Small Subterranean Dungeon

[Torq]

Working with small dungeon layouts and trying to apply the suggestions and help (much appreciated) from Kalmarjan and RobA, I came up with this. I have been checking out a lot of ancient rock art recently and I imagined this place might once have been some form of ancient burial area for an early civilisation, hence the artwork on the floors.

Its far from finished but I would appraciate any advice or comment.

Torq

[ravells]

I love the little details like the stag and hand prints and the fallen rocks and little pebbles.

I'm not sure that the repeated tiling of the background does it for me, simply because if something is meant to look natural or organic and you can see the repeat tile, it doesn't look natural or organic anymore. Maybe just try a subtle speckled fill? Heh, you could embed fossils in it.

Question: what scale are you proposing to use the map at? It's just that you don't want to lose that wealth of detail if the scale that you print it out at or post it on the web at is much smaller than the image you've posted.

I like the sense of age and mystery the map conjures. What are you planning to put in it?

Ravs

[Torq]

I agree, the background is a standard GIMP repeating pattern. It definately needs something else. Love the idea of the embedded fossils (maybe some human fossils). The map is for use in a virtual tabletop for rpg play (Battlegrounds) so the details should be noticed.

I'm planning to make it some sort of ancient burial chamber so some old, very weathered sarcophogi will definately feature. Dont want to make it too cluttered though.

Thanks for the kind words.

Torq

[RobA]

Here is a real easy way to create a non repeating pattern similar to that built in pattern:

1) fill a layer with 30% grey
2) Create 2 new layers above that.
3) fill each of the new layers with Render->Noise->Solid Noise. Crank up the detail and the two scale sliders to the max, check turbulent, and randomize.
4) set the top noise layer to a difference blend mode, and merge the layers down.
5) invert the colour, then adjust the colour curve to get black spider-web lines on a white background.
6) optionally apply a small gaussian blur
7) apply this a bump map to the 30% grey layer.

HTH-

-Rob A>

[heruca]

Looking good, Torq. Love the floor texture. Where'd you get that?

I agree with the comments about the repeating rock texture. RobA's tip for making it non-repeating is excellent. I'll have to try that out sometime. You might also try blending in a layer with Clouds or Difference Clouds to add a touch of random color to the otherwise monotone texture.

Are the handprints supposed to be actual handprints, or just painted designs? I ask because they seem to be out of scale if they're supposed to be life-size.

Looking forward to the finished version.

[Torq]

Got rid of the repeating pattern. Thanks RobA and Heruca for the tips, they will definately be used. Here is the updated version. I have also added a few "fossils" in the walls.

Heruca I cant remember where I got the texture, but I tweaked it a bit, by changing the colour and adding a bevel. The hand prints are supposed to be art, not actual prints.

Torq

[pyrandon]

Looking great, Torq. Those changes improved your map 100%. The new "tile" and the fossils are great additions.

I'm not sure I care for the handprints & drawings--mainly because I don't understand why they're on the floor. Maybe that's built into the concept of the dungeon?

Also something architecturally I don't understand, is why the walls are jagged, yet perfectly square, both of themselves and with the hallways and the other rooms; it seems if that talented of masons/builders had created this cavernous sequence they would have been more careful/exact? Again, that's just something to think about & be able to explain in your own mind.

Finally this is up for debate: the light source of these rooms is undefined. To make a photorealistic map of dark caverns is a ridiculous proposition, I know, but perhaps think about that too.

Overall, this is very, very impressive!!

[Torq]

Point taken about the angles. I didn't even think of that before now. As regards the light source debate, I think its safe to say that in maps that are used as backdrops for fantasy worlds where mortals can cast mind bending spells, dragons live and every woman wears a D-cup, one can overlook a little unrealistic lighting.

The problem becomes particularly acute when maps (like this one) are designed to be used with virtual minis in a virtual tabletop who represent characters that invariably bring their own light sources into the darkened chambers, not to mention the few that have darkvision. The lighting challenges are simply (in my view) too immense to recreate realistically, so in exchnge I bleieve one should just go with a little atmosphere.

Thanks for the kind words, they are much appreciated.

Torq

[RPMiller]

I agree with what Don said, and would like to add something else. The stairs in the bottom left corner don't look right. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with the lighting/shadow of them and the fact that they don't look "natural" or even as something constructed. I wish I could tell you exactly what it is, but I'm distracted by the wonder of the rest of the map.

Regarding Don's comment about the squareness of the rooms, that was something that struck me as very odd as well. You have sort of a curvy hallway on the bottom right, but the rooms are straight. Maybe different crews of people worked on it something?

[ravells]

There's something not right about the way the walls meet the room that I can't put my finger on either (love the fossils, btw!).

I'd have to play around with it to find out. Maybe if you put a a very slight dark internal glow on the walls where they meet the room the transition between wall and room won't seem so severe...maybe that's it.

As I said, not sure (or perhaps I'm just imagining it).

Ravs