[WIP] Castle Ravenloft 2D Battle Maps REDUX!

[wthrasherb]

Hey folks! Thanks for the feedback!

@Jacktannery, the white cloudy stuff is "The Mist" of Ravenloft. It doesn't have to stay and the background under that layer in Photoshop IS black, so that could be an easy fix. Right now I'm going to focus on getting the map done and then I will go back and adjust the overall aesthetic details. Unlike most maps on this forums this one isn't going to be as much of an "art project" as much as just trying to put together a visually appealing FUNCTIONAL map. I have already found things I would like to go back and do over, do a different way, or edit otherwise, but I'm just leaving it alone for now and trying to get usable maps up for my game and anyone else who needs them. What I plan on doing at the end of the project is to have some variations put together in a zip file or on my Google Drive and then people would have some choices on their preference. I agree the coloring is just a tiny bit dark on the walls, but I'm not sure the rest of the map needs to be brightened up. MAYBE a touch... but that comes at the end either in my workflow. Thanks for the feedback. Keep it coming!

@Falconius, the Grid is hard to see on the floor pattern. I made some adjustments last night that make it look better, but I'm not sure you can really see the grid lines still. I will work on it. I personally turn on the grid in Roll20 and usually set it to some bright color that stands out. That way I don't have to deal with the grid issue when i'm making my maps. I have included the grid here MAINLY just to keep an eye on scale and such while I'm laying the dungeon out and for when I reference the adventure maps. I will work on it and try to make it better for those who want the grid on the map. There will be versions that offer with and without a grid in the end. Thanks for the feedback!

Great stuff folks! Keep it coming!

I've been out of town ALL DAY and JUST got home, so I haven't made much progress since the last post. I'm pooped, so I'm not sure how much work I will get finished today. Be patient... it's coming

[wthrasherb]

I have been saying (thinking?) the word stairs so much since yesterday that the word itself has started to sound weird. ANYWAY, I have rested from my all day outing yesterday and I'm nice and refreshed and ready to get grinding on this map today!

Today's goal is, as the post Title says: S T A I R S.

This dungeon has all kinds of stairwells, some spiral and some straight. I've always used pre-drawn map symbols for these VTT maps, but today I'm learning how to make my own damn stairs. After going through my map symbol collections and a few failed experiments on the best way to do these stairs I have decided that map symbols aren't going to work AND look good. I found a short tutorial on the guild here about shading stairs, but anomiecoalition starts with some sort of pre-generated graphic from Campaign Cartographer and I need to be a little more flexible than that. I'm going to use anomiecoalition's shading method for the stairs, but I'm going to draw my own in Adobe Illustrator and then import them into Photoshop. I'm not nearly as experienced with Illustrator as I am Photoshop, so there might be a little trial and error in the beginning.

If ANYONE has more tips for doing STAIRS, PLEASE send them my way! Thanks in advance!

[Hervis]

Here are a couple that I used when making my version of these maps (Keith on Roll20). Your maps look great BTW.


SpiralStair_Big.png

SpiralStair.png

[Hervis]

Be aware that two of the spiral stairs between Larders of Ill Omen and the Dungeons and Catacombs do not line up. There is another one from their is a straight stair from the Court of the Count up to the Rooms of Weeping that is also too short.

[wthrasherb]

@Hervis, Thanks dude! I started to ask you on Roll20, but decided I should teach myself. I'm going to try yours for now and see how I like it and THEN might take the time to do my own. Good looking out man!

[wthrasherb]

Do you mean they don't "line up" from level to level or what? And what are you talking about the "too short" part? Thanks for the help!

[Hervis]

Let me see if I can explain.

If you look at the position of the large staircase that goes all the way from the crypt to the top of the tower (K18 in the original module) as compared to the nearby one that goes from the dungeon upward (K21 in the original), you will notice that on the Larders of Ill Omen (and above) that the smaller staircase's center is in a different relative location to the large one. On the bottom level it is 10' west and 40' south of the larger staircase. On all of the other levels it is 30' west and 10' south.

The long hallway that leads from the brazier room doesn't also line up with the crypt that it comes up to. Here is an image that I hope helps explain it.

StairOffset.jpg

The 'too short' one is on the Court of the count, there is a long staircase near the north west corner that takes a turn up into the room with the 10 statues on the Rooms of weeping. This staircase shows that is goes 40' west, turns left, the becomes a half spiral at the end. In order for it to reach the destination shown on Rooms of Weeping it would have to go 50' West before turning to the left.

[wthrasherb]

Hey folks! This is just a quick image post of how I've adjusted the floor pattern inside the keep and adjusted the grid to be plainly visible. I've also been working on figuring out how to do stairs all day. Some of you may laugh, but every version I tried today looked like crap and I had to try try again I also wasted A LOT of time in Illustrator. I finally figured out how to create a satisfying "stairs effect" that I SHOULD just be able to use as a sort of template from here forward, but it's not quite finished... I need YOUR help!

StairsandGrid_PROGRESS_POST.jpg

How do the stairs look? Do they look like they are going UP or DOWN?

What about the grid? How does it look now? Does it stand out enough now with the floor pattern?

Any other comments or thoughts on the stairs or grid?

Thanks!

[wthrasherb]

Ok, still no feedback from the community, but I'm still diligently working to make this map look better! I'm still focusing on the stairs until I get them right... that time may have come, at least for spiral stairs (strait stairs should be easy after this). I personally think this version looks great (just looking at the stairs here), but I'm still not sure I have the "UP and DOWN" effect correct yet.\

In this image STAIRS_TEST_02.jpg the stairs at the top should look like they are going "UP" and the stairs on the bottom should look like they are going "DOWN".

Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Oh, and for those of you following my progress, I may slow down some due to starting a new job tomorrow... don't know exactly what kind of schedule/hours I'm working yet...

[Bogie]

Nice work. The grid looks ok on the lighter floor, but the glowing grid lines are distracting where it is above the darker stairwell. The stairs are clearly going down. I would consider putting a wall or a railing dividing the break between the lighter floor and the drop to the darker lower stairwell. The code enforcement officer will write you up for having an open unprotected drop, very hazardous.

EDIT, You posted before I could.
Oops, Nevermind, now I see you were going to go with stairs on both sides.

The stairs have a nice look to them and work the way they are intended.