HERO

So, when it comes to mapping, one thing I've noticed that seems to be done very rarely is extending the borders of the map beyond what the player can reach. It's interesting, because this is what the old school Pokémon games used to do their overworld mapping, yet it's an idea barely ever adopted into RPG Making mapping. To show an example:


The red-marked parts of those maps are areas that cannot be entered, but are still mapped out to keep the player in the centre of the screen at all times and provide that illusion of the world being bigger than it is (immersion!) I remember this fascinating me when I played those games as kid, because I always wondered what could be in those unreachable places; like, there could be hidden spots with secret items, characters or Pokémon to be found that are just out of sight. For that reason, it has become one of my most favourite mapping techniques, and it saddens me it's so rarely utilised.

So, for this game, one of the goals with outdoor maps is to never reveal the edge of the maps. There should always be things to be seen beyond what you are able to reach. And for some these areas, some of them might seem inaccessible at first, but who knows... there could be the possibility finding a way to get there one way or another and see what's there.
That is something I want to make clear at the start of the game with the town map, that will have plenty of hidden corners around the edges of the map that you can wander to, find treasure in some of those places and look what's beyond the edges of the forest surrounding the town. For me, the edges of the maps are at least as important as that what goes in the middle, and I hope it'll satisfy those who like to explore. To go with this idea, you can expect to see relatively large maps, only being divided when it transitions into another type of area, or if there's really no other option.



(note: maps are still under construction, lol.)