August Entry: Multiple textured paths

[Redrobes]

I thought that I would throw my hat into the ring again but I thought that I would veer slightly off track from the purist best tile approach and go with something that would be the most useful to the most people - since that is what the idea of 'geomorphic' tiles are all about. Incidentally, where does that word come from w.r.t tiles for RPG ? Shouldn't it be isomorphic or something like that instead ???

I thought about it and I will produce 8 x 7"x7" tiles so that there is a square in the middle of each edge and then you can rotate the tiles for more options. I thought that it would be better to have 9 tiles in a 3x3 grid but then I forgot that you can print these out multiple times and have as many of them as you want to print. I will do a 9th tile but it will be the 'blank' tile with no path on it all all so thats kinda outside of the rules - i.e. its a bonus tile...

I reckon that you could tackle this challenge in many ways of which the hardcore way is to meticulously draw each one but I thought I would present a way to semi-automate the process. This will be useful to me as I could apply it to paths not strictly in a 7x7 grid and therefore push my CWBP stuff along further more easily. Well, we will see if that pops out of this process.

For now - I have just got a bit of normal 5mm gridded paper out and sketched my tiles. I have tried get get one of each type in there. Actually as Gamerprinter has already noted 8 is not very many is it !

So here are some straights, T's, crossroads, clearings, bends to left and then right, an 'S' shape etc and then the last bonus one is blank.

### Latest WIP ###

[Redrobes]

Now I have chopped and trimmed them out to get individual tiles. Then for each one I have set them as a greyscale, used contrast to get rid of the grid, brushed out the corner marks and resized them to 256x256 each.

### Latest WIP ###

[torstan]

Surely you are doubling up a little with 1 and 6 (counting left to right from the top left corner)? You could swap one out and put in a different design.

[Redrobes]

Oh yes , that one was supposed to bend the other way so that I had a right-hander and a left-hander. I'll just flip that in X & Y and that should fix that.

Thanks...

[torstan]

Um, can't you do all of your left and right bends with one corner? I'm pretty sure you don't need two corners at all.

[Redrobes]

Um, can't you do all of your left and right bends with one corner? I'm pretty sure you don't need two corners at all.

Actually I am not sure - maybe your right...

Yes - crikey ! Ok, so spare tile then Shall I make a small corner and not such a horseshoe type one instead. I could see players wondering why going forwards needs to much back tracking. I'll edit this piccy below in a mo...

There, big bend and small bend. Sorry about that Torstan, I really thought I needed one.

[Steel General]

Nice job!

I could see a use for mountain paths (several types including snow covered), swamps, jungles, rolling hills (maybe even something like the Scottish Highlands), etc. etc. etc.

[Redrobes]

Scottish Highlands y'say aye - ah cun take a wee loook fer yeh !

Snow is always hard. Just looks like all white. Jungle does sound fun tho. Could do with some swampy marshy extra dodgy fenland trails for Thrub too.

Some cobbles BTW. C&C's welcome too - are these any good ?

I will do a round up at the end with all the tile shapes and all styles in multiple zips. Probably huge zips tho... hmmm. Will have to add a grid to all of these too just to keep within the rules and the spirit of the task.

[Steel General]

I like the cobbles... but I think maybe they need a bit of better blending into the grass?

[Redrobes]

Steel, I have been on the search for a piccy to show what I was trying to achieve. I thought the grass would be more elevated than the cobbles and there would be a drop so I added that bit of black in as a vertical steep bit. Like this...

http://www.travelhouseuk.co.uk/blog_...ew_zealand.jpg

Lots of other grass has it just flat growing over the stone so there is no drop. Do you think that it should have faded more into grass. Not such a neat edge ?

BTW is that the kind of rocky path you want for hills ?

Edit -- needs to be more crinkly on the edge tho doesn't it...