Map examples for upcoming game... feedback?

[moogmaster87 1]

Hey everyone!! Mainly just been doing some more maps for my game titled (At least for the moment) Masks of Destiny.

 

Just wanted to post some up and possibly get some feedback!! I my self cannot look at them without finding something wrong so i need some outside perspectives!  thank you to anyone who is willing  always need to get better!!!!!! And if you like the tile set it is Celliana's, she is INCREDIBLE!! So you should check her out 

 

UPDATE 2 At bottom of page!! 2-6-15

UPDATE 3 At bottom of page!!  2-10-15

UPDATE 4 At bottom of page, Samples of The Games World Map so far!!! 2-12-15

UPDATE 5 At bottom of page <UPDATED Samples of the World Map!!>  2-16-15

 

Here are the 3 new maps and below are what they look like in game:

 

 

 

 

Thanks for any feedback! 

Thanks everyone! I know I suck... but i try! 

 

   -Moog

 

P.S. - here is a link to Celianna's webpage with her tilesets!   http://pixanna.nl/

Edited February 16, 2015 by moogmaster87

[Necromedes 103]

Hmm... Plain, yet colorful. I like it. They don't feel overly cluttered.

I feel its missing a couple things but I can't think of what. So I'll just say good job.

[moogmaster87 1]

Thanks for the input, I felt the same but yet cannot figure out what it needs without it feeling cluttered. So if you can think of anything please let me know! 

 

EDIT: 

Here is Map 3's updates, fixed the cliff jagged edge deal in the bottom left as well as the color of the land bridges. Let me know what you think! Still working on the other things

 

Edited February 6, 2015 by moogmaster87

[Gui 61]

It looks really nice, indeed, but I think the main problem is they lack variety: all of these maps are a bit "smooth" and I mean by this they tend to look flat, for lack of a better word.

 

Grass in particular seems very uniform, and its differences in colors are in one block, without independant areas of different hues.

 

Similar problem with your trees: each type of tree is the same, without any variation – you can make some look different with a simple mirror manipulation on the horizontal axis, and the same trick can be applied to every flower and little bushes...

 

Maybe some rocks emerging from the water could be welcome too: at the moment, this area seems empty.

 

Cliffs are very straight too, when natural rocky formations usually are more varied in shapes, with hollows to break uniformity; some rocks would welcome there aswell.

 

Keep at it: you're on the right tracks 

[moogmaster87 1]

@Gui - Thank you for the input! I will definitely put it to use for the future maps i need for this forest and when I touch up those first maps! 

 About your comment on the water in map 3, it only looks like that in that picture, if you look at the congruent pictures of that map in game you will see the water is actually occupied with a few different things

 

Here is another map from the game, it is the small alcove/cave/entrance to the first dungeon, Let me know what you think! 

 

It's not quite finished yet, i need to tweak the lighting a bit and ad a glow to the symbol above the door, but all input is welcome!

 

 

UPDATE!: 

Re-Did the cave/dung1 entrance so it wasn't so "straight" here is the new version (Still forgot to put the glow of the symbol above the door, but will soon) Let me nkow what you think!!

Edited February 7, 2015 by moogmaster87

[Gui 61]

First pic presents too much straight walls, like you said, but this was corrected in the second one, although more breaks could be used here and there too – I'm thinking about the lateral parts mainly...

 

Another thing you can keep in mind to alter straightness of natural parts is to use less high walls: at the moment, the walls look very straight because their curved part is elongated onto two levels of height, which give them the aspect of some sort of buildings – reduce their size and this will be less noticeable.

 

Of course, you'll have to find a trick for the sign above the door: place it elsewhere or use a higher ceiling here...

[Necromedes 103]

Looking good.

[moogmaster87 1]

Hey guys! Here are a few more of my maps for a forest in my upcoming game let me know what you think! All opinions welcome and encouraged! 
Need input to get better!!

Images for Hazelwood Forest

The Light on this one is supposed to shine strong on that stone

 

[moogmaster87 1]

Hey everyone! New update with some samples for the World Map in my game, its still pretty early stages, still have more to add but you will get the main idea of the map there are few in game shots and one Overview of the world map so far, with 2 out of 5 continents.

 

 

 

 

Here is the whole map so far: 

 

 

 

Let me know what you think!!! Thank you!!

 

 -Moog

[Gui 61]

Well, although not bad, this world map suffers of looking like the average world map to me: every area looks very self contained, without any blurry limits between each element, like it was something synthetic; it's almost a vector-based drawing made on Illustrator, especially with these black/comics-like borders around the items. On the contrary, your other maps look far more natural, with nuances of materials and tones which make them appealing...

 

Also, there is plenty of details which give them some sort of childish look, with all these elements seeming like some sort of toys onto a carpet: the wooden pontoons (with a rather complex structure), the various ships, the buildings,... It seems you couldn't decide of the scale of your world map and you end with some houses as big as the nearby forests and the lighthouses higher than the mountains – this looks really weird.

[moogmaster87 1]

Thanks so much for the input! It will only make me better!

 

 1st - what do you mean by everything looks self contained? and without any blurry limits between each element? maybe elaborate more so. 

and as I stated originally it is still in very early stages. You cant see in these pics but now every area of the world map has different tint, so when you leave on the boat from the south city soon as you get out of the shallow water it changes tint then once you get close to the northern port city it changes to a different tint, same for the city at the base of the mountain and the mountain area itself. ill take a few screen shots to elaborate, 

I also have not added any effects for example lighting effects of the such like in my other maps. I always have trouble with my World View maps :/ 

 

2nd - what do you mean by the black/comics like borders?

 

3rd -  Would it be better than if I resized the buildings/lighthouses to fit with the surrounding nature elements? I had originally planned to do so I just felt they looked too small, but I will re do it and see what everyone else thinks. 

 

Thanks again for the input!! Much Appreciated!

 

 -Moog

[Gui 61]

Self-contained like "very precise borders": you pass from one area to the other without any transition in color; between the grass/green part and the snowy/white part, there's no transition except for some rocks whose borders/limits are also very precise... It's not that it's bad in itself, just that we don't see the same nuances than in your other maps (with the grass for example).

 

The black/comic-like borders is for the various buildings, whose borders actually aren't black strictly speaking but still rather dark: this gives them the aspect of a comics drawing whose different elements often are borded with black, or of an anime cell if you prefer. My point is: they're very "self-contained" elements aswell, without the nuances of colors and tones we can see in your other maps (with the trees for example). Again, it's not a default in itself, just a very different graphic style than your other maps which, IMO, look far better with their nuances – in other words: you need to choose a graphic style to make your visuals more uniform, not use different styles which don't cohabit well together...

 

Resizing may not be the best idea, particularly if this makes the different elements too small; making them simpler seems a better idea: instead of using several buildings to draw an entire town, use only one to suggest a city – like with the RTP actually. Same thing for the pontoons: they're too complex for now, a single and simpler catwalk should suffice, with only one boat if you really want to use something like that.

 

Sometimes, less is more and, yes, it is often more difficult to make simple than complex, but in the end it works better 

[moogmaster87 1]

ALRIGHT! SO, I tried to fix some of the stuff on the World Map, for example adding textures to the ground to show color and texture variation, resized the towns/lighthouses/boats and liked it much better. Still debating about removing any of the boats to look less populated still have not decided. Also added the tone changes when you are nearing certain locations and have included some ingame pics along with a new Over Look of the complete World map so far, remember I still have 3 more Continents to finish LOL but I am a bit of a perfectionist so want to finish these two before I move on to the others. Anyhoos Let me know what you guys think!!! (talking to Gui since you are basically the only one giving me feed back haha APPRECIATE IT!!) Here they are:

 

Complete World Map so far:

EDIT: Here is the new world map with textured water

However the In Game Samples will not have the textured water-

 

In Game Samples:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks everyone for looking!!!

 

 

EDIT:

Here is some sneak peaks from a village in progress its the village at the base of the snow cliff which will be a few maps this is the last one before you enter the top level of the village which is at the stop of the cliff where the snow is and at the base of the mountains

And here is some samples from the village at the base of the snow cliff not finished but you'll get the idea

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you like them! They are still a bit plain but as mentioned they are a wip so they will be finished soon as i get to mapping the rest of that village

Edited February 16, 2015 by moogmaster87

[Gui 61]

These screenshots of the village look good, yes; do you think you could make the borders of the stone path a bit blurry here and there, to suggest clumps of grass leaning over?

 

You could also envisage to follow more the details of the rocks instead of cutting them: this would look more natural and would give a more credible shape to the road...

 

Another option is to add lone rocks and/or bunch of rocks here and there along the path, to give the impression that it is an old road which got damaged through time.