Please Help Make This Map Better!

[Robert Buice]

Title describes all.

Direct Link if you don't want to view on the forum:

http://i43.tinypic.com/2z7iybb.png (Original)

http://i39.tinypic.com/15d1chd.png (Modified)

Original:


Modified:


[nilly70]

I think maybe your tree/log/stump is to repetitive try adding more trees less logs:)
and add some snow to your cliffs to make it look more realistic !!

[Robert Buice]

The "cliffs" are actually the base of a big glacier. The players in the game will know this, however. Do you think that I should still add snow? I was debating with myself whether I should add some snow or keep them nice and icy.

[Murdoc]

Theres too many logs and the objects are seperated too perfectly, almost as if a fairy came along and organized the trees, logs etc into patterns… bunch stuff up together and make it more random. If youre aiming for more realism that is.

Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your post.

[nilly70]

yea your should probably ad a little snow since your place looks like it snows allot, keep up the good work!!!!

[Robert Buice]

I agree about there being too many logs. I'll fix that. But are the trees really in patterns? I keep going through and looking, but I really don't see any; that's one of the main no-no's of my mapping.

[nilly70]

I'd say try putting the bare trees and ever greens in cluster's and having some of the broken trees by them selves !

[nilly70]

try looking at these!
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs40/f/2009/034/7/4/Stock_357__winter_trees_7_by_AlzirrSwanheartStock.jpg        these trees are in clusters <-

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4306297349_71d55bd6c7_z.jpg    random clusters of trees

hope these help :)

[Robin]

Empty and boring. Don't go around the map just randomly placing trees and clutter. Make the ground actually interesting and varied.

[Robert Buice]

Just curious, what should I add to make it less boring? Maybe some cliff tiles?

[renzo]

Make some variation in the ground with transition tiles.
The reason your trees seem so repeptitive to a lot of people is because there are too many trees, try getting rid of 50% of them, maybe more, spread them out so it doesn't look like the same trees are standing next to each other.
Add some extras to your cliff walls, I think there are cliff crystals and cliff plants in the tileset, but it's been a while since I looked at it so I could be wrong.
I can see your trying to make it look random and natural by randomly placing things on your glaciers, but you need to cut down on how many you put on there, having more of the same thing is what makes it end up looking repetitive.
Edit: Also, it is a lot of open space, trying filling it up with elevation.

The winter set is probably the most limiting, but keep at it, take a long look at what you have at your disposal.  Surprisingly, the best way to make something look naturally formed is to go in with a plan.

[Robin]

The secret of making a big map is to not make it all at once. You can't just make an outline and then start to fill it.

Don't even bother trying to make a big area till you can get a screen-sized map done properly.

Go download a load of RPG Maker games and look at how they do their maps.

Here's a backup of a load of games from the early RM2K/2K3 days. [http://queenscourt.org/othergames.php](http://queenscourt.org/othergames.php)

A few of them were top quality work for their time… nearly 11 years ago now... I feel old.

[Robert Buice]

Awesome, thanks a ton, guys.

EDIT: Modified a LOT! I didn't get a chance to touch the glacier areas yet, Renzo. But I'll get to that ASAP. For now, is the terrain nice and varied? Is the level of trees good?


[Robert Buice]

Sorry, apparently modifying my posts doesn't push it up to the top.

[Jeff]

It's considered ok to double post/bump after three days, iirc.  You can't double post every few hours.

[Baron]

@Robert:

> Awesome, thanks a ton, guys.
>
> EDIT: Modified a LOT! I didn't get a chance to touch the glacier areas yet, Renzo. But I'll get to that ASAP. For now, is the terrain nice and varied? Is the level of trees good?

This is much improved from the original, the balance of trees to other items is vastly better.

Personally I would like to see more variation in the cliff faces, and probably would not have used the icy blue cliffs with the snowy terrain. The icy blue I personally think of more like, icebergs, and fortresses of solid ice, not ice alongside an open snowy area. I would also have probably  enlarged the central drop pool so it met with the two nearby features (the mound on the left and the valley to the right).

The amount of general groundclutter seems good to me, some more variety might have been good, but I understand that these tilesets have limits. Some smaller trees would also work well if you had some, but i believe the RMXP sets were fairly lacking in this regard. Even some small rocks protruding here and there would help break that vast expanse of snow.