RPG map. (WIP)
Community Forums/Graphic Chat/RPG map. (WIP)
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| Thought i would get the ol' tablet out this week and finally get around to some more practise with "gimp", something i have been putting off for far too long. My personal challenge was to make a map for an RPG game that i have had "on paper" for a LONG LONG time using only gimp and no external media -other than looking at some real old maps for inspiration. (i first drew a version of this map when i was 12 for a school project, (20 years ago :). -It took me about 3-4 hours 100% in GIMP with the paper texture done using gradients and emboss filters, then stained with airbrush. -The hardest bit so-far was naming places! Anyone from deep dark somerset may recognize a few familiar sounding places (south of the mountains) -Should i include the scale,? I have included it mainly for myself for now, but it is basically 7 day marks making up 1 week. -Have i achieved a medieval(ish) effect?  (c)D-Grafix 2008 What do you think? PS: All my monitors are TFTs so i would be interested to know if it looks ok on a crt. |
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| Looks great. How about a bit of colour for the fish and the dragon? It would really make them stand out, and give the look of an illuminated manuscript. If you only did it with those two items, I don't think it would detract from the intended single color effect of the main document. |
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| Good map but the paper looks too modern, in my opinion. I’d personally go for a stained parchment look, as it tends to have a more ‘authentic ancient effect’ (again, this is just my personal opinion). Wikipedia.org has some good articles on the history of paper, parchment and related technologies. |
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| This is awesome! |
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| Looks good! |
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| That's really nice! |
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| The scale looks a bit off to me - apparently it's a 4-week march from one end of black lake to the other? That's a BIG lake! Days March would be more appropriate I think. Apart from that it's very very nice. |
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| Ah, those are 7 day marks making up 1 week for the whole bar. I am working on the assumption of 10-15 miles for 1 days standard military march (based loosely around the romans who could do 20). The scale is supposed to be exagerated and completely innacurate like the old maps always were. Both lakes are supposed to be very large. There will be smaller ones too (not finished it yet). @gabriel, i will try applying some faded red and blueygreen to those and see how it looks (got a huge DIY project to do today, so no PC-ing... BOO! :( . @impixi, one of the layers is the staining so i will have a play with it. Now you mention it it does look a bit brown paper bag-ish.. I am going to add some rips to the edge, but while i want it to look old in style, i want it to look new enough to be 'not -that- old' in the gameworld (if you see what i mean) Thanks for the encouraging comments, :) |
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| Looks to good to be something you just knocked up. Can I use it? |
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| Sorry puki, its for my game. Glad you like it though :) |
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| I just made it my wallpaper, is that ok? I just think its awesome. Wish I had one.... |
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| I've taken it too - for my game. |
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| Cant connect to your site nor see the screenshot |
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Here is some quick lo-res proofs with gabriel's color suggestions.   I honestly cannot decide if i like going down the color route or not. :/ @ mortis, perhaps it was when i was ftp-ing the images above :? @ sauer, of course, (just dont use it in a game or book etc.). @ Puki, that applies to you too. "Pu-ki" actually means 'Broken-fingers' in ancient 'Sarninian' you know. ;D |
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| I think it looks great, but then it was my suggestion so perhaps you would expect that. In any case, that's exactly what I had in mind when I suggested it. |
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| hmm, some of the names and the map in general remind me of the Eragon book series. Looks great though! |
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| I am flattered they 'remind' you (so must be good names :) but i assure you they are very different. -HERE- is a map of C.Paolini's "Alägaesia". A lot of his names and old elven in the book are based loosely around old english, germanic and scandinavian sounds and names. Can't spot any names too close to mine though. A few of the place name in the south may have been used many times in literature or sound familiar. This is because they are based on or inspired by real place names in Devon and Somerset England (where i am from). Places like Axebridge, Elmswell, Stanton. etc are based on real places, eg. "Ogg's Well" (from 'East Ogwell' in devon). I chose them because i have always thought these names were cool and RPG-ish. The ones in the north are made up of several different syllables of real placenames in and around Scotland/N England and has my own meanings too (Nas- village, kyp -keep, etc..). |
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| Hum, I prefer it without the colour, it looks far classier that way. Adding the colour just looks like you couldn't stop adding stuff for the sake of it. Stick to the shades of brown, far far better and consistent with the handdrawn theme. |
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| Nice. Lol, I live in Sandwell :-) |
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| West brom right? Lol, (just looked on G.Earth) It was actually one of the made up ones at the time (probably inspired by 'soundwell' in bristol or something) :D |
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| Well, West Brom is actually in Sandwell. :-) I personally live in Oldbury, about 25 mins walk from West Brom town centre. Not too far from Birmingham really. But yes, that's the right place. :-) |
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| Go without color. It's much better without. Very nice work. |
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| Downright stunning. It looks completely real. I like it best without the color though. |
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| It looks excellent, but the pixel art towns and cities really interrupt the mideval style. |
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| Thanks, Hmm, do you think different sized dots could be better (would possibly give a better scale impression)? It is after all a 7-8 week 'military march' from east to west. |
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| Looks spectacular! |
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| It does look nice. I don't mind the versions with colour - they still look good but the original looks better (in my opinion.) |
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| non coloured one is better more authentic |
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| Def go with the non colour, It is better that way :) |
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| yeah, no color is better here.. |
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| That's a very pro looking map. Nice work. Kind of cross between TES: oblivion and Lord of the Rings, the map you got with the Hobbit book. I like it alot. The rest of your game has alot to live up to now ;o) |
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| top class stuff i would lose the colour what about adding faint fold lines , may add a little touch |
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| And a few rips? |
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| What no Starbucks location markers?! |
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| Really, really nice! Want a job? ;) |
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| stunning looking maps, on your addition of colour I reckon the red lookng dragon goes in well, maybe coz the dragon colour is closer to the map - but the fish looks better in greyscale. However my 9 year old son thinks the fish is better in blue. I'm very impressed though, I started writing a fantasy book a while back, didn't get too far, but I'll bookmark this post just incase I get around to finishing it... might send some work your way in the distant future - do you do quotes ? |
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| Color might be good if you get the tones right, imo they are currently to foggy/overlayish. Map looks great, but you should consider adding fold marks and tone down the crumpled look.. usually maps are folded, not crumpled and thrown away :D |
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| @Tachyon & blitzplotter, would love to help out, just let me know :) I am going to add some folds and rips when i get some time, i am renovating an appartment at the moment so am swamped. |
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| I prefer the one without the colour. Both look great though, very impressive. |
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| It kinda seems weird... Like there's a river that goes between the sea and a lake but seem to start some distance from any high points like mountains. Also, some settlements are distanced from sources of water and each other, one seems to have a lot of roads which take a strange route, whilst it remains far removed from... Everything else... Aside from that, the forests nicely hug the coastline and the illustrations are 'cute' :) |
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| I've taken it too - for my game Puki, if you really only wanted the map you'd take it (although against D4NM4N's permission) and just use it. But no, you go ahead and say to the guy that you stole the thing. It feels as if you wanna confront the guy just because he made something far better than you could ever have done, not really steal the art asset. |
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| I really do think these look great. Much better than what I was able to do for my WIP rpg. |
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| Kryzon, puki does this with everything he sees. Mainly just joking about. |
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| Mainly just joking about. From his using Oblivion and Valve assets in publicized showcases leads me to believe otherwise. |
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| Mainly just joking about. I don't know why I feel so pissed about it then. |
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| Haha you put Compton on there. Sweet! |
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| Looks great. Maybe it should be a little more yellowish. Overall contrast seems a little low. Maybe try bold fonts. Ink should stay completely black, even when all other colors are getting pale. Colors would be nice, but not like those. More like the Initials of Names or Pages in early (handwritten) books. And maybe some Sheet Gold insignia, or a wax seal. Maybe I would also replace the pencil-like drawings (dragons, hills, swords..) with ink-equivalents, using some stroke patterns for the shadows. I don't think they used something like a pencil for a map. Not sure if it's really a good idea. No question, it's already looking great. Edit: about colors: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiale |
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| I agree, you should make it look like medieval map made in medieval times. Right now it looks like a medieval map made in modern times. |
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| Hmm, it isnt supposed to look 500 years old, its supposed to look about 5 years old.. 500 years ago :) |
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| Yes but they had parchment back then. It doesn't look like paper. |
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| Overall, I like it a lopt. the crumpled-ness dowesn't work though. I think that's what malkes it look too modern. Maybe if it was much more crumpled or not at all would be best. Colour - I'm not too sure myself, but I THINK I prefer the non-coloured version. Edges- The biggest thing you can do to the image is make the edges of the papaer "torn" give it a really rough edge with occasional 'cracks' into the page. This will really do the biz :) |
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| The paper looks like it is supposed to be a road map not a fantasy map. Also make the edges look torn a bit. |
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| For some reason this topic is receiving a ton of hits via Facebook at the moment. Any idea why?? |
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| Well, it is a nice map. |
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| Really? do you have a link? PS: for as of 3 years ago, i took the advice and now it has a cloth background rather than the brown paper bag look... will post when i get a chance. Last edited 2012 |
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| Even if I am 3 years too late, just wanted to say it looks fantastic! I would have suggested before seeing it that the blue for the fish would work. Having seen it though, I think the 'non-colour' version is the way to go. Did you get anywhere with the game? (Epic fail on my part if I missed some other topics surrounding it!) |
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| Thanks :) I am actually using it in a novel i am trying to write. I am writing it with a possible future game in mind, but at the moment (and for the past 3 years :D) I am not really allowed to code my own stuff. Last edited 2012 |
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I think i have improved the paper on this one. What do you think? I have had an offer for someone to exclusively use this map but i am not sure i want to :/ It may be a bit dark actually, but that is easily fixed. Last edited 2012 |
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| had no idea that the gimp could do something that marvelous. |
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| The pixel-point houses break a bit of the realism for me. The only way I can think to make them blend in is by drawing them in mid to high-rez sizes (even if they're crappy-looking), then downscaling them so they are naturally anti-aliased by the resampling, and fit a bit more naturally on that map. It's a great way to get smoothed outlines. EDIT: I guess it'd be in the same style of that ridge in the middle, which looks hand-drawn like you'd find on a real map. Last edited 2012 |
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| Yes that looks excellent, but as you say a little dark (for reading the text). |
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| I am not really allowed to code my own stuff. WTF? |
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I have blurred the pixart a bit: I am not really allowed to code my own stuff. Standard corporate programming contract. WTF? They own your creative output ("Mr Anderson" style). Although this map was made before i started... so it be mine. :) Last edited 2012 |
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| looks like you're using a canvas texture as a base texture which looks a bit too modern, find a parchment/velum so it is more non-uniform :) |
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| I like it, but im with Kryzon on the pixel art icons.. they still stand out even blurred like that. Whatever you did for he trees you should use the same technique on the building icons. Trees look pretty good, and dont stand out as pixel art to me. it may be the sharp corners and edges on the buildings, and old school parchment map you wouldnt expect to have straight and perfect corners & angles Last edited 2012 |
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| Thanks. I have been trying real hard to find a parchment that i can copy, but all my attempts to replicate that "delicate" texture have been horrible. I think the canvas looks better than the paper bag look though, and i am seriously considering replacing the pixart with circles. (actually the trees are pixart too, I made 3 or 4 prefabs that could be tiled on a grid to make those) Last edited 2012 |
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| I googled the following: (using the image at medium setting) vellum texture - not many usable ones Parchment texture - lots to play with :) parchment paper background - not a good selection old parchment texture - lots, but not quite vellum like old paper texture - some really great old looking ones here (if you want some serious photoshopping) paper texture - again like above, scroll down to find the really old looking ones :) Let me know if I can be any help |
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| Good job on the blurring, I think it looks more natural now. |
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 Some experiments with parchment style grains, I have put a slight antialias on the text as well. I think i have got the light <> dark ratio sort of right too. How does it look on your monitors? Last edited 2012 |
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| very nice mate. id make the tone a little warmer but only a touch. |
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| Looks fine on a CRT (Ibm E74) but I have to agree with everyone else that the wrinkles look like modern paper. You may possibly want to darkness the line art a bit to look more like ink? Overall I really dig the aesthetics, it could look even more amazing with hints of high fantasy (JR Tolkien) but I adore the careful attention to actual historic maps. Old Map Last edited 2012 |
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