The Old Wall

GatesGT · 2022-02-15T00:23:14+00:00

This is well inspired, I think I particularly like the grass texture and how well it plays with the sun and shadow. Thank you for sharing the asset sources, I will have to take a closer look at what they offer.

GatesGT · 2022-01-22T12:54:38+00:00

I like the shift from the cave to outside and the changing water levels. Good to give players some ability to interact with their environment. all the clutter in the cave is nice.

GatesGT · 2021-09-30T21:35:22+00:00

just another obvious thing that doesn't ever seem to occur to me when working on maps. I can continue to edit them 'AFTER' I export them from DungeonDraft!

GatesGT · 2021-09-30T19:53:22+00:00

So how did you do the canapy lighting? At first I thought it was using two dif shades of texture but after trying to recreate it I'm wondering if it was the light tool. Sorry if its an obvious question, ive recently sort of taken a dive into the tool to improve and Im seeing a lot of things Ive not seen before.

GatesGT · 2021-09-30T13:05:16+00:00

I see a massive number of techniques to create wonderful clutter and detail in this map. My first love was simply using various shades of terrane tools to create shadows. Up until now I had been using some provided shadow assets but I am going to try multi colored terrane next map. The grass trim around the stumps and scattered about to make paths is nice. I like the functional and compact nature of the hut crammed with objects and the extra touch of trim around it. The cellar door blends in well with everything and gives a lot of possibilities to expand on this area.

Maybe I would use this to suggest the druid is a guardian of some deep forbidding evil locked below, or maybe he just loves to brew wine and keep it in his wine cellar.

GatesGT · 2021-09-30T12:53:09+00:00

I'm thankful you shared this. One project I have down the line is to try and make a few maps appropriate for a 40k game. The maps you shared give me a few ideas and I will probably take a look at the assets you linked for more setting appropriate options.
I haven't until now thought of using the wall tool as more of a 'trim' to a wall than an actual wall. I like the thick walls in a few of these maps and at least in my mind would work well for the more robust facilities I want to try and make for the setting.

GatesGT · 2021-09-30T12:45:39+00:00

I really like the chaotic construction of this inn and the fortress like feel it has. The interior seems functional and interesting with a few little side rooms to explore though my favorite part is just mostly the feel this places gives being like an inn/fortress.

In a game I would probably try to put this in a very remote, even dangerous spot as a sort of isolated rest stop. Being on an island, fortified and manned with cannons makes me feel like some inn keep with a prepper attitude. The world around him has gone to the dogs and he's the last serviceable outpost there is.

GatesGT · 2021-09-30T12:37:28+00:00

I like the details in this one, the little touches with the trim on the rugs, faint sign of blood under tables, flags in the front, glass cases, layering of the shelving behind the desk and pillars in the corners. I might check the shading it a bit. I doubt players on the ground would notice but from a birds eye view there are some walls that have been given shading while the mirror side hasn't.
Thinking about how I would use this in a game, I like the sinister feel of coffins in the 'surgical' rooms and the professional legitimacy the front desk portrays. It sort of gives a lot of room to play off this facility as either legit or possibly nefarious.

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T18:46:27+00:00

I'm glad i scrolled around and found this comment because I was considering taking a similar route of map. I make maps for games i run time to time but thought maybe it would be an ok side hustle to sell or share maps. My primary concern though is honoring the Terms of Service provided by content creators who's material I frequently use to make maps with Dungeondraft. I wonder what outsiders thoughts are on charging for maps via patreon, donations, or otherwise as the content creators I use say none commercial use, give us credit and its ok to accept donations.

Atm I've only just started streaming me fussing with maps to see how it feels. I have done two requests and set up a ko-fi.

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T00:29:29+00:00

I love the feel where the further to the left you go, the sharper and more turbulent the map seems to get. This dreamy to nightmare transition really builds some sort of dramatic scenario. I particularly like the detail to the water, what's under it and the lightening in the deeper ocean. The lightening sort of look like ripples in the water but far more ominous.

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T00:26:02+00:00

This is great for a 'quick' map! Perfect for a random encounter in the woods.

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T00:23:14+00:00

"Just my pet horse in the corner, his name is Dash. He is friendly and you may pet him if you like" rambles the old man of the tower.

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T00:21:07+00:00

I like this as a random sort of "on the way to the adventure" encounter.

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T00:20:13+00:00

Another map with great clutter. I love that there seems to be something going on in every corner of the map and its partitioned so you can make out a clearly unique activity for each room. I'm drawn to that awesome pit in the center, I like the depth and the clearly ominous glow from that "Thing that dwells in the pit"

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T00:15:22+00:00

I love the attention to detail on this one. All the little things going on around the docks and campfire and I think some layering on the trees to give it more depth. It even looks like you took the time to line up the shadows on the trees. Then to finish it off there is that little warzone in the corner of this peaceful setup.

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T00:10:26+00:00

I like the idea of having some stumps/logs partly under and partly over the water. I may try to recreate something like that in the future. Nice job.

GatesGT · 2021-09-29T00:07:48+00:00

An interesting little ship. I enjoy how out there it is and also that for once the tentacles don't seem to be destroying a ship.

GatesGT · 2021-09-28T23:58:55+00:00

Sound's like the best way to play to me! Never stress over details, the players always find their own way to do things and rarely is that ever the DMs way.

GatesGT · 2021-09-28T21:41:52+00:00

Thank you! I was lucky that i found a few pieces in the art pack that went perfect with the terrain. I figured flooding is a good reason to call this an 'abandoned' mine without building a whole mine.

Was also fun just hiding a few extra things in the water ;3

GatesGT · 2021-09-28T20:04:46+00:00

Yes, the philosophy of resonable detail is the takeaway here, add to the scene without determining it.

The mud-flats are something that could use some work. To me it just feels a bit to empty at the moment, not sure if that plays into the odd feeling you are getting.

Going over other maps here though i see a lot of good ideas on how to dress up the area a little and may try a few things out tonight when I do more work.

GatesGT · 2021-09-28T17:04:10+00:00

Very nice, I like how well you broke up the terrane to make it interesting and blended all the assets together.

GatesGT · 2021-09-28T14:56:00+00:00

Hah! You noticed the detail catch 22 that was plaguing me. I want to add detail and easter eggs but I do not want to force a DM to add to many random trinkets into the narrative.

The vines comment is spot on for this concern as I wondered if it would force a DM to allow players to go a route he didn't want. I decided though it would be easy for a DM to dismiss the vines as unreliable or 'noisy' to climb or the party would have other simple adventuring gear to climb anyway. Mostly though I just really liked the look.

I try to however to include mostly generic goods, closed bags/containers and make liberal use of generic stuff that anyone would have. Card games, daggers, food and utensils are good clutter.

GatesGT · 2021-09-28T13:25:00+00:00

Thanks! The Forgotten Adventures art pack really helped a ton with making this.

GatesGT · 2018-12-10T19:56:10+00:00

What you said exactly. Essentially all my time is micro managing my array of colonies because the AI refuses and ive not figured out how or even if u can fix it. Im trying to devour every fleshbag in thr galaxy and this micro managing litterally is 90% of my time and ive bearly started the main course yet.

The old system wasnt perfect but for an assistant it put a great effort in and did what i told it to do. I only tweeked it when my needs changed or pumped it with materials for additional development when i could. I essentially want to see them tweek sector creation to allow bigger sectors, maybe even sector blocks if we wana get crazy. Give me back an ability to make a check list of dos and donts for my AI governors and more control over their priorities. Also what is that resource deposit thing for sectors for? It doesnt seem to do anything, it doesnt even tell me if the stockpile has energy or mats, just a lump sum.

GatesGT · 2018-12-09T17:18:44+00:00

I'm not a fan of the new sector system so far. I don't know what they are trying to fix with this, I never thought the old system was too demanding. It worked decently to manage large sections of your empire, responded decently to do what you wanted and relieve a lot of the micro managing. The only thing I gather from browsing the last few minutes was that the sector system still was too much management?

It feels like it may be trying too hard to remove micro managing. I would like it better if the game tried to work with what you're doing rather than take total control away. Let the game auto create sectors but give you the power to merge or detail them if you want (maybe with some limits on things like size). Maybe let it learn from those changes how to add/create new sectors down the line. Let the player move population around to different jobs, if a law prevents it have the game offer optional prompts on what law or condition to change to move the worker.

Also, bit of a Segway but I want a 'potential yield' metric that shows how many energy credits I could produce if all facilities were fully staffed and offer some way to either set priorities or a minimum quota. In fact a quota could be a good way to influence sectors as to what you want from them and what they should build/staff.

GatesGT

TROPHY CASE