[Map] Here be Orcs!
- Thread starter Darraketh
- Start date
Darraketh
First Post
Re: ok, so i had an obsessive moment...
Now that's what I'm talking about! I've been trying for months to get someone, anyone interested in making custom tiles for the benefit of all. You sir are the first to do so and I thank you!
Your coastline tiles add so much more beauty to a map. They are wonderful.
Please send them my way if you will.
I am feeling inspired to do something with that 25mb of webspace my ISP provides. Something like a HexMapper support page. I could put up a zip of "our" tiles and any others that are made and assign it a version number.
I could show a few examples of maps created by users.
If you use this program you are aware of its shortcomings. The author has said he is working on a new version. Unfortunately it will be part of a suite of tools as opposed to a stand alone program. How integrated with the other programs it will be remains to be seen.
I feel we could come up with a list of improvements to the program and forward them to the author. Perhaps he will find such feedback useful.
I've also been thinking that a hex mapping program would fit nicely under the WoTC E-Tools banner. Quite frankly it is a simple but potentially highly useful program. With the right tooling making maps can be even quicker and easier than it already is.
Such a program could have support for multiple tile sets. How about one for creating star maps? There are a multitude of possibilities. I've been trying to get people to see beyond the programs warts and less than inspiring old school tiles and imagine how useful a program like this can be.
Who's with me?
La Bete said:and last, but my no means least, the tileset -again, thanks D for the original. Im in the middle of doing a whole shedload more - I noticed while I was doing the coast for the previous map that there were particular tiles which i didnt have many/any variations on.
Anyway, here they are <drum roll>
Now that's what I'm talking about! I've been trying for months to get someone, anyone interested in making custom tiles for the benefit of all. You sir are the first to do so and I thank you!
Your coastline tiles add so much more beauty to a map. They are wonderful.
Please send them my way if you will.I am feeling inspired to do something with that 25mb of webspace my ISP provides. Something like a HexMapper support page. I could put up a zip of "our" tiles and any others that are made and assign it a version number.
I could show a few examples of maps created by users.
If you use this program you are aware of its shortcomings. The author has said he is working on a new version. Unfortunately it will be part of a suite of tools as opposed to a stand alone program. How integrated with the other programs it will be remains to be seen.
I feel we could come up with a list of improvements to the program and forward them to the author. Perhaps he will find such feedback useful.
I've also been thinking that a hex mapping program would fit nicely under the WoTC E-Tools banner. Quite frankly it is a simple but potentially highly useful program. With the right tooling making maps can be even quicker and easier than it already is.
Such a program could have support for multiple tile sets. How about one for creating star maps?
There are a multitude of possibilities. I've been trying to get people to see beyond the programs warts and less than inspiring old school tiles and imagine how useful a program like this can be.Who's with me?
Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
Those tilesets look like they were grabbed from Civ2.
Which of course prompts me to say, "Tonite I am going home, getting HexMapper, and grabbing all the tiles from Civ THREE!"
Would definitely like to see more options on the river tiles-- coming and going from various sides of the hex, forks, and deltas...
Not that I make campaigns anymore these days-- but maps (and this program) just look so damn neat!
Wulf
Which of course prompts me to say, "Tonite I am going home, getting HexMapper, and grabbing all the tiles from Civ THREE!"
Would definitely like to see more options on the river tiles-- coming and going from various sides of the hex, forks, and deltas...
Not that I make campaigns anymore these days-- but maps (and this program) just look so damn neat!
Wulf
This is a wonderful mapping program! It reminds me of the old days, pulling the maps out of the Gazeteers for OD&D and trying to fit them together into one big cohesive map. I would love a copy of that there fancy tileset. panderse@telusplanet.net would be the address to send it to. Thanks for doing such great work!
La Bete
First Post
Hong (and others) - I'll fire the coastline set to you shortly, as soon as my <insert expletive> mail works.
As for river tiles, I've put a bit of thought into doing these, and am having a bash at it, its fairly straightforward stuff, however it gets a little more tricky with more complex hexes such as hills/forests. At the moment, im just using the toggle drawing mode option in hexmapper.
As an aside, the hex coasts were inspired by Mighty Empires, and old boardgame we used to play.
Darraketh - i am very keen to have the expanded tilesets available for people to download - feel free to distribute the coastal set as you see fit.
As for hexmapper features.... The one i would most like to see would be a tab-library style for the terrain sets - at the moment, the terrain set becomes impractical after 150 or so hexes. If you could select a tab for normal hexes, another for coasts, and another for habitations, that would be much more usable....
anyway, count me in as a hexmapper groupie
As for river tiles, I've put a bit of thought into doing these, and am having a bash at it, its fairly straightforward stuff, however it gets a little more tricky with more complex hexes such as hills/forests. At the moment, im just using the toggle drawing mode option in hexmapper.
As an aside, the hex coasts were inspired by Mighty Empires, and old boardgame we used to play.
Darraketh - i am very keen to have the expanded tilesets available for people to download - feel free to distribute the coastal set as you see fit.
As for hexmapper features.... The one i would most like to see would be a tab-library style for the terrain sets - at the moment, the terrain set becomes impractical after 150 or so hexes. If you could select a tab for normal hexes, another for coasts, and another for habitations, that would be much more usable....
anyway, count me in as a hexmapper groupie
Darraketh
First Post
Rivers and roads.
I'm in favor of implementing rivers and roads in the fashion of traditional war game hex maps. Where the rivers are always on a hex border and the roads always pass through the center of a hex.
For me the purpose of using a hex map is it's added utility over a map that doesn't use a grid system. Implementing rivers and roads in this way is in line with the overall consistency that a hex map provides.
I'm attempting to make overland travel more of an adventure by giving the great outdoors the measured feel of your average dungeon while keeping the implementation super simple.
La Bete's coastline tiles fit perfectly into this overall scheme by providing yet another distinct enviroment while adding to the overall beauty of a hex map.
As for rivers and roads I'll sacrifice beauty for utility because in this instance I don't see how I can have them both and still keep it simple.
Overall I am trying to remove some of the inherent starkness of hex maps without robbing them of their utility. If all I want is a pretty map I'll use CC2.
Rebuttals welcome.
I'm in favor of implementing rivers and roads in the fashion of traditional war game hex maps. Where the rivers are always on a hex border and the roads always pass through the center of a hex.
For me the purpose of using a hex map is it's added utility over a map that doesn't use a grid system. Implementing rivers and roads in this way is in line with the overall consistency that a hex map provides.
I'm attempting to make overland travel more of an adventure by giving the great outdoors the measured feel of your average dungeon while keeping the implementation super simple.
La Bete's coastline tiles fit perfectly into this overall scheme by providing yet another distinct enviroment while adding to the overall beauty of a hex map.
As for rivers and roads I'll sacrifice beauty for utility because in this instance I don't see how I can have them both and still keep it simple.
Overall I am trying to remove some of the inherent starkness of hex maps without robbing them of their utility. If all I want is a pretty map I'll use CC2.
Rebuttals welcome.
Last edited:
Re: Rivers and roads.
Darraketh,
First off, thanks for the tileset! As an old grognard, I agree with you conventions above...I think it would add alot to the "feel" of the maps.
Thanks for your work...
~ Old One
Darraketh said:I'm in favor of implementing rivers and roads in the fashion of traditional war game hex maps. Where the rivers are always on a hex border and the roads always pass through the center of a hex.
For me the purpose of using a hex map is it's added utility over a map that doesn't use a grid system. Implementing rivers and roads in this way is in line with the overall consistency that a hex map provides.
I'm attempting to make overland travel more of an adventure by giving the great outdoors the measured feel of your average dungeon while keeping the implementation super simple.
La Bete's coastline tiles fit perfectly into this overall scheme by providing yet another distinct enviroment while adding to the overall beauty of a hex map.
As for rivers and roads I'll sacrifice beauty for utility because in this instance I don't see how I can have them both and still keep it simple.
Overall I am trying to remove some of the inherent starkness of hex maps without robbing them of their utility. If all I want is a pretty map I'll use CC2.
Rebuttals welcome.
Darraketh,
First off, thanks for the tileset! As an old grognard, I agree with you conventions above...I think it would add alot to the "feel" of the maps.
Thanks for your work...
~ Old One
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