Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ What do you want/hate in a World Map?, General RPG Maker discussion.

[dakota]

I've always felt that my skills were on the low end when it comes to making World Maps. Sometimes I feel they are too small, but I also don't want to make them too big. How do you transition from one section to another? Do you use a stream with no bridge? A cave that leads from one end to the other? Maybe a mountain pass?

Since we don't get too many RPG Maker topics going I was wondering if you guys could give me your input on the following:

How do you make your world maps?
What do you avoid putting in the map?
What do you try to put in the map?
How do you transition from one unexplored area from another?
What are some of the worse World Maps you have seen in a game?
Why was it bad?
What were some of the best maps you have seen in a game?
Why did you like it?

I think we could all benefit from this discussion.

[Cyberian]

I never like world maps. Well, not the typical kind, like RM makes. The ones, that like, Lunar has, I didn't mind. Anything else, seems a somewhat cheap way to make the distance between the world. It's efficient and practical, but I've just never appreciated it personally.

Instead, I tend to make generic routes between places. Simple little paths/transitions, serving to change the scenery and make some space; nothing special.

[Eijin]

If you really find it hard to make a world map, I'd be happy to make you one dakota, if you want an example just ask(pm)

[kentona]

How do you make your world maps?
What do you avoid putting in the map?
What do you try to put in the map?
How do you transition from one unexplored area from another?
What are some of the worse World Maps you have seen in a game?
Why was it bad?
What were some of the best maps you have seen in a game?
Why did you like it?

I think we could all benefit from this discussion.

I love world maps!

I build my map as I develop my story. I try to mimic earth-like geography when laying out the tiles.

I avoid putting straight edges or any shapes that can be percieved as geometrical. Nature isn't perfectly straight or perfectly round.

I try to vary the landscape while at the same time try to guide the hero to the next area.

On-ouch encounters Below Hero...?

Personally, and this will sound incredibily vain, I like my own world map the most.
http://kentona.freehostia.com/hr_maps.html

[Cyberian]

"Cadana"...?

That just sounds..... Well, yeah.

[night_runner]

Kenota, your map looks amazing! I love how your landscapes just flow naturally into each other, everything feels really balanced and it just looks beautiful!

But it’s not perfect. The map is beautiful, but I agree with Cyberian that the names of your places are.... bad... Too many places are called ‘xyz’land, and some are just painful rip-offs of real places (and in once case a furniture shop), hopefully you know which ones I’m talking about.

I'm not talented at mapping, but the two things that I've learnt:
• Never fear small maps, they are generally less repetitive and seem to be more aesthetically pleasing.
• and to pay attention to all usable layers, things start to look nasty if you ignore that your entire ground is just plain grass, or if you are continuously reusing the same tree and flower a billion times, variety is the spice of life!

[Minarin]

Not bad at all. Agree with Cyberian and night_runner though about the names.

Try Serendipity

[Ark Reaver, Shadowlord]

I agree about the names but the map work was great.

My mapmaking skills aren't great but I'm a story writer. What can I say.

[dARK gAIA, scourge of the Earth]

Personally, in a world map, I like to actually feel as if the world is layed out before me. I like the world map positively HUGE, with vast areas to travel, to make it feel like I am actually travelling a far distance. Also, I like the ones that gradually become explored as the game progresses, like the one in Final Fantasy VII. You can explore most of that map right away, but there is always a few areas that you must come back to later, or whole nations that require a certain vehicle to enter.

I also like the maps to look "realistic". Try to shape the continents as if they would actually look like that. For example, not a continent shaped like a smiley face or a star, an actual shape. Try to design them as if they were once one huge continent (with any random shape) that slowly drifted apart. The continents should look like they could roughly fit together. There should also be a small smattering of islands in the oceans. make the terrain realistic too. It gets colder in the north and south regions, so put your ice caps there, it gets warmer around the equator, so you should have a lot of desert and tropical areas there. The terrain should be logical too. No deserts right next to snow fields for example. Mark out exactly where is a grassland region, a wooded region, a mountainous region etc, and logically place them where they would go. Let your grasslands slowly become mountainous, then desert.
Let the ice lands begin with small patches of snow and ice, before the snowfields actually start.

Also, a big important aspect of the world map, is that remember that it should be easy to navigate (unless you provide a map) so don't make it too complex. Make every route clearly visible, and give accurate directions. Put things where a player would expect them to be. For example, a pyramid in the desert rather than the forest.
Restrict parts of the map, as always, but don't be too obvious. Don't sorround a continent with mountains to make it unaccessible to ships. That looks unnatural and of course the player knows they can't possibly get there yet, which takes the fun of exploration away, and makes them feel forced. Think of more creative ways. Make your ship only travel in shallow water, or have a place for them to land on, but somehow make it impossible to get further in. make other landmasses and rocks, ruins etc block off ways the player can go through.

The ultimate rule is to imagine you are actually creating a planet where people live. Make it seem so. The best inspiration is a map of Earth. Look at our world, how it's continents are placed, how drifting has affected it, which regions are hotter than others etc. Copy it, and make your world similar.


If this has helped you, please click my sig and play my game.

[Cool lil Dude]

I read your post before, this might be a necro post, but meh.

The funny thing about this map is that sweden and norway is in the game, even though the evil Ikea corporation has taken over and renamed it to Ikeia. XD

Just wanna point out something hilarious, the towns in there, Norge and Sweden, are the swedish names of Norway and Sweden. Seems like they seriously disliked the name Sverige though since it looks like they moved it to russia and nuked denmark so that it wasnt there anymore. XD

Nice map though, other than that. Must have taken a hell of a lot of time.

Another flaw about that map is that it might be a little too much space in there, more towns or something could improve it.
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As for what i would conentrate on creating worldmaps is that you get several directions you can go to, its not really supposed to be that free. It should merely give the illusion of freedom. What i mean is this. Lets say you could go down to a place where they sell boats, or if you go up and buy yourself a plane. Adding a several different dialogues and sending you to a location around the same place as the other direct you to is a good example of that.

As for the graphics.. Depending on what kind of world you got lets say its a medieval world, bridges and certain roads should have plenty of trees a little here and there. Also. a road isnt always supposed to go directly from one place to another.. Lets say theres a forrest you gotta get through or talk a guard into letting you over a certain bridge as you walk over the worldmap. A good worldmap should also remember about time. This is a common mistake, lets say you want to go from island a, to island b. Most people expect such a thing to happen within one day.

That is impossible. For example, if you take a boat over the sea.. maybe add a cutsence where your heroes talk about something random.. or something terrible that is supposed to happen. Hell, you can even start naming quests while youre there. Or they can be talk about evil sea god myths and within a few minutes you will be batteling some evil fish boss.

Another good tip for a good worldmap is to put a mountain a little here and there. If you dont, well.. it looks either unrealistic or boring.

Also, a map cant be too free, too much empty space ruins all worldmaps. If you got a big worldmap, you need more towns to remove the majourity of the empty space.

Something else that can be very fun to have in a worldmap is backgrounds to the places you go to, or made up myths about the place. Lets say theres a mythical vulcanic crater

< One that cooled down a long time ago and after decades of years gathering imortant minerals and crap it and a few years people think of creating a mining corporation and a town suddenly grows around it.. that's why this town now exist..>

Also, a world may be too perfect.. too many fields with flowers and laughing children running around like crazy.. Lets say there was a violent battle there a few hundred years ago, meaningless bloodshed that some king decided to be important to extend the borders of his kingdom.

Some of these can be related to the storyline, some may be hints and some might just be stories to increase the realism, Humour can be needed aswell if the game gets too boring with the history.. maybe some random babbeling from a old man who went mad after eating too much of his wifes terrible cooking. ect. XD

To make a long story short, the worldmap is like a old experienced soldier. It has lived a long life and been through many battles and as a result been scarred because it.

Can't really come up with anything else right now, that's all for me.
/Cool lil Dude

[DragoonHP]

If you don't like the concept of hero dashing through one place to another in a matter of moments, but still want to include the world map, make it un-usuable by hero.

I didn't made sense.

Let's put it this way. Your hero wants to go to Random city and he lives in Townfolk city. There is a not so important forest in your way.
Now, most will make the hero teleport out to the World map and let him make his way easy.
Now, you can do that or this. Make a map or two of the not-so-imporant forest, add a little easier random encounters. When the hero reaches the boundary and enters the city, telelport him to World map. Using switches and variables, show him walking from Townfolk city to Random city by his own, using move hero event

This way you will get a base for your world and you wouldn't have to make the way easier for your hero.

I hope that now, I DID make sense, though it don't look that way to me at all.

[Cool lil Dude]

World maps doesn't automatically mean that you save time though.
Just check this out, the one in my game. I've been working with it for months and it's not even done yet. http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/Cool...ng?t=1276157250

Oh yeah, btw. This post you created was a necro post, to a thread that died two years ago. XD

[Salmon]

Avoid putting in random battles, especially with the RPG Maker Battle System. Those are extremely annoying. And also, try to make the land look like real land shapes. Make it logical. There can't be snowy mountains in a desert.