Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
Profile
Locker
Play ListsLUCIDSTILLNESS'S PROFILE
CloseSearch
Filter
All
Game Pages
User Statuses
The Screenshot Topic Returns
The Screenshot Topic Returns
Your mapping does look very good Deacon Batista. Often times blending different styles gives a patchwork effect, but I didn't really get that impression from the trailer.
Speaking of mapping (segue!) I didn't like the way my cave tileset was looking, so I redesigned most of it:
I think it looks more natural now (and less bright). As always feedback is greatly appreciated. :)
Speaking of mapping (segue!) I didn't like the way my cave tileset was looking, so I redesigned most of it:
I think it looks more natural now (and less bright). As always feedback is greatly appreciated. :)
World Maps
Well, dotted line maps are not something I really dislike vehemently. I said I don't like it when RPGs are too linear, but there is something to be said for convenience.
In fact, I've taken a page from this design choice for my own game. I've placed roads on my overworld, connecting the various different communities and important areas. These roads are free of random attacks, so if the player just wants to get from point A to point B they won't have to worry about getting into any tough battles. Of course, this also allows the player to leave the beaten path at any time, to do things like explore optional dungeons for treasure, so I'm hoping this will be the best of both worlds.
In fact, I've taken a page from this design choice for my own game. I've placed roads on my overworld, connecting the various different communities and important areas. These roads are free of random attacks, so if the player just wants to get from point A to point B they won't have to worry about getting into any tough battles. Of course, this also allows the player to leave the beaten path at any time, to do things like explore optional dungeons for treasure, so I'm hoping this will be the best of both worlds.
Hello to everyone out there.
Welcome to RMN! Yes, the criticism here is very good; I've only been here for a little while, and it has already been a big help with my project!
World Maps
I think it really comes down to what works best. If a game's action primarily takes place inside towns or dungeons, then an interactive world map seems pretty superfluous. On the other hand, if the game is a 'road trip' across an entire fantasy world, then a world map can be valuable or in some cases invaluable in bringing the player into the gaming experience, as well as organizing the game world into areas that are easily understood.
World Maps
Well, if a world map really is just a gigantic open space then it is going to be boring, just like any other map that is a gigantic open space will be boring. There is no reason that the overworld can't be diverse and interesting; it is, after all, another kind of dungeon.
One of the best overworld maps I have ever seen is Final Fantasy VI's; the map looks great, there are rarely any really huge distances between one plot area and the next, and there are tons of side areas and extras that could only be implemented with the use of a world map. It's an almost perfect example of this device used correctly.
One of the best overworld maps I have ever seen is Final Fantasy VI's; the map looks great, there are rarely any really huge distances between one plot area and the next, and there are tons of side areas and extras that could only be implemented with the use of a world map. It's an almost perfect example of this device used correctly.
World Maps
World Maps
I don't believe any RPG that has used a world map has done so with the intention of using a modern real-word global scale. World maps are something that was created to help keep things organized in RPGs, giving everything a 'relative' sense of distance. If there is a real-world basis for it, it's the isolated towns and settlements that existed in medieval Europe and similar places, which reflected a very different attitude of what the 'known world' was. In such cases, it was entirely feasible to take an, albeit arduous, journey from one community to the next. On average, a person can travel about 50 Km per day on foot in ideal conditions if they spend about 12 hours marching, and given the technological limitations of the time and the absence of roads in many places, this meant that communities were separated but were generally not too far apart (interestingly, I've read that horse travel really isn't faster than traveling by foot if one is going at a steady pace; it just allows for a heavier load).
Naturally, the more sophisticated the culture, the easier it is to have communities farther apart, so it would seem very absurd to have someone walk across a continent the size of North America in a modern-day RPG (unless, of course, this abstraction was explained somehow in-game).
So, when a 'traditional' RPG has a huge number of different biomes and areas, it's really an extrapolation on this medieval attitude towards distance, which is thematically appropriate even if it's not scientifically accurate.
Naturally, the more sophisticated the culture, the easier it is to have communities farther apart, so it would seem very absurd to have someone walk across a continent the size of North America in a modern-day RPG (unless, of course, this abstraction was explained somehow in-game).
So, when a 'traditional' RPG has a huge number of different biomes and areas, it's really an extrapolation on this medieval attitude towards distance, which is thematically appropriate even if it's not scientifically accurate.
World Maps
Well, I happen to like epic world-spanning plots, but to each his own. I think a sense of scale is important for any game that is working within a given scale. It wouldn't make much sense, for example, if Arkham Asylum was an overhead RTS. Similarly, Chrono Trigger wouldn't make any sense if the entire game took place inside one town; the story demanded a huge sense of scale with a vast array of locations, spanning not only space but time. I think Chrono Trigger and games like it worked pretty well.
Now, I'll grant you that an overworld map, even if it is very detailed, is always going to be an oversimplification. Personally, I'm okay with that; it's just a gaming convention, similar to power ups, saved games and every other unrealistic device that serves to make the game more playable. If one were to force the player to trek in real time across 1000 km of mostly similar terrain for the sake of realism, I imagine the game wouldn't be much fun. An abstraction or two is necessary even in the most realistic of games.
But I'm not saying that RPGs without overworld maps are necessarily doing anything wrong, just so long as the developers aren't just avoiding using one out of some sense of it being dated. To go back to Final Fantasy XIII (sorry XIII fans, I actually don't really dislike this game, but this is my biggest problem with it), that game's sense of scale demanded some kind of world map and its absence was very noticeable. Basically, I 'm just saying developers shouldn't shun the tools and conventions at their disposal, as doing so is akin to trying to reinvent the wheel.
Now, I'll grant you that an overworld map, even if it is very detailed, is always going to be an oversimplification. Personally, I'm okay with that; it's just a gaming convention, similar to power ups, saved games and every other unrealistic device that serves to make the game more playable. If one were to force the player to trek in real time across 1000 km of mostly similar terrain for the sake of realism, I imagine the game wouldn't be much fun. An abstraction or two is necessary even in the most realistic of games.
But I'm not saying that RPGs without overworld maps are necessarily doing anything wrong, just so long as the developers aren't just avoiding using one out of some sense of it being dated. To go back to Final Fantasy XIII (sorry XIII fans, I actually don't really dislike this game, but this is my biggest problem with it), that game's sense of scale demanded some kind of world map and its absence was very noticeable. Basically, I 'm just saying developers shouldn't shun the tools and conventions at their disposal, as doing so is akin to trying to reinvent the wheel.
Games - Tester
Games - Other
