Town Wards

[d31r3x]

Working on pencil-sketch style at the moment (looks clearest to me). Trying to add some FX flavour without losing clarity -and to finish wards at the same time. Lots of work, little time.

By the way, welcome back Doc. Hope you can eat now better stuff than hospital 'food'.


P.D. Any ideas about map interface, Doc?

[DocClox]

By the way, welcome back Doc. Hope you can eat now better stuff than hospital 'food'.

Thanks

P.D. Any ideas about map interface, Doc?

mmmm... nothing offhand. I think I need to do some catch-up reading. Are there any specific issues, or is it just "how do we want this to work?"

[d31r3x]

Are there any specific issues, or is it just "how do we want this to work?"

Hehehe, it's the later.

Several forum fellows have contributed with good ideas and suggestions, but in fact we know little. Seems like I've drawn a city plan -more or less- but in fact I don't know how the 'map screen' is intended to work. We have found some good stuff, though:

First, looks like it has to be some kind of difference (graphically) between locked and unlocked wards. I'm testing, still not ready.

So far, the best bet appears to be a sketch style map (probably monochrome or grey-scale). It can be clear enough for players, some subtle FX can be mixed in for flavour (paper texture, blur, scratches, maybe paperfolds...), and places of interest can be added as an overlay without much trouble (at least I hope so).


Well, as I didn't have a clear idea of how it had to work, I'm working on a hi-res, 4:3 proportion (like 800x600 current game window), multi-layer file so changes can be made with relative ease. I have several ideas on the 'map interface' subjetc, but as I'm currently doing some flash demo stuff for the map screen maybe it's better that I finish that, so we all can see how it looks, then devs decide what's worth to be coded.


I don't have much free time lately, but I'll try to get something done by the weekend.

P.D. Feel like I should get into the google wave stuff asap.

[DocClox]

Several forum fellows have contributed with good ideas and suggestions, but in fact we know little. Seems like I've drawn a city plan -more or less- but in fact I don't know how the 'map screen' is intended to work. We have found some good stuff, though:

First, looks like it has to be some kind of difference (graphically) between locked and unlocked wards. I'm testing, still not ready.

Yeah, that's good. We'll need that.

So far, the best bet appears to be a sketch style map (probably monochrome or grey-scale). It can be clear enough for players, some subtle FX can be mixed in for flavour (paper texture, blur, scratches, maybe paperfolds...), and places of interest can be added as an overlay without much trouble (at least I hope so).

Yeah, agreed. That way we can unmask locations when the player finds them, and allow modders to add their own icons.

Well, as I didn't have a clear idea of how it had to work, I'm working on a hi-res, 4:3 proportion (like 800x600 current game window), multi-layer file so changes can be made with relative ease. I have several ideas on the 'map interface' subjetc, but as I'm currently doing some flash demo stuff for the map screen maybe it's better that I finish that, so we all can see how it looks, then devs decide what's worth to be coded.

I've been thinking of having things work more or less as they do at the moment, maybe with a filter panel to toggle different sorts of icons. I had thought about a zoom mode too, but I think that's going to have to be a WM2 feature now.

Look forward to seeing the flash in any case

I don't have much free time lately, but I'll try to get something done by the weekend.

P.D. Feel like I should get into the google wave stuff asap.

I know the feeling. Just register with Wave and PM me the address it creates for you if you want in

[Lorde]

I think the most important thing for a game map is clarity. I don't mind if the map is a schematic, or browned and aged, but the player needs to be able to read it without effort.

From that viewpoint, I'd tend toward the initial map style, purely for the clarity. The brown map approach does add more atmosphere to the game, but I think if we want to go that route, we need the map detail overlaid onto the brown. Not terribly realistic, but easier to read.

I was shooting for cranking up the contrast on the map while getting rid of eraser marks and stuf. That and keeping most of the "Atmosphere Smudges" ™ as far away from the map details as I could get. But then free time went bye bye so all that's left from my contribution to the map project is the unsightly "Amateur DM Map Maker" stuff I left there. 

[Mehzerz]

Yeah, I actually don't mind the original map. I'd just take out the coat of arms or make it smaller or smudge it a little or all of the above. Do something. It's just way too distracting... 

[TF]

Finally got Photoshop working... here's a 10 minute job, just to show a basic idea. Image quality's downscaled a bit so it would fit as an attachment. The color's a bit simple at the moment, but think the texture's nice without being overbearing. Let me know what you think.

[DocClox]

Nice. The texture works without sacrificing clarity.

If we can overlay icons onto something like that, I'd be happy

[TF]

It's a bit gray for my tastes, at the moment. I'm working on making it a bit more brown, and then I was going to try to make a color overlay, so that on hovering, the different areas of the map will be highlighted in their own color.

Now, for the overlay, do I need to make a separate overlay for each distinct section of town, or can I just make one large one for the entire map?

[DocClox]

one for the map, I think, and then a "fog-of-war" mask for each ward.

[TF]

Mmmkay... haven't done any "fog-of-war" stuff before, but I'm sure I can work it out... just have to get a gradient with the right settings.

Here's a map with a little more work... much more brown and a good deal more texture.

[TF]

Alright, alright... now I need to get a the color scheme pinned down (if any developers would like to tell me exactly what color should go where and which sections actually need their own separate colors), but I've got the basic idea working. Also, the Temple and Court/Keep/Garrison areas are sketched a bit rougher, so I'll have to fill in some gaps before I can add color there.

Anyway, here's the basic concept of how the color overlay looks on the brown map.

[Bluebeholder]

This map keeps getting better!

[DocClox]

Mmmkay... haven't done any "fog-of-war" stuff before, but I'm sure I can work it out... just have to get a gradient with the right settings.

It just means "you can't see what's in this area because you've not been there yet".

Alright, alright... now I need to get a the color scheme pinned down (if any developers would like to tell me exactly what color should go where and which sections actually need their own separate colors), but I've got the basic idea working. Also, the Temple and Court/Keep/Garrison areas are sketched a bit rougher, so I'll have to fill in some gaps before I can add color there.

I don't know to be honest. I'm still trying to make up for being out of it for the best part of a month, where this thread is concerned. Anyone?

[TF]

Haha... no, I'm *familiar* with the term, I've just never created the *effect* before.

Oh, and regarding the fog-of-war, I'm thinking that I'll have to either create a separate overlay for the areas of town the player has yet to progress through, in which case I would need to know how the player will progress through town, or, if the progression is more open, then I'll need to create separate fogged areas for each unlockable section (which I'm not sure I can make look as good.) I'll fool around for a bit and see what I can do.