Hey, this is my first published scenario and I feel I need some criticism from others to really improve. It is the entry for a contest, The Totally Terrain Contest, in which you must create a beautiful map. I believe I have excelled at this, but, I want your opinion.
Please, download here. This contains all the information you will probably need.
/------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ Completed Scenarios: [ TTC: Pathing the way to Europe ] Current Project: [ Outlander ] \-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/
[This message has been edited by Mark1 (edited 07-27-2010 @ 06:21 AM).]
Author
Replies:
Fanica Squire
posted 07-27-10 06:22 AM
CT (US)
1 / 6
IF you think you excelled, see Julius' entry for TTC.
I have already seen Julius' entry. It is very good. But this topic is not about Julius' entry, it is about my entry. I would prefer you only replied if you have any questions, comments or criticisms of my map.
/------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ Completed Scenarios: [ TTC: Pathing the way to Europe ] Current Project: [ Outlander ] \-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/
RON PAUL 2016 Squire
(id: Turty)
posted 07-27-10 08:49 AM
CT (US)
3 / 6
Hi Mark, I'll take a look at your map and try to offer some advice.
Mark1 Squire
posted 07-27-10 09:04 AM
CT (US)
4 / 6
Thanks Turtov. I'd also like to point out that I spent an irregularly long time on my downloads page, so please admire it.
/------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ Completed Scenarios: [ TTC: Pathing the way to Europe ] Current Project: [ Outlander ] \-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/
RON PAUL 2016 Squire
(id: Turty)
posted 07-27-10 10:09 AM
CT (US)
5 / 6
Okay, I'm going to try to be as helpful as possible, so please don't take offense if it seems like I'm destroying your work.
This is bland with just dirt1 everywhere. I know it can be difficult to make deserts more interesting, but man-made structures can be used to your advantage to make it interesting. Different terrains such as desert/dirt2 under and near the stable, as well as dirt2 near the grazing areas of the horses and broken roads can be used to your advantage. Dead farm terrains also don't look too bad. You could add some palm trees or jungle trees that look like bushes in the area as well.
I probably would have had the palm trees cover the edge of the map near the northwest and touch the cliffs, and more dirt1 near the camels' campsite and mixed dirt1 and dirt3 with the dirt2. You might have wanted to use yurts instead of houses in this case.
Different elevations are good, though I might have added elevation3 near the elevation4 to make the transition less dramatic. Also, I don't really understand why there are palisade walls/another gate within the base, as well as why the base is a complete rectangle ().
A note on roads: you can mix other types of roads as well as use dirt1/dead farm terrain with the patterns of the broken road to make it seem more washed out.
It seems you had a bit of fun with farms . In this case, broken roads could have been used within the town. and under buildings like the market. I don't know why there is a palisade wall in the middle of the road/farm as well. Map copying buildings can have some pleasing results if you want to make your town look very clustered.
This looks awkward having grass1/2 in the middle of nowhere. I might have added dirt2/3 and grass3 to make the transition smoother.
I would have added more vegetation/trees near the water and used some other water depths. Again, dirt2 and dirt3 as well as desert could be used here. Piles of stone (stone mines without the outline) could be placed near the rocks.
There is a lot of grass1 here, and I feel it isn't very effective in this case. Dirts as well as different grasses, and even desert bordering the water wouldn't be too bad. A different terrain under the trees along with flowers (used as undergrowth) would look well.
Map copy can be used to copy trees behind mountains and to cluster different mountains together so they don't look like they were just placed from the editor. I might have placed a sea rock under the bamboo and add a few jungle bushes to make the area look like a pond. Killing the bamboo with triggers is good in some occasions.
The corner leaves me with something to be desired. More trees or rocks or even additional cliffs would be fine. Also, do not be afraid to use some dirt terrains with snow, as limiting yourself to just four terrains that already have limited applications doesn't help.
Again, this was not meant to bring you down or anything; I'm only being harsh to hopefully make you a better designer. You have a lot of potential, and I hope to see that potential to be utilized effectively.
Mark1 Squire
posted 07-27-10 07:30 PM
CT (US)
6 / 6
Oh ****! That's not my latest version, I really should have downloaded it for myself. Sorry Turtov! The latest version is now available for download. It fixes most of your criticisms, but if you can, can you please make a new reply detailing my errors on the new one and tell me some positives?
/------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ Completed Scenarios: [ TTC: Pathing the way to Europe ] Current Project: [ Outlander ] \-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/
[This message has been edited by Mark1 (edited 07-28-2010 @ 07:32 AM).]