Game & Map Screenshots 12

@Scorpioni One way round your difficulty would be to put roof windows in, indicating that the roof space is used (bedrooms, storage, whatever).

So I have this cliff area in my game, and I think the bottom portion of the cliffs look natural, but the top area looks awful since the cliff just appears to be floating in mid-air against the parallax background. I tried extending the cliff to meet the upper edge of the bottom cliffs, but the perspective still looks very weird. Other than that though, I'm pretty proud of this one because mapping is something I have really struggled with since Day 1, and I put a lot of hours in by the time I created this portion and it looks a lot better than my earliest maps.

@PonchoDiaDingo There are a few solutions to that problem, none of which are easy to describe in words.
Here are images of someone's solution composed with multiple screenshots.

I think I've finally found a style that I'm satisfied for my world map.

@KawaiiKid Very nicely done.

@KawaiiKid, that's a GOOOORGEOUS map honey! :wub The mountains and the clouds just blow me away! :kaoluv: Really well done!

What I'd do is mebbe make the floating town a bit more distinct tho? Like, the way it is right now it kinda blends in too much with the surroundings? Maybe part of it is 'cuz the floating island's bottom looks too much like the surrounding mountains, and the topmost edge is kinda hazy so it's harder to distinguish from firm ground? :kaoswt:

Also, altho the clouds look super, I'd make sure they can't accidentally block the player's vision! :biggrin:Unless that's exactly what ya plannin'... Oh, and that big "FADING LANDS" title drop? If it's gonna drop every time I enter the world map, Imma rage quit, well not really, but I'd like it not to drop more than once. :biggrin: :wub

Thanks for the input! I'm gonna try to make the floating island more distinct today. As for the title drop, it only happens the first time you enter that part of the world map, and I got the same reaction amongst other people, so now I changed it so that it pops up and you can still move. It still only happens the first time you enter the world map though.

Thank you! :) Also, yeah for sure, like I said it's not totally finished yet ^_^

This is incredible!

This week I've been touching up on a few maps, gearing up for full release. This area's called Hightop Dwelling - home to the Mountain Imps, and has undergone more than a few big transformations since I started building the game!

The lighting, the clouds and the OST of the world map is kinda cinematic. It is gorgeous. One of the best I've seen in a while.

It's been a long time since I touched an RPG Maker for so many years. Here's my shot on making a town map...

@Deceius That is a pleasing looking map.
My first query is about your paths and how they relate to stairs. You correctly have paths which go right up to doorways. However, they all stop a tile short of the stairs up the cliffs. The pristine grass at that point makes it look like people jump onto the first stair. imo the path should go right up to the stairs.

The second query also relates to the stairs, but you're working with tiles in a style that I never use, so I'm not confident about the conventions of that style. However - your stairs are the same number of tiles as the cliff. That means that these are not stairs but ladders. Stairs have to be at a more gentle incline than the cliff face and this is done by inserting an extra stair tile. My preference is to do that by indenting the top edge to accommodate the extra. I think putting it at the bottom looks silly. Here is an example from the editor where I have done this. The cliff face is one tile high and there are 2 stair tiles.

@Kes

The nature of the style requires abstractions, especially the aesthetic of the tiles Deceius is using. As such, I don't really mind the stairs as they are, myself. And considering there seems to be some effort to give an impression that certain areas are overgrown, I don't really mind the paths not extending right up to the stairs either. Plants do like to grow in the detritus that collects in the junctions between changes in terrain. As long as I understand how to navigate the map and the map looks good, I don't worry too much about the details.

@KawaiiKid Amazing! As a developer finding the right artstyle for a world map always gave me headaches so I can imagine how many versions you went through until you got there - and it was definitely worth it! It looks very good!

The only thing I'd add is a drop shadow or outline to the title ("The Fading Lands") because the white text doesn't stand out enough from the background.

@thepsyche Wow! Love the atmosphere! Great job especially with the bottomless darkness.

This is still very much a work in progress, but I'm proud of the way that Ryokukai-ji in Fourth Fantasia is turning out.

Other than a dishwashing machine. What is this map missing?

--Clutter on the counters, like dishes
--Decor on the walls
--Not sure of this is a commercial or residential kitchen, but a residential could need seating to fill all that empty space. A commercial could use unprepared and prepared food on the counters + in the bottom-right racks. Avery and Candacis have hanging meat tiles.

Do they have hanging rotten meat? It's a bar kitchen that was abandoned 19 years prior

I know, i haven't added things too make it look that way yet

abondoned and still taken care of?
abondoned and not taken care of (for that it looks to clean)
abondoned fast - in a hurry (like stuff left behind, which rots or gets dusty)
or cleaned and taken everything with them ...

but yes, maybe some empty bottles ... unwashed dishes in the sink ... stuff, that some local youth might have left behind while using the abondoned place for their parties / hideout etc ...

@Oddball How was this place ever lit? No windows, no artificial lighting fixtures.
It is probably too big, leaving you with a lot of dead space.

I know that you have said that you haven't 'added' things to make it look abandoned, but that, imo, is the wrong way round. You need to make it look abandoned from the beginning
e.g. dirty/broken floor tiles
damp going up the walls
cobwebs
mouse/rat holes in the walls
sagging doors on the cupboards - though I don't believe your cupboards anyway as all they have is a thin drawer under the work surface, no proper cupboard anywhere.
rust/discoloration on the metals racks

By starting off with everything super clean you have increased your work load because you will have to change things already done and that rarely gives a particularly coherent feel to the atmosphere. You will have to remove things you've put in e.g. those spotless drying cloths hanging neatly under every sink; the toys (why is anyone storing teddy bears in a kitchen?) and other bits and pieces on the main set of shelves. 19 years of dust falling means that you need to find at least grey/mottled tiles for your work surfaces, and the tops of the fridges.

So I've been working on a fan-series project using mv3d and UltraMode7 for some time now I'm a little stagnant and I pushing down on my priority list but I'm getting back to it little by little.It would help a lot to have feedback and suggestions for where I should work on my mapping or if anyone else already uses plugins to redenriza in 3d I would love to hear tips from people more experienced with this type of plugin than I am.