Adventure Game Studio

Creative Production => Critics' Lounge => Topic started by: Mats Berglinn on Thu 19/08/2004 19:33:39

Title: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Thu 19/08/2004 19:33:39
Here is a map for an island for my game Caribbean Mysteries. This island is called Scary Island and is a haven for thieves, murderers, pirates, bouty-hunters, smugglers and other kind of scum. It also have the head-quaters of the evil pirate-captain Pepe Roni (remember the red-bearded pirate?) The capital city Ciudad Grande is famous for the nightlife with casinos, resturants and shoppin centers though.

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/Scary_Island_map.PNG)

I have looked at this and I'm not so satisfied with it. Somehow it feels a little bit... too simple. What do you think about this? C & C are welcome.
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: sp on Thu 19/08/2004 19:57:10
maybe you can add some detail?
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Oliver on Thu 19/08/2004 20:20:09
put some shade into the ground and sea.
Also, make the castle looks that it's made of bricks and shade it a bit too.
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Redwall on Thu 19/08/2004 22:27:36
Pepe Roni?

Will there be a Pete Za?
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Fri 20/08/2004 07:44:33
Sp: You're on it. More details are on the way. I originally thought that details doesn't care too much on a map.

Oliver: Ok.

Redwall: Who is Pete Za?Ã,  ??? Whoever he is he won't be in this one.

For those don't know about Captain Pepe Roni here is a slightly old topic: www.agsforums.com/yabb/index.php?topic=13238.0

Anything else about the map?
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Blackthorne on Fri 20/08/2004 08:01:38
Mats,

I quickly added some textures to the colors on the map - all in like 5 minutes, but just an idea to give some "more" to the map!  Happy gaming!

(http://www.infamous-adventures.com/uploads/matsmap.png)

Bt
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Babar on Fri 20/08/2004 11:31:53
Very atmospheric! One thing that struck me, though, was the lack of depth. I agree with the shading, especially the castle and town and rocks and ship, to show that they are 3D objects, and not just drawings on a paper. Aside from that, just minor quibbles. Maybe you could give more detail to the forest on the right, like you did for the left, and show some tree bark in the centre, where the lake(?) is. Maybe you could make the ship smaller, as it now seems huge in comparison to the city and castle. Some docks would also be nice.
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Fri 20/08/2004 15:43:12
Here's my latest version with a lot of improvements.

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/Scary_Island_map2.PNG)

Phew! It took me many hours to change and add things. What do you think about it now? Does it need any more improvements or is it fine the way it is?

Just for fun: Can you spot a in-joke here?
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Arboris on Fri 20/08/2004 15:50:33
i'm guessing you mean the billboard with the ags blue cup in it.

The city itself looks alot better then your previous one. altho offscale compared to your castle :P
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Blackthorne on Fri 20/08/2004 16:28:03
Looking good Mats!  I love the new buildings.

Bt
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Fri 20/08/2004 16:54:48
Quote from: ArboriS on Fri 20/08/2004 15:50:33
i'm guessing you mean the billboard with the ags blue cup in it.

Bingo!
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: cpage on Sun 22/08/2004 07:10:34
damn mats you are really improving
my hat goes off to you

if you dont mind maybe i'll take a whck at it
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Babar on Sun 22/08/2004 07:54:53
wow, it is so much better now. The new buildings are really nice. I specially like the ship. The only thing I can think of now is to add different shades of grey to the different sides of the walls in the castle and town. A darker shade where there is less light hitting and a lighter shade where there is more light. Like what you did for the rocks and docks. Other than that, perhaps you can texture the grass, stone, sand and leaves now?
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Sun 22/08/2004 08:19:51
cpage: Sure why not. Thanks for the comment.

Babar: Ok, will make some shading like you said but I don't really know how to texture things, so that will be a bit hard.
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Redwall on Sun 22/08/2004 15:37:24
Quote from: Mats Berglinn on Fri 20/08/2004 07:44:33
Redwall: Who is Pete Za?  ??? Whoever he is he won't be in this one.

Pepe Roni = Pepperoni, right?
So Pete Za = Pizza.

Sorry, it was just a joke.
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: on Sun 22/08/2004 15:54:45
It looks ok but if u want to improve your mapmaking i suggest u get a ook called Fantasy Art by Mike Jefferies. In it you'll find a whole chapter on fantasy mapmaking ( or play first two Monkey Island games, they had great pirate kind maps). Keep on the good work!
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Sun 22/08/2004 17:21:17
Redwall: Oh, I get it. That's pretty clever. Yes, Pepe Roni is a joke for Pepperoni. In fact, in the game almost everyone calls him Pepperoni and every time they mispronounce his name he corrects them. It's like Hedley Lamarr in Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles with almost eveyone says Hedy Lamarr (who is/was a real person by the way), but it was my friend who came up with that name and I didn't think he was thinking about Blazing Saddles when he suggested the name. The Pete Za thing was a funny idea. Maybe I will add that guy in the sequel or something.

The Saints artist: Well, I live in Sweden so we can't get that book not even in Stockholm (capital city of Sweden). Yes I have played the first two MI games (in fact, the whole series) but the first MI game the maps were completly painted in Paintbrush and the second MI game is more of scanned oilpaintings so it's bit hard to compair with my "cartoony" style which is by the way handdrawn, then scanned, cleaded and painted in both Adobe Photoshop and Windows paint. Besides, isn't it a bit wrong to use Fantasy elements in Cartoon style graphics? It doesn't feel right somehow.
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: viktor on Sun 22/08/2004 18:27:05
Quote from: Redwall on Sun 22/08/2004 15:37:24
Quote from: Mats Berglinn on Fri 20/08/2004 07:44:33
Redwall: Who is Pete Za?  ??? Whoever he is he won't be in this one.

Pepe Roni = Pepperoni, right?
So Pete Za = Pizza.

Sorry, it was just a joke.
Did you get the idea from Everybody loves raymond or something? Becouse there was the ecsact same joke with the pizza thing...
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Redwall on Mon 23/08/2004 03:13:39
...

I've been found out!

;)
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Tue 24/08/2004 07:32:57
Here's a new version of the map.

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/Scary_Island_map3.PNG)

What I have done is:

* Made the jungle on the east side of the river more "jungle"-y.

* Added shading to fortress and city

* Added the other flagpole to the pirate fortress (like the background of the pirate fortress I did publish here awhile ago)
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Raider on Tue 24/08/2004 07:38:18
Very good but You should probably do somthing with the beaches. They look VERY plain but other than that its is coming along nicely.

- Raider
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: viktor on Tue 24/08/2004 08:06:49
I personaly think that the island looks a bit flat. But bcouse of the buildings and the hill you can't notice it straight away.  I think that you can fix that problem by erasing out the little land that is betwen the two south beaches.

Well that's my opinion. But other than that it looks OK.  :)
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Krazy on Tue 24/08/2004 08:07:34
It's looking alot better. Keep it up.
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Alynn on Tue 24/08/2004 12:25:49
The water coming out of the tunnel looks more like its a waterfall... add some white froth from where the waterfall hits the river...

As far as less flat... If it's a map... shouldn't maps be flat? If not start adding some shadows from the buildings and the forest and the raised items... should help some with the flatness of it... Also you could also drop off some of the top part of the island to give it a more laid down feel to it, like you are looking at it from an angle instead of down on it, with odd lumpy things poking out...
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Tue 24/08/2004 15:32:20
Alynn: The thing about the top, could you show me an example of what you mean?
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: viktor on Tue 24/08/2004 16:43:20
alynn:

Shure maps should be flat but I think it's pretty obvious that he's going for a 3/4 view and not the birds eye view. Otherwise the buildings (city) would look a lot diferent...
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Raider on Wed 25/08/2004 10:45:56
Yes what exactly are you going for Mats?

- Raider
Title: Re: Island map
Post by: Mats Berglinn on Wed 25/08/2004 12:28:03
That's true Viktor, I go for 3/4's veiw.

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/Scary_Island_map4.PNG)

Here's an update with "more" shading and added a bottom to the waterfall.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the beaches but there will be some stuff on the southern beach, but what is I won't tell you (you have to find it out for yourself when the game releases).

If anyone wonder why I haven't add a sand effect is because of heigh reason, I mean you can't really see so much "sand" when you're so high up in the air (even if you can see that there is sand there), can you?