Map Feedback

[discochicken 0]

Hey! I made a desert oasis map today for my game. Would you guys mind taking a look and telling me what you think? 

[discochicken 0]

And I made events for some randomly wandering cows inside the fence, so that section won't be so empty in-game

[Brittney Madison 0]

Really cool how you blended it together, what tileset do you use?

[discochicken 0]

Thanks! I used the desert town tileset (XP)

[Marked 197]

It's incredibly bare. It will take the player too long to cross it, they'll lose interest pretty quickly. You need to use the tiles towards the top that add visually to the scenery. Try and have every tile as part of the design. So think about every tile. Does leaving empty sand make sense for your map? Is there a purpose for such empty spaces that fit with the game's strategy? 

 

But the first and most important thing for you to do is look at other's maps and get inspiration. Take a look here: http://www.gdunlimited.net/forums/gallery/category/16-screenshots/ and also do a search for the screenshot thread on this forum. 

[Ardaceus 21]

I say that there needs to be more detail around the oasis, like maybe barrels or rocks. I would also maybe suggest putting more interactive events in the area if there are houses, like people and animals. If not, then maybe the oasis could be a deserted outpost, and maybe make it seem abandoned by adding holes in the walls of the buildings.

 

Another thing I would suggest is for there to be a top half of the oasis, because it just looks incomplete and prohibits the player from exploring the full oasis. Like you could make a top half of the pool, then add a temple or secret dungeon of some sort, or just anything to make it look not incomplete.

 

One more thing I would suggest is to make the houses not lined up, looking at the two lined up on the right and left side, and two spot on in the middle perfectly, spacing it all out evenly. It would add for a less bland environment if you more randomly spaced out the housing, and you could create maybe some cool path between the houses.

Edited May 24, 2015 by Ardaceus

[Kitsuki 17]

It's incredibly bare. It will take the player too long to cross it, they'll lose interest pretty quickly. You need to use the tiles towards the top that add visually to the scenery. Try and have every tile as part of the design. So think about every tile. Does leaving empty sand make sense for your map? Is there a purpose for such empty spaces that fit with the game's strategy? 

 

But the first and most important thing for you to do is look at other's maps and get inspiration. Take a look here: http://www.gdunlimited.net/forums/gallery/category/16-screenshots/ and also do a search for the screenshot thread on this forum. 

 

^I agree with this totally. I would not want to walk through multiple maps of this. Far too bare and symmetrical. If you were to argue that your houses being symmetrical is fine, I'll let that go, but I generally like to see some variety in housing structure. It jars things up a little, so that not every map/area looks the same. 

 

But keep in mind gameplay, natural landmarks, etc. You want to take into consideration the visual aspects (I'm crazy about visuals, so I take this seriously), but there's a point where things get too much.

 

And YES. Referencing off other maps, seeing what works and doesn't, is a good key to learning to map yourself. I did this a lot and still do occasionally when learning to map new areas. Reference off the good stuff and see what makes the maps look great and at the same time playable. ;)