Dungeon map

[industrygothica]

New here, so forgive me if I'm out of line.

This is one of my first completed dungeon maps, made entirely in Photoshop. It's quite large, and has taken my players at ENWorld several months just to get through the first part of it (I hope none of them are lurking here!). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on improving anything.

Critiques and/or comments welcome.


-IG

[rwaluchow]

first off, nice map; I like it.

I'm not entirely a fan of the randomness to the dungeon layout; that stylistic difference aside (if you and your players enjoy it, all the power to you) I really like the style you have worked out. I like the texture of the floor tiles and the contrast it has with the walls. That said I'm not a huge fan of the font you've used.

also, I'm dying to know what room b4 is all about.

These minor criticisms aside, I think you have a really nice mapping style going and am curious to see more from you.

[industrygothica]

first off, nice map; I like it.

I'm not entirely a fan of the randomness to the dungeon layout; that stylistic difference aside (if you and your players enjoy it, all the power to you) I really like the style you have worked out. I like the texture of the floor tiles and the contrast it has with the walls. That said I'm not a huge fan of the font you've used.

also, I'm dying to know what room b4 is all about.

These minor criticisms aside, I think you have a really nice mapping style going and am curious to see more from you.

The layout is actually a random dungeon from Jamis Buck's Dungeon Generator. I modified it a bit to suit my needs, obviously, but it's worked well for me so far. Oddly enough, just shortly after posting this map, I noticed this contest. Might have to try my hand at it it again.

Most of this is a sewer system, and B4 is a major collecting point. You can guess why it's the color that it is. It's also home to a couple of well placed otyughs; it was just too classic to pass up.

[RobA]

I was going to suggest you enter the next contest

This is almost a teaser for the mapping competition. (Honest - I didn't plan this, it is a complete coincidence!)

-Rob A>

[pyrandon]

Hey--nice job! I have no idea why you thought you could possibly be "out of line"--you have used the Guild exactly as this forum is intended!

I think you have done some nice things here: this is a clear map, very moody (mainly because of the black rock fill). The way I see this map is that it is really a schematic of these dungeons/sewers with a bit of fancy touches added in coloring and texture. Clear and straightforward, so I can think of no major suggestions.

If you wanted to tweak & play just for the heck of it, I say 1) adjust your grid so it's not so sharp; for example, put the grid layer in color burn or multiply blending mode & turn down the opacity a bit. 2) You could also add some glow to your torches, and darken the rest a bit more. 3) I also think A5's items clash when compared to other placed items (as in c4) because they are symbolic vs. literal top-down views (or visa versa).

Nice first post!!

[industrygothica]

Hey--nice job! I have no idea why you thought you could possibly be "out of line"--you have used the Guild exactly as this forum is intended!

I think you have done some nice things here: this is a clear map, very moody (mainly because of the black rock fill). The way I see this map is that it is really a schematic of these dungeons/sewers with a bit of fancy touches added in coloring and texture. Clear and straightforward, so I can think of no major suggestions.

If you wanted to tweak & play just for the heck of it, I say 1) adjust your grid so it's not so sharp; for example, put the grid layer in color burn or multiply blending mode & turn down the opacity a bit. 2) You could also add some glow to your torches, and darken the rest a bit more. 3) I also think A5's items clash when compared to other placed items (as in c4) because they are symbolic vs. literal top-down views (or visa versa).

Nice first post!!

I might drag it back out and play with it some more some time, but it'll probably be after I'm finished using it in the game. I've actually got another layer on top of that one depicting the section of the city above, so that'll b something else to look at.

I do appreciate your feedback, it is most insightful.

[su_liam]

Most of this is a sewer system, and B4 is a major collecting point. You can guess why it's the color that it is. It's also home to a couple of well placed otyughs; it was just too classic to pass up.

That yellow texture you used is a dead ringer for the sewer water texture from the FPS game Marathon. I like it.

[industrygothica]

That yellow texture you used is a dead ringer for the sewer water texture from the FPS game Marathon. I like it.

That's funny, because I'm not sure I could reproduce it if I had to. I'm not especially known for keeping detailed notes on how I do things.

But I'm glad you like it.

The only comment I would add is that the shading on the walls is a bit strange. The drop shadows indicate a light source from the top left (which is pretty conventional). However the light on the walls is brightest on the bottom right edges. This gives the impressions of the walls being concave - which feels a little odd as they should be protruding out of the page towards the viewer. If the highlights on the walls were the other way around they would jump out a bit more.

I hadn't noticed that before, but now that you mention it it's sure to irritate me to death until I fix it.

Thanks!

Seriously, I do appreciate all the feedback.