RPGM2 Map Editor Guide

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:21 pm

[color=beige]RPG Maker 2: The Map Editor
Version 1.2

A how to guide by Levi 'The Final Rune' Williamson

Nothing in our world can compare to that of a carefully crafted utopia version of one, even if it is polluted with hoards of monsters and evil underlings trying to destroy it all. Style, quality, polish, these are the terms I would use to describe a well designed world map. Does your world map stand up to such description? Has the process of creating world maps made you want to scream in frustration because you simply could not get the editor to work the way you want it to? Then stress no more my friends for aid is here and I am to your rescue. I present you with the first guide I've ever written, enjoy.

As a disclaimer I have to state that all the information contained in this document is intended to educate you and inspire you. If you run through all my exercises and write me an angry email because you feel you are not a map making master know that I will write back a Ã¢â‚¬Ëœyou are a dumbassÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ letter explaining that you have no creativity and every breath you take is a waste of air. This guide is not finite, there will be updates, revisions, and you have to realize the even knowing the techniques I cover will not make you Ã¢â‚¬Å“goodÃ¢â‚¬

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:22 pm

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Understanding the System
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Before attempting to create a map in the map editor, be sure your difficultly setting is set on hard. To do this, go to 'FILE' from the main menu and select 'PREFERENCES'. From there select 'USER' and then 'LEVEL'. At the level select menu click the box marked 'HARD'.

As a quick function you can press

to enter the map editor from the tab menu screen.

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Basic Tab
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Under the basic tab you can name your map, add a note about it, and assign B Data. B Data is useful for coping elements from a previously created map and pasting them into your current map. Doing so requires pressing

+ L3, coping the section from the B data map, returning to your current map and pasting the copied section. You can also check the how many of the 1000 terrain and 1000 landscape pieces are remaining, as well as the remaining memory for the map.

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Custom Tab
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This is where the majority of setup begins when designing a map. Every time you start a new map be sure to come here first and adjust your settings to suit whatever type of map you plan on making.

COLOR: Edit your sky color conditions, your fog color, and the color of your mapÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s foundation. All color settings except for the fog work as a fade from one color to the next. The sky color settings affect how your sky will appear during the dawn, noon, dusk, and night day settings which you can alter using scripts.
HEIGHT: Adjust the height setting for ground, snow and sea. The map editor has a set height limit of +6 or -6 adjustable in 1/16ths increments. The height of your land, sea and snow affect how certain landscape textures are applied to your map.
- Ground height settings set the starting height level for all of the ground on your map. This feature affects how land will appear in your map. As a default, I always set my land height in even increments (no fractions) for easier calculations later, and I always set it below the Sea height, usually -1 or -2.
- Snow height sets at what height snow will begin to appear on your terrain. A really low number like +1 would result in an almost entirely snow covered map. Personally I set my snow height at +6 and apply snow with a texture instead of allowing the program to set it for me.
- Sea height represents the starting point of the ocean on your map. I recommend a setting of zero for the best results for most any kind of map.
TEXTURE: 11 land textures, 1 snow texture, 2 slope textures, and 2 sea floor textures can be edited here. For a complete overview of textures be sure to read the sections on landscape use and layout.
- Order sets the priority of how the textures are place on top of one another. The higher the order number the higher its priority. Example: ground, the default 0 order has the lowest priority, any texture placed on top of it will cover it up. Order #5 go on top of #4 but under #6.
  - NOTE: In the preset data the game has the snow texture set before any other texture in the slot zero. DO NOT USE IT THIS WAY! If you are using the preset data reset the settings by clicking on the little red arrow in the upper right hand corner. I recommend never altering the order of the textures, doing so will affect the color scheme of how the textures appear in the world map that appears in the bottom right corner when editing and later if you display it during the game!
- Name simply displays the type of name of the texture (i.e. Terrain, Snow, Slope, etc.). You cannot edit the names.
- Trans% affects the base transparency of the texture prior to placement and editing. Since transparency can be edited individually when placing the landscape I recommend ignoring this function.
- Type refers to the style of texture used for that landscape slot. There are 100 choices, read section 7.) Landscape 101 for the complete list.
- Turn is used to rotate the placement of textures on the map. Unless youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re making a map for something other than a world map, this feature is pretty much useless. Check section 11.) City Maps for more information on using this feature.
- Color is used to alter the tint or shade of the landscape type. Here you can lighten, darken or add a color change to a landscape texture. Section 7.) Landscape Style 101 outlines several uses for this feature.
TREES: This menu allows the customizing of the appearance or trees in the map.
- Enable trees box allows you to enable the use of trees on the map or to completely remove their feature from the landscape.
- Texture sets the type of trees youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll use on your map. There are 10 different texture types to choose from. Sadly, you cannot use more than one type of tree on any one map. Section 8.) Basic Landscape Layout gives complete descriptions of each type.
- Color sets the tint or shade of the tree texture the same way color affects the landscape TEXTURE settings.
- Terrain selection is used to assign which terrain will be used for the placement of trees. Only the 11 slots provided for terrain landscapes can be selected for the placement of trees. Unless you want the texture assigned to the trees to supersede that of another texture the default setting of Terrain 0 should always be used.
SEA: In this menu the appearance of the water in the map can be altered.
- Type is used to determine what default sea colors, texture and transparency settings are applied to the map. There are five types of seas to choose from. Read section 10.) Water for the complete list and descriptions.
- Enable Sea box works just like the enable trees box. Note that disabling the sea only affects the appearance of the sea. All land below the sea height setting will still be displayed with the sea textures.
- Texture selects which of the ten styles of sea are used on the map. As with the tree texture settings, only one style can be used on any one map.
- Turn affects the direction the texture model faces. This is usually only useful in city maps. See section 11.) City Maps for more information.
- Color in this menu not only affects what hue is placed on the sea texture, but also which color hue is used for what time of day. The default settings work okay as long as youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re not planning any fancy weather or VFX use on the map. Personally I suggest going with the settings used in the preset data. These color settings seem the most realistic to me.
- Transparency determines how see-through your water appears on the map. A setting of 0% would produce opaque water suitable for dark stormy nights or mucky mud water and a setting of 100% would completely hide the water from the map while still leaving it present (this is a good way to seal off a dry riverbed that you would normally be able to walk through). I use a setting of about 75% for shallow island waters and a thick looking 25% for open seas (my game has multiple land maps in case youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re wondering).
EFFECTS: Here you set how light and shadow work on the map. Each day period has its own setting for light and shadow function.
- Sun and Light act as a pair. Sun is the source color of the light and affects how objects get lit up on screen (imagine the sun setting as a colored light bulb) and the light setting is the color that represents the direct lighting of the environment (the color that is reflected back to the eye). These settings offer a large option for map customization, but using them can be daunting. The best reference I can offer is to imagine the screen color change option from RPG Maker. You can create a red hot atmosphere or a calm breezy blue one by altering the sun and light settings. But, for the normal user I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t recommend altering these settings unless you know what youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re doing.
- Ratio sets the balance between the sun and light color settings. A setting of 50 is exactly half and half. A setting of 0 uses no sun all light, and a setting of 100 uses no light and all sun.
- Shadow number determines the density of the shadows cast in the environment. A larger number creates more opaque shadows, while a small number creates more see-through and transparent shadows.
- Range simply sets how far shadows are cast on the map. A setting of 100 gives you the longest shadows and 0 shows practically no shadow at all. Check out section 13.) Final Notes & Suggestions ideas on how shadow and range can be used to create realistic environments.

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Advance Tab
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Under the advance tab you set how the sea interacts with the terrains on your map.

SEA: This is the only option tab available to edit.
- Speed sets the speed of the tide flow. The most realistic setting IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve found so far is any number five or higher, but less than ten. DonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t be afraid to toy with this setting. Setting a really high speed can create the illusion of savage seas, especially if use with a high height setting.
- Wave affects the size of the white Ã¢â‚¬ËœfoamÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ edge the sea has around the boarder of a terrain. This line forms around all land pieces on the map. 100 looks natural in my opinion, but itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s all up to your preference. In the case of a city map zero looks more normal.
- Cycle determines the Ã¢â‚¬ËœpulseÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ of the sea texture. It sort of fades in and out. Use a low number on a calm ocean and a high one for a raging river. Again itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s all personal preference.

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:26 pm

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Controls
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These controls were copied directly from PrimaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Official Strategy Guide Ã‚Â© 2003 by Prima Games. The parts in italics are notes added by me.

BASIC CONTROLS:
<table border="1"><tr><td>Command</td><td>Action</td></tr>
<tr><td>

</td><td>Create/Edit/Place</td></tr>
<tr><td>

</td><td>Cancel</td></tr>
<tr><td>Select Button</td><td>Exit Map Editor</td></tr>
<tr><td>Start Button</td><td>Display help text</td></tr>
<tr><td>

/

</td><td>Move cursor</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch to Edit mode
Represented by a rotating yellow cursor</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch to Copy mode
Represented by a rotating blue cursor</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch to Delete mode
Represented by a rotating red cursor</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch to Paste mode
Represented by a rotating green cursor,
also you can only enter paste mode if you have already copied
something</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch to Build mode (Terrain)</td></tr><tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch to Texture mode (Landscape)</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch to Confirm mode (Walk around)</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch to View (Edit-all) mode
I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t like using this mode to edit the map, I only use
this mode to check landscape and terrain usage at the same
time, 99% of the time youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll only go here by mistake</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+ L3</td><td>Toggle between A/B data</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Quick-move cursor
This moves the cursor 16 spaces in any direction</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Change window transparency
This affects the bars above and below the editing screen</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Hide/unhide windows
This along with View mode will allow you to take snap
shots of your map</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Toggle Stop/Free cursor mode
Represented by a vertical line with or without and arrow
next to it, stop mode makes the cursor 'pause' every time you go
over a placed landscape or texture marker, so unless you want to
be annoyed to no end always use free cursor mode</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Jump to next pointer
Very useful for following the path of your map creation
and for locating trouble spots</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Undo/redo one time</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

(While in delete mode)</td><td>Delete all
This deletes all landscape or terrain pieces at once,
depending on which ever mode you are currently using</td></tr></table>

CAMERA OPERATION:
<table border="1"><tr><td>Command</td><td>Action</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Change view
This rotates the camera horizontally and vertically
around the center of the screen</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Rotate view
This rotates the camera to face either north or south
when used with

and

(respectively)</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+ While rotating R3</td><td>Zoom view
Clockwise zooms out, counterclockwise zooms in</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+ L3</td><td>Toggle between zoom amounts
Up close, medium distance, and far away</td></tr></table>

LIGHT SOURCE OPERATION:
<table border="1"><tr><td>Command</td><td>Action</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Move light source</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Back to default</td></tr></table>

BUILD/TERRAIN MODE (

+

):
After pressing

once, use the following commands to edit you piece
before placement. Check Terrain 101 for more on these
commands and their uses.
<table border="1"><tr><td>Command</td><td>Action</td></tr>
<tr><td>

/

</td><td>Change height
Raise or lower by 1/16[sup]th[/sup] increments</td></tr>
<tr><td>

/

</td><td>Resize area horizontally/vertically
This works differently depending on your current camera
angle and the angle of the piece you are currently editing</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Toggle between build height methods
Switches between fixed height mode (=) and add height
(+) mode. Check Terrain 101 for more information on these
modes.</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch the terrain shape.
Switch between oval and rectangle build shapes.</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Rotate terrain</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Rotate terrain 45 degrees (Clockwise)</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Toggle between heights
From zero to +6 (max height) to -6 (minimum height)
and back to zero</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Toggle between slope angles
From zero to 50 to 100 and back to zero</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Toggle between peak shapes
From zero to 50 to 100 and back to zero</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Change slope
In 1 point increments</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Change peak shape
In 1 point increments</td></tr></table>

TEXTURE/LANDSCAPE MODE (

+

):
After pressing

once, use the following commands to edit your
piece before placement. Check Landscape 101 for more on
these commands and their uses.
<table border="1"><tr><td>Command</td><td>Action</td></tr>
<tr><td>

/

</td><td>Select texture</td></tr>
<tr><td>

/

</td><td>Resize area horizontally/vertically</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Toggle between blending methods
Switch between transparency blending and erase blending</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Switch the landscape shape*
Switch between oval and rectangle texture shapes</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Rotate texture area</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Rotate texture area 45 degrees</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Select landscape from three types*
This is just a quick select from the landscape type menu
where it skips four places to the next landscape</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Toggle between transparency
Toggle between zero 100 and erase</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Toggle between edge blending
From zero to 50 to 100 and back to zero</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Change transparency
In 1 point increments</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Change edge blending
In 1 point increments</td></tr></table>

*On these I changed the text from PrimaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Guide because the author got stupid and mixed up what terms represented what.

WHEN EDITING (CURSOR ON A POINTER)
These commands are used to alter or edit an already existing terrain piece or landscape texture
<table border="1"><tr><td>Command</td><td>Action</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Place another pointer
This is used to place another texture or terrain on top
of a previously created one. YouÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll do this a lot in the advance
sections</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Set lowest priority to selected pointer*</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Set highest priority to selected pointer*</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Lower priority of selected pointer by 1*</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

</td><td>Raise priority of selected pointer by 1*</td></tr>
<tr><td>

/

</td><td>Toggle between pointers currently selected
This allows you to go back and edit multiple pointer
objects by selecting with

/

which piece/texture you
want to edit</td></tr></table>

*I never once found a reason to use these commands, but they could be used to remark the number on a piece to make it easier to jump to a work in progres area.

PASTE MODE (

+

):
These controls move the copied piece around prior to pasting it
<table border="1"><tr><td>Command</td><td>Action</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Flip
This rotates you copied object, but I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t recommend
using it without a strong understanding of angles and how the
flip feature works. Check the glossary for more information on flip
and angle while pasting.</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+ While rotating L3</td><td>Rotate 90 degrees
This is the method I recommend for rotating a copied
object because you can see the angle numbers on screen</td></tr><tr><td>

+ L3</td><td>Back to default</td></tr></table>

CONFIRM MODE (

+

):
This is the mode where the little hero model walks around and
you can check out the map up close and personal
<table border="1"><tr><td>Command</td><td>Action</td></tr>
<tr><td>

/

</td><td>Move character</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Move character and ignore collisions
Also, when holding

the characterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s X and Y coordinates
are displayed on screen</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Change character
Yhis affects appearance only</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Toggle between times of day</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

+ R3</td><td>Select next weather type</td></tr>
<tr><td>

+

/

</td><td>Change weather amounts
This is purely a visual effect and will not apply weather
to the map</td></tr></table>

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:31 pm

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Planning
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I will be the first to admit that designing anything in this game is daunting, and the thought of creating a giant world map full of vast mountain ranges, coastal beaches, rolling plains, and colossal deserts is more than frightening. This is what the Map Editor Guide is for, to walk you through this complex process. The following sections outline my suggestions for beginning this very task.

STEP ONE:

First things first. Designing a world map requires having a world to map. It's more than likely that all reading this have already come up with a world for their game. Whether your game is an epic quest across vast continents and sprawling oceans, or if your game takes place in dark caves under the ground almost any game could benefit from high quality maps. Without a doubt, the essential first step is to come up with a world of your own. Decide on the number of continents, their layout, how the oceans should look, and what types of land formations you want to create.
Take the time to draw up a rough sketch of your world. There is no need for artistic quality here, after all only you will see the paper version of your map. Draw out mountains, lakes, beaches, forests, deserts, plateaus, etc. Go ahead and color in your map so that each type of landscape is easily identifiable.
In figure 0.1 (seen below) I created a simple one continent map in MSPaint for a visual guide. Note how there are specific colors for each type of landscaping (i.e. light green for plains, dark green for forest, yellow for beaches, ect.).

Figure 0.1

STEP TWO:

The map editor is essentially a giant 256 x 256 grid. After your initial sketches are finished, copy your map onto a piece of graph paper or simply use a ruler and create a square around your map. Divide your map into 12 even rows and columns. Now, your paper should have 144 little squares on it each of those squares represents a 20 x 20 space on the map editor grid. See figure 0.2 below for a visual guide.
I chose this method since the largest land piece you can create at one time is a 20 x 20 square.
Start with your top right square and begin creating your map from (7,7) on the map editor grid. YouÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re probably wondering why I ask you start at (7,7). Let me explain it with math:
- 20 (points) x 12 (squares) = 240 (points)
- 256 (points) Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 240 (points) = 16
- 16 / 2 = 8
- And 8 units from (0,0) is (7,7).
This might sound complex and wasteful to some, but if you repeatedly try to go into the map editor and never feel finished, never quite know where to start or how to put your thoughts on the screen, then this method gives you a sort of paint by number simplicity. Just start with one grid square then move on to the next and eventually youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll get finished without all the frustration.
Also, since the game starts you in the center of the world map (coordinates 127,127) this method keeps you on the games initial grid system.
Advanced Notes: If youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re really new to RPGMaker2 this may not be important to you, but any actively running scripts on the world map cease to function if you make loop around the map (i.e. going off on edge to appear on the other). I mention this here, because you can technically make a land mass that connects via the loop of the map, but crossing it will cause event failures. Just a warning of the limitations to the system.

Figure 0.2

STEP THREE:

This step is optional, but it can help you learn to see how the multiple terrain pieces on a map work together.
Look at your grid and pick out a square with land formations on it. Scale up that square on a new sheet of paper. Draw a grid on that map to create a 20 x 20 grid. Look over your land formations and try to ascertain where the center points would be if you were making this map out of map editor terrain pieces and trace a line around its formation, remembering that the editor can only make a maximum size piece that is 20 x 20.
Trace ovals and rectangles and decide what size they need to be to create the terrain.
Remember, you have a limit of 1000 terrain pieces to work with, and while this may seem like a lot, using some of my techniques will suck up memory quick. This is what makes this last step useful, it allows you to see before hand the number of land pieces youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be using, and it allows you to see where you can cut out some unneeded terrain points.
When starting the design, map out your biggest land areas first using a solid square or round land piece (at 20 x 20) and build the other features on top of it.
I call this creating the Ã¢â‚¬ËœflatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ of the map, since at this point all the terrain pieces are flat without any definition. Check figure 0.3 below for an idea of this method.

Figure 0.3

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:34 pm

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Terrain 101
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I have compiled this list of terms and need-to-knows as a starting point for all the basic information needed in order to understand methods I'll use in the later sections about how to create various terrains.

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X/Y/Z
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The map editor works on a three axis plane space using the (X,Y,Z) coordinate system for placing and editing both terrain and landscape data. The Ã¢â‚¬ËœXÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ coordinate relates to the points measured east and west on the map. The Ã¢â‚¬ËœYÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ coordinate relates to the points measured north and south on the map. And, the Ã¢â‚¬ËœZÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ coordinate relate to elevation and relief points on the map. Both Ã¢â‚¬ËœXÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ and Ã¢â‚¬ËœYÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ use a grid of 256 units to measure placement. The Ã¢â‚¬ËœZÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ axis measures in vertical units of 1/16[sup]th[/sup] up to 6 whole units in either plus or minus from the origin zero.

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Rotation
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All rotations takes place on the Ã¢â‚¬ËœXYÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ plane, but the rotation is locked on the Ã¢â‚¬ËœZÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ axis. This means that although the system allows a full 360 degrees of rotation, this rotation is only applied horizontally. You cannot rotate vertically or diagonally.

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Fixed Height Mode* (=)
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The game itself gives no description of this mode, so I named it Fixed Height Mode, because each time you create a new land piece in this mode the height remains the same. All terrain created with this mode will have their height represented from the water height up.

Example: If you create a land mass of (20,20,3) in the world map with a peak of 100 and then create another duplicate piece next to it, the two pieces will seamlessly merge together. Their height is set 3 0/16 units above sea level. Check figure 1.1 below for comparison.

Figure 1.1

This mode is my primary choice for map design. Once the basic shape of my map (what I call a Ã¢â‚¬ËœflatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ map) is created then I switch over to Add Height Mode to create the more artistic qualities of my map.

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Add Height Mode* (+)
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Every time you start up the map editor you start with this as your default. In this mode ever terrain piece you place on the map that intersect or touch each other will have their overlapping regions added together to create their height. This only affects the overlapping regions and not the entire land piece. The height of terrain in this mode is added from the base ground height up.

Example: If you create two (20,20,3) land pieces with peaks of 100 next to one another the overlapping regions will have a height of 6. Note that even thought the combined height is 6 the total height of the object is less than 6 because the height of 6 is added from the base ground height. Check figure 1.2 below for comparison.

Figure 1.2

This method of creating allows for enormous customization of a map. Suddenly sweeping plains, rolling hills, and jagged mountain ranges are a breeze to create. Clever use of this mode and successful use of textures will help make a map that really shows polish.

*You can toggle back and forth between fixed height mode and add height mode by pressing

+

. YouÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll learn to see the difference by the way the land moves when changing from one to the other. In fixed height mode the land will rise up and in add height mode the will settle down. Also, there is a small box in the lower right corner of the screen that displays a (+) when you are in add height mode.

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Slope
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The slope number represents the type of angle your land pieces show. By pressing

+

while creating or editing a land piece you can quickly toggle between the three main types of slopes.

Concave: this type of slope is created by setting the slope number to zero. A concave slope dips in on the sides like the inside of a spoon.
Angled: this type of slope is created by setting the slope number to 50. An angled slope has strait smooth looking sides.
Convex: this type of slope is created by setting the slope number to 100. A convex slope rises up on the sides like the outside of a spoon.

Learning to successfully use slope is essential to creating realistic maps.

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Peak
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The peak number represents the angle on the outer edge of your land mass. By pressing

+

while creating or editing a land piece you can quickly toggle between the three main shapes of peaks*.

No peak: this shape leaves a normal edge on your land piece allowing it to seamlessly blend with terrain on the map. This is made with a peak number of zero.
Half peak: this shape causes the edges of your land piece to rise up and slope slightly towards the pointer. This is made with a peak number of 50.
All peak: this shape creates a solid near 90 degree edge on the land piece. This is made with a peak number of 100.

Creative use of peak can create steps, terraces, and peculiar land formation on your map.

*When working with negative heights the peak setting will change to the term DROP. There is no difference beyond the direction of the effect.

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:41 pm

[color=beige]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Terrain Design
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here I'll give detailed instructions on how to create some basic terrain designs and show images of how some of the more complex designs should look.

Before attempting any of these exercises set your tabs up as follows:

Height

Ground: -1
Snow: +6
Sea: 0

Texture
All textures set back to default, and the snow texture changed to texture style #2 grey rock to match the steep slope texture.

Sea Height(under Adv)
Set to 4/16

Sea Speed
Set to 10

Sea Wave
Set to 100

Start on a clean map with no terrain or textures previously placed. Follow all steps in numerical order.

Also, note that sometimes my images will not look exactly the same as yours, even though youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve followed my steps exactly. This is because my images have been made to show only what I want you to see. Mostly this is the case because when making terrain for a map the mishaps that would appear in this phase of creation would be hidden under other terrain pieces. ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s as clear as mud IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sure; just donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t freak because your image has land showing where mine does not.

Also, its important to note that occasionally for some odd reason the map editor will create divots in the map when you place a new land piece. I have no idea why it does this, but simply rotating your land piece by one or two degrees will correct the problem.

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Beaches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing sets the mood for a romantic night like a calming stroll along a well crafted beach. Beaches consist of a gradual change in elevation from a height below sea level to one above it. Easily one of the harder land designs to create, it can be said that this is most certainly not Ã¢â‚¬Ëœa day at the beachÃ¢â‚¬â„¢.

Style One - a gradient designed beach created in fixed height(=) mode. This style creates a long easy slope beach. For a more natural look duplicate the creation of this beach using a 45Ã‚Â° and 135Ã‚Â° setting and moving the pointer diagonally when placing sequential land pieces. Check your map against mine in figure 2.1.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 1/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 128,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 2/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 129,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 3/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 4

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 130,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 4/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 5

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 131,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 5/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 6

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 132,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 6/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 7

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 133,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 7/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 8

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 134,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 9

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 135,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 9/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 10

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 136,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 10/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 11

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 137,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 11/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 12

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 138,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 12/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 13

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 139,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 13/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 14

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 140,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 14/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 15

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 141,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 15/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 16

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 142,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr></table>

Figure 2.1

Style Two - another gradient beach created in fixed height mode. Almost exactly the same as the previous method, but with a shorter length of beach. Use a fixed height terrain piece with a height of 1 0/16 and a peak of 100 to remove/hide the other half of the beach.
(check your map against mine in figure 2.2)

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 128,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 1/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 19,20
Height - 0 2/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 18,20
Height - 0 3/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 4

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 17,20
Height - 0 4/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 5

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 16,20
Height - 0 5/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 6

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 15,20
Height - 0 6/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 7

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 14,20
Height - 0 7/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 8

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 13,20
Height - 0 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 9

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 12,20
Height - 0 9/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 10

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 11,20
Height - 0 10/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 11

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 10,20
Height - 0 11/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 12

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 9,20
Height - 0 12/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 13

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 8,20
Height - 0 13/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 14

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 7,20
Height - 0 14/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 15

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 6,20
Height - 0 15/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 16

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 5,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr></table>

Figure 2.2

Style Three* - a slope style beach made with one easy step. This creates a concave style beach. Not the prettiest, but it works in a pinch.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,20
Height - 2 1/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td></tr></table>

Style Four* - another slope style beach made with one easy step. Just like the one before, only with a different slope. This creates an angled style beach.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 1/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 50
Peak - 0

</td></tr></table>

Style Five* - another slope style beach made with one easy step. I think by now you know where IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m going with this. Use this step to create a convex style beach.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 0 1/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr></table>

Style Six - this is where it gets kind of tricky. Now we're going to create a beach using both fixed height and add height land pieces. This method can be hard to master, but learning to use add height mode in the creation of beaches will move your map from bland into just slightly rough. Follow the directions exactly. When working with both modes order is extremely important. Create the following land pieces:

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 50
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 127,137
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 50
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 122,137
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 50
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 4

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 127,117
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 50
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 5

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 122,117
Shape - Round
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 50
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 6

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 132,127
Shape - Square
Size - 9,20
Height - 0 10/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 7

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 132,137
Shape - Square
Size - 20,120
Height - 0 10/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 45
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 8

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,117
Shape - Square
Size - 20,12
Height - 0 10/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 135
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td></tr></table>

If you followed the directions exactly then you should end up with a funky looking land mass shaped like an Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ8Ã¢â‚¬

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:46 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Terrain Design (continued)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mountains (Ranges)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every gamer knows the importance of limiting the players movement through the world map, and nothing limits progress like an impassable mountain range. A mountain range is simply a group of stand alone mountains placed closely together to create a chain of mountains.

There is no great technique for making mountain ranges (at least not yet anyway). But I can share with you my way of making long chains of mountains and a few tips on how to make them look impressive.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 5,20
Height - 3 4/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 130,132
Shape - Round
Size - 5,20
Height - 3 4/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 45
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 4

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 124,122
Shape - Round
Size - 5,20
Height - 3 4/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 45
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 5

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 135,135
Shape - Round
Size - 5,20
Height - 3 4/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 90
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 6

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 119,119
Shape - Round
Size - 5,20
Height - 3 4/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 90
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td></tr></table>

Figure 2.9

This is a simple example, but hope fully you get the idea. I canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t recommend building too many ranges this way, but itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll get the job done. To make truly realistic ranges try altering the angles to non-polar numbers and vary the size and height of the mountains.

Here is a quick easy way to blend a mountain range into the surrounding environment.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 122,122
Shape - Square
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 5,20
Height - 3 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 45
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 4

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 122,125
Shape - Round
Size - 20,5
Height - 0 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 90
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 5

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 125,122
Shape - Round
Size - 20,5
Height - 2 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 6

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 117,125
Shape - Round
Size - 5,5
Height - 0 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 50
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 7

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 125,117
Shape - Round
Size - 5,5
Height - 0 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 50
Peak - 0

</td></tr></table>

Figure 2.10

I hope these methods prove beneficial to your map development.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plateaus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The under-rated second cousin of mountain ranges. Essentially just a raised plain with a high peak edge, a plateau can serve all the needs of a mountain range, while not creating the requirement of any new (and memory costly) expanse of mountains.

There are really only two types of plateaus. The add height and the fixed height types.

Style One Ã¢â‚¬â€œ add height. This style of plateau can be seen in SquaresoftÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Final Fantasy VII. Shortly after leaving the town of Kalm the team crosses the plains on the way to the Chocobo Ranch. On the way there youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll pass this land formation, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be to your left. Nothing to fancy, but hereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s how you do it.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,122
Shape - Square
Size - 20,10
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 15,15
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - ???
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,132
Shape - Square
Size - 20,10
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td></tr></table>

Figure 2.11

And there you have it. I put the ??? because it really doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t matter what the slope is here. To create longer plateaus simply add more add height pieces where needed. Note that unless you place the add height terrain next to a peak edge terrain piece it wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t make that cool looking elevated edge, it only raise the land up, like when making rolling hills for a plain.

Style Two Ã¢â‚¬â€œ fixed height. This is so simple I wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t even give step instructions. All you have to do is create one fixed height terrain and then make another overlapping it with a greater height. Plus, you can make this style of plateau using add height also by adjusting the peak to a higher number, but doing so in add height mode will create an edge all the way around the piece, instead of on just one side.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rivers & Lakes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not too hard to create, but just a few ideas on adding finesse. Most people simply leave a gap between land masses to create rivers and lakes, and while this will most certainly work most the time, it limits your options in design. This section covers sea level design lake and river creation, for a glimpse at the possibility of higher than sea level lakes or other water formations please read the basin how to in the Advance Terrain Design section.

The first two styles involve subtracting from the land and are best used when the height setting for the land was set at -2 or below. The third style works great no matter what the height setting, plus I think it looks really cool! Also, style one and two can be used to created trenches in the ocean floor, assuming your ground height is set higher than -6.

Style One Ã¢â‚¬â€œ add height subtraction. This is hard to master, and I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t recommend using it without a lot of practice first. After creating the flat for your map go to where you want to create a river or lake.

Rivers are harder to make this way than lakes in my opinion. Create a terrain piece that has a negative height in add mode and it will cause a sink in the ground. Adjust the size and negative height until the center point of the piece is as deep as you want it. Move the cursor to a new spot and repeat. Remember, when two areas of add height terrain intersect their crossing areas have a combined depth or height.

Lakes are easier to do, but I still donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t recommend using this style. Proceed as though you were making a circular river. Once you have outlined the area where you want the lake to be use a fixed height mode terrain to subtract the middle out of the lake.

Style Two Ã¢â‚¬â€œ fixed height subtraction. I like this style better because it gives you more control over how the land is shaped. It works exactly the same as style one; only now you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have to worry about overlapping add height pieces.

Style Three Ã¢â‚¬â€œ terraced edge. Bar far my favorite for river and lake construction. This method builds on the idea of actual terraces, not the oneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s that are covered in the next section.

First, either leave the area you want the river or lake to be in empty of terrain and make sure it is a little larger or wider than you want it to be, or make a fixed height subtraction of the terrain using a drop of 100 and remember to make it larger or wider than you need. Next create a terrain piece along the edge of the river/lake with a peak of zero and a slope of zero in fixed height mode. For inside curves use square shaped pieces and for outside curves use round shapes pieces. Make sure the new pieces have the same height at the surrounding edges. This creates a little pseudo beach edge and gives it a more natural look. Check out figure 2.12 for more detail on how this looks.

Figure 2.12

Now, doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t that just look awesome! Check the in game sample map included in the demo file for more on this design.

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:50 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advanced Terrain Design
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now for the tricky parts. Nah, just kidding. None of these methods are hard to use or understand (at least I hope not), they just require a understanding of the Map Editor that most people wouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have without first reading and trying some of the previous examples. Here I will delve into the art of designing some of the more visually impressive formations such as above sea level lakes (yes, it can be done), molten smoking volcanoes, and gorgeous cascading waterfalls.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terraces
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A terrace is a set of plateaus used together to create a land formation resembling steps or rice fields. Used in history by ancient Asia and many now extinct Indian cultures for water irrigation and maximizing available land space. The best use I have found so far for terraces is the creation of steps for the player to ascend or descend.

Style One Ã¢â‚¬â€œ rice patties. This is the normal geographical style the terraces usually take on. Not difficult to make, but hard to master, this style can be utilized in waterfall creation. See the waterfall section for details. Here is a simple example.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Round
Size - 20,10
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 50

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 122,122
Shape - Round
Size - 20,10
Height - 2 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 50

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 132,117
Shape - Round
Size - 20,10
Height - 3 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 50

</td><td>Step 4

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,112
Shape - Round
Size - 20,10
Height - 4 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 50

</td></tr></table>

Figure 3.1

Style Two Ã¢â‚¬â€œ natural steps. Very useful when using the map editor for town creation or to make a natural/man-made set of steps on a world map. The first step (look I made a pun) is to understand the heights at which a character can traverse on the world map. As a default I never make on step more then 8/16ths higher than the previous step. Using a difference of 8/16ths will also create a pseudo shadow effect, further enhancing the illusion of actual steps. Be warned, these steps will not look like real steps without proper use of landscape textures.

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,20
Height - 1 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,15
Height - 1 6/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,13
Height - 1 12/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 4

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,11
Height - 2 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td></tr><tr><td>Step 5

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,9
Height - 2 6/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 6

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,7
Height - 2 12/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 7

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 20,5
Height - 3 0/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td></tr></table>

Figure 3.2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basins
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A basin is a large bowl shaped depression in the land that creates a boundary around a water formation that is unaffected by the tidal change of the ocean. Originally everyone assumed the limitations of the map editor prevented multiple water heights, and sadly this is true. But, with some ingenious land design and smart scripting you can most certainly fool the player into thinking you are a water controlling god.

There really isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t much to this, all there is to do is create a negative depth to an elevated terrain and use a VFX ripple effect to create the illusion of water, and then place an appropriate landscape texture in the negative space to enhance the effect. Check out figure 3.3 to see it in action.

Figure 3.3

Most cool yes? If the slope for the basin would allow the player to walk in the pseudo lake, then either recreate the basin using style three of river/lake design, or use transparent blocks to prevent the player from entering the basin.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volcanoes
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Essentially a volcano is just a stand alone mountain with a hole in it. However, making one that looks real requires more than just placing the hole in the mountain. As with the basin a realistic volcano requires a little VFX help. You can either use textures with a small bit of VFX for assistance or you can go all out and create the smoking smoldering pit entirely with VFX (the lava, not the volcano, although you could do that too if you wanted to). Here is a simple hole in a mountain:

<table border="1"><tr><td>Step 1

Mode - Fixed(=)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 15,15
Height - 5 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 50

</td><td>Step 2

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 127,127
Shape - Square
Size - 7,8
Height - (-4 0/16[sup]th[/sup])
Angle - 0
Slope - 0
Peak - 100

</td><td>Step 3

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 125,125
Shape - Square
Size - 5,10
Height - 0 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 45
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td><td>Step 4

Mode - Add(+)
X/Y - 129,129
Shape - Square
Size - 5,10
Height - 0 8/16[sup]th[/sup]
Angle - 45
Slope - 100
Peak - 0

</td></tr></table>

Figure 3.4

I added some keen texture for a nice glowy lava color and threw in some VFX for that special smoldering inferno touch.

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Waterfalls (The Setup)
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Everyone loves the idea of a gorgeous waterfall crashing down on some poor fool who thought he could stand the crushing force of thousands upon thousands of gallons of water coming down on him, wait, maybe thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s just me. Anyways, a beautiful waterfall is truly a great thing. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sure by now every last one of us has tried using the default waterfall pieces in the object editor. But, they donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t exactly look very cool or gorgeous now do they.

Waterfalls are simply rivers falling from one height to another. Setting up a waterfall involves understanding scale. I wouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t suggest making a giant waterfall on a world map. Making one in a dungeon or city map, thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s doable. On the world map donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t forget to make a waterfall equal to the scale of you land. A fall should not be bigger than a mountain or wider than a river. I know some of you probably think that sucks, but this guide is intended to create realism.

So, here is how you set it up. Create two mid-size mountains next to the water source your fall will feed approximately 2.5 to 3 units higher than the surrounding area. If you are moving from a basin to a lake or river then create a series of mountains or large hills from the source of the water(i.e. basins) to the edge of the falls. Although it might be more simple to just build the basin and waterfall next to each other. If you are just having a fall from some secret mountain source then all you need to do is run a mountain chain up to the falls and connect them together. For the water of the falls I recommend making the fall in the VFX editor. You can use the waterfall objects to create the falls as well. Here is an example of a VFX waterfall.

Figure 3.5

You can also create a cascading waterfall using terraces, although, I would only use such a style in a city or dungeon based map. To make a cascading fall create your terraces, but after each fixed height piece place a negative slope at the same point to create a dip inside the terrace to create mini basins. Then create a VFX for the falls or use objects. Sadly, using a lot of VFX is hard on the RPGM2 graphics engine. Create something like this sparingly.

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:54 pm

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Landscape 101
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Terrain only encompasses half of the world map design process. The other half is the skillful art of landscape texture layout. It is with texture that your map will truly come alive. These are the basics of understanding how to properly use landscape and understand how the game relates to texture. Please note that like all the other information here, knowing this will not make you good at it, that is still up to you.

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Type
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There a grand total of 100 texture style types to choose from, one being a blank for any color you come up with. Selecting the proper type of texture for your landscape is important in creating a vivid world. No one wants to see snow on a coastal beach, unless of course thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s what youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re looking for. I do not recommend creating individual map files for each continent unless you plan to have a huge range of landscape types used on your map. I myself have designed a game that features six continents, each with their own climate and unique land features, thus I broke it up to utilize all eleven available texture type options. That is the real problem with the landscape layout. There simply is not enough slots for making truly diverse looking landscapes. The default number of textures they offer should be sufficient for a game that has little focus on the world map, but the amount that you can use in the editor is to limited for my personal tastes. If you feel there are not enough options for designing what you want, how you want, I suggest making multiple world maps.

When selecting your landscape types first only pick the ones you know you will use. If there are any unassigned textures remaining I suggest setting them to the default gray color, texture number 99. You can always go back later and edit them. This way you don't waste the time selecting textures you won't even use. Pick landscape textures that have meaning in the game (i.e. sand, grass, dirt, snow and rock are the primary needs for a map, most everything else is filler for asthetic appeal).

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Turn
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I have only ever used turn in city based maps. When I create a city or dungeon based map with steps I use turn a lot. The striped textures make for great steps, and it you use a different turn for each direction of step the dark areas of the striped textures make Ã¢â‚¬ËœshadowsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ for the steps. Check out an example of this in figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1

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Color
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Normally you probably wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have much use for altering the colors of the texture types, but in some instances altering the color comes in handy. The most common color change I make is to make an all black color texture for use in my city and dungeon based maps. You can see another use for altering color in figure 3.4 on volcano development.

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Order/Priority
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Very important stuff! Like I said way back in the top of the guide, only use the default setting for order and priority. You can adjust how layers overlap when placing them and by using transparency. Do not fool with these settings, they will only make your in game world maps look funny and cause you a headache when youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re wondering why your sand texture goes on top of your snow texture and the grass texture shows up as purple in the in game map.

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Rotation
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Unfortunately you canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t really rotate a texture. You can rotate the size of a texture but the image itself will always face the same direction. The only why to get a texture image to face another direction is to use the turn option under the custom tab. Rotation will mostly be used in the making of forests or in trying to get a texture to fit in a tight space.

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Transparency
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Knowing how, when and on what to use transparency is tricky. I suggest leaving the transparency settings under the custom tab alone and adjusting them on the fly while placing landscapes. In order to understand how to use transparency you have to think about how images can layer upon one another. Think about it, how often in our daily lives do you see two types of landscapes placed on top of each other. Gravel from a driveway scattered across the pavement, sand from a beach up on the boardwalk, or how about grass growing over the sidewalk. So, did any of those get you thinking? Once you have a need to begin using transparency jump to the Using Transparency section under Advanced Landscape Layout.

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Edge/Erase
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Edge is a lot like transparency, except that it only Ã¢â‚¬ËœfeathersÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ the edge of the transparency. The size of the edge is determined by the number rating it is given. 100 means no edge feathering takes place, 50 means that from the half way point of the texture the landscape is feathered, and zero places the feathered edge from the center out. Edge is the easies way to blend one texture into another, but sometimes transparency can do a better job depending on what youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re trying to accomplish.

Erase works like edge only in reverse. What ever texture erase is applied to will be feather erased. Think of it like this, if you have a solid black square drawn in pencil and if you drag an eraser lightly over it from the center out it will mostly just blur the edge of the square and not change the middle. Now, placing a black texture on the map and then placing another black texture next to it with erase set to 50 will cause the same effect. Using erase itself will not place a single texture on the map, only remove them. Check the Glossary for further discussion on edge and erase.

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:57 pm

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Basic Landscape Layout
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This is all basically redundant, especially if you have PrimaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s guide, but I figured IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d put it all in here anyway. In this section IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll simply cover what some of the textures look like and how I think they could be and should be used. Note that I will not discuss all of the textures in the game. I'm not that bored.

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Grass
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There are only eight textures I would recommend for using as grasses. Of course 99.9% of the time you will probably only use the default light and dark green, but the others can have their uses.

No. 16 Grass Rough Ã¢â‚¬â€œ this is the default texture applied to landscape zero and it is used for placing the tree texture. It can be beneficial on its own as an area where there is supposed to be high grass.
No. 18 Grass Light Ã¢â‚¬â€œ this is the standard grass texture. It looks like astro-turf to me though.
No. 19 Grass Dark Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the default dark grass. I usually use this color grass on high elevation plains.
No. 28 Volcanic C Ã¢â‚¬â€œ sort of looks like moss covering the ground. When and/or if I use this texture I would combine it with another texture using transparency.
No. 32 Pitted C Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it kind of resembles a mixed grass, like St. Augustine and Bermuda Grass mixed together.
No. 36 Speckled D Ã¢â‚¬â€œ I would use it a slope texture in a forest like dungeon area.
No. 82 Woven B Ã¢â‚¬â€œ also a good texture for a slope texture.
No. 90 Moss B Ã¢â‚¬â€œ I like this used with edge in mountain heavy areas because it looks like a mixture or hearty tough grass, old dead grass, and dirt.

The main thing to remember when placing grass textures is to make sure it fits well with the surronding areas. Don't put bright green grass in the middle of a desert. Use different color grasses at different altitudes. Grass is a wild, adaptable plant; let there be variation.

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Dirt & Sand
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Sand and dirt. Small discarded remnants of mountains and rocks no longer present. Ten of these once mighty mammoths call out to me.

No. 13 Sand A Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the default texture used for the sea floor. This texture serves as good beach sand.
No. 14 Sand B Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a little more yellow than No. 13, this one also make a good beach texture, especially against a desert sand.
No. 17 Dirt Rough Ã¢â‚¬â€œ itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s dirt, and itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s rough.
No. 20 Dirt A Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the default ground texture. Great as an under texture when mixed with others using transparency and/or edge.
No. 21 Dirt B Ã¢â‚¬â€œ sand. Standard yellow desert looking sand.
No. 22 Dirt C Ã¢â‚¬â€œ itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a cream colored sand. I would use it for a night-time outing in the desert, or as a sand in an artic area.
No. 23 Dry River A Ã¢â‚¬â€œ yeah, thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s what IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d use it for, only IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d blend it with another texture, maybe No. 14, to create a realistic dry riverbed look.
No. 30 Pitted A Ã¢â‚¬â€œ not a very pretty looking texture. This Ã¢â‚¬ËœoffÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ looking dirt is suitable as a dirt row in a crop field.
No. 89 Moss A Ã¢â‚¬â€œ this would look pretty cool as an under layer blended with No. 90 Moss B.

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Trees
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The system gives you 10 options for tree textures, sadly most of them suck. I stick to these four textures most the time.

No. 1 Deep Green Ã¢â‚¬â€œ this is the default tree texture. Nothing special, but there is nothing wrong with it either.
No. 2 Dry Green Ã¢â‚¬â€œ looks more real than #1, works most the time.
No. 7 Fruit Ã¢â‚¬â€œ its got little red dots blended in it like its an apple or cherry tree.
No. 8 Aged Leaves Ã¢â‚¬â€œ this is the tree texture I use most often. I like it because is looks like real trees, splotchy, maybe that's just here in Texas though.

Some of the other textures are useful for certain things, but for standard map use I think they suck. Oh, and stay away from the snow covered trees, their color changes like a friggin' rainbow when placed on the map, how stupid and annoying.

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Rock
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Since I usually only use these for slope textures thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s what IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve picked them for. The following nine textures work pretty well.

No. 0 thru No. 4 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ all of these can be useful. Pick a color and style that fits what you want to represent.
No. 26 thru No. 29 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ same as above.

ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s not one I use often, but No. 5 Rock F, would make a great slope texture for an underground cavern or for use in an underwater area. I use it as a texture under any above ground water formations I make.

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Snow
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There are only two dedicated snow textures, but I rarely select them as my snow texture. Instead I pick whatever IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m using for steep slope as my snow texture. That way, when my mountains get too high I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t snow where I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t want it. I pick a snow texture as my final texture (slot number 9) and place snow on the map manually, that way I can have snow on a low elevation land piece.

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Soil
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Here is a list of the three soil textures. I use them for representation of crop fields.

No. 40 Soil A Ã¢â‚¬â€œ its greenish.
No. 41 Soil B Ã¢â‚¬â€œ its yellowish.
No. 42 Soil B Ã¢â‚¬â€œ its reddish.

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Road/Brick
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Even though there are six different textures called brick I only use four of them. I also use some of the paved and tile textures as roads. No. 61, 63, & 65 thru 69, as well as 94, 96, and 97 all make neat textures for roads and such. DonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t forget to bulk up their appearance by blending the grasses near them to show grow over.

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Lava
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I only use one texture for lava. No. 24 Dry River C, is almost perfect if you tweak the color to make it a little more neon. You can check out what I mean in figure 3.4, although it might be a little hard to notice in the screen shot.

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Stone
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There are several textures that could be used as stone-like textures, but I like only two of them.

[list][*]No. 15 Granite Ã¢â‚¬â€œ looks like cement. This works well as cement or really fine gravel.[*]No. 43 Scale A Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it resembles pebbles or small river stones. Good as an under texture with grass on top as a gravel path or used properly it can be used a stepping stone across a river or in front of a home.

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Solid Color
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I have only used this to make a solid black, for whatever one might use a solid black texture for duh (mostly used for interior maps).

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 4:59 pm

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Advanced Landscape Layout
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ah, I bet this is what you have been waiting for right? Now you know what textures I think are worth using, along with a least a partial understanding of how theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re applied, but how do you use them skillfully? Let me show you.

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Overlapping
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It is what it is. With out using blend techniques all landscapes do is overlap each other. Not the most realistic thing in the world.

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Using Transparency
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This is one of the best ways to blend two or more textures together, plus it can be used to add one layer on top of another without it looking like a carpet laying on a rug.

Blending Ã¢â‚¬â€œ with transparency requires a larger number of landscape pieces than using edge, but the effect can be better sometimes. To successfully blend two textures you need to first decide which one will go on top. The higher the number order of the texture the more landscapes it covers over. Look way back to Understanding The System if you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t understand what I mean. First place the textures as normal. Now, where they overlap you will place another of the top texture on the line. Size isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t important, but use at least a with of five or more over the area you are blending. Place the texture with 10% transparency. Place another piece at the same point only make the width one number smaller again with 10% transparency, step and repeat. Note, that since blending this way adds the textures together it works like the add height mode. So, doing a blend area with 10% covered by another 10% the overlapping areas have a 20% transparency. Learning to master this can be difficult.
Adding Ã¢â‚¬â€œ causes another texture to be applied over the current one. This has many methods, but I use it most for Ã¢â‚¬ËœgrowingÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ grass over stone or dirt roads. I just randomly place 50% and 25% transparency grass textures over the other textures in small strips that are rotated at various degrees.

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Using Edge
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Edge, like I mentioned above is exactly like transparency, just easier to use and personally I like it much better because it filters out a little more smoothly.

Blending - works the same as above, only it usually works in one simple step. Just place the over texture near the edge, not on, of the texture you want to overlap. Use any setting from 25% edge to 100%, whatever you think looks best.

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Using Color
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This is still one thing that gives me trouble. Other than altering the color black texture and putting a pseudo neon glow on my lava texture I never use this option. Once I figure something new out though IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be sure to add it in here.

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Realistic Forests
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The Prima guide almost nailed this one the head. Using multiple forest 'lines' next to each other do create rather good looking forests. What I feel needs to be added is that the edges need some attention. Do this, create a forest as a circle. Then place another right on top of it just five sizes bigger in each direction. Alter the transparency on this piece down one(it only takes on to see a difference) and alter the edge to 50. Now, this should create a much more realistic forest. For an added touch place a few single trees around the forest to make it look like its spreading.

Figure 4.2

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 5:01 pm

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Water
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Under the custom tab the system gives you the option to alter the style and appearance of the water on your world map. As a weird default you are required to use on of the five default water settings it offers. Thankfully they can all be completely customized.

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Oceans
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This should be a big duh for everyone. Either of the first two sea textures make for good oceans.

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Seas
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A sea is a body of water that has access to the ocean, but is mostly contained by land. Since what you pick for the ocean texture applies globally for the map you canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t alter it. However, if you are creating a town on a harbor port you could set the sea texture to No.3 or No.4 with some color altering to represent mucky or dingy water or you can use No.7 or No.8 (theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re both exactly the same) as a sparkling coastal sea. These same suggestions work well with lakes too.

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Rivers
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Again a duh as to what they are. Here just about all the water textures will work, depending on what look you are going for. Of course the river can only have a different texture from the surrounding ocean when itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s seen on a separate map (i.e. running through the woods, next to a town, as a castle moat, etc.), unless you make one from objects or VFX.

thefinalrune · **Posted:** September 20th, 2007, 5:02 pm

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Glossary
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I actually have no idea what to put here, but I'm sure that their are certain things people would like further elaboration on. So, if you would please, leave a reply here and let me know what you need to know more about.

Duel · **Posted:** September 21st, 2007, 2:40 am

This is why I only stick to Rpg Maker 1, lol.
Nice guide.

AnonymousBo · **Posted:** September 21st, 2007, 2:40 pm

I am very impressed with the images of your maps, especialy the waterfall.

You should talk to Crythania who seems to be the resident RPGM3 Map expert.

As to RPGM1, I'm not sure who the home improvement expert is for properly arranging tiles. :lol

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