Post by: Robotam on August 04, 2005, 02:52:50 PM
To make a game look good you have to make the maps look good first. Everyone wants the places you go to in your game to have lots of details, their eyes want explore another world in your game and therefore mapping skills are one of the most important things in a game. A person doesn’t like to play a game when you're just walking on a simple path when they've got nothing to focus on but this one path. I've seen such mapping in a couple of games and I tell you now, that IS terrible map making!
Today I'm going to teach you how to make forests look very fascinating and special.
Part 4 - Forests
I have to say that forest maps are one of my favourites, forest and beach. I love making forests because they're so unique from all other maps and you can make them look so different from each other. But let's get on with the tutorial, shall we?
A lot of people hates making forests and think they're almost impossible to make, but that's not true.
If you start good on forests they almost always become good when you're complete and now I'm going to teach you a smart way to start.
When you start with forests the first thing you wonder is where you should put all trees, this can be a tricky thing and sometimes you get tired end up with nothing because of it.
Listen carefully because now I'm going to teach you a really important thing here.
A thing that makes forests unique from other maps is that you can actually start making the map from the upper layer and that is because of the trees.
As you can see this is how I've started the map, and this way I can easily understand where to put the trees. When you know this trick making forests maps isn't as hard as it used to be, at least they weren’t for me.
Now put up all the trees and start detailing the ground with the details you see fit. Yes, this is something I cannot help with, simply use your own imagination and try to understand when you're on the edge of too much detail.
And another thing I've said a million times, make the ground vary! No empty spot of grass! Put weeds there and some rocky grounds there. I wish to see no empty spots.
Here's how it turned out for me.
If you ever been in a forest in real life instead of games you should know that a forest have lots of flowers, rocks and even more crazy stuff. And you might rememberthat I once told you in another tutorial that you have to think realistic when making a map. And therefore it might be good to think how a real forest looks before you get on with all the detailing you have to lay out like I have there.
Give the forest what it need, flowers, rocky areas, mushrooms etc.
And another thing I cannot forget to tell you about.
Some might think that the top of the trees look a little empty like that. So if we want to change their thoughts we have to make it look less empty, right?
And therefore you can use yourself of this simple trick the most of you might already know.
Or like this...
But remember, this is no "have to".
Sometimes it might even look better without it, but mostly that depends on peoples taste for woods.
I'll leave the decision in your hands.
I guess that's it.
I might have explained bad sometimes, but the best way of learning how to do maps is also to watch how others makes them.
Up comming Tutorials
Robotam's guideline to good maps - PART 5 - Roads
Robotam's guideline to good maps - PART 6 - Beaches
Robotam's guideline to good maps - PART 7 - Desert
If I will ever release these are up to you guys, but you will still have to wait for them for a while.
Post by: Ian'sRPGstuff on August 04, 2005, 03:10:42 PM
Post by: BlackIceAdept on August 04, 2005, 03:36:06 PM
Post by: robotroy on August 04, 2005, 03:56:13 PM
Post by: Drace on August 04, 2005, 03:56:57 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Robotam
Robotam's guideline to good maps - PART 5 - Roads
Robotam's guideline to good maps - PART 6 - Beaches
Robotam's guideline to good maps - PART 7 - Desert
If I will ever release these are up to you guys, but you will still have to wait for them for a while.
If you ain't gonna do them, then I will. Also if you want I can help you sometimes. If you want.
Post by: PyroAlchemist on August 04, 2005, 04:01:04 PM
Post by: blackskullwarlock on August 04, 2005, 04:08:28 PM
Post by: seby_2_hell on August 04, 2005, 05:13:39 PM
Post by: BlackIceAdept on August 04, 2005, 06:36:10 PM
Post by: oooog on August 04, 2005, 06:39:26 PM
Post by: AsakuraHao2004 on August 04, 2005, 07:11:04 PM
Post by: FFL2and3rocks on August 04, 2005, 07:21:11 PM
Have you considered doing one on world maps? There's probably some people who could use some help on them. We wouldn't want anyone's world map to look like this!
Post by: seby_2_hell on August 04, 2005, 07:31:08 PM
Post by: coasterkrazy on August 04, 2005, 07:53:12 PM
Post by: oooog on August 04, 2005, 08:02:13 PM
Quote
Originally posted by FFL2and3rocks
Awesome tutorials! :jumpin:
Have you considered doing one on world maps? There's probably some people who could use some help on them. We wouldn't want anyone's world map to look like this!
WHERE"D YOU GET MY WORLD MAP!?
Post by: seby_2_hell on August 04, 2005, 08:10:06 PM
lyer it's mine!!!
Post by: Robotam on August 04, 2005, 08:31:09 PM
Quote
If you ain't gonna do them, then I will. Also if you want I can help you sometimes. If you want.
Thanks for the offer, but the same reason as I said "no" to Coolzidane's offer. I feel much better working by myself when it's about map making. I believe mapping is the only thing that I feel that I'm really good at, and I think it might be better for me if I do it alone. I hope I don't sound selfish, but thanks for the offer, Drace. :)
Quote
Have you considered doing one on world maps? There's probably some people who could use some help on them.
Dude, that's smart. Robotam's guideline to good maps - PART 8: World <- I like it.
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also one thing how excactly do you make a second layer of trees?
One word, six letters. Events, my friend, events.
I had an own idea too. Putting up all tutorials in one thread with exact instructions hiw I make the maps for the first step to the last. And probably put up a lot of more examples how you can make them look, screenshots that is.
In this way with a little luck I might get it sticked.
Once, again.. Thank you all!
And I will put up all chipsets I've used in all tutorials later.
Post by: seby_2_hell on August 04, 2005, 08:35:22 PM
beautiful
Post by: Drace on August 04, 2005, 09:03:42 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Robotam
Thank you all for your nice comments.
quote: If you ain't gonna do them, then I will. Also if you want I can help you sometimes. If you want.
Thanks for the offer, but the same reason as I said "no" to Coolzidane's offer. I feel much better working by myself when it's about map making. I believe mapping is the only thing that I feel that I'm really good at, and I think it might be better for me if I do it alone. I hope I don't sound selfish, but thanks for the offer, Drace. :)
Ah well, I understand. I do have some maps I'd like to see a tutorial of.
Ideas:
A battlefield
Military base
Airfield(preferbaly military)
Post by: CoolZidane on August 04, 2005, 09:07:51 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Drace
quote: Originally posted by Robotam
Thank you all for your nice comments.
quote: If you ain't gonna do them, then I will. Also if you want I can help you sometimes. If you want.
Thanks for the offer, but the same reason as I said "no" to Coolzidane's offer. I feel much better working by myself when it's about map making. I believe mapping is the only thing that I feel that I'm really good at, and I think it might be better for me if I do it alone. I hope I don't sound selfish, but thanks for the offer, Drace. :)
Ah well, I understand. I do have some maps I'd like to see a tutorial of.
Ideas:
A battlefield
Military base
Airfield(preferbaly military)
I'd be most interested in the military base one.
Post by: AsakuraHao2004 on August 04, 2005, 09:20:21 PM
Also, a "modern" world one might be nice.
Post by: Lighting Half Dozen on August 05, 2005, 03:37:20 PM
Post by: maxine on August 05, 2005, 03:47:40 PM
Post by: InsaneJP on August 05, 2005, 03:59:02 PM