Boring Map, need help

[SawQuart]

[](http://www.freemmorpgmaker.com/files/imagehost/#40f03ea8cd84c8d94144218cd111f13c.bmp)

As you can see, my maps are boring. I'm going to stay with my pixeling style, but I need more ideas for tiles to make, just to excite it a bit more. Any ideas?

[emblem]

Trees?
Grass?
Floral crap?

Some sort of distortions to the water so it's not just a solid color?
Something to show the grass is grass?
An actual shoreline?

:P
Quick suggestions, take them or leave them as you wish.

[Adulese Games]

Get a better tileset with more details. Seriously, it is way to basic.

- Adulese

[zade_o]

rocks in the water.
trees.

and i don't really get what your pixeling style is…other than solid colors. there's no texture in anything on there...add texture.

also, add like boxes and fish nets to the pier. bushes in the grass. patches of dirt or dead grass. just put extra details in there that make it seem more realistic that just a plain empty dock.

[SawQuart]

@Ghost:

> rocks in the water.
> trees.
>
> and i don't really get what your pixeling style is…other than solid colors. there's no texture in anything on there...add texture.
>
> also, add like boxes and fish nets to the pier. bushes in the grass. patches of dirt or dead grass. just put extra details in there that make it seem more realistic that just a plain empty dock.

This is sort of what I'm trying to model my style after:
http://eaesthete.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/pixel-art-18.png?w=480&h=630

How can I get away with this style if the grass looks too boring?

[Robin]

Pixeling style is one thing, but you can't even tell what you're trying to draw half the time.

[emblem]

Trust me, that style only works with isometric stuff, as nothing is exactly "square".

[Zop]

maybe you should make the docks/port look bigger?
The ships bigger than the whole building stacked. :|

also that picture you showed us of that style you're trying to immitate has a fair amount of detail in it.

[SawQuart]

@Tylian!:

> Trust me, that style only works with isometric stuff, as nothing is exactly "square".

Haha yeah, Im slowly figuring that out… I just need new grass and water for the most part.

@SillyFace:

> maybe you should make the docks/port look bigger?
> The ships bigger than the whole building stacked. :|
>
> also that picture you showed us of that style you're trying to immitate has a fair amount of detail in it.

The proportions are fine, just Im using Origins and I cant figure out how to source the sprites into bigger sizes. If I could it would look better…

@Robin:

> Pixeling style is one thing, but you can't even tell what you're trying to draw half the time.

Well the picture is of a dock and buildings and a ship. The dots on the dock are people.

[Robin]

@Jungletoe:

> The proportions are fine, just Im using Origins and I cant figure out how to source the sprites into bigger sizes. If I could it would look better…

You don't need to program bigger sprites. Origins automatically handles any sprite size.

[SawQuart]

@Robin:

> @Jungletoe:
>
> > The proportions are fine, just Im using Origins and I cant figure out how to source the sprites into bigger sizes. If I could it would look better…
>
> You don't need to program bigger sprites. Origins automatically handles any sprite size.

0.0

That just saved me so much time….

Anywho, here is the new tileset. I still think it looks wierd... any suggestions?

[](http://www.freemmorpgmaker.com/files/imagehost/#1af17658590ec93821944b0dcdee042b.bmp)

[Robin]

Right idea, but that's just generic texturing. Everything looks like it's the same texture.

[gone55]

To me, the ocean looks as if its separated in a 32x32 box.  XD

[zade_o]

Like robin said it all looks like the same texture…and for the dock, why is it like that and not planks of wood?

[ddunit]

@Jungletoe:

> @Ghost:
>
> > rocks in the water.
> > trees.
> >
> > and i don't really get what your pixeling style is…other than solid colors. there's no texture in anything on there...add texture.
> >
> > also, add like boxes and fish nets to the pier. bushes in the grass. patches of dirt or dead grass. just put extra details in there that make it seem more realistic that just a plain empty dock.
>
> This is sort of what I'm trying to model my style after:
> http://eaesthete.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/pixel-art-18.png?w=480&h=630
>
> How can I get away with this style if the grass looks too boring?

GOOGLE IS A CAFE?

[gone55]

@Jungletoe:

> @Ghost:
>
> > rocks in the water.
> > trees.
> >
> > and i don't really get what your pixeling style is…other than solid colors. there's no texture in anything on there...add texture.
> >
> > also, add like boxes and fish nets to the pier. bushes in the grass. patches of dirt or dead grass. just put extra details in there that make it seem more realistic that just a plain empty dock.
>
> This is sort of what I'm trying to model my style after:
> http://eaesthete.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/pixel-art-18.png?w=480&h=630
>
> How can I get away with this style if the grass looks too boring?

First you have to use their colors, your colors are too dark, while theirs is really bright and colorful.

All I did was recolor and connected the tileset alittle, but I did a bad job of connecting it because I rushed through it  :embarrassed:

[Godlord]

@gone55:

> @Jungletoe:
>
> > @Ghost:
> >
> > > rocks in the water.
> > > trees.
> > >
> > > and i don't really get what your pixeling style is…other than solid colors. there's no texture in anything on there...add texture.
> > >
> > > also, add like boxes and fish nets to the pier. bushes in the grass. patches of dirt or dead grass. just put extra details in there that make it seem more realistic that just a plain empty dock.
> >
> > This is sort of what I'm trying to model my style after:
> > http://eaesthete.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/pixel-art-18.png?w=480&h=630
> >
> > How can I get away with this style if the grass looks too boring?
>
> First you have to use their colors, your colors are too dark, while theirs is really bright and colorful.
>
> All I did was recolor and connected the tileset alittle, but I did a bad job of connecting it because I rushed through it  :embarrassed:
> 

That looks more like water actually. I wouldn't say that the problem with the colour is that it is too dark, it's more the choice of the colour as water isn't turquoise.

Regards,
  Godlord.

[SawQuart]

@Godlord:

> @gone55:
>
> > @Jungletoe:
> >
> > > @Ghost:
> > >
> > > > rocks in the water.
> > > > trees.
> > > >
> > > > and i don't really get what your pixeling style is…other than solid colors. there's no texture in anything on there...add texture.
> > > >
> > > > also, add like boxes and fish nets to the pier. bushes in the grass. patches of dirt or dead grass. just put extra details in there that make it seem more realistic that just a plain empty dock.
> > >
> > > This is sort of what I'm trying to model my style after:
> > > http://eaesthete.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/pixel-art-18.png?w=480&h=630
> > >
> > > How can I get away with this style if the grass looks too boring?
> >
> > First you have to use their colors, your colors are too dark, while theirs is really bright and colorful.
> >
> > All I did was recolor and connected the tileset alittle, but I did a bad job of connecting it because I rushed through it  :embarrassed:
> > 
>
> That looks more like water actually. I wouldn't say that the problem with the colour is that it is too dark, it's more the choice of the colour as water isn't turquoise.
>
> Regards,
>   Godlord.

Well I could use those colors for the Bermuda Triangle area I have, but I need something darker and more pastel for the European and American shores. Do you suggest a color palette anyone?

The dock is messed up, I know. I just am having a hard time making the outline for the indiv planks. Is Greyish brown ok?

[SawQuart]

New map with new graphics. My 3rd try and 3rd time totally redoing them.

[](http://www.freemmorpgmaker.com/files/imagehost/#32260c6bbcb253d69961686188d06609.bmp)

[Robin]

Better, but those rocks are twice the size of the bloody ship. **Stop pixeling everything so small.**

[Kinjiru]

Is this like an overworld map?

[SawQuart]

@Robin:

> Better, but those rocks are twice the size of the bloody ship. **Stop pixeling everything so small.**

I like it small  :P

@Kinjiru:

> Is this like an overworld map?

overworld?

[Robin]

@Jungletoe:

> I like it small  :P

This isn't a picture, it's a game. If you want to have your own style of pixeling, that's fine, but you need to keep in mind people are going to be staring at these graphics for a long time and above all they need to understand what the graphics are supposed to be.

If you like it small, do 16x16 blown up to 2x. It's a fantastically retro style.

**Don't** make everything so bloody small that a single pixel on the map is meant to be a person.

[SawQuart]

@Robin:

> @Jungletoe:
>
> > I like it small  :P
>
> This isn't a picture, it's a game. If you want to have your own style of pixeling, that's fine, but you need to keep in mind people are going to be staring at these graphics for a long time and above all they need to understand what the graphics are supposed to be.
>
> If you like it small, do 16x16 blown up to 2x. It's a fantastically retro style.
>
> **Don't** make everything so bloody small that a single pixel on the map is meant to be a person.

Can I see this retro style?

And also how do you 'blow it up'

[Robin]

Double the image size in photoshop choosing 'nearest neighbour'.

This is what it looks like.