Some of my maps

[Zeus]

Its definitely doable and the functionality already exists (if exploited in a ruleset or extension); so it probably closer to landing than you might think.

See this thread for some more insight into the topic and access to Foen's extension.

[Penchant]

that's... truly awesome. i've got nothing else to say about that. except I installed it and will work this week to make it practical in my game.

[Penchant]

Ok, I think this idea should be one step ahead, combining the idea of dungeon tiles with objects on a static background. This proof of concept uses a quick gladiator arena I made. In the great roman arenas the floors sometimes could be removed to reveal pits that could be flooded for mock sea battles. so this arena comes with a water filled pit and the floor covering.

Now I did get my pixel counts off so they don't match well, but it illustrates the idea. Currently when a map has a small sublevel or tower you have to move to an inset on the map or another map. This way you can just reveal the detail when needed. Plus, towns can be easily made with floorplans and removable roofs.
Attachment 1451

[Arnuphis]

Love the dwarven hall map!

What did you use to make it? I'm looking to make some maps for Call of Cthulhu (1920's horror game) so ideas on making cellars, crypts etc. would be welcome.

[Penchant]

I make my maps in Corel Photopaint 11. You can use any program that uses layers and has a guide grid. I create a file with an approximate starting size. Usually 20"x20" at 300dpi for a small map (remember you can always reduce resolution, but never increase resolution). I set my grid at .5". Now the grid is at half the size of your miniature scale which is a 1" grid.

On your first layer you create a floor pattern. There are alot of public domain tiles available or you can make your own. As discussed above, if you intend to use it in Fantasy Grounds you don't need to use a gridded floor tile, just an appropriate material texture. In dwarven hall, I was still using a gridded pattern and it took me fifteen minutes just to line up the grids in FG.

Create a second layer. this is a sketch layer and will be deleted. Rough in your map walls. you can snap to grid or free hand it, but it just gives you an idea of your workspace. set the transparency on this layer to about 50%.

Create a third layer and move it under the sketch layer. This is your wall layer. Get a square brush that is the right size. For my dungeons and castle settings the walls are 5 feet thick so I use a 1" square brush with no feathering. This is actually fairly accurate to medieval castle building. For structures with wooden walls you can use a .1" brush to represent the usual 6 inch wall. Turn on the snap to grid option and just draw in your walls.

Once you have your wall layer complete, delete your sketch layer. Then create a duplicate of your wall layer. move this layer under the wall layer and apply a blur effect to it. you have to play with the settings but this creates the wall shadows that really make the maps pop. For my dwarven hall, refer to the explanation above for the long drop shadows. DrZuess is a great map maker, so do a search on his threads and read them. but... you know how to get to Carnegie Hall...

After all this you should have a basic map that looks decent. From there you have to do all the little things that make a map not-so-basic, which is what I am learning to do myself, so... yeah.

[Penchant]

Alright, here is my next work. i have a new custom cobblestone texture to go with this town section. This section has an inn with stables, an open air stage with bench seating and two as yet undecided storefronts. Plus the blocking for the smithy, which i was thinking about making open air as well.

the area is surrounded by structures that aren't intended to be 'functional' but would still be part of the set, so there will be windows that spies or snipers could perch from.

so, questions:
do the cobbles match the scale? the reference square is the black square in the top middle.
Do they look like cobbles?
does the floor pattern work?
How much detail should be layered on top?

Thanks

[theox]

Penchant, I admire your work. Do you allow others to use your maps in their private campaigns? I'd love to incorporate some of yours in a new campaign I'm about to start.

-Ox

[Penchant]

Of course. use away. I hereby declare the maps I post here fair use. just give credit where credit is due. Of course, I think that applies to anything you find on these boards.

[Penchant]

Alright, here is the same town as above, but I've dropped in the shadows and filled in the fireplace at the inn. i've also added in windows architectual style. I still have blocked out another structure but I don't know what to do with it. I was thinking about a smithy, but I can't do floor planking for that. So I'm still thinking about how to work that up believably. I'm still avoiding putting in furniture and fixtures so that others can block it in they way they want, or just mark it up with the drawing tools in FG. There is still the possiblity of the tokens-as-furniture idea that we were talking about before, especially if those guys can get the 2 layer extension working bugfree (I'm still having issues with the grids).

So, in this town we have an inn with stables, two storefronts (one large and one small), a stage and seating and some mysterious yet to be added feature surrounded by buildings that are functional facades...

i'm about %60 pleased with how this looks. The light effects take too long to draw in by hand, and don't really look great for the work. I might just delete them for a more practical look. I should also add other features like drainage (troughs for the medieval age) and perhaps dung piles? Not sure what would be most appropriate.

[Phystus]

For the smithy floor, I'd go with dirt. It's pretty common for blacksmith shops since it isn't damaged by dropping hot and/or heavy objects on it.

You might consider dirt for the stable floor too. Or at least scuff up the wood a lot and scatter some straw.

Shouldn't there be an outhouse somewhere? And a well?

~P