mapping Mapping help.

[Rhakimdar 0]

Greetings everybody. I'm Rhakimdar and I'm new to the RPG maker community. I have been looking into a ton of this amazing program and would love to create a fantastic rpg for everybody to enjoy. I sort of get most of how this program works but for whatever reason I am having a ton of trouble with my maps. I can't seem to get them to look how I would like them too. I only have the default RPG maker VX ace tiles and sprites so nothing downloaded or hand made by myself. In the map I am currently gonna show you guys It is a pseudo world map. In the story the main character is leaving his home in the mountains to rescue his brother from prison in the city town that's located at the bottom right of the image. I tried to make the mountain home look like a 'monk' temple seeing as the main character is a monk, but It ended up looking more like a castle xD. I also couldnt get smooth transitions from snowy mountains to non snowy mountains or non mountain terain. It basically Looks like 3 separate zones not connected by anything. I also found it difficult to populate the map with neat and intriguing landmarks. I find It hard to get the default tiles to perform like I want and when I change out tiles in the database it ends up messing other things up.The second map I have pasted is essentially the side of the temple/castle building the main character was training at. It may be hard to see because of the white background but its a snowy roof and ground. I only used this for a short cutscene and the play is not ever gonna play on here but it still could maybe use work. The 3rd map posted is just myself messing around with a few techniques I learned while going through the forums. I really like how it turned out and it feels nice to be able to make a decent looking structure. I know they're not the best, but I was really hoping you guys could give me some helpful advice as to how to improve my mapping so that it looks more smooth and lively. Any helpful tips and techniques would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Rhakimdar

[seriouscat 347]

Creating your own topic in the Screenshots and Mapping forum requires you to have a minimum of 3 screenshots up for critique. Please add two more screenshots. If you are unable, please post your screenshot in the Screenshot Critique Thread, but be sure to review the rules of the thread first found on page one. 

[The Dragon God 34]

IF you want I can help you. I'm a Mapper. I'm the official Mapper for Omega Zero's game "Mecha Cross War". I've also create the maps in my upcoming game. IF you had a PS3, I could show you, or I'll try uploading one you can see later. 

[+ LadyMinerva 998]

You can look at the Sample Maps in the program itself to have a general idea of how most maps are done.

Since it's your first time, I won't so anything mean.   lol just kidding! 

 

There isn't much I can say for the cutscene maps because they are like a set on a stage kind of thing.

But for the world map though, try to avoid making square maps or land or so, you can make them more roundish to improve the setting even more. That's all I have to say, if there is something you need, feel free to post here! or message any of us, we can help you get better! 

[+ Brackev 66]

Also have a look at the screenshot critique thread.  They have lots of maps to get tips from.

[The Dragon God 34]

I need a camera to post screenshots  

 

My advice is to experiment and look at maps as a artist.

[SirCumferance 28]

Negative Ghost Rider, Screen shots can be done via PC by pushing a button on your keyboardjust to the right of F12, Print Screen. Then you can CTRL-V it into any graphic editor, even Paint. Then you upload it, ?????, Profit.

 

No camera needed, but get a drop box so that you can share with us

[HumanNinja 144]

The only way to get better at mapping is to play with the map editor and see how everything works. Like the others have said, check out other people's maps and try to recreate what you see in your own map editor.

 

If you want to change tilesets around, you have to keep in mind they will change for every map you're using them in. Try creating new tilesets in the database if you want your changes to appear only on a specific map. For instance, you create a new tileset for exterior but sub the exterior B for dungeon B and then you can use that new tileset on only one map without the changes affecting every map that you're using the exterior tileset on.

[tristar.tk421 1]

Well in your first map I'd recommend making it bigger and look at your world and separate it by biomes. Most deserts (is that a desert or a beach?) occur in warmer areas and aren't in contact with much water and are not in contact with snowier biomes. You could also try staggering the borders of your biomes to look more natural.