Map for Trade...

[Gamerprinter]

Just posting the first of the maps that I am doing for trade in getting Kaidan published as an adventure arc and setting.

The publisher, Dementia 5, is creating a Victorian Era Vampire D&D Adventure. He requires a ficticious neighborhood in London, which is the map posted here. Tomorrow night I need to create the first floor of one of those townhouse mansions in this neighborhood, as well as a map of that train station to the west of this map.

Next I have to make two train cars. One an aristocrats private coach car, and another private car used as a private laboratory on the track.

Then I need to create a small country village with a small train station and an old Keep on top of a hill. Finally I need to make a 30 room map of that keep in the style of my Lair of Lhessadrak map, which is Duchess Doku's residence - the vampiress of the storyline.

I'll post those maps here, when I am complete.

Although this is for publication, you can download and use it for personal use as per CC, but no posting elsewhere online or other publications, please.

Also when this adventure is published, I will post a link to the product here as well, probably a $5 or $6 PDF download.

Now the ficticious neighborhood of London map...

GP

PS: I might create a simple tutorial afterward, I've learned a new trick using Xara Xtreme Pro. I draw straight and curved lines (the roads and railroad tracks), I make them various width lines like 24 point to 48 point lines, then I "convert line to shape", give the new shape a texture. This way I don't have to draw both sides of the road trying to things parallel, etc. Very easy to do. And that railroad track - the rails is an object with 4 point loutline, transparent center, then I cut the ends of the box. Next I draw a fatter line, convert to shape, apply a seamless old wood texture, then apply a repeating linear gradient transparency and create the wood beneath the rails - easy and fast!

[Steel General]

Looking good so far GP.

[RPMiller]

Other than the boulder sized cobble used for the street texture, and that odd curving structure in the top center this is gorgeous! The colors are spot on with the Victorian theme. I would suggest scaling down the street texture to the proper size for cobble, enhance the shadows a bit more on the roofs to give them better slope, and perhaps randomize the chimneys just a bit to give the houses a little more organic feel. The hard curves of the train depot and that structure in the top center could be smoothed a bit as well. Overall, this is going to be another exceptional map from GP! Beautiful!

[torstan]

Looking good, and I love the colour scheme.

The houses need a drop shadow, currently they look like they are painted on the ground. Your chimney shadows are all over the place. I'm not convinced by the large brick texture on the curving building - the direction of the texture is really at odds with the shape of the building. Finally, the trees could do with a bit of shading on the trees themselves - currently they look like flat discs of leaves above the ground.

Sorry for being picky, but I think this is a great map and a few tweaks will make it even better.

I love the font and the feel of the map as a whole. I'm glad Dementia5 is working well. Sounds like a good pairing.

[Gamerprinter]

OK, an update to the Shropley Court, London 1891 map, colors may be slightly different - its actually hard to duplicate, but I made the changes mentioned above your suggestions from RPMiller and Torstan. Plus a couple additional changes as per request by the publisher.

Notably, the train station turned into the villain's manor house - not my decision. Added a link to a tavern inn to its south.

Next another train station map and two coach train cars, and perhaps a locomotive. Then village and Castle with dungeon to wrap things up.

Updated version below.

GP

[RPMiller]

Ok, so that cobblestone pattern isn't going to work... What's up with the "vegetation" in the upper left? I still have no idea what that curving structure is. The chimneys are better, but something still feels "off" about them. Is it the drop shadow maybe? Perhaps they are too big for the scale? I'm just not sure.

[waldronate]

The two things I noticed about the second one (admittedly the only one I looked at) were the lack of shadows on the top couple of buildings and the overlap of shadows that gives rise to darker spots. The shadow overlap thing is no doubt the result of result of drop shadows on each entity rather than a whole layer.

I do agree with RPMiller about the curved thing. It looks like a pointy berm to me.

Overall, though, it's quite nice.

[Gamerprinter]

Not that these maps do not deserve perfection, it has met approval by the publisher, and I've still got many more to create. Perhaps I'll tweak that London map again, before its over, but for now on to the next maps.

Still in WIP for, as I haven't completed the second car, but here are two railroad coach cars, both privately owned by the Aristocrat Physician (primary NPC of storyline.) One is his personal coach for the doctor and his guests. The window seats at the west end of the private coach car have beds that pull out of the walls and rest on the chair benches, so it can accomodate six sleepers. The doctor has his own private suite.

The second car, is the doctor's "mad scientist" laboratory. He has an office on the end that leads to his bedroom in the next car. Got to add "mad scientist" lab bench, security bed and chair (with straps) to hold down patients. Perhaps a "gas" room to force inhalation of toxic or other chemical fumes, a still, a burner and some chemical glassware on table.

Will finish this tomorrow!

GP

[Gandwarf]

Liking the coach car maps!
Not too enthusiastic about the London map though. Agreeing with RPMiller's and Waldronate's comments.

[ravells]

Hi GP, check out this link for reference material on Pullman coaches (if you have not seen it already).

For victorian roof tiles check out this link.

I don't know how much of a perfectionist you need to be with the map, but that style of roof usually had a curved tile on the ridge of the roof...might be worth putting in to give the roofs more definition.

I think with rank and file houses, individual chimney pots were unusual, usually there were a number of chimney pots to each chimney. I've done a very quick and dirty version here just to illustrate what I mean.

Hope this helps!