Making Maps in MV

[The Warrior248]

Got a Major Problem, not really sure if anyone out there can assist me, though. I have the poorest creative mind ever. If I use sample maps I can do doors, stairs, battles, cutscenes, essentially everything. I'm even good at using the plugins. But no matter what I try, my maps are terrible. They seem too empty. I also have problems with making the maps too big or too small. and I try to work from the middle so sometimes it ends up leaving an empty space on the left side and when that happens I can not get rid of it, cause when I lower the width it cuts off the right side, not the left. Are there any good mappers out there, that can give me pointers? Any advice is better than no advice. I'm in desperate need, so I can continue on my Game.

 

[mrcopra]

Your map is waaaaay better than mine.


Now i feel i will never finish my game

 

[Diretooth]

There is a difference between a map that's too empty and a map that's too full. While your map is indeed more on the empty side, that's not it's problem. Your map needs more depth. There's just a random cliff in the upper right corner, it's too boxy. If you play with the shape of it, make it less boxy, that will improve your map greatly.


Another, more personal, problem I have is that all of the buildings have the same south-facing door. Making an action trigger event at the north, eastern, or western parts with a path leading up to it will give the game a third dimension that a lot of RPG Maker games seem to lack.


The edges of the map are bare, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you have so much creative potential with the edges that you could fill with trees and other things.


As a last note, I'll leave a map of a village from my Ace project, Mountain Story. Though it is Ace, the mapping mechanics are similar to MV and not too difficult to translate into the latter. Hopefully, it will give you some help in what you need, and help demonstrate what I meant with the cliff.


Most importantly, though. No matter what, it is your game, you can choose to take wisdom from my words, or find your own wisdom. It is up to you.


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Spoiler

Edit: Thanks

 

[Rinobi]

I find it easier to start with the natural landscape first. Grass, tall grass, trees, bodies of water, and little details here and there. After that, I obstruct the edges of the map with trees, bodies of water, cliffs, or walls depending on the location. Next are the roads and pathways that are formed naturally from travelers (going from one location to another). Spots of land grass are then removed to make way for buildings.


When setting trees down, try a branch-like pattern with larger trees towards the middle, and smaller trees towards the outside edges.


As for cliffs, they're never really in a straight line like that, so creating some variation there should make it look more natural while taking up some of those blank spaces.


Waterfalls generally flow into rivers, which generally flow towards larger bodies of water...
When adding 'natural' clutter, it's a good a idea to establish a pattern. 'These flowers generally appear near these type of trees.'

@Diretooth There's an icon that looks like an eye on the bar above your text box when writing replies. It's near Font.

 

[Soulnet]

I like to think of the area as individual lots. House X owns this much property. If it's a big house they are fairly rich so can afford more landscaping, manicured gardens etc... Farms are also messy in areas that aren't earning them money (so farm plots well maintained, area around a barn, bit more messy). Areas that are not managed by the town or owned by someone should be wild! Plains in real life are quite variable. Manicured grass isn't found naturally. Just little things like that. 

 

[Membou]

I am by no means a map expert, but I like to watch people who are talented at the art do it. The main hint of advice that I hear a lot is to work in layers. Start with the basic outline of your landscape and buildings, then set in some of the key elements of your scene focusing on areas of interest for the player, then sprinkle in details with scenery (flowers, pots, wagons, whatever fits the environment), then finally take a moment to look over what you've created and see what works and what doesn't. Put yourself in a game test and see what draws your attention when you actually move around the space. If you've got an outside source that can try this blindly, all the better. It's one of those things that just takes time and repetition to get better at.

 

[Palin]

Try planning out your area before you sit down and start working with RPGM. Make a list of everything you want in the zone then graph out a basic sketch on paper. You can even use that sketch to put in the filler/plan for filler, before you start making a map in the maker.


Ultimately, map making is like any other creative project - your first draft is going to suck. Sometimes you're going to have to delete it all and start over again - that doesn't make you a bad mapper.

 

[The Warrior248]

Well, I've read all your reviews and I'll use what you all said to try and make a better starting map.

 

[The Warrior248]

This is my new starting Map. Still feels a little Empty, but I think it's better than my other one.

 

[Diretooth]

Add some more plantlife in there, flowers, trees, grasses. Your first map did well because there were different patches of grass and your houses weren't blocky. This is certainly an improvement, in my opinion.


You might also want to experiment with adding a sense of age to the buildings. Cracks and other things can keep your buildings from looking too new.


Also, think hard about what kind of town your npcs live in. Are they generally well off monetarily? Or do they struggle because they're in an economic depression? There are


multiple types of paths, including the dirt path. You can use dirt paths to branch off of the main road to show that whomever lives in the house it connects to can't afford to have their path paved. Also, showing less dirt in a path can indicate it's a path less traveled.


As always, sometimes less is more, while this map would definitely benefit from more trees and plantlife, too much can make it feel too full.


I'd suggest experimenting with tree placement. Do trees by the road make things look better? Do trees far from the road look better?


Ultimately, it is up to you how your buildings look.


As an aside, and a tip, if you shiftclick at the end of a road leading to a house, then click to either side of the path to make it look less blocky, there isn't any grass that shows on one side, which depending on preference can make things look nicer. The same holds true for water sources.

 

[Andar]

There is a difference between mapping and map design, and that is where your problems come from.


You should design your map first before starting mapping by considering what has to be there, how big is each part and so on - preferable with a sketch on paper as that is the easiest way to see if you have to add something, and that would be easier done with a pen than changing an already existing map.


Only when you have a design for the map, you start to calculate how large it has to be and then make the map in the editor.