heruca
Explorer
I plan to develop cross-platform commercial software for Mac & Windows PCs that will create batches of custom geomorphic tiles for use in creating top-down battlemaps for tabletop RPGs. I'm calling the program TileForge.
The tiles that TileForge generates can later be used in your favorite image editor (Photoshop, Gimp, etc), dedicated map-making app, or even in a virtual tabletop app (e.g. Roll20, Foundry, Fantasy Grounds, etc.), to quickly assemble custom map layouts from the modular assets.
Creating geomorphic mapping tiles can be a tedious and labor-intensive process. TileForge will automate that process. Simply choose a few textures (you'll be able to drag-and-drop texture images right onto the app), and the software will apply the necessary shape masks, drop shadows, bevels and other effects, and create an entire set of geomorphic map tiles using those textures.
The program will create tiles for straight sections, turns, three-way and four-way intersections, dead ends, etc, and even variants of the aforementioned tiles, all at the push of a button.
Here are some examples of what the output would look like...
Depending on the textures you use, you can make tilesets for a variety of genres (Fantasy, Modern Day, Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalypse, etc.)
I don't have a prototype made yet, but I've created mockups of many of the program's screens, to illustrate how it will work. If this project sounds interesting, click here to download all of the user interface mockups in high resolution, to peruse at your leisure (12 MB).
I'm looking for constructive feedback from folks who would consider using such software, as well as gather feature ideas that would build on the core functionality. Does this sound like something you would want to use? Do you think there is a significant market for this sort of app?
FYI: For now, this app will be strictly for top-down mapping, but later on, there's potential for expansion to cover things like hexagonal and isometric tilesets.
The tiles that TileForge generates can later be used in your favorite image editor (Photoshop, Gimp, etc), dedicated map-making app, or even in a virtual tabletop app (e.g. Roll20, Foundry, Fantasy Grounds, etc.), to quickly assemble custom map layouts from the modular assets.
Creating geomorphic mapping tiles can be a tedious and labor-intensive process. TileForge will automate that process. Simply choose a few textures (you'll be able to drag-and-drop texture images right onto the app), and the software will apply the necessary shape masks, drop shadows, bevels and other effects, and create an entire set of geomorphic map tiles using those textures.
The program will create tiles for straight sections, turns, three-way and four-way intersections, dead ends, etc, and even variants of the aforementioned tiles, all at the push of a button.
Here are some examples of what the output would look like...
Depending on the textures you use, you can make tilesets for a variety of genres (Fantasy, Modern Day, Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalypse, etc.)
I don't have a prototype made yet, but I've created mockups of many of the program's screens, to illustrate how it will work. If this project sounds interesting, click here to download all of the user interface mockups in high resolution, to peruse at your leisure (12 MB).
I'm looking for constructive feedback from folks who would consider using such software, as well as gather feature ideas that would build on the core functionality. Does this sound like something you would want to use? Do you think there is a significant market for this sort of app?
FYI: For now, this app will be strictly for top-down mapping, but later on, there's potential for expansion to cover things like hexagonal and isometric tilesets.
