April 2012 Entry: Gladiator

[Jacktannery]

This is my first ever mapping challenge! I hope I am not being too ambitious.

My idea is to create a roman amphitheatre battlemap, but to have various sub-maps that show the battle arena changing round by round as it gets flooded, and the combatants need to swim and then climb on to and fight over boats.

This will probably turn into a disaster because the one thing I know for a fact I absolute cannot do, is water. I just can’t do water at all. Nevertheless, I will try.

And I also want to add an elephent. But I also have no idea how I am going to do that.

The first issue will be scale: I want to show enough to get a sense that the fight is inside an amphitheatre (but I won't try and depict an audience - that would be almost impossible for me), but the entire structure can’t be depicted because it would dominate the map and not leave enough room for the battle arena.

I am very much hoping for feedback and advice on this throughout the process. Also if anyone knows of any existing colosseum/amphitheatre battlemaps out there (surely there must be loads) please let me know so I can get ideas.

Grid will be 100 pixels and map will be 20 squares x 20 squares (thus 2,000 pixels by 2,000 – which is the limit my computer can take before crashing. May have to make it slightly smaller due to computer power – we’ll see.

WIP1.jpg

EDIT: scale concept (with grid at 50 pixels and width of image 2000 pixels):
### LATEST WIP ###
amphi overview.jpg

Questions: is ratio of arena/battleground to audience tiers about right, or not? Is the arena/battlefield big enough (ie enough grid squares) to have a ship battle in it? Probably not - perhaps mini-ships?

[Joshua]

To give you an idea on size for ship battles, one of Paizo's flipmats measures two ships in a battle at 16 usable squares long (80 ft) and 20 usable squares long (100 ft). They are both about 6 usable squares wide (30 ft) at the widest point. If you plan on using them as props with cannon fire and raiding from one ship to the other, your map might be sized just fine. If you mean for the ships to actually be able to move around each other, that map would be way too small. Just depends on how you want the ship battle to go.

So far as the view goes, I like how you've laid out the amphitheater. I think it gives a pretty good feel for what we're looking at while leaving ample space for the arena itself. If you're going to change the size of the arena, I'd suggest just changing the grid size. Making the grids about 3/4 of their current size would probably be as small as I'd go on this map though.

[Jacktannery]

Thanks Joshua - the ships are really just props, so they can be pushed through the arena creating a moveable fighting stage - I like that idea. And I'm glad my scale will work.

I'm trying experiments out for getting a good old-bloodstain colour.

### LATEST WIP ###
amphitheatreweb.jpg

[Bogie]

They did have actual ship battles in the Coliseum, but the ships were only about 30 ft long, not full sized galleons.

[Jacktannery]

Experimenting on colours for the outside. Definitely won't be using this texture - probably just go for a flat colour without texture for the stonework.

### LATEST WIP ###
amphi overview.jpg

I'm seriously considering removing the lowest of the three seating tiers in order to make more room for the battle. It won't be as accurate (the exiting ratios are based on a roman plan I found) but it might make for more jolly battles.

[Lukc]

Or you could just resize the map, so there is more focus on the arena and less on the seating ...

[Jacktannery]

I started on the steps. After a little while, I stood back and realised that this is going to be an absolute disaster. My amphitheatre seating tiers are going to be at a completely different scale to the arena. I am starting to seriously wish I had put a bit more thought into the concept before leaping into it so publicly.

### LATEST WIP ###
amphi overview.jpg

[Joshua]

For what it's worth, I think it's pretty awesome so far and a REALLY cool concept. I'd want to play it out if I were one of your players. I think you should keep with it and see what you ultimately make. Revision--even heavy revision--isn't something to ever be ashamed of. It shows incite and initiative.

[Jacktannery]

Thanks Joshua - you've given me the courage to continue. I've started on the columns. I've tried to take WIPs that show my work methods, because they are so odd. I draw the basic shape, then decide what shade to paint them; number them; then paint them. I'm probably doing the entire thing backwards.

amphi overview1.jpg

amphi overview2.jpg

Found an image of a generic classical column on google images and used cut and paste and rotate, then changed all my layers to overlay.

amphi overview1.jpg

Or you could just resize the map, so there is more focus on the arena and less on the seating ...

Tempting as that is, I feel that the map would not fit the title of the challenge (cinematic fight scene) without the colonnades, columns and epic feel.

EDIT: pretty much done with the columns now, and am quite happy with the result. I'm going to see if I can use a circular gradiant the then reduce the number of shades to get a patchwork stone effect that follows the shape of the arena to use as a background texture - should be possible.

### LATEST WIP ###
amphi overview1.jpg

[Joshua]

Those columns came out really nicely. The only thing that seems a little off are the shadows of the columns. They seem to all be pointing toward the center of the arena. You know, when I look closer at the seating, I don't think the scale is unworkable. They're probably going to try to sell as many tickets as possible and flood the place with viewers, right? Those benches look to be one foot deep, about... So yeah, people will have to squeeze by to get to an open seat, but it seems totally acceptable given the circumstances.