The Caverns of the Deepening Doom

[Ashenvale]

Beautiful map! I'm late to the thread, and being a lazy bastard, haven't read everything, so if you've already addressed this, just tell me to shut up.

I'm not in love with the periods after the numbers on the map itself. Perhaps those would better fit in the key alone, not in the map rooms.

I'm also a tad confused by the capitalization in the key. It's probably just me, but I'm not sure I understand why some words are capitalized while others are not. Are they proper names? If so, why are some descriptions proper names while others are not? Because other viewers may be as obtuse as me, I'd be inclined to fall back on the usual title capitalization rules throughout your key (capitalizing all first words, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, relative pronouns over four letters in length, and all other pronouns, but not conjunctions, prepositions, articles and the like).

[töff]

the usual title capitalization rules throughout your key (capitalizing all first words, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, relative pronouns over four letters in length, and all other pronouns, but not conjunctions, prepositions, articles and the like).

I've never been a fan of NOT capitalizing those small words in titles. I have been capitalizing all words in a title. I find it unambiguous and pleasing.

While I'm up on my bitchbox .... I'm not a great fan of the numbered areas with an associated key, either. Titles on the actual sites themselves is far easier to read; it is also, however, usually far more difficult to achieve. I ight have to number-0key Woadsbury as the labels pile on. I'ma try not to.

Back on topic ...

Hey Tom_Cardin, you should consider a DEPTH GAUGE now: just a little bar on the side, graded with the same shades you used in the map, and marked numerically for vertical distance. I mean, entering #8 (from #6), you come to a dropoff; how far down is it? At 10 feet to a square, I'm guessing no more than about 10 feet of drop ... but it might be 5, or 25 ... we don't know.

And yeh wow @ the cross hatching. I'ma steal that technique (if I can find a place to use it!)

[töff]

That elevation shading gives a whole new life to area #8. I flippin' love it.

This is a beautiful map and I rep thee!

[Tom_Cardin]

Ashenvale - The items in the key are capitalized or not to add some flavor and elicit some creativity by the reader. I wanted to make some places sound important and others more subdued or mundane. I just got creative with the names and wanted them to build upon the atmosphere of the dungeon for the dungeon master. Give him more fuel to breath life into the adventure...they are not meant to be an explicit description of each encounter in the rooms, just flavor and direction for the dungeon master to build upon. Glad you like the map.

toff - Thanks! Thank you for your suggestions and opinions! Helped me with the creative process a great deal.

[Coyotemax]

Another thought about the elevation - perhaps mark in the legend that each elevation level is a standard depth (5' or 10' or whatever) unless listed otherwise on the elevation itself? Then you could put in the same elevation marker but toss in a little 25' mark in with it for example.

[töff]

put in the same elevation marker but toss in a little 25' mark in with it for example.

That's my plan for Woadsbury also: a graded elevation scale (which doesn't appear on the challenge entry, but earlier in the WIP), plus numeric elevation lines like the British Geological Survey.

[Tom_Cardin]

toff - oh wow I didn't even think of having a key with a depth guage, that's a great idea. My thought is to have each shade represent a 5 foot depth, so that drop-off there would be 35 feet.

coyotemax - yup yup yup. What I said to toff. Good suggestion. Thanks.

RobA - Right O! I will put my quick description of how I made it in there as well. I hope there is an equivalent method in GIMP but I just don't know.

[Tom_Cardin]

Thanks all for your input and critique it was most helpful. Here is my final

[Coyotemax]

I like your shading/legend idea better than mine. less clutter, and looks dangfine.

[Steel General]

Cool stuff!!