My Animated Battle Maps of land, villages and towns. (A Patreon Project)

[rpglandmaps]

Impressive to say the least, I quite envy your ability to fabricate in the manner that you do.

You've really piqued the interests of many with your style, myself included, I'm going to keep a close eye on these!

I really admire how you use so many mediums, cheers!

IR

thanks I find it relaxing to draw, either with pen and paper or software. working on tying to interiors looking consistant (colour etc) atm so doing a test map of a old Tollgate and bridge

[rpglandmaps]

My players might head north so i need a old Tollgate Bridge (this one has interiors, and is WIP) i could jjust wit here watching the waves in the river (animated)



Support me on https://www.patreon.com/RPGLandMaps

[Ilanthar]

Great work! Very immersive.
Being one who has difficulties with 3D work, count me impressed.

[rpglandmaps]

Great work! Very immersive.
Being one who has difficulties with 3D work, count me impressed.

thanks.. one key to 3d is not to model the object but model the shadow's the rest can be faked with textures and use as least (faces) triangles as you can

I have been geting my next release ready and thinking of a youtube video showing the full map idea

[rpglandmaps]

The Old Tollgate Bridge (16 maps tiles)



On the river of the old border between "The Kingdom of Ryand (River Land)" and "The Norie Empire" sits the "Old Tollgate Bridge" part of the defense empire wall that is now abandond and in ruin.

The warden in his once fine gold trimed uniform, now scruffy and worn. He will make sure you pay the right fare, for the goods you carry, or your have to deal with his pet troll.

Just dont be caught in the dark forest on the other side at night, so stay in the rooms for rent. They are warm and dry but if somewhat expensive espicaly if you arive after sun set.

My Players robbed and murdered the warden and burierd him under the dead tree, then set his pet troll free.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/29613932

[- JO -]

Very impressive! Your players are really lucky, their game must be really immersive! Your work is wonderful!
If I may ask a few questions:
How much time do you spend on a map (the city for example?)
What are the components of your computer (doesn't it have too much trouble running)?
Do you use models that you assemble, or do you draw each house?

[rpglandmaps]

Very impressive! Your players are really lucky, their game must be really immersive! Your work is wonderful!
If I may ask a few questions:
How much time do you spend on a map (the city for example?)
What are the components of your computer (doesn't it have too much trouble running)?
Do you use models that you assemble, or do you draw each house?

thanks and yep they say it helps them understand the area they are in, and esp as they can pan around or orbit the model.

RE your Q's:

my laptop is a i7 with 32gig of ram nvida 4gig gpu, but i am looking at making detail/effects adjustable for lower spec machines and constantly test on a i7 8gig intel video, but then again all maps are availible in mp4 format for those with less spec etc. as it is a concern of mine performace etc. also as i want to build up to complete city (1 square mile @ 100,000 avg popluation, as aposed to the walled town that is only about 20,000 to 40,000 avg population)

I draw all buildings in modules so i can resue as much as posible, this aslo meens i limit textures to only 4 (ish) per set, this makes it easyer to swap out the look for example the grey timber (tudor style) are the same models as the red roof timber (tudor sytle) was only 1 texture change for a completly different look. the only down side is it took 8hrs+ to place all houses in one town.

And so far i have tracked 1 map 100% and that was the town Norye (with red roofs) this took 4 days so far and is 99% ready, just need to sort the last private garden 100%. and to achive it only took a few extra models and like wise for the Tollgate.. but i do want to track all time to be sure etc.

Hope this helps, are you planing on running a game with them or simular? and i dont mind anwsering questions or taking suggestions / request for maps

[rpglandmaps]

here is an example of play. the PC's had just made it to the tollgate bridge



yep they are legeo figures as we started with them (didn't have any dnd ones but had loads of LEGO )

my god thats a blury photo

[- JO -]

Hope this helps, are you planing on running a game with them or simular? and i dont mind anwsering questions or taking suggestions / request for maps

Thanks for your answers !

I would so much love to find the time to roleplay again... Nowadays I just find time to draw maps...
I like a lot to use Sketchup, but I often get overwhelmed by my own project : I start with a tower, then a wall... then a castle, then a palace, then a city... and rapidly, my computer is as overwhelmed as I.
That's why I'm fascinated by your projects : They are so "complete" and yet you managed to achieve them.
I would be tempted, but I don't know how to use the softwares you are using (except Photoshop).
I might try to start a new Sketchup project, but I really have to limit myself... And I'm not sure Sketchup is as good for the textures as your softwares !
But to build an entire village/city/castle and with such a good look, that would be one of my dream !

[rpglandmaps]

sketchup is good... but its performace to object (triangles) is appalling, especially if you dont use components (used since ver 1). but its a good sketch tool, for simple 3d objects to take else where, but can perform better with a few tips.

if you want a few more tips.
1. dont get bogged under in detail, think how big will this bit be when i render it, how many pixels is the computer going to have to show this.
2. dont draw object draw shadows, and sometimes, in fact alot the shadow is a texture, not geometry.
3. keep textures low res mine a are 1024 x 1024 (this is for easy PC ram access, all textures are 256 x, to help gpu blit) and also how big will it be on screen

i have soo much more i could tell and dont mind as i knowledge is crap when kept to self

so lets look at what i meen in real terms.

take a look at few real world examples,

A railing in the back ground drawn with cylinders would be 32 facets around, but in the final picture only 3 or 4 pixals wide, thus it can be octagnal (sooryy speeling not strong point) to get a highlight, flat and shadow, rest is not needed unless the railing is foreground, and the subject.

A building in most maps is only a point roof box and with enough pointy roof boxes we get a town for a distance (like impresionist art) so use textures for detail and draw a pointy box

Modular is your freind the walled castle i buit is only 1 wall, 1 tower, 1 gatehouse and a keep, then pointy boxes. and those are modules that i put toghere (a dormer, a bay window, a pointy box ) and the tudor style only used 4 (1024x1024) textures for all of them same with the stone buildings (square windows) and stone2 (pointy windows), the differacne in gemoatry is only that tudor neaded overhang (shadow) and stone did not (but various gables etc)

hope that also helps kept it unsoftware sperfic.. but can do detail (frist 3d drawing was on a 486DX.... ohh my, not sure on ages here but if you dont know ask your dad )

Many thanks