Feedback/Concrit on Battlemaps (VTT/Print)

[Gail Dee]

Hi! I started making maps to encourage players to try their hand at DMing on Adventurer's League and I was looking for feedback on ways to improve and concrit regarding issues I should try to nip in the bud.

I'm using Photoshop and image assets by Mike Shley (CC3, DoS, Shleyscapes) and am designing for both roll20/fantasy grounds and for print (1inch grids)

Still need to figure out ways to build ambiance via lighting and use of textures for atmosphere/terrain to a greater extent but I'm not sure how else to take this to the next level. I do realize a lot of my maps are pretty generic in structure/layout and I hope to learn from Dyson's maps in future to improve on that. Having said that, I'd like to focus on building maps that DMs can print on posters and laminate and reuse for homebrews and random encounters.

Any advice/feedback/thoughts would be appreciated. Familiar with photoshop but designing with grids in mind is pretty new for me, as is cartography itself...

Previews are bellow:

First maps made last year (no thought about grids)
1-10-1-Street-my-old-maps.jpg 1-10-4-A-The-Stojanow-Gate-my-old-maps.jpg

First free map for public use last fall:
5-01-1-gridless.jpg

First set of maps this year:
7-01-1-1-vtt-gridless.jpg 7-01-1-2-vtt-grid-no-traps.jpg 7-01-3-vtt-gridless.jpg 7-01-5-vtt-gridless.jpg

Latest set of maps, with close ups of VTT versions:
7-02-1-2--VTT-gridless.jpg preview1.jpg

7-02-2--VTT-gridless.jpg preview2.jpg

7-02-3--VTT-gridless.jpg preview3.jpg

7-02-5-2--VTT-gridless.jpg preview4.jpg

[Redrobes]

I rather like them. I think personally maybe the shadows could be a bit stronger then they may pop out with a little more depth to them.

[jpstod]

I think that so many Cartographers over compensate on complexity of Maps. The Majority of DM/Players want simple to see and understand maps..

[Bogie]

Very nice maps Gail. Hard to go wrong with Mike's artpack. Since Mike has made so many official maps, a lot of people will be familiar with his style.
I agree with Redrobes that the walls could have a little stronger shadow to make the walls pop.
I partially agree with JP in that in the midst of an adventure, players are more interested in a map that gives them the major highlights than they are in a beautiful richly detailed map. But at the same time a good GM can use the details on a map to really flesh out the adventure. Everyone has their own style in mapping and in playing.
As an old school 1E-2E DM I don't like grids cluttering up my map. Grids on the floor are OK, but there is no reason for grids to go on top of everything. It ruins the esthetic. Also you should not put grids on a map that is intended for use with most VTTs, they will add their own grid, and it is often VERY hard to make the map-grid line up with the VTT-grid.
My last advice is this: If you are making a map for a specific adventure, read the adventure several time and be very careful that the map matches the written description. I have made full sized battlemaps for many old and some new adventures and it is frustrating how often the published map did not match the written word. Simple things like: the map shows a 10x10 foot room, and the text says there are 4 beds 4 chests, a sofa, a dining table and desk and chair in the room.
Accuracy & logic count.

[wdmartin]

@Gail: in terms of using lighting for ambience and terrain, try adding a couple of layers above all the others, named Highlights and Shadows.

Flood fill the Highlights layer with white (or a very bright color, like a pale yellow that's almost white). Set the layer mode to Overlay. Add a layer mask, and flood fill the layer mask with black to conceal everything in the layer. Switch your colors back to black and white, set foreground to white, and then use a large-ish very soft brush to brush in highlights on the objects below. Adjust the opacity of the layer to taste.

Flood fill the Shadows layer with black (or a very dark color, like a dark blue that's almost black0. Set the layer mode to Multiply. Add a layer mask, and flood fill the layer mask with black to conceal everything in the layer. Switch your colors back to black and white, set foreground to white, and then use a large-ish very soft brush to brush in shadows on the objects below. Adjust the opacity of the layer to taste.

If you need to intensify a highlight even further, duplicate the Highlights layer, wipe out all of the changes on the layer mask of the top Highlights layer, and then brush in the higher highlights in the appropriate spots. Ditto for deepening shadows.

If you make a mistake, you can always undo the changes by switching back to the opposite color (using the keyboard shortcut X) and wiping away your changes. Or use Undo/Redo, of course.

If you need precise, sharp lines in your shadows -- like, say, light shining through an open door -- you can always select the shape you want using the polygonal lasso tool and then flood fill that section of the mask with white (to reveal that area) or black (to conceal it).

I'm not entirely sure if that's what you were asking for, but I hope it helps you.

[Gail Dee]

@Redrobes Looking at them again, they do look rather flat overall D: Definitely gonna work on shadows/lighting thanks! TBH, if not for Schley's assets, would never have jumped into cartography, his work in that regard is absolutely brilliant.

@jpstod The adventures from Adventurer's league come with black and white maps for those who want simplicity and I've seen a couple people add color to them too. I did design these for folks who wanted more detail to their maps esp for reuse in future adventures (for other combat situations). I'm uncertain as to whether you're referring to complexity in the number of assets/objects in a map or the coloring or...?

@Bogie I'm quite terrible at drawing from scratch, especially when compared to the cartographers here. I didn't think of the effect of having grids over everything! For print I'll try putting the grid under furniture etc so it doesn't get in the way. For VTT I offer gridless so folks can overlay their own grid, yes I've have trouble making maps completely faithful to descriptions when the descriptions sometimes say "refer to map included" and the map included has the entrance on the west when it should be on the east. The hardest part has been reading an encounter several times and making a map and someone else interpreting the paragraph differently and expected something very different (though that's been the exception rather than the rule)

@wdmartin Thanks so much for the detailed steps! I've used masking layers previously for lighting but not for manually added light and shadow. My issues in that regard lie in figuring out lighting direction and shadows - pretty awful at that. Are there any particular guides for not screwing it up? Shadow/Highlight is definitely an issue of mine, the other being, lighting for different times of the day or to set ambiance. For instance, this one was around sunset and the cage in the center had a chain fence - not sure where/how the shadows would be laid:
7-03-2-vtt-gridless.jpg

Am currently trying to figure out what sort of lighting would set the mood for Chult battle maps, in the middle of the jungle. Recolored a map 4 times and still didn't manage to get a decent mood:

7-05-2-vtt-gridless.jpg

[Eri]

Nice start that's for sure and I defintely agree with everyone regarding shadow and such.

A cheats way if you have the objects in a different layer is to create a layer underneath and then mimic the objects shape with the selection tools but offset from the main building a little. The bigger the object the further the offset. You could even use the item itself as a guide and place down the same item in the lower layer, block fill it with a dark colour while it's still selected and shift it around till you're happy. Trees just neeed a grungy brush around the edges in the same direction of the other outside stiff. I'd say keep it all in the direction that those assets already are too as some already have shadows on them. G blur the layer when your done and lower the opacity till your happy.

With shadow directions. You could always just spend some free time making a free reference notes how shadows go outside during the day. Use a torch and play around with objects inside as well. Stick a torch on the wall and see how things change.

Also with you dungeon scenes try and make the background areas a fair bit darker, behind the walls so to speak. It'll make the path much clearer and defined.