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Thread: WIP: Lair of the Bandit Prince

  1. #1
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    Default WIP: Lair of the Bandit Prince

    Hello All,
    Working on a dungeon map and I was looking for some advice. I've uploaded two versions of the map; 1 with decorations and 1 without. Closeup, I like the decorated one better. Zoomed out to see the whole map, I like the blank one better. Not sure which one I should use for my project so I am looking for some sort of input from the Guildsfolk. Thanks in advance.

    -James
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  2. #2
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    That's pretty nice, man.
    If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
    -J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)


    My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps

  3. #3
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    Why not have both,? Put all the 'furnishings' on separate layers - then just turn them off when you need to.
    My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...

    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.



  4. #4
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    Well that is the way I do have it actually. I am going to redo the beds, but all of the individual chairs, tables and beds are on individual layers. Obviously I got some work to do yet if I am going to furnish it out. I guess I was seeking the opinion of somebody not me in whether one or the other looks "better." I know that is a subjective thing. Appreciate the feedback.

  5. #5
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    I didn't want to mention the beds in case you were gonna tweak them but since you've mentioned them now I'd just put a color overlay on them to tone down the vividness.
    If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
    -J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)


    My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps

  6. #6
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    Yeah, the beds as they are right now are pretty atrocious. I was trying different methods of adding texture to them to make them look like beds. I realize that all blue and all very vibrant blue is in direct conflict with all the other muted colors. Will work on them a bit in the coming days to see if I can get a decent effect going there.

  7. #7
    Guild Novice brew dragon's Avatar
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    i really like both maps the beds just need to be dimmed down a bit but are nice other then that it, i was wondering what program you used for this, im just starting to do dungeons on the computer and the look of this matches the style i like.

  8. #8
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    I am using GIMP. I believe the build is 2.6.10. I also have the Python extensions and a couple of the other plug-ins installed, though all I have really used for this is the simulated layer effects. Maybe. Sadly, when I get into a roll, it is hard for me to stop and document each step. The basics for drawing the floor plan is done using various selection tools with the "Add to Selection" option clicked. Once I have the shape pretty much as I like it, I then save the selection to a path and then stroke the path. Makes for cleaner circles and arches than stroking the selection. I know for this map I used the Mosaic plugin a lot. The walls, the dressing outside of the walls, and the fireplace hearth were all done by playing around with the settings.

    For the colors I tend to experiment with each map. For this one I chose something like a tan or a beige and ran the Old Photo filter over it to cut the slightly faded edges. Then I copied the layer and just toyed with the Colorize tool until I started finding combinations that I like. One I had a floor color and texture I like, then I added the Path to Selection, Grew it by about 5 px, Inverted the Selection and then hit Delete/Clear. That allows the Rock texture underneath to show through. If you are interested and I can duplicate my steps, I will post a mini-tutorial on doing it. Otherwise, my biggest recommendations for using GIMP (or any other photo-editing suite) are;
    • use Layers like getting candy on Halloween. Almost everything on that map is on a different layer.
    • Save often and in different file names
    • Keep a journal of things you do so you can replicate them (I need to follow this one more)
    • Experiment! When I first started using the GIMP for mapping I knew next to nothing about how. I posted a basic map here, got lots of suggestions, and then dropped of the face of the virtual Earth in order to do the "mad scientist" thing. I learned a lot.
    • Keep mapping. Some of my biggest hold-ups in making new maps is that I do it so rarely. Between coding macros for MapTools, running a game, playing video games, work and a bunch of other stuff, I don't map that often. Some of the folks here are Class A mappers and they get that way with practice and skill as well as talent.


    Good luck. Can't wait to see your first product. Hope you didn't mind the long-winded explanation and unsolicited advice.

  9. #9

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    To make really simple dungeons in gimp give my subterranean map prettier script (see my sig) a go. It can make a map the looks just like this (assuming you have the same textures/patterns ) You just have to add doors yourself after.

    Read the whole thread for examples. The latest version is here: http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...l=1#post114446

    -Rob A>

  10. #10
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    Will have to try that. Though I have to say that there is something about going through the steps sometimes.

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