Iron Mapper IRON MAPPER: Trial III

Iron Mapper
Iron Mapper is a mapping competition on Relic Castle. Each mapping competition, otherwise known as a "trial", will have a deadline clearly stated, and you will have this time to complete and submit a map according to the theme and criteria of the trial. Once all submitted maps are judged after the deadline (this depends on the volume of entries, usually a few days), the judges will post the results, and prepare for the next trial.

For more information (overall rules, how judging works, a list of trials) please visit this thread.

---

Trial III. Dungeon Map
Deadline: Monday, November 27th 2017

Dungeons are a staple for Pokémon games. They come in all sorts of variety, from Viridian Forest to Meteor Falls, and to Old Chateau. This trial, we'd like to see what sort of dungeon you'll be able to create. There's no restriction on what kind of dungeon you can create, so do whatever sort of dungeon you like.

Good luck!

The following criteria must be met:

• Your map can be made with any tileset you want provided the tiles are public. You must include credits for the tiles with your submission if they aren't your own.
• Your map cannot exceed 120x120 tiles.

Your judges for this trial are:
@Deo
@Arma (Guest Judge)

A tip from the judges:
"Keep in mind that dungeons aren't usually linear, but they don't have to be a maze either."

Submitting your Entry

---

Sanctuary Forest:
Trial: III, Dungeon Map:
Critique Requested: Yes! :
Credits: All Credits here:
Notes: Sanctuary Forest is a small forest, which is very populated by Pokemon. Water Pokemon live in harmony with the other Pokemon in the surrounding part of the forest. The many lakes provide Sanctuary for the Pokemon. But once a human intrudes into this area, the Pokemon will fight back. The Pokemon here are very strong and can end your entire team if it isn't strong enough to defend. Sanctuary Forest is a protected area for scientific study of Pokemon in modern times. The dangers in this time are equal to the danger, which there was in ancient times. Scientists study the natural environment, and the Pokemon there from far away, because of this Sanctuary Forest is still a mystery to humanity. It's up to you to solve the mystery!

Map Name: Mosstone Cavern
Trial: Trial III, Dungeon Map

Map:

Spoiler

Critique Requested: Sure.

Credits: https://chaoticcherrycake.deviantart.com/journal/Credits-for-Tiles-367931482 also me, I guess, since I made some custom stuff for this.

Notes: Mosstone Cavern is filled with many hole and crevices dug by the local Drilbur, and the sunlight has caused all kinds of plant life to grow within the caves. The damp, fertile conditions of the environment have resulted in an extremely plentiful mushroom population, which the local town harvests each year. The exact number of paths and tunnels within the cave is unknown, and some theorize them to do straight to the earth's core.

Honestly, my main guideline for this was making something unique that is pretty to look at. After recently playing through Rock Tunnel in Fire Red, I realized how important it is for a location to have landmarks and things that make it interesting. So I tried giving the dungeon a unique aesthetic and an organic layout.

Map Name: Shallow Heights
Trial: Trial III, Dungeon Map
Map: Critique Requested: yes please!
Credits: game freak for the tiles
Notes:
This map was made in a bit of a rush, but with that being said, I don't really have anything more I would've liked to do with the map so that isn't really an excuse.
I tried to focus on making it more playable this time around, you will see that there are some trainers fishing or going for a walk on the right side, it is quite a popular fishing spot. But the house and the path to it is quite abandoned, people don't really come here much. You can drive here but it is a long drive into the middle of no where.
There is also a cave, but it is quite flooded from when the tide rises slightly and water goes pouring in.
I actually think I might use this map in a project of mine so it is good I made it playable.

Map Name: Andur woods
Trial: Trial III, Dungeon Map
Map:
Critique Requested: ofc yes!
Credits: magiscarf for the tiles
Notes: The name ANDur come from the shape of the woods being &, it wasn't originaly going to be named that b'cause i just relized that while making this post...
idk what else to add to this note since I just made this map out of boredom today

Map Name: Temple of Zapdos
Trial: Trial 3, dungeon map
Map: Critique Requested: yes please haha
Credits: default Essentials "factory" tileset, with some scratched (the electric barriers, the electric barrier generators, the buttons, the obstacles' "down" states) and edited (different colored generator looking things with buttons, the arrow tiles, the zapdos statues) additions made by myself. zapdos hgss overworld sprite from the spriters-resource.
Notes: i put all the resources used as well as a playable .exe in a google drive folder if you'd like to use/see the animated object versions of the electric walls or play through the puzzles yourself.

to be totally honest my favorite structures in pokemon games tend to be man-made ones that you need to learn to navigate, like new mauville, the abandoned ship, team galactic hq, etc. i think this is my first time trying to make a map thats explicitly a puzzle dungeon though, and it was super fun. love puzzles. idk if my design thought process behind the layout is something that people want to hear but if it is i can talk

EDIT: none of my Drive links were working, but i think i've fixed that now whoops!!!
EDIT AGAIN: The fixed drive links werent working either but I think the image should display now

Map Name: Amethyne Ravine
Trial: Trial III, Dungeon Map
Map: Critique Requested: Yes
Credits: The-Red-Ex (Pokemon Dawn Tileset)
Notes: Originally intended to design this map so that you can navigate in and out of the Mountain Caves but it became like this. That bottom right spot is pretty bland but I'm not sure how I can spice it up.

The Amethyne Ravine is located on the mountain top, surrounded by clouds with rays of sunshine piercing through them. Home to a various dragon type Pokemon, the ravine is visited very rarely by regular sightseers. However, a certain guardian was sighted moving through the clouds, protecting helpless wanderers that traverse through the ravine.

Map Name: Mt. Snow
Trial: Trial III, Dungeon Map
Map:
Critique Requested: Yes, please.
Credits:
Articuno statue: Laidjon
Rest: Faking Omega
Notes:
When I started out I was in a Christmas mood. So I wanted to do a snow map. I also regret not having done a map progression gif like Arma shared on discord. I'll probably doing that next iron mapper. I'm still not sure whether or not this is a dungeon but I took tried combining the mysterious feel from Meteor Falls with the outdoor from Viridian Forest ... so that's my excuse why this is a dungeon(I only know them from mmos and I kinda couldn't find a proper snow or ice tileset to recreate that feeling). I tried to create the mysterious feeling by making the map about a legendary. I also tried to make it majestic but kinda failed :D

Well about the story of the map:
A long time ago the mountain that used to be green giving home to a variety of plant, rock and flying type Pokémon. But one day an earthquake occurred all over the region. From that day onward the temperature around that mountain fell and turned it into a paradise for ice Pokémon, driving out the plant Pokémon unfortunately. Strangely seasons don't affect the climate there so the people started to believe that it has to do something with the legendary ice Pokémon Articuno. People investigated the mountain but nobody ever saw it. Some people who want to know more about Articuno built a village right in front of the mountain.

PS: If you read and look at the map closely you will notice that there is something strange.

Map Name: Clarity Meadow
Trial: Trial III: Dungeon Map
Map: Critique Requested: Yes please! (no deku tree shadow roast pls i have a wife and children)
Credits: Default Essentials Tileset
Notes: I love meadows. There's something magical about the idea of standing in this open field with mountains on all four sides, the sky more blue than its ever been, and the entire world blind to such beauty! I firmly believe meadows are some of the prettiest places on the planet, and while Clarity Meadow doesn't quite fit the definition of "meadow", it was certainly heavily inspired by the feeling I get when I see long stretches of grassy hills with mountains lining the horizons. Eterna Forest and Viridian Forest were other inspirations, along with areas fitting the more "typical" interpretation of the word "dungeon", such as Union Cave and Mt. Coronet.

Clarity Meadow has no recorded history, being surrounded and hidden by mountains, cliffs, and dense forest. However, shrine maidens and those of spiritual leaning insist that there's an underlying and untapped power waiting to be explored. The maidens have taken small residence in a far corner, but spend their time protecting relics they may find in the grassy terrain (and many hidden there are!), and warning newcomers of the burden they will face if they disrupt the peace of the meadow. The wild Pokémon have lost their fear of humans and no longer roam solely in tall grass; they will frequently approach wandering trainers regardless of where they stand, and appear commonly thanks to the traversable paths being small and tight. Because of this, strong trainers stay for quick battles and young explorers visit to study such an interesting phenomena in wild Pokémon! Alongside them come item maniacs, eager to find every long lost artifact that may have been forgotten by the ancient people who were never recorded to even exist in the area. Clarity Meadow is not advertised to the outside world and many visitors have described it as "seeming to exist in its own pocket of the universe."

Map Name: Pixye Woods
Trial: Trial 3, Dungeon Map
Map:
Critique Requested: Yes please
Credits:
Magiscarf-Trees and ledges
Kaliser- Grass tiles, Flowers, Mushrooms, Tall grass, Stairs and Box of Berrys
JesusCarrasco- Wishing Well
SaliorVicious- Water
theAcecelgor (Me)- Mushrooms
Notes: Pixye Woods contains a multitude of fairy type pokemon the landscape is mainly Pink trees along with giant mushrooms! Beware the Bewear!

Map Name: Stery Manor

Trial: Trial III: Dungeon Map

Map:

Critique Requested: If you don't mind! Thanksgiving kept me pretty busy during the time period, so I know some of the problems with this map could be fixed by spending more time on it (like the simplicity of the maze, the awkwardness of the hallways), but I'd still appreciate having some feedback to keep in mind for next time!

Credits: All tiles used came from the default Essentials kit

Notes: The concept for this map came from the Winchester Mystery House, a house with a bizarre creation. Mr. Winchester was a gun magnate, and Mrs. Winchester was convinced that the ghosts of people killed by his guns would come to haunt her. She built her house with the intention of keeping away ghosts through bizarre architecture-stairs went nowhere, rooms would overlook other rooms, and there was never any actual plan for the house. (It's also partly inspired by the board game Clue-hence the various colors and themes of the rooms)

Miss Stery (haw, haw) doesn't have such a dark history-she's just a rich old lady afraid of ghosts. But word of her phobia has gotten out to the town, and some cheeky trainers decided to spook her with their Ghost-types for Halloween! To make matters worse, some small children and Pokemon have gotten lost in the winding paths! Miss Stery doesn't want them to be in such trouble for just a joke, but she's too frightened to go farther into her house, especially with all the trainers and Pokemon running about-would you mind helping her? (They're all hidden in the staircases, which actually don't lead to other floors-instead, they trigger a battle when the player climbs them!)

Map Name: Jeweled Forest
Trial: Iron Mapper Trial III Dungeon
Map: Critique Requested: Yes please
Credits:

• Tileset: Dewitty, Calis projects and minorthreat0987 https://br.pinterest.com/pin/651192427341152579/
• Gemstones: Streetie1 https://streetie1.deviantart.com/art/Diamonds-717240261
• Fog tutorial: Midnitez-REMIX https://midnitez-remix.deviantart.com/art/Pokemon-Map-Fog-Tutorial-320744056

Notes: Jeweled forest is not just any forest. Glowing gemstones emit light to illuminate the somewhat dark forest. Sableye, as much as they love gemstones, have made the forest their home. Deep within the forest stand 4 gemstones taller than any of them. Some say they were placed this way for a reason and that somehow a mysterious force guards over them, the forest and the Sableye.

Thank you for your entries! We'll be reviewing them within the week and announcing the results when we've reviewed all options!

Thoughts

---

Not a bad trial to get back into the swing of things! It was interesting seeing some of the unique dungeon ideas that popped up. We understand it was a bit difficult trying to fit an entire dungeon on one map, so we didn't count that against you too much. Thank you to everyone who entered, hopefully this made you think a little more about what kind of dungeons you'd want to see in a fan game!

Trial Champions: artcanary & xThatOneGuy

We've picked out two pretty different maps for this trial!

artcanary's map introduces a couple puzzles that need solving in order to have a chance to get that sought after legendary Pokémon, which is always refreshing to see! xThatOneGuy's map is a take on a really unique dungeon idea; one that we would love to see in a fan game at some point! Both of these maps (and this trial in general, honestly) have us thinking about what sort of dungeons we would love to create for our own personal projects, and we hope you feel the same!

Kudos to both artcanary and xThatOneGuy!

artcanary's entry - xThatOneGuy's entry


Critiques

---