid of randomness (marked red ;) ). Nature is random after all. Also note that the exits don't have to be at the very end of the interior (right exit, marked green).

image 6:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Now we need to connect the corners with the (still non-existant, use your imagination) straight wall parts (image 6). Use the blue marked tiles (the lowest two only if neccessary of course) to pre-connect the parts.

image 7:

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Now just put in the straight parts (marked blue) of the wall (image 7). All of this may look like not much, but the most difficult part is done.

image 8:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Now extend the visible walls and fill up the empty space with the provided dark tile (image 8). Only be sure to use the lowest row of the lower parts of the wall if you have another floor than the standard. You will notice a little problem (marked red). Just put the wall over and set a tile the in the 3rd layer like I did.


Step 4: The passablity

Assuming you have no passable and unpassable dummy tiles, I will first explain, what they actually are. Open up the database and find the tileset you're working with. You can use ANY CLEAR tile for the dummies. I always use the red marked one as unpassable (image 9) and mostly only one of the passable clear tiles as the passable one.

image 9:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Now go to the 2nd layer, and use the bucket tool with the PASSABLE DUMMY TILE on the empty part of the map. Not that there is a little interruption when in the very middle of the map, so use it once one the left side and once on the right side of the cave. Now go to the 3rd layer.

image 10:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Use any tile you still haven't use in this map on the 3rd layer and fill out the part that is UNPASSABLE (image 10). You can also now remove the markers for the exists if you want (I did), since after the passability you can put the real exits into the map.
Now fill out the PASSABLE part with any PASSABLE tile using the bucket tool again. And at last fill out the UNPASSABLE part (that is already filled out with any visible tile) with the UNPASSABLE dummy tile. Done. You map should now look like the one on image 11.

image 11:

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Step 5: The details

The last thing to do are the details. Put the exits there as first (3rd layer). Go to the 2nd layer and change the visible parts of the walls a little bit. Replace already set tiles with different ones, but not too many. Only a few will suffice (image 12).
Note: Plain RTP tilesets are not very suited for shadowed maps. Have that in mind if working with shadowed maps. I don't use shadowing at all.
If you want to work with different floors, now is the time for it, before you put the details on the 3rd layer.

image 12:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Now change to the 3rd layer and take one of the details. Put a few of it onto the map (image 13).

image 13:

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Repeat that with as many details as you want. Note that if you use less details you may want to decrease the distance between the different objects. Also always, don't use too small distances. The player may have a difficult time passing through and you don't want that (don't you?).

image 14:

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And this is how YOUR map could look like (image 14).


Step 6: Eventing

That is up to you. Put some exits in there as first. Now set up any other events you want to use in this map.


Step 7: The REAL details

There is one more thing about mapping: Real natural randomness and beauty.
There is not really much to explain about that, you just have to try it yourself. Take a look at what I did in the map we've just been working on. (Hint: Use the 1st layer a lot for this.)

image 15:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Last note: I'm no idiot. After making such a nice map, I'm not gonna delete it, lol! Be prepared to find exactly this map in Chaos Project. ;) (That's why I have removed the one exit on the lower left part...)


Comment to different mapping styles (NOT TUTORIALS!):

I have seen alot of maps. From professional games as well as homemade ones. And I have seen different mapping styles. Under these I also have noticed there are a few maps that look like gorgeous masterpieces. But then I took a better look at them. Of course, these maps are good and detailed, but they often look too beautiful, too artifical. Nature on these maps looks like i.e. humans have been working on a huge garden and that map is a part of it. They just look like somebody made nature, not that nature made itself. These maps are not as good as they seem on the first sight. Always be aware of that: Nature is random. Beauty in nature is not always the same beauty human think of. A gorgeous garden can look like a gorgeous garden, but a path on the plains like a gorgeous garden with mountains around?! I don't think so.


What was left out in this tutorial:

- floor detailing (water, paths etc)

Reason for no path flooring:
This map is supposed to be untouched nature. Why the hell should there be a path if nobody ever walked through this cavern?!

Reason for no water flooring:
This is selectable. You can put some water there, but you don't have to, since it's an ice cavern anyway. (Frozen water could be below your very feet any time...)

Reason for no snow flooring:
Same reason as the path flooring. It can't snow inside a cave, somebody had to walk through it, so some snow on their shoes could get in that way. Little animals can't bring in a really noticable ammount of snow and these little ammounts freeze fast with the cave floor together anyway.

Reason for no ice crystal flooring:
No real reason, I just didn't think it would fit into this map very well.

Reason for not using all the details in the tileset:
Maps will start too look too much alike if you do that. Also this cavern was supposed to be totally frozen, so no green at all.

- advanced map shadowing:

Reason:
This tutorial is mainly meant for RTP tileset that mostly have very poor shadowed tiles and therefore most of them are actually unsuited for it.

- advanced detailing (like in image 15)

Reason for no explanation how:
There is none. Just use the appropriate tiles like in making walls mainly in the 1st layer. Don't forget to change the passability map one the 2nd and 3rd layer later after that.

Reason for no explanation at all:
These are additional details. Your map will look nice even without it. And they are not neccessary in every map.

Real reason for no explanation at all:
This is a tutorial for intermediate and would-be intermediates, not for experts after all.

- multi map detailing

Reason:
The shortest explanation of what multi maps are:
A multi map is a map that has a lot of multiple exits and entrances. Depending on where you come in, you can't go anywhere you want. Also you can see the other parts of the map. Making complex multi maps requires intermediate knowlegde of switches and advanced eventing (i.e. for a bridge).
Note: The middle map in the lower row on image 2 is a sort of basic multi map.

- variating maps

Reason:
You need knowledge about variables to be able to make variating maps. These are maps, looking a little bit different from each other, altough it's ONLY ONE map in the editor. This effect is achieved with VARIABLES, NOT SWITCHES, because switches are limited as well as the precondition settings for switches in the events (only 2 switches with the states true and false, so only 4 combinations, while variables can vary from -99999999 to 99999999).


Credits:


  • Blizzard



Side note:

If you know how to make this tutorial better, post your idea.
Check out Daygames and our games:

King of Booze 2      King of Booze: Never Ever
Drinking Game for Android      Never have I ever for Android
Drinking Game for iOS      Never have I ever for iOS


Quote from: winkioI do not speak to bricks, either as individuals or in wall form.

Quote from: Barney StinsonWhen I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.

Calintz

Yay!!
Thank you Blizz!!

Can't wait t'il you get the advanced v. out! ;D

Galatea

Blizz, you really hate the dungeon generator eh?
Hehe.  ;D

Blizzard

Nah, I just do my stuff. If I had a dungeon gen, where would be my limits?! xD
Check out Daygames and our games:

King of Booze 2      King of Booze: Never Ever
Drinking Game for Android      Never have I ever for Android
Drinking Game for iOS      Never have I ever for iOS


Quote from: winkioI do not speak to bricks, either as individuals or in wall form.

Quote from: Barney StinsonWhen I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.

legacyblade

That helped alot, I'll use this tutorial as I try to master mapping.

Sally

yeah, read lots of diffrent tutorials people made and then you will defenently get better.

Calintz

I'm still looking forward to his Advanced Mapping tut...