Flagstones - What do you think?

[damonjynx]

With my little Dungeon Tile project I'm using the light marble pattern for the floors with a grid. I remember looking at Torstan's excellent mini-tut on flagstones, and thought would they not be better? So I had a go at making some...

I mucked around for a bit (make that a couple of hours...I need to get a life!) and created this on a parchment style background. Thoughts? Would this make an OK pattern do you think?

flagstone test.jpg

[Mouse]

That's a good idea, but I find the mortar a little blank without any texture. Have you thought of setting the layer the mortar is on to either a multiply or an overlay mode and making it darker - and slightly transparent (if you are using multiply)? That way it would pick up the underlying texture of the parchment.

[damonjynx]

That's a good idea, but I find the mortar a little blank without any texture. Have you thought of setting the layer the mortar is on to either a multiply or an overlay mode and making it darker - and slightly transparent (if you are using multiply)? That way it would pick up the underlying texture of the parchment.

Hi Mouse,

Well, this time, the mortar isn't on a separate layer and is part of the shading for the actual flagstones layer (let this be a lesson to the new kids on the block!) which is set to either one of the burn modes or multiply. Maybe it isn't picking up the texture because it's too dark? the tiles themselves did? The scale sample is what the tiles actually look like with the background layer turned off. Next time I do them I could certainly try putting the mortar on a different layer to make it have a bit more texture.

I'm also not 100% happy with the intersecting corners, they're a little too uniform. I might also make them bigger, I'm not sure if I like having 4 tiles to a 5ft square...

Ideally, once I've gotten these to a satisfactory point I'd like to make them a pattern - I don't want to be rendering individual flagstones for each dungeon tile - way, way. too much time and effort. And as I posted above, I need to get a life! Between Cubs, playing RPG's and mucking around with my maps, my wife, God bless her, would like me to spend some quality time with her instead of being either out or stuck at the computer for hours on end.

[Mouse]

Flagstones come in all different sizes, but in the UK paving stones (closely related but standardised for the surfacing of pavements/sidewalks) are about 3'x2', so flagstones that are 5' square would be a bit large by our standards. Many I've seen in old castles are much smaller than a paving slab, and they're not generally all that regular at all if you're talking about medieval ones. I once sat in a ruined tower room trying to paint the view out through the window slot for an art exam piece, and looking at the floor while I was there it looked very much like the largest ones had been laid first, while the rest were cut to size to fit around them.

[damonjynx]

Hmmm, thanks for the quick reply Mouse. What you describe re the castle floor is like what we call over here, "crazy paving" don't know if that's a universal term, generally used in landscaping but a similar process, that's actually not a bad idea. For the print version, if I did them like that, I would need to put a grid over the top... and it's much harder to make a pattern.

Flying conundrums, what's a boy to do!

I think for the dungeon tile project, I'll stick with how I'm doing them, it's quicker, far easier and very uniform. However, for specific dungeon/castle maps, The Fork'n'Spoon Inn, for example (haven't drawn it yet!), that is an entirely different kettle of sardines!

[Mouse]

Oh.

I just did you a seamless texture - but if you don't want it someone else might

Battle tiles 01.png

I have no idea how large/small these will look if you open them in your battlemap, but I'm hoping that if anyone wants them they can be scaled to suit

EDIT: if you DO want them, I can make them in all different kinds of colours and texures - free, use for private or commercial - like all my shared textures

[damonjynx]

Thanks Sue, you are a dead-set treasure! I'll give it a go when I get some free time! Did you just make it, in like 5 minutes or did you have it lying around? If you just made it up, you're a flaming genius! That would take me hours...

If you could re-post with a light-ish grey tones (so they can be printed more easily) that would be AWESOME!

B.T.W.: Do you like the name of the inn It's in the town of Nevermind!

NPC: " Where you headed?"
PC: "Nevermind."
NPC: " Just asking, no need to be rude!"

[Mouse]

LOL!

We actually have a town called Ware in the UK. You can imagine the conversations I used to have when people stopped to ask for directions to any other place nearby.

Yes - I made it in about 5 minutes with an app called Genetica. Its really easy to do textures like that.

I'll do a few more for you to choose from, and put them in my album (link below)

[Mouse]

Just better check - is this what you mean by light grey?

Battle tiles 01 grey.png

[damonjynx]

Just better check - is this what you mean by light grey?

Perfection on a tile!

BTW: do you go to sleep over there, or are you nocturnal?