Mapping Improvement Thread

Started by KRoP, October 25, 2008, 10:24:44 pm

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Heretic86

Quote from: Vexus on April 02, 2012, 06:50:02 am
Imo if you don't make cracks in cave walls your just lazy.

I made cracks in my maps too and they make the map look better.


IM glad Im not the only one that does this.  That screenie was just a small chunk of a much bigger map...



I did go back and tweak it to make the water edges have a rounded texture.  This one is square, but I fixed that already...
Current Scripts:
Heretic's Moving Platforms

Current Demos:
Collection of Art and 100% Compatible Scripts

(Script Demos are all still available in the Collection link above.  I lost some individual demos due to a server crash.)

GrimTrigger

Here is a mountain climbing map, which I made using a custom tileset I've been working on.

I'll be breaking up the vertical cliff face more as I put more time into it. The dark spots on the cliffs are redone wall textures which I use and foot/handholds. I use a terrain tag and a common event to alter the move-speed, so you have to pull yourself up slowly. The top part of the map have a background panorama of the sky.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Landith

Mountain: ShowHide

Swamp: ShowHide

Swamp Ingame: ShowHide


I'm not really comfortable with mapping outside maps :/ I feel like they could be improved greatly. Anyone have any ideas? Or is it fine as it is?

mroedesigns

The mountain map looks good to me. The swamp map looks a bit off for some reason, but I cant quite put my finger on it. Maybe try adding some more things scattered on the ground.


Question for anyone in this thread;

Whats a good way to make natural-feeling borders in what would otherwise be an open map? 

I.E. the map that I'm currently working on is a mining town at the base of the mountain. The northern and western edges are created by the mountain itself. What can I do as a border on the southern and eastern sides? Rivers work occasionally, but if I do it that way every time, eventually I'll just have a huge river running in a giant rectangle around my maps. Any advice / tutorials?

ShadowPierce

Since it's a town, why not use houses? They're always effective as borders... It's also sensible to use a fence or a wall around any town, since, y'know, it's town... :P

Spoiler: ShowHide
Quote from: Blizzard on February 16, 2011, 03:44:48 pmThere you go. It's the proof that SDK is crap. It's incompatible with itself.
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Heretic86

@Landith

I think the Swamp looks excellent the way it is.  The natural borders add to the enviornment and dont appear like they'd cause the player any sort of confusion.  Usually one of my major gripes.

The Mountain I think looks very very good as well.  Only suggestion would be to break up the standardized height by making a few outcroppings of land that the player cant really get to.  Just for visual effects and to help break up any over-standardizations.

Current Scripts:
Heretic's Moving Platforms

Current Demos:
Collection of Art and 100% Compatible Scripts

(Script Demos are all still available in the Collection link above.  I lost some individual demos due to a server crash.)

diagostimo

*(posts this here because it is somewhat related)
hey, i have a little mapping dilema on my hands, heres a picture of a wall in one of my main cities:
Spoiler: ShowHide

ok so what im trying to achieve is a bridge effect, if you are on the wall then you should be able to walk over, or if your not you should be able to walk under it, i could achieve this with events but the problem is outlined in the blue box, those tiles have priority for when on the wall, so there i have the wall and floor tile, and i cant have both tiles as an event :/ i would just like some input on this situation, what do you think my options would be with/without scripts?

GAX

Quote from: diagostimo on July 16, 2012, 12:31:20 am
*(posts this here because it is somewhat related)
hey, i have a little mapping dilema on my hands, heres a picture of a wall in one of my main cities:
Spoiler: ShowHide

ok so what im trying to achieve is a bridge effect, if you are on the wall then you should be able to walk over, or if your not you should be able to walk under it, i could achieve this with events but the problem is outlined in the blue box, those tiles have priority for when on the wall, so there i have the wall and floor tile, and i cant have both tiles as an event :/ i would just like some input on this situation, what do you think my options would be with/without scripts?


I have a (semi) solution.  For CF, I use larger bridges and such so this work for me.  Before the character reaches the Blue Outline (in my case 2 steps into the tunnel), the map is changed (no transition) to a map that contains the under-bridge areas of that part.  This is something I've experimented with for a rather large city (which has made mapping longer to the point of severely delaying work), but overall much more immersive.

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diagostimo

Quote from: GuardianAngelX72 on July 16, 2012, 02:34:14 am
Quote from: diagostimo on July 16, 2012, 12:31:20 am
*(posts this here because it is somewhat related)
hey, i have a little mapping dilema on my hands, heres a picture of a wall in one of my main cities:
Spoiler: ShowHide

ok so what im trying to achieve is a bridge effect, if you are on the wall then you should be able to walk over, or if your not you should be able to walk under it, i could achieve this with events but the problem is outlined in the blue box, those tiles have priority for when on the wall, so there i have the wall and floor tile, and i cant have both tiles as an event :/ i would just like some input on this situation, what do you think my options would be with/without scripts?


I have a (semi) solution.  For CF, I use larger bridges and such so this work for me.  Before the character reaches the Blue Outline (in my case 2 steps into the tunnel), the map is changed (no transition) to a map that contains the under-bridge areas of that part.  This is something I've experimented with for a rather large city (which has made mapping longer to the point of severely delaying work), but overall much more immersive.

yes that would work, but i am currenty working on this project with rmx-os, even such, if i was to pack the area with with npc,s that move around etc, it would be hard to pinpoint there locations on the new map, i have been messing around with the passability and priority of tiles and managed to get it to somewhat work, if wall switch is on then the bridge takes its normal passability as if the payer was walking over it, and if the wall switch is off then the passage of the tiles are forced to passable with a priority, the only dilema now is getting it to work with the online system, i havnt tried it yet but im guessing if one player is on the wall and another passes under it, it will look like the other player is walking straight over the wall :/

MarkHest

July 20, 2012, 03:13:36 pm #409 Last Edit: July 20, 2012, 03:15:46 pm by MarkHest
Here are some before and after screenies of maps i made a while back and edited today. Personally i think i've improved a bit

Number 1: ShowHide


Number 2: ShowHide


Number 3: ShowHide
   

ForeverZer0

Wow, that's a giant improvement. :)
I am done scripting for RMXP. I will likely not offer support for even my own scripts anymore, but feel free to ask on the forum, there are plenty of other talented scripters that can help you.

MarkHest

Thanks :) These maps also uses lighting, maybe i'll post em up some later sometime. That will probably be in the screenshot folder, though.
   

Vexus

Very big improvement congrats :)

Just 1 tiny suggestion, why the long wide stairs? Wouldn't it be more appropriate having it the size of the path only and the rest just cliff?
Current Project/s:

MarkHest

Nope, the stairs on the first two maps are supose to be wide and 'welcoming' with free passability for lots of people. It's not suposed to be cramped together.
   

Vexus

July 21, 2012, 05:40:42 am #414 Last Edit: July 21, 2012, 05:44:56 am by Vexus
Up to you really but taking for example your first screenshot the stairs at the top on the left and right end are blocked by the fountains and if that flower is passable when you climb up there's not much you can go to by the sides. (Maybe a personal view but I don't really like that whole wall being a huge wide stairs)

There's also another improvement you could do, when you go a higher level wouldn't the sides of the higher plain be higher than the water rather than being all on the same level?

Also for the 3rd screenshot have you considered using something like this http://www.ninesages.org/XP_Album/displayimage.php?album=354&pos=4 instead of that autotile as terrain? Honestly it doesn't match or makes much sense in being in the plains but up to you I'm only offering suggestions. 
Current Project/s:

MarkHest

July 21, 2012, 06:26:14 am #415 Last Edit: July 21, 2012, 06:27:27 am by MarkHest
QuoteThere's also another improvement you could do, when you go a higher level wouldn't the sides of the higher plain be higher than the water rather than being all on the same level?


I don't understand what you mean :xD:
Could you show me an example?

QuoteAlso for the 3rd screenshot have you considered using something like this http://www.ninesages.org/XP_Album/displayimage.php?album=354&pos=4 instead of that autotile as terrain? Honestly it doesn't match or makes much sense in being in the plains but up to you I'm only offering suggestions.


Wait... you want me to fill my grassy plains with gravel? :O.o:
Or did you just mean parts of it?
   

Vexus

July 21, 2012, 06:43:19 am #416 Last Edit: July 21, 2012, 06:56:10 am by Vexus
Here's a fast example:

Spoiler: ShowHide


Notice how the water is below the level of the higher part of the cliff instead of being all in the same level that's what I meant. (Obviously the bottom part needs to be either replaced by one with water or placed one by one as event with around 200 opacity to mimic the underwater effect)

As for the other question on your 3rd screenshot your using a city terrain as passage in the plains or forest whatever it is and it doesn't match visually so I suggested you to try using a rounded "dirt" terrain that fits a lot more on grass than what your using currently.
Current Project/s:

MarkHest

July 21, 2012, 08:07:45 am #417 Last Edit: July 21, 2012, 08:09:27 am by MarkHest
It's not a normal plain. It's a place where light being live, a sort of paradise if you will. It's supose to be a mix between a city and plain.
It's not a nature area where you simple walk past. Think of it as a very big park of a city, hehe.

As for the thing with the screenshot you made. You're forgetting i am using waterfalls. If i am using a waterfall to change the level of the terrain the upper or lower part should have the same level as the water level, same because that changes with the waterfall, since there is a cliff inside the waterfall too, right? :P
   

epochDEV

Quote from: Heretic86 on April 02, 2012, 05:21:41 am
I've apparently got a weakness for trying to put in natural looking "cracks" into cave systems.



Not going for this image specifically, but what do you guys think of using cracks in the cave walls as a Style in General?



Looks solid, add some dynamic shading and it'd be a beauty.

Heretic86

Quote from: epochDEV on October 30, 2012, 02:58:37 pm
Quote from: Heretic86 on April 02, 2012, 05:21:41 am
I've apparently got a weakness for trying to put in natural looking "cracks" into cave systems.



Not going for this image specifically, but what do you guys think of using cracks in the cave walls as a Style in General?



Looks solid, add some dynamic shading and it'd be a beauty.


It does have lighting effects.  It was an example of a mapping style where cracks are put into cave walls instead of just being flat, but those would have been not visible with the lighting effects left in, so the lighting effects were pulled out.  In game, with some lighting effects, it does look much much better, as you said.
Current Scripts:
Heretic's Moving Platforms

Current Demos:
Collection of Art and 100% Compatible Scripts

(Script Demos are all still available in the Collection link above.  I lost some individual demos due to a server crash.)