Robotam's guideline to good maps - PART 4

[Robotam]

How important is maps?

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.

[Ian'sRPGstuff]

*applause*

[BlackIceAdept]

I want to see the desert one -_- also one thing how excactly do you make a second layer of trees?

[robotroy]

That's a very nice looking forest.  I'll definitely keep this in mind when I start my forest maps.  Thank you!

[Drace]

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.

[PyroAlchemist]

Great Robotam! Like I always say *whistles and claps*

[blackskullwarlock]

Nice work but I make forests from a totally different approach since I'm using a different chipset. Looking forward to more great tutorials.

[seby_2_hell]

could you put the chipset here?

[BlackIceAdept]

this is the one I use it might be a bit differant then the one robbie used -_-

[oooog]

Wooooow.  Those are beautiful.

[AsakuraHao2004]

Very good. I have enjoyed all your tutorials so far. Please do make the others.

[FFL2and3rocks]

Awesome tutorials!  

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!

[seby_2_hell]

thanks

[coasterkrazy]

Definitely do the next 3 tuts! You are awesome at these, and I'd love to see even more of a display of your knowledge of mapmaking! These really help me because I am not the best mapmaker. So far, these tutorials have helped my friend and I a lot to be more creative when it comes to mapmaking. And I agree with FFL, a world map one would be great too. Keep up the great work!

[oooog]

Originally posted by FFL2and3rocks
Awesome tutorials!  

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!?