Photoshop mapping...

[The Dungeon Nazi]

Back in February and March, I attempted to run an online AIM-chatroom based campaign and went nuts trying to find a solution for mapping. I had downloaded a program (whose name escapes me) which included a chat function and a sketchpad that I could draw on and it would be updated on their monitors in real time.

It was way too limiting, so then I tried drawing maps in Photoshop and placing different sections of the dungeons on different layers, and as the PCs would explore, I'd unhide a layer, save the new jpg and upload it to my webspace, then have them refresh. The problem here was that I wound up making the dungeons very linear and avoided open-ended exploration because of the nature of how I was putting together these maps.

Who has any ideas?

 

[pensiv]

I used NBOS Fractal World Explorer and Photoshop to create this map:

http://www.omokage.com/images/world3.jpg

 

[Arravis]

is that at it's highest resolution? Personally, I like VERY high res images. I'm able to print them out at work on a oversized printer.

 

[GralTok]

Kid Charlemagne.... it shouldn't be long and I'll try to get the 1"square ... gonna do it in Illustrator and convert to photoshop...

 

[Arravis]

lol... I thought he wanted 1" square textures... sorry, lol, thought he wanted something more, hehe.

 

[GralTok]

Maybe I thouth he wnated what I just did... not sure anyway it's up just get it ther:

http://www.multimania.lycos.fr/melsurique/downloads/grid.zip

it's in Illustrator format just open it with photoshop 6 and it will open as a movable layer...

hope it what you wanted if not... than just discart though me longer to open illustrator and photoshop than do it so...

 

[Nareau]

A possible solution to interactive mapping

Make the map in Photoshop. Add a new layer on top. Fill that layer in with Black. Use the Eraser tool to reveal individual corridors and rooms.

Also, you might be thinking of Netmeeting. It's a MS tool that comes with their windows OS's, and it allows for chat, whiteboard, filesharing, etc.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

lol... I thought he wanted 1" square textures... sorry, lol, thought he wanted something more, hehe.

Hehe, I was just looking for the simple square grid, but this discussion has prompted me to play around and do some tests, and I think I've found a workable solution to my needs using the grids and tiling textures in PS 6.0... I've done up a couple of rooms and they actually look pretty cool.

It would be sweet to have access to a large format printer, but that's not in the cards, sadly. There's one at work, but I don't have the guts to try to use it!

 

[Arravis]

one of the advantages of being a govt graphic designer, lol. I don't do it often though, normally, I print out on 11x17. So, no one has ever seen an archive of photoshop mapping images?

 

[kamosa]

KC Try this to make a quick grid pattern.


Go to Filters -> Texture -> Patchwork

Turn relief down to zero.

Just a matter of resizing the square size from there.



Side Note: I'm totally up for this idea of exchanging ideas and files to help with photoshop mapping.

Blake