I used to make mapping tutorials over at rmxp.net but I stopped recently out of laziness. I'm currently (and slowly) doing the promised town tutorial but that won't be done for a while.
READERS NOTE:
This guide assumes that you know the basics of mapping; how to select a tileset, make new maps, copy and paste, the three layers, etc. I'm trying to make this as simple as possible without actually holding your hand.
Wanna contribute or request?
-If you want to request that I write a tutorial on a tileset you're having trouble with, please pm me the tileset (upload it via imageshack or something) and if it's a good tileset, I'll consider writing a tut on it. Keep in mind that I will probably only do RMXP tilesets.
-If you want to contribute... all you need to do is read the tutorial and apply it to your game. Seriously. I want YOU to succeed. I don't need any of this.
-If there's a problem with my tutorial or example maps, please FEEL FREE to tell me via pm or post and I'll fix it and credit you. This is a learning experience after all.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Mapping Tutorial: 001 Plains</span>
Introduction
Plains are large, open grassy fields with little elevation. Temperate plains contain trees and fauna, desert plains are bare, and frosty planes contain few trees and a lot of snow. However, whenever you map for a 2D game, keep this tip in mind:
Tip 1:
1: Keep maps small and tight. Think of each square as 5'x5'. That means the standard size map (20x15) is actually 100'x75'. That's about a 1/3 of a football field which is constantly visible on screen. Your little man is seeing a lot. This isn't 3D which is scaled; 2D maps MUST be kept small because they simply don't look good spaced apart.
Basically, open spaces with little objects are plain and boring. Look at this example:
This is what a real plain looks like however ingame it's incredibly stale and boring. So what can we do to spice it up? Well, that's why I'm taking the time to write this.
Making Plains 1: Natural Effects
The first step to making a plains is to get a rough image in your head on it's natural aesthetics. Basically, who lives here and what goes on. There are two very important things to consider in this step; bodies of water and pathways.
Bodies of Water
Water makes up approx. 70% of our earth and our bodies; it's key to survival and it's key to physical beauty in your maps. I want my map to be cut off by a stream so I'll add that.
Notice what I did here; the stream is NOT straight. This leads to Tip 2;
TIP 2: Nature is chaotic
-Nature has no structure in it's growth; it is wild and free. Erosion degrades soil, water flows regardless of what's blocking it's path (and it stops if it can't move around an obstruction), and there are set designs to a natural landscape. Never, EVER make a natural object like water have a set design or symmetry because it DOES NOT WORK. Water, especially streams, lakes, and rivers, should be as wild as you can possibly make them without going totally out of control.
Okay, on to the next step; pathways.
Pathways
People other than the hero live in your game (atleast that's the case with most games) and to create this illusion, we make dirt pathways. You see, animals, humans, and even weather corrode the ground and kill grass. This leaves patches of soil left on the ground. However, keep in mind that other factors kill grass as well; maybe the soil just isn't suited for growth. Remember, follow Tip #2 for this rule step as well.
Next, we move on to Floral and Fauna.
Floral and Fauna:
As I said earlier, nature is wild and unpredictable and spawns floral and fauna (you know, trees, flowers, and bushes) via seeds and the natural process of life. To add more rich detail to your maps, there should be some form of life viewable. I'll put these in two categories; trees and static plants.
Plants:
Plants are simple; place them wherever you like and in random patterns. Keep in mind that wild flowers often grow next to dirt paths (as they collect the most water and sunlight), fungus grows next to trees, and lilypads and smaller flowers grow closer to water if not on it. Sometimes, stumps exist because a tree fell in a lightning storm or someone cut it down. Add stumps if you wish but vary them; an area with a lot of people will have a lot more stumps and visa versa. Rocks and rubble should be placed closer to paths because when animals or people walk, they naturally kick small objects together into piles. Depressions and raised terrain should also be sprinkled around to show the effects of erosion and soil packing. Also, your autotile contains "Dark Grass." While this intended for use as a shadow effect, it can easily be used to simulate the effect of darker/deeper grass colors.
This is looking pretty neat already.
Trees:
Trees are important realistically and aesthetically. Trees convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and they look beautiful. When placing trees, stick them anyplace you want but keep in mind that large trees are often spaced out and small trees are closer together. Also, there is usually a larger contingency of trees in areas with a lot of water because it's easier for them to grow there. Please keep in mind these two handy tips when placing trees:
Tip 3: Use the third layer
-The third layer is incredibly helpful because it overrides all other layers. When you have a map THIS cluttered, you'll need it as your floral and fauna should almost always be placed on the second layer. However, keep in mind that you have a "fourth" layer available as well in the form of events (click ALWAYS ON TOP when making an event for a "fourth" layer).
Tip 4: More than meets the eye Illusion
-Place the tips, edges, and stumps of trees off screen in some areas. Why, you ask? Because this gives the illusion that there is more to your map than meets the eye. Even though the map doesn't extend that far, the player's mind "thinks" that the map is more than a simple 20x15 enclosed room.
Wow, it looks friggin sweet. One last thing left to do.
That final breath of life:
You WANT to create the illusion that people live in your world so how do you do that? By adding little things that "breathe" life in your game.
Bridges
People don't like to get their feet wet, so we create a bridge. We do this using the 2nd and the third layer. The 2nd layer acts as the bridges "base" and the 3rd layer acts as the lower railing. This role is reversed but still applied when making a verticle bridge. Here, you'll be seeing a horizontal bridge put to work. If you decide to build the bridge using the 1st layer, remember the shift button trick when placing wooden planks on the 1st layer.
Tip 5: Hold down shift
-When you hold down shift, you directly "paint" the selected tile over the previous tile. This allows you to bypass the headache of "overwriting" the previous tile which causes problems with auto-tiles to erase and correct themselves. Unfortunately, I can't explain it better than this, but you'll understand it with practice.
Tents and Campfires
Camping is fun, but in a fantasy game it's often the only means of resting outside of an inn or tavern. Logically, a tent should be placed in a nice, shady area. A campfire is placed in front of the tent and there should be logs available and a nearby source of water in order to douse the fire and to drink. I
Wow, this looks better than I expected. Finally:
Using events:
Events add that final breathe of life to your map that makes it truly come alive. I won't tell you how to use events on your map, but keep in mind that plains attract insects, small mammals, and the occasional camper by his tent. Don't put too many events, though, because then your map will look redundant and it will lose that special "flare." Also, fog effects like clouds and fog can add an extra touch to your map but use them SPARRINGLY. Overlays can easily ruin a map just like they can add to it.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>THE FINAL PRODUCT:</span>
Isn't that gorgeous? It's pleasing to the eye as well as practical and useful. This is true quality work.
CONCLUSION
Guess how long it took me? EXACTLY 55 minutes COUNTING the time it took me to type up this tutorial, organize it, take and upload the images. It would have probably taken me 5-10 minutes if I wasn't typing.
You see, good maps set a game apart. While story and gameplay are what make rpg's unique, you MUST have pleasing visuals or else people will have less of an inclination to download and try your game. If you knew NOTHING about 2 different projects, would you play the project that looked like this:
over this:
I mean, the uglyplains image is SERSIOUSLY what some maps I've seen look like.
Please, think of your maps. Take these steps in head when making a plains map and you will create something that's visually stunning and people will be more likely to download your game. It's not hard to make good maps given the RTP and it's severe limitations; you just have to try. Remember these steps and the steps in the next tutorial and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. You will NOT get good immediately. You MUST practice or else you'll continue to fail (and you must learn from these failures as well).
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Y, hello thar! Welcome to Marc's 2nd mapping tutorial topic. This time we'll focus on the rtp tileset 002 Sunny Forest. It's a rather difficult and limited map to use, mainly because of the aweful "canopy" tile, but I'll help you through it so you can learn the ins and outs and create a nice looking forest.
Things you need to know:
This (and quite possibly ALL) tutorial will assume that you read the Plains tutorial as I will make several references to it. The plains tutorial will serve as the basis for all the other tutorials simply because I don't want to recopy too much information.
Map Tutorial: 001 Plains
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Mapping Tutorial: 002 Sunny Forest</span>
Introduction
Forests are areas that contain a vast amount of trees and underbrush in a rather confined space. Little light sheds through the canopy which creates a darker tone and atmosphere (despite being... sunny).
I'll go through the basic steps we went through during the Plains tutorial.
First, we start with a blank map.
Next, we add our water and our paths.
From here, we have two disctinct styles and choices for our map (or we could combine the two). One involves using the "canopy" tile and the other involves using the normal trees provided. I'll first guide you through the canopy use.
Using the Canopy
What is the canopy tile? It's a tile that's supposed to "simulate" the canopy of leaves and branches you see when pearing down on a thick patch of trees. Honestly, I hate the canopy and newbies to map making SHOULD NOT use it without practice. Fortunately, I'm here to help ease your way into practice.
Canopy Tip:
-DO NOT use the canopy unless you want to simulate a large section of trees. I've seen maps that have a thin strip of the canopy tile with trees underneath. You're using the canopy because you DON'T want to add extra trees.
When using the canopy, set it to the 3rd layer because you must place trees underneath it in the 2nd layer. Remember that nature is crazy and has no regard for symmetry.
Next, we add trees underneath it in the 2nd layer. When doing this, KEEP IN MIND the gap in shadows. You must fill that gap in otherwise the illusion that the trees are apart of the canopy is ruined.
As you can see, using the canopy is very difficult and you MUST be careful of the canopy's shape. Unfortunately for me, I choose a pretty oblong shape which destroyed the look. This leads me to the next tip...
Tip 6:
-If you can't get something to look the way you want it, cover it up. As you can see, I added an extra addition to the canopy to make up for the fact that it just doesn't look very good. Please, don't make a habit out of this. It's only good if you have NO alternatives.
Now, we finish off our map as we did during the plains tutorial.
Add the floral and fauna as well as minor details.
Add in your events. Keep in mind that because there are more places to hide, smaller animals should be more abundant in forests.
Tint
Finally, let's go over tint. Because forests leave little room for the sun to peak through, it's advised that you tint your maps to add more of a "foresty" feel.
There we go. Notice how I tinted the screen and changed the overlay to match the area. It doesn't please me that much, but it'll do for now. You can always tweak your tint settings and change the overlay. It is your map afterall.
Forest: Normal Version
Let's go over how to make a simple forest without using the canopies. First we add the minor details.
See, we can add more things because there are less trees.
Speaking of trees, it's best to toss those in.
It goes without saying that forests have a heavy population of... you know, trees.
And here it is, the final product.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Final Products:</span>
The final canopy map
and
The final normal forest map.
Conclusion
The sunny forest tileset is pretty difficult to use by beginners because of the odd canopy tile. Hopefully, with this tutorial, you'll be one step wiser to pull off a really spectacular map. I'll see you guys tomorrow (or quite possibly tonight!) with my next tutorial 003 Dark Forest.
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Welcome to Marc's 3rd mapping tutorial topic. This time we'll focus on the rtp tileset 003 Dark Forest.
Things you need to know:
This tutorial will assume that you read the Plains tutorial and I will also be referring to the Sunny Forest tutorial.
Map Tutorial: 001 Plains
Map Tutorial: 001 Sunny Forest
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Mapping Tutorial: 003 Dark Forest</span>
Introduction
The dark forest is the exact same as the sunny forest except for a few minor alterations.
Because of the similarities, I'll be focusing on a different style for the Dark Forest than actually making a forest. I'll be making a SPOOKY GRAVEYARD. Follow along if you will.
First, we start out with the basic layout.
Next, I would like to mention something about symmetry. While I'll go indepth with symmetry in a different tutorial, I would like to bring a mild point up. Symmetry is good when dealing with man made structures. You see, symmetry to the human eye is visually pleasing. Unlike nature, we are bound by law and order as is our man-made structures. When making manmade structures, keep in mind that keeping things symmetrical usually results in more refined look.
Notice the certain style of placing the tombstones. Also, the single tree helps clue the player in that man planted it for a specific purpose. Because everything is old, it has naturally decayed and moss has taken root. I added the dirt in front of the tombstones to symbolize the fact that the ground will never settle with dead people under it.
We add the little details and touches now.
Making things dark and creepy
Although I don't stress the importance of overlays, in a dark area they can really bring out the atmosphere. Use thick fog but make sure the player can still see his surroundings with some detail. Tint the area as well but keep in mind that nobody wants to play completely in the dark. For extra atmosphere, add some ghost charactersets but set their opacity really low so they are almost transparant. With some good background sound effects, you can create a really nice atmosphere.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Conclusion</span>
Well, here's the final piece. You can alter the opacity and thickness of your fog but remember not to make it too overpowering. Weather effects and a parallel process event that flashes the screen and simulates thunder is another good way to add to the atmosphere.
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<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Mapping Tutorial: 004-008</span>
Introduction
The mountain and seaside road are difficult to use well because you have to constantly switch between layers to match up proper elevation. Hopefully, this guide will help guide you through the process it takes to make a really sweet mountain. Also, I happened to roll up the Desert, Marsh, and Snow tilesets in here as well as they're both very similar to the previous tilesets.
Mountain Road
First, I'm going to start out with mountain road. Because it's hard to make a mountain on such a small mapsize, I'll go with changing the default properties to 30x25.
The first thing we need to do is formulate a plan. You should always have a basic plan in your head. I decided that I'm going to have two hills with a bridge on them spanning a large chasm. First, I'll make the chasm just to get it out of the way. Remember, you'll be using all of the layers in this tutorial as it's important to get the right look.
Here's the basic layout. We do this first because it saves us headaches latter in the editing process. Notice that the random nature rule also applies here.
Natural Beauty
Mountains are beautiful locations built by the constant "cutting" of internal streams and rivers. I want to simulate this by having a small waterfall on the top of my map. I'll also add the pathways (to show where the hero comes in on the map), some of the autotiles, and a little ramp that let's the hero reach the top of the hill.
Okay, next, I want to talk about bridges. Unlike the Plains map, bridges in Mountains are very picky. You see, you HAVE TO HAVE the exact same elevation of the area you're trying to connect to or else the illusion is ruined. Here's an example of a wrong bridge.
See? This is a BAD bridge. Notice the wacky elevation. Wood bridges cannot extend upwards. The illusion is ruined. Other than that, a bridge in mountain works just like a Plains bridge.
Anyways, here's the final version. Notice how I needed to replace some things with events because they simply won't overlay each other in the map editor. Remember, events act as your 4th layer because they override everything.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Conclusion</span>
That looks nice, doesn't it? Beautiful view, rickety old bridge, could be a good place to have a villain showdown. Notice in the lower right corner there's a piece missing. That's because I accidentally went over it with the dark grass autotile. I'm going to leave that piece there to prove a point; you should always go over your maps by holding down control (it makes your hero auto-phase) and checking little things like that. The reason the mountain isn't as cluttered as the other maps is because
1: Mountains don't have as much life
and
2: Mountains don't have much walking space.
The mountain looks bare yet still passably vibrant. Just keep in mind that cluttered mountain maps are really hard to walk through in-game because there's so much more going on.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Seaside Road Map</span>
Introduction
The seaside road map can be created exactly the same way as the Mountain map as they are very similar. Here are the results I got after 10 minutes of work.
Take note that the seaside road is basically a raw beach. There should be a decent amount of elevation and lots of objects (much like a real, uncultivated beach).
Also note that vegetation is sparse except around the edges as sand rarely provides the nutrients required to harvest life.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Desert Map</span>
There's a common misconception that deserts are barren and null of life. This couldn't be more wrong. Although I have made an oasis here, a desert is teeming
with life; it's just usually dormant. Cacti are abundant even in the hottest of deserts and deserts are rarely flat in any large are and usually have varying degrees of elevation.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Marsh Map</span>
Mapping for a marsh is the simplest tileset but it's tricky for beginners because each piece of land has to be placed individually by tile. Also, you MUST use the shift button technique or else a proper marsh will not come out properly.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Snow Plains</span>
Snow plains is almost exactly like the seaside road and the mountain road so there's really not much to explain here.
Well, next tutorial is on properly building interiors as per popular request. After that, I will move on to castles and it's interiors. The castle interior tutorial is one to look forward to as it will span multiple rooms and the techniques to properly create a realistic and believable castle. I just bought a new laptop so I can work a bit faster but I'm awaiting a mouse because mapping with a mouse pad is INCREDIBLY difficult. Later.
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<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>RMXP Interior Tutorial</span>
Personally, interiors are incredibly simple and I don't see what the fuss is about. I'll give a quick tutorial on making a simple inner and then, once I'm done, I will upload my Interior map pack which contains a compilation of all the interiors except for castle.
INTERIOR MAPPACK AVAILABLE!
Mappack
Rule of Thumb #1
Remember the rule of Squares. Each square counts as a 5'x5' space. Please, oh please, do not make large, open interior maps because they DO NOT under ANY circumstance look good. No, seriously, they just don't.
Now, on to the actual steps.
Step 1: Shape
You must decide on a shape for your map. Interiors are mostly symmetrical and blocky so stay away from funny designs unless your interior really calls for it. For this example, I'll be making a simple Town Interior. I've decided on an "L" shape.
Step 2: Rooms
Next, you need to decide on how many rooms your map should have. Because I'm making a simple house that would accomadate two people (let's say, roommates), then I don't need to make any extra rooms that one would teleport too. I expect these people would be simple middle income workers (let's say one's a professional slacker and the other is an arrogant cartographer). They'll have three basic rooms; a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. I'll denote that by making seperate walls. If you want to have a rich house (or a big one), you might want seperate maps for each room.
Step 3: Stuff
Now, you add in the extra stuff. My guys are pretty messy so their junk will be thrown around and things will be pretty messy.
There... pretty simple. I don't see what all the fuss is over interior maps because they're incredibly easy to do. Because I believe that an actual example is better than pictures, I will include an Interior map pack. Look for it in a couple of hours or so (I have yet to make it). The interior map pack will contain all the interior files (except castle as already explained) and will show you how to make interiors for different style buildings.
Oh, in case you want to know who those guys are:
The dude by the beer bottles is Travelling Terry; self proclaimed "Master Cartographer."
The guy in the suit on the bed is Archibald Badfinger; professional slacker, self proclaimed super sleuth, and all around ladies' man (but not really).
The dog is Bosnio, a Bosnian Boxer. He's also the brains the group but he's a little lethargic and quite apathetic.
They're a team of detectives called Avian Adolescent Squad. They do things like investigate refrigerators, battle evil cults obsessed with green chickens, and pull off all sorts of tom foolery.
READERS NOTE:
This guide assumes that you know the basics of mapping; how to select a tileset, make new maps, copy and paste, the three layers, etc. I'm trying to make this as simple as possible without actually holding your hand.
Wanna contribute or request?
-If you want to request that I write a tutorial on a tileset you're having trouble with, please pm me the tileset (upload it via imageshack or something) and if it's a good tileset, I'll consider writing a tut on it. Keep in mind that I will probably only do RMXP tilesets.
-If you want to contribute... all you need to do is read the tutorial and apply it to your game. Seriously. I want YOU to succeed. I don't need any of this.
-If there's a problem with my tutorial or example maps, please FEEL FREE to tell me via pm or post and I'll fix it and credit you. This is a learning experience after all.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Mapping Tutorial: 001 Plains</span>
Introduction
Plains are large, open grassy fields with little elevation. Temperate plains contain trees and fauna, desert plains are bare, and frosty planes contain few trees and a lot of snow. However, whenever you map for a 2D game, keep this tip in mind:
Tip 1:
1: Keep maps small and tight. Think of each square as 5'x5'. That means the standard size map (20x15) is actually 100'x75'. That's about a 1/3 of a football field which is constantly visible on screen. Your little man is seeing a lot. This isn't 3D which is scaled; 2D maps MUST be kept small because they simply don't look good spaced apart.
Basically, open spaces with little objects are plain and boring. Look at this example:
This is what a real plain looks like however ingame it's incredibly stale and boring. So what can we do to spice it up? Well, that's why I'm taking the time to write this.
Making Plains 1: Natural Effects
The first step to making a plains is to get a rough image in your head on it's natural aesthetics. Basically, who lives here and what goes on. There are two very important things to consider in this step; bodies of water and pathways.
Bodies of Water
Water makes up approx. 70% of our earth and our bodies; it's key to survival and it's key to physical beauty in your maps. I want my map to be cut off by a stream so I'll add that.
Notice what I did here; the stream is NOT straight. This leads to Tip 2;
TIP 2: Nature is chaotic
-Nature has no structure in it's growth; it is wild and free. Erosion degrades soil, water flows regardless of what's blocking it's path (and it stops if it can't move around an obstruction), and there are set designs to a natural landscape. Never, EVER make a natural object like water have a set design or symmetry because it DOES NOT WORK. Water, especially streams, lakes, and rivers, should be as wild as you can possibly make them without going totally out of control.
Okay, on to the next step; pathways.
Pathways
People other than the hero live in your game (atleast that's the case with most games) and to create this illusion, we make dirt pathways. You see, animals, humans, and even weather corrode the ground and kill grass. This leaves patches of soil left on the ground. However, keep in mind that other factors kill grass as well; maybe the soil just isn't suited for growth. Remember, follow Tip #2 for this rule step as well.
Next, we move on to Floral and Fauna.
Floral and Fauna:
As I said earlier, nature is wild and unpredictable and spawns floral and fauna (you know, trees, flowers, and bushes) via seeds and the natural process of life. To add more rich detail to your maps, there should be some form of life viewable. I'll put these in two categories; trees and static plants.
Plants:
Plants are simple; place them wherever you like and in random patterns. Keep in mind that wild flowers often grow next to dirt paths (as they collect the most water and sunlight), fungus grows next to trees, and lilypads and smaller flowers grow closer to water if not on it. Sometimes, stumps exist because a tree fell in a lightning storm or someone cut it down. Add stumps if you wish but vary them; an area with a lot of people will have a lot more stumps and visa versa. Rocks and rubble should be placed closer to paths because when animals or people walk, they naturally kick small objects together into piles. Depressions and raised terrain should also be sprinkled around to show the effects of erosion and soil packing. Also, your autotile contains "Dark Grass." While this intended for use as a shadow effect, it can easily be used to simulate the effect of darker/deeper grass colors.
This is looking pretty neat already.
Trees:
Trees are important realistically and aesthetically. Trees convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and they look beautiful. When placing trees, stick them anyplace you want but keep in mind that large trees are often spaced out and small trees are closer together. Also, there is usually a larger contingency of trees in areas with a lot of water because it's easier for them to grow there. Please keep in mind these two handy tips when placing trees:
Tip 3: Use the third layer
-The third layer is incredibly helpful because it overrides all other layers. When you have a map THIS cluttered, you'll need it as your floral and fauna should almost always be placed on the second layer. However, keep in mind that you have a "fourth" layer available as well in the form of events (click ALWAYS ON TOP when making an event for a "fourth" layer).
Tip 4: More than meets the eye Illusion
-Place the tips, edges, and stumps of trees off screen in some areas. Why, you ask? Because this gives the illusion that there is more to your map than meets the eye. Even though the map doesn't extend that far, the player's mind "thinks" that the map is more than a simple 20x15 enclosed room.
Wow, it looks friggin sweet. One last thing left to do.
That final breath of life:
You WANT to create the illusion that people live in your world so how do you do that? By adding little things that "breathe" life in your game.
Bridges
People don't like to get their feet wet, so we create a bridge. We do this using the 2nd and the third layer. The 2nd layer acts as the bridges "base" and the 3rd layer acts as the lower railing. This role is reversed but still applied when making a verticle bridge. Here, you'll be seeing a horizontal bridge put to work. If you decide to build the bridge using the 1st layer, remember the shift button trick when placing wooden planks on the 1st layer.
Tip 5: Hold down shift
-When you hold down shift, you directly "paint" the selected tile over the previous tile. This allows you to bypass the headache of "overwriting" the previous tile which causes problems with auto-tiles to erase and correct themselves. Unfortunately, I can't explain it better than this, but you'll understand it with practice.
Tents and Campfires
Camping is fun, but in a fantasy game it's often the only means of resting outside of an inn or tavern. Logically, a tent should be placed in a nice, shady area. A campfire is placed in front of the tent and there should be logs available and a nearby source of water in order to douse the fire and to drink. I
Wow, this looks better than I expected. Finally:
Using events:
Events add that final breathe of life to your map that makes it truly come alive. I won't tell you how to use events on your map, but keep in mind that plains attract insects, small mammals, and the occasional camper by his tent. Don't put too many events, though, because then your map will look redundant and it will lose that special "flare." Also, fog effects like clouds and fog can add an extra touch to your map but use them SPARRINGLY. Overlays can easily ruin a map just like they can add to it.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>THE FINAL PRODUCT:</span>
Isn't that gorgeous? It's pleasing to the eye as well as practical and useful. This is true quality work.
CONCLUSION
Guess how long it took me? EXACTLY 55 minutes COUNTING the time it took me to type up this tutorial, organize it, take and upload the images. It would have probably taken me 5-10 minutes if I wasn't typing.
You see, good maps set a game apart. While story and gameplay are what make rpg's unique, you MUST have pleasing visuals or else people will have less of an inclination to download and try your game. If you knew NOTHING about 2 different projects, would you play the project that looked like this:
over this:
I mean, the uglyplains image is SERSIOUSLY what some maps I've seen look like.
Please, think of your maps. Take these steps in head when making a plains map and you will create something that's visually stunning and people will be more likely to download your game. It's not hard to make good maps given the RTP and it's severe limitations; you just have to try. Remember these steps and the steps in the next tutorial and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. You will NOT get good immediately. You MUST practice or else you'll continue to fail (and you must learn from these failures as well).
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Y, hello thar! Welcome to Marc's 2nd mapping tutorial topic. This time we'll focus on the rtp tileset 002 Sunny Forest. It's a rather difficult and limited map to use, mainly because of the aweful "canopy" tile, but I'll help you through it so you can learn the ins and outs and create a nice looking forest.
Things you need to know:
This (and quite possibly ALL) tutorial will assume that you read the Plains tutorial as I will make several references to it. The plains tutorial will serve as the basis for all the other tutorials simply because I don't want to recopy too much information.
Map Tutorial: 001 Plains
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Mapping Tutorial: 002 Sunny Forest</span>
Introduction
Forests are areas that contain a vast amount of trees and underbrush in a rather confined space. Little light sheds through the canopy which creates a darker tone and atmosphere (despite being... sunny).
I'll go through the basic steps we went through during the Plains tutorial.
First, we start with a blank map.
Next, we add our water and our paths.
From here, we have two disctinct styles and choices for our map (or we could combine the two). One involves using the "canopy" tile and the other involves using the normal trees provided. I'll first guide you through the canopy use.
Using the Canopy
What is the canopy tile? It's a tile that's supposed to "simulate" the canopy of leaves and branches you see when pearing down on a thick patch of trees. Honestly, I hate the canopy and newbies to map making SHOULD NOT use it without practice. Fortunately, I'm here to help ease your way into practice.
Canopy Tip:
-DO NOT use the canopy unless you want to simulate a large section of trees. I've seen maps that have a thin strip of the canopy tile with trees underneath. You're using the canopy because you DON'T want to add extra trees.
When using the canopy, set it to the 3rd layer because you must place trees underneath it in the 2nd layer. Remember that nature is crazy and has no regard for symmetry.
Next, we add trees underneath it in the 2nd layer. When doing this, KEEP IN MIND the gap in shadows. You must fill that gap in otherwise the illusion that the trees are apart of the canopy is ruined.
As you can see, using the canopy is very difficult and you MUST be careful of the canopy's shape. Unfortunately for me, I choose a pretty oblong shape which destroyed the look. This leads me to the next tip...
Tip 6:
-If you can't get something to look the way you want it, cover it up. As you can see, I added an extra addition to the canopy to make up for the fact that it just doesn't look very good. Please, don't make a habit out of this. It's only good if you have NO alternatives.
Now, we finish off our map as we did during the plains tutorial.
Add the floral and fauna as well as minor details.
Add in your events. Keep in mind that because there are more places to hide, smaller animals should be more abundant in forests.
Tint
Finally, let's go over tint. Because forests leave little room for the sun to peak through, it's advised that you tint your maps to add more of a "foresty" feel.
There we go. Notice how I tinted the screen and changed the overlay to match the area. It doesn't please me that much, but it'll do for now. You can always tweak your tint settings and change the overlay. It is your map afterall.
Forest: Normal Version
Let's go over how to make a simple forest without using the canopies. First we add the minor details.
See, we can add more things because there are less trees.
Speaking of trees, it's best to toss those in.
It goes without saying that forests have a heavy population of... you know, trees.
And here it is, the final product.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Final Products:</span>
The final canopy map
and
The final normal forest map.
Conclusion
The sunny forest tileset is pretty difficult to use by beginners because of the odd canopy tile. Hopefully, with this tutorial, you'll be one step wiser to pull off a really spectacular map. I'll see you guys tomorrow (or quite possibly tonight!) with my next tutorial 003 Dark Forest.
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Welcome to Marc's 3rd mapping tutorial topic. This time we'll focus on the rtp tileset 003 Dark Forest.
Things you need to know:
This tutorial will assume that you read the Plains tutorial and I will also be referring to the Sunny Forest tutorial.
Map Tutorial: 001 Plains
Map Tutorial: 001 Sunny Forest
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Mapping Tutorial: 003 Dark Forest</span>
Introduction
The dark forest is the exact same as the sunny forest except for a few minor alterations.
Because of the similarities, I'll be focusing on a different style for the Dark Forest than actually making a forest. I'll be making a SPOOKY GRAVEYARD. Follow along if you will.
First, we start out with the basic layout.
Next, I would like to mention something about symmetry. While I'll go indepth with symmetry in a different tutorial, I would like to bring a mild point up. Symmetry is good when dealing with man made structures. You see, symmetry to the human eye is visually pleasing. Unlike nature, we are bound by law and order as is our man-made structures. When making manmade structures, keep in mind that keeping things symmetrical usually results in more refined look.
Notice the certain style of placing the tombstones. Also, the single tree helps clue the player in that man planted it for a specific purpose. Because everything is old, it has naturally decayed and moss has taken root. I added the dirt in front of the tombstones to symbolize the fact that the ground will never settle with dead people under it.
We add the little details and touches now.
Making things dark and creepy
Although I don't stress the importance of overlays, in a dark area they can really bring out the atmosphere. Use thick fog but make sure the player can still see his surroundings with some detail. Tint the area as well but keep in mind that nobody wants to play completely in the dark. For extra atmosphere, add some ghost charactersets but set their opacity really low so they are almost transparant. With some good background sound effects, you can create a really nice atmosphere.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Conclusion</span>
Well, here's the final piece. You can alter the opacity and thickness of your fog but remember not to make it too overpowering. Weather effects and a parallel process event that flashes the screen and simulates thunder is another good way to add to the atmosphere.
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<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Mapping Tutorial: 004-008</span>
Introduction
The mountain and seaside road are difficult to use well because you have to constantly switch between layers to match up proper elevation. Hopefully, this guide will help guide you through the process it takes to make a really sweet mountain. Also, I happened to roll up the Desert, Marsh, and Snow tilesets in here as well as they're both very similar to the previous tilesets.
Mountain Road
First, I'm going to start out with mountain road. Because it's hard to make a mountain on such a small mapsize, I'll go with changing the default properties to 30x25.
The first thing we need to do is formulate a plan. You should always have a basic plan in your head. I decided that I'm going to have two hills with a bridge on them spanning a large chasm. First, I'll make the chasm just to get it out of the way. Remember, you'll be using all of the layers in this tutorial as it's important to get the right look.
Here's the basic layout. We do this first because it saves us headaches latter in the editing process. Notice that the random nature rule also applies here.
Natural Beauty
Mountains are beautiful locations built by the constant "cutting" of internal streams and rivers. I want to simulate this by having a small waterfall on the top of my map. I'll also add the pathways (to show where the hero comes in on the map), some of the autotiles, and a little ramp that let's the hero reach the top of the hill.
Okay, next, I want to talk about bridges. Unlike the Plains map, bridges in Mountains are very picky. You see, you HAVE TO HAVE the exact same elevation of the area you're trying to connect to or else the illusion is ruined. Here's an example of a wrong bridge.
See? This is a BAD bridge. Notice the wacky elevation. Wood bridges cannot extend upwards. The illusion is ruined. Other than that, a bridge in mountain works just like a Plains bridge.
Anyways, here's the final version. Notice how I needed to replace some things with events because they simply won't overlay each other in the map editor. Remember, events act as your 4th layer because they override everything.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Conclusion</span>
That looks nice, doesn't it? Beautiful view, rickety old bridge, could be a good place to have a villain showdown. Notice in the lower right corner there's a piece missing. That's because I accidentally went over it with the dark grass autotile. I'm going to leave that piece there to prove a point; you should always go over your maps by holding down control (it makes your hero auto-phase) and checking little things like that. The reason the mountain isn't as cluttered as the other maps is because
1: Mountains don't have as much life
and
2: Mountains don't have much walking space.
The mountain looks bare yet still passably vibrant. Just keep in mind that cluttered mountain maps are really hard to walk through in-game because there's so much more going on.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Seaside Road Map</span>
Introduction
The seaside road map can be created exactly the same way as the Mountain map as they are very similar. Here are the results I got after 10 minutes of work.
Take note that the seaside road is basically a raw beach. There should be a decent amount of elevation and lots of objects (much like a real, uncultivated beach).
Also note that vegetation is sparse except around the edges as sand rarely provides the nutrients required to harvest life.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Desert Map</span>
There's a common misconception that deserts are barren and null of life. This couldn't be more wrong. Although I have made an oasis here, a desert is teeming
with life; it's just usually dormant. Cacti are abundant even in the hottest of deserts and deserts are rarely flat in any large are and usually have varying degrees of elevation.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Marsh Map</span>
Mapping for a marsh is the simplest tileset but it's tricky for beginners because each piece of land has to be placed individually by tile. Also, you MUST use the shift button technique or else a proper marsh will not come out properly.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Snow Plains</span>
Snow plains is almost exactly like the seaside road and the mountain road so there's really not much to explain here.
Well, next tutorial is on properly building interiors as per popular request. After that, I will move on to castles and it's interiors. The castle interior tutorial is one to look forward to as it will span multiple rooms and the techniques to properly create a realistic and believable castle. I just bought a new laptop so I can work a bit faster but I'm awaiting a mouse because mapping with a mouse pad is INCREDIBLY difficult. Later.
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<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>RMXP Interior Tutorial</span>
Personally, interiors are incredibly simple and I don't see what the fuss is about. I'll give a quick tutorial on making a simple inner and then, once I'm done, I will upload my Interior map pack which contains a compilation of all the interiors except for castle.
INTERIOR MAPPACK AVAILABLE!
Mappack
Rule of Thumb #1
Remember the rule of Squares. Each square counts as a 5'x5' space. Please, oh please, do not make large, open interior maps because they DO NOT under ANY circumstance look good. No, seriously, they just don't.
Now, on to the actual steps.
Step 1: Shape
You must decide on a shape for your map. Interiors are mostly symmetrical and blocky so stay away from funny designs unless your interior really calls for it. For this example, I'll be making a simple Town Interior. I've decided on an "L" shape.
Step 2: Rooms
Next, you need to decide on how many rooms your map should have. Because I'm making a simple house that would accomadate two people (let's say, roommates), then I don't need to make any extra rooms that one would teleport too. I expect these people would be simple middle income workers (let's say one's a professional slacker and the other is an arrogant cartographer). They'll have three basic rooms; a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. I'll denote that by making seperate walls. If you want to have a rich house (or a big one), you might want seperate maps for each room.
Step 3: Stuff
Now, you add in the extra stuff. My guys are pretty messy so their junk will be thrown around and things will be pretty messy.
There... pretty simple. I don't see what all the fuss is over interior maps because they're incredibly easy to do. Because I believe that an actual example is better than pictures, I will include an Interior map pack. Look for it in a couple of hours or so (I have yet to make it). The interior map pack will contain all the interior files (except castle as already explained) and will show you how to make interiors for different style buildings.
Oh, in case you want to know who those guys are:
The dude by the beer bottles is Travelling Terry; self proclaimed "Master Cartographer."
The guy in the suit on the bed is Archibald Badfinger; professional slacker, self proclaimed super sleuth, and all around ladies' man (but not really).
The dog is Bosnio, a Bosnian Boxer. He's also the brains the group but he's a little lethargic and quite apathetic.
They're a team of detectives called Avian Adolescent Squad. They do things like investigate refrigerators, battle evil cults obsessed with green chickens, and pull off all sorts of tom foolery.
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