[Award Winner] Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional RPG Map

[Highlieche]

Hello again RobA,

Sorry to keep buggin u but i think im just stupid. I found this tut over a MONTH ago and i still havent been able to complete a satisfying looking, to my eyes at least, map. As for my recent problem with the layer positioning, i found that i just didnt turn off the layers like you did in the tut so its my bad. Now im trying to, yet AGAIN, make a decent looking, map. So im just gonna list what im trying to put into the map that continues to elude me and maybe u can give a total noob some advice/tips?

1. A single main continent that the map focuses on, surrounded by either, a bunch of small island chains, another piece of a secondary continent that is visible in the corner or a combination of the two.
2. A DEEP forest for elves/ elven type beings somewhere on the main continent.
3. At least two major mountain chains on the main continent, and if i use a piece of a secondary one a coastal mountain range on it as well.
4. A vast steppe with a river, that has a rather large inland island in it, cutting through it, on the main continent for my main humanity region.
5. The crater i asked for earlier as my main TEH ZOMBIE/EV0L!!!!!!! region. Naturally i would enjoy having this area gray to represent lifelessness but if the proves impossible then ill go with dirt brown.
6. OPTIONAL: A volcanic region either within a mountain range or around the TEH EV0L!!!!! crater. But i dont think that is gonna be possible at the current rate of my development.

This map is simply a personal project, its not for any game. I just wanna be able to say i can do a better map than a fill-bucket and post type.

Also, @ Aylorian, nice game design dude. Wish i could play but i never found a D&D type crowd to hang with.

[Aylorian]

Also, @ Aylorian, nice game design dude. Wish i could play but i never found a D&D type crowd to hang with.

Thanks, it's actually a MUD (multi-user dungeon) rather than a turn-based RPG and is all real time.

Think of it as more of a text based World of Warcraft or Everquest 2. It's no coincidence that the makers of those games originally got their starts on MUDs. Runescape was originally a MUD that was converted to graphics. If you take away the graphics, MUDs tend to have more depth and a tighter community because they're smaller.

Anyway, you don't have to find anyone to play with, just login and there's usually anything from 250-400 people online at a time. Client address is www.aardwolf.com if you want to check it out.

[crowfather]

Thx Rob so much for the tutorial I am not scurd of mappin anymore. This is my WIP after dinking around for a week scrappin my first map. I am pretty proud of the layout so far I have allot left to do but its all down hill TLC
I will use your river tutorial when I get to that point. Anyways I wanted to rep you so I hope clikin the praise button does it. PS if anyone has cool downloads for city's and town shoot me a msg plz thanks.

[Ascension]

Do you see the names on the left side of the post? Do you see the little set of weighing scales under the names? Click that and a pop-up window appears so then type in your comments and click the button for "I approve". Although, the Praise button is certainly a neat idea it does not give reputation.

[Draszmar]

Hello,

I'be been lurking here for a long time now and as a long-time CC user I found a lot of inspiration in this forum.
But what I found also were these great "realistic" looking maps done in Photoshop or GIMP. These can't be done in CC even with the great new features in CC3, so I was a bit envious.

Then came this angel from heaven calles RobA and gave us mere mortals this awesome tutorial.
I downloaded and installed GIMP and didn't have a clue what to do. So I tampered with the tutorial for weeks but I always got stuck at the mountains.
And what did that celestial being RobA do? He posted an additional tutorial for great looking mountains which can be easily integrated in the original tutorial.
So I tampered again, modified a few things to my liking and finally today I finished my first map in GIMP and I'm really happy with it:

[ISGC]

first post, quick and easy question, how do I set the blend mode

[crackersncheese]

Firstly, great tutorial! I feel like I'm starting to see how mapmaking will work out. I have hit a snag, however:

Now apply a bump map to this “Grass Bumps” layer using Filters->Map->Bump Map.
Attachment 1460

Your instructions say "Grass Bumps" but the picture shows you applying the bump map to the "Grass Bump Map" layer, which has all the turbulence in it. No matter which one I apply it to, I don't get the same effect you get. It still looks like turbulence to me! Help would be appreciated.

[matrixm]

Create a new layer called “Dirt” and fill it with the “med dirt” colour. Add some noise (Filters->Noise->HSV Noise):

[image snip]

Now bump map this layer on itself to five a bit of lighting texture:

Been following the tutorial, and on Post 9 (really post 11; not sure of step number at this point), it has the above instructions. Does the bump map layer on itself to five mean to apply the bump map effect to the layer 5 times (I think it does, but that gives me something that's much darker than seen in some of the land regions later on in the tutorial).

Edit: Ok, it looks like the five might be a typo, and meant give instead. I only applied the bump once, and it turned out nice so far. I'll post current status in the WIP forum (just before the mountains stuff).

[Kerghan]

Hi Dear Cartographers !

I'm a new member of the Guild and i want to say "Bravo" To all of you, really nice school.

(thanks for tutorial, i need to work more, but my first map wasn't so bad. Do you know what kind of palette i should use to draw an icy map?)

[Ascension]

Whites, grays, blacks, browns, blues, and purples...maybe some washed-out greens. Basically cool colors and not warm colors.