My Mapping Adventure :3

[Sora Aoi]

Hello :| well, here we go lol. j/k

uh, I've decided to venture out and do mapping? It's a question, cause i'm not sure if you can really call it that? :B
I mainly compose/play music, so to try mapping is out of my field of expertise :8

Tell me how these look, I just did them 2 hrs ago, and their my first so yeah :|.
Don't be to harsh :x

>! 
-My attempt at a "camp" scene-
-This would be my Port, for when brave adventurers are in need of items :| lol-

Some comments/critiques would be nice. As long as they're constructive :3, cause as I've already made clear, i'm a complete newbie =S.

[Yes, the first map has a black border, but thats only cause… it's night time, yeah :B & now that I look at it, I have no idea why I used that metal walkway instead of something more "earthy", so shame on me :'( ]

[guzmanm]

The maps are really small.
The "camp" map … hmm... doesn't looks like a camp actually, and I really dislike how you filled it with flowers all around the camp site.
The "port" map is overall good, in my opinion, but really small. And, you should add some NPCs in there. It will make it more beautiful.
Well, just gonna say that, it's a good start, hope you get better eventually.

[Sora Aoi]

Thanks for the critique :], and as for the size of the maps, I'm still tinkering/learning the mechanics, so sorry about that =X .

Yeah, my "camp" wasn't all that camp-ish, but I was very limited in the way that I wanted to design it with the tileset I had(default), combine that with my inexperience and this was the result of that :/ .

Thanks for the compliment on the Port. I actually looked for an "RPG(-ish) Dock" tileset and tried to atleast make it seem realistic. I'm working on the NPCs now actually, but when I took the screenie, I hadn't put any in, so that's why their absent.  :embarrassed:

[Sora Aoi]

Well I've done another map, only this time, I tried to pay extraneous detail to how it would be made and the mechanics(npcs/block/shops/etc) behind it. It took me about two hours, but it's probably not all that great :| . It was really a random inspiration, so yeah :x lol. Also, I made a half-assed story to get my mind into what I was doing, but i'm not making a game, just mapping :]

I have Npc's in the Map and they are working well, but when I take screenies, for some reason they aren't in the pic, neither am I, so sry about that :\.

>! 
well, here it is. The town is named after myself :3.

You may have noticed the numbers I put in the maps? Well they basically mean this:

1\. Player Castle, where players go to hang out and pvp in certain areas or just relax.
2\. Chaz's Lumber store, where players can purchase their lumber to build their houses with(not programming this, so its just an idea)
3.Ferenz Forest, a place within the city for players to enjoy nature and hang out(I was going to make it larger, but for some reason I didn't :\
4\. Gerard's Armory, where players can purchase their armour and what not.
5\. Well of well wishing :3, a place for players to relax and donate money(ingame) to the well for wishes.
6\. The Tomb of Kirkarun, an area for players to attempt to band together and beat the infamous Kirkarun, epitome of evil >:3.
7\. Draconifors Den, a friendly dragon's den where players can recieve wisdom and tutilage.[Not an empty area]
8\. Sail & Elias's Item store, for all your potion and restoritave needs :3
9\. Dorgon's Weaponry store, for all those young fool hardy adventure's who'd like to experience their first bloodshed >:8.

That's all fictional, except for the Npc's/Stores, so it's not really all there, just so you know :].

I know there are a ton of mistakes and a few "naked" spots that I haven't covered up yet, but I thought it looked somewhat presentable so I'd like criticism on it :3.

I like the labyrinth-y feel in towns, although, I wanted to do it differently, it's too late now, as I've already pretty much finished[few touch-ups needed], so that's why it looks that way. It's 40x40, so much bigger than my previous 2 maps (14x11). Also, I have put my own music into this(music I composed for it) and It's not visable, but **every** single item that needed to be blocked, has been and Npc spawn spots are in place, as well as different layers/fringes/masks are in place(no animation yet though), so I think I'm getting better :]

Anyway, thanks for reading/looking/and critiquing :P
[Ps. Sorry about the god-awful white fence in the middle, I meant to remove it, but I have no other good fence tiles atm, so it's gonna have to stay for abit. please don't hate on it too much, I know it's bad :x]

[Robin]

Delete everything. Don't bother putting anything down until you go look at some good map designs critically. Mapping pretty much comes down to being able to de-construct an area and find out how it all works. You also need a basic level of aesthetic know-how which you seem to lack.

Go look through various RPG Maker games and find out how to use the tiles, too. Don't bother using the RMVX tiles. It's impossible to make those look good without extensive experience.

[guzmanm]

What? Your last map is really… frustrating. What the hell?
You were supposed to get better, e.e

[Jeff]

Think of nature when you map. Think of the calculated randomness there is. Sure, flowers are usually in a bunch, but in a border around a campsite? No. They're in bunches randomly scattered around. Same with the tree. It's all alone, and too perfectly next to the campsite. Go look at some nice tutorials, then go look at some nice maps. I know I only critiqued your first map, but the same advice can pretty much go with the rest of the maps too.

[azkanan]

There is one rule to everything in the universe that is natural: Chaos.

When people congregate; there is chaos.
When flowers plant and grow; there is chaos.

You, on the other hand, have created the opposite. Everything is too unnatural and planted, too organized.

When it comes to nature: Variety and random placement.
When it comes to cities: Things get moved around, shoved around, bustled around. Things that get in the way, are pushed aside.

Both: ELEVATION, ELEVATION, ELEVATION. When did you last see **anything** completely flat, other than the salt flats, human constructions and the sea? Towns go with the terrain.

[azkanan]

Additionally, an artist - of any form - 's greatest tool is a reference, when he first begins. For example;

You drew:


In actuality:


You drew:

In actuality:


[Fuu]

That's not a camp. That's a bunch of flowers around a tent.
A real camp would obviously have trees all around it, and maybe a few pathways leading out. It would also have plants and debris around everything. If its a campsite, it would have an area with no trees at all, and the tent would most likely be in there. You have one tree. I know you said this was your first time mapping, but seriously. Lastly, that's not a metal walkway. Its a wooden bridge.

The second map lacks detail.
A port would be a lot more messy, and would actually have WATER on it. Delete some of the wood and replace it with water, give it docks and such. Azkanan's picture of the port is a fantastic reference, and you should use it well.

[Jeff]

@Fuu:

> A real camp would obviously have trees all around it, and maybe a few pathways leading out.


[Fuu]

@Eckhart:

> 

His camp isn't a beach.

[Jeff]

It looks like a meadow to me. There aren't always trees in the meadow.

Also, the picture is a picture of the great plains.

Edit– 1500th post! :D

[azkanan]

Look what I found - my old port from my old game! :D

http://www.touchofdeathforums.com/smf/index.php/topic,36773.0.html