Map First Route (Desert Area)

[Ganbarisa]

Been playing around with a custom tile set and finished the first route for the desert area of the game I am working on. Trainers will be added in the future along the path without grass in the future but have to draw the trainers first cause my artstye is different then pokemons.

 

[ClessioTV]

Hello! Well done for this first route! It's not perfect, but it can work!
I have a few small questions/tips:

• Why not connect the mountains at the bottom right since they seem to be on the same level?
• Also, the corners are missing, but I imagine you haven't finished the tileset yet.
• The upper rocks could use an additional layout.
• It's also a bit too monochrome for my taste. (I imagine it's for the retro feel).

This is just my opinion; you can do as you wish, but it's a great idea! Keep up the good work!

 

[Ganbarisa]

Hello! Well done for this first route! It's not perfect, but it can work!
I have a few small questions/tips:

• Why not connect the mountains at the bottom right since they seem to be on the same level?
• Also, the corners are missing, but I imagine you haven't finished the tileset yet.
• The upper rocks could use an additional layout.
• It's also a bit too monochrome for my taste. (I imagine it's for the retro feel).

This is just my opinion; you can do as you wish, but it's a great idea! Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the notes!

1. Good idea! Maybe I can take a look at the tileset and see or I could make some kind of stone bridge between the two mountains near the exit where the player can walk under.
2. Yeah still have to make that tile
3. What do you mean with an additional layout? Like a different elevated shape.
4. I am struggling a bit with coming up with colour palettes for a desert biome so guess that’s kinda why I went for the retro feel.

 

[ClessioTV]

Thanks for the notes!

1. Good idea! Maybe I can take a look at the tileset and see or I could make some kind of stone bridge between the two mountains near the exit where the player can walk under.
2. Yeah still have to make that tile
3. What do you mean with an additional layout? Like a different elevated shape.
4. I am struggling a bit with coming up with colour palettes for a desert biome so guess that’s kinda why I went for the retro feel.

I mean that the rock on the left is correctly placed on the layout, but on the right rock, you placed it in the mountain's place, creating an impression of a hole in your tileset. You should place it higher so that we don't see the base ground anymore, but the mountain.

 

[Ganbarisa]

I mean that the rock on the left is correctly placed on the layout, but on the right rock, you placed it in the mountain's place, creating an impression of a hole in your tileset. You should place it higher so that we don't see the base ground anymore, but the mountain.
View attachment 19807

Ohhh got it! Thank you I missed that bit

 

[LinKazamine]

Well, for the color palette, you could look at how other games do it, be it official pokémon games, fangames or entirely different games. It would give you an idea of what colors are more common in specific biomes.

As for this specific map, I would make the ground (the one at the bottom level) have a yellow tone, like the one of the sand. The grass could have light green colors mixed with yellows and browns. As for the mountains and rocks, I would give them brown or grey colors, maybe light ones close to yellow tones. Having all the elements in the map tend towards yellow would give it a cohesive look while also having different colors that gets the player's attention and lets them differentiate the elements in the map with ease.

 

[Ganbarisa]

Well, for the color palette, you could look at how other games do it, be it official pokémon games, fangames or entirely different games. It would give you an idea of what colors are more common in specific biomes.

As for this specific map, I would make the ground (the one at the bottom level) have a yellow tone, like the one of the sand. The grass could have light green colors mixed with yellows and browns. As for the mountains and rocks, I would give them brown or grey colors, maybe light ones close to yellow tones. Having all the elements in the map tend towards yellow would give it a cohesive look while also having different colors that gets the player's attention and lets them differentiate the elements in the map with ease.

Thank you for the tips! The colour scheme is a lot more pleasing to look at now ^^

 

[Ganbarisa]

 

[ClessioTV]

View attachment 19827

The improvement is definitely on the right track; it's already much more legible!
Some minor adjustments on the tileset for the corners, for example, and I believe you'll have something enjoyable for your future players.
Good job, you're managing it well!

 

[Ganbarisa]

The improvement is definitely on the right track; it's already much more legible!
Some minor adjustments on the tileset for the corners, for example, and I believe you'll have something enjoyable for your future players.
Good job, you're managing it well!

Thank you!

 

[Astefia]

The small path on the right is like the things that made me not replay Pokemon Old Amber - a loooong straight stretch of road without variety and interesting stuff. Maybe the entrance should be higher?

 

[LinKazamine]

The small path on the right is like the things that made me not replay Pokemon Old Amber - a loooong straight stretch of road without variety and interesting stuff. Maybe the entrance should be higher?

Considering is an outside map, I don't think that's an option. What could be done is make it turn left sooner, maybe at the middle of its actual length.

 

[Ganbarisa]

This is how it looks now forgot to put the updated version in here. It seems to be a bit more varied compared to the old version. But maybe it is better to just not make the player take that extra route towards the left and then right towards the end and just make it go straight to the exit with a path to the left to that small area with a dead end because it contains some items. (also it is the second route now)

 

[LinKazamine]

I think it still has the problem Astefia mentioned. Maybe you could make the long parts of the entrance and exit turn around sooner or add other interesting things around them.

 

[Ganbarisa]

Honestly respect to all those mapping wizards on here.

 

[Jaete]

Honestly respect to all those mapping wizards on here.
View attachment 20442

Way better! Keep improving my guy.

May I dare to give you some more tips? Not only concerning about pleasantries for the player's eyes but also about level design per se. So you took the advice to avoid long straight lines to give a more pleasant walking path to your player when exploring, right? What about now try to mind a bit about shortcuts or backtracking?

What I mean is: I'm assuming that your route starts at the top left and ends at the bottom right, correct? But my advice comes the other way around too. You could try to make your player's life a bit easier when traveling, even when your route is an unforgiving desert and is meant to give the player a hard time. Yes, this could be a concept, but only on the first couple of traverses on your route. If the player have to pass through so much trouble in all times that they come across this section of your game, they'll hate it.

Consider to reduce a bit the wild bushes (Assuming that they're triggering wild battles) on the way back. Around that slope, for instance. That slope is meant to be a shortcut, right? So why your player - while taking a shortcut - should be even more interrupted by wild battles? The density of bushes around that slope path is even more intense than the normal path, which should be the one used normally to go to the bottom right exit. In this case, you're forcing your player to take the longest route to avoid wild battles on the way back, but at the same time not giving the player some challenge and annoyance when they pick the longest path.

The slope should be a shortcut to travel to the top left exit, therefore should have less inconveniences. You could also try to add a shortcut to get to the bottom right exit as well, but block it with a cut tree or something like that. Since it's a desert, a rock smash boulder could work too. Then your player will be forced to take the longest route (which will be full of wildlife or trainers) on the first couple of times, but they'll have some options to make the backtrack more easily.

I'd also suggest that you do the same to the area where you're hiding an item. Pretty OK for the player to have to walk into the bushes and maybe battle to get their reward, but should they pass through the same trouble on the way back? A slope and a thin path should be enough. Or it could be the other way around too. "Easy in, hard out". It's up to your liking, but keep in mind that "Hard in, Hard out" could annoy more than challenge the players.