my map is ugly

[Zaknafein]

This is my first cmap, any advice on making it look better? I plann on adding forts to the sandy areas, and the same wall as on creeep on the borderlands going through the middle, making a tunnel through the middle river.

[Fury IX]

Well, I think it is a great layout. I'm not sure how big it is going to be, but it would be awesome if there were 2 huge tiered fortresses facing each other , with a battlefield in between (it kind of reminds me of an old custom warcraft 2 map).

I'd suggest using different textures to detail around the models. Adding dirt around transition areas, mb some rocks to break it up a little might help too.

It kind of looks like a small map, so might want to watch out for map edges, it looks like your hill may be close to the edge which can restrict camera.

[Zaknafein]

I planned on making it a little bit larger than trow, but it is probably smaller. The dimensions are width: 1280, and height: 1792. I don't want huge fortresses at the bases, because then it would be too easy to defend, making it a campfest.

Should I take a small brush to do the details/transition areas? I was going to add rocks near the middle, as well. Do I just put some grey rock texture in the area I want to raise?

[Zaknafein]

so I started over on my colormap, using clems cmap guide. Things are going well so far, but I have no clue when it comes to drawing the walls! Should I just make some black rectangles over where I plan to have the wall, then if it is too large, just try to eyeball the correct size it should be in photoshop? Any tips?

[Eddaweaver]

Draw the walls? Why not use the wall models from Creep On The Borderlands or The Walls of Muirthemne?

[Fury IX]

Yea, with a map that size, map edges wont be to bad an issue.

Yea, just lay down some black base for the walls, and they will show up better on overhead. Then place models, and export the terrain map to tell exatcly were it is. May have to go back and forth a bit between PS and loathing. Im not exactly sure how models work, but if you set your PS grid pattern to 8 x 8 pixels and have it snap to grid, you can get more accurate with model layouts (or water/terrain passability).

[Zaknafein]

Draw the walls? Why not use the wall models from Creep On The Borderlands or The Walls of Muirthemne?

I am using the walls from creep. The issue was placing them so that there isn't a visible black line on the ground, whilst having a black line on the overhead map. Thanks fury for answering that question by the way.[/i]

[Zaknafein]

here is where I am at. Thoughts on things I did wrong? Keep in mind I am on page 9 or something of clems cmap guide.

[Zeph]

looks pretty good so far!

I would start adding some details on the sand and grass areas, maybe some small hills and rocks

[Zaknafein]

I think I am going to start my reflection map/displacement map now. Something keeps nagging at me but I can't remember what it is.

[chaos]

Looks like a pretty awesome map to me. I don't think it's ugly anymore, either. It's coming along very nicely.

[Graydon]

Nice, its coming along well Zak. Here's a few tips:

I presume you're using Photoshop. If you go into the Preferences>Guides, Grid & Slices, and set the Gridline Every: to 8, and use pixles in the drop menu, then below it, enter 1 into Subdivisions. Now close the prefs and go under View>Show>Grid (learning the hotkey for this is useful).

Now when you flick the grid on, it gives you a perfect layout of a to-scale loathing grid. Gives you a great concept of the dimensions you're drawing stuff, and as mentioned before, allows for very precise model placement, _as well as_ reflection mapping.


Now, here's the other tip to make your textures more realistic. Find a few instances of a texture... say a couple different types of grass. Make a few multiple layers, and place each new texture on said layers. Then take say your magic wand tool, and find a really rough texture.... like your dirt perhaps. Set the Tolerance to something like 20 or 25, and click somewhere. It should make a crazy maze of selection. Go under Select>Feather Selection... pick a value of 1-3.. you can experiment.

Next, keep that selection and go to one of the new layers. With the layer selected, click the 'New Layer Mask' button. It will create an impression of this crazy selection pattern. Now go to your original grass layer. Select all, and then go Select>Invert Selection... to effectively select everything on your map that _isnt_ grass. With that selection, go to the new grass pattern's mask layer, and hit delete (make sure black is your secondary colour in the colour palette on the left, it should be by default.). This now limits the new grass texture pattern to only show up on top of other grass. Now go into the Layer Type drop menu, and start playing around with different blending methods.... Overlay, Hardlight, Softlight, Multiply and Luminosity are all fun ones.

Keep at it!

[lank]

that's coming along really nicely, zak. looking forward to it.

now to find the time to jump back into the map i started before christmas...

[vinylrake]

I think I am going to start my reflection map/displacement map now. Something keeps nagging at me but I can't remember what it is.

It's looking good Zak - and very improved from your first effort - isn't that mapmaking walkthrough the best? I always fall back to that to get my ideas acceptable looking.

One thing - am hoping the black wall markers are on a seperate layer so you don't +have+ to have them on your map -you can always use your map with the black wall markers - import it as your color map, lay down your walls, then re-import your good color map (without the black). I am sure you probably already thought of how to get the walls without permanent black marks on map - just wanted to mention in case you hadn't.

Also, not sure if you will need it, but if you want an EXACT view of how your elevation (or water) will line up in Loathing - there's a Myth grid template you can open in PS and make a pattern of it then add a new layer in your document and fill it with this pattern. then make the grid the top layer and set the visibility of the layer to something you can see through - 30% or whatever works with you.

I find having the mesh grid helps eliminate those map artifacts around the edge of water where either ground ripples like water or bottles break on the water.


Here's a link to a how-to article that talks about using the grid and has links to both pict and bmp versions of the template.

[Zaknafein]

I think I am going to start my reflection map/displacement map now. Something keeps nagging at me but I can't remember what it is.

It's looking good Zak - and very improved from your first effort - isn't that mapmaking walkthrough the best? I always fall back to that to get my ideas acceptable looking.

One thing - am hoping the black wall markers are on a seperate layer so you don't +have+ to have them on your map -you can always use your map with the black wall markers - import it as your color map, lay down your walls, then re-import your good color map (without the black). I am sure you probably already thought of how to get the walls without permanent black marks on map - just wanted to mention in case you hadn't.

Also, not sure if you will need it, but if you want an EXACT view of how your elevation (or water) will line up in Loathing - there's a Myth grid template you can open in PS and make a pattern of it then add a new layer in your document and fill it with this pattern. then make the grid the top layer and set the visibility of the layer to something you can see through - 30% or whatever works with you.

I find having the mesh grid helps eliminate those map artifacts around the edge of water where either ground ripples like water or bottles break on the water.


Here's a link to a how-to article that talks about using the grid and has links to both pict and bmp versions of the template.

Yeah the walls are a seperate layer. I didn't know you could reimport color maps though! thats very helpful thanks. Mainly I want the lines there because I want the walls visible on the overhead map. Can I make the overhead map have the lines and the cmap not? About the loathing grid, I think I have that. Clem has a section about it in his walkthrough.