YEah I copy my mod early and often. My max-size area keeps crashing my system and I don't really even have that much stuff in it, so I think I'm gonna re-size anyway. Go long and narrow.
Are small areas inherently better than large areas?
Débuté par
Groove Widdit
, mai 18 2012 09:20
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#27
Posté 24 mai 2012 - 08:59
Leurnid
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Long and narrow... I assume you are making a city then?
Submitted for your perusal:
This poor quality picture of the map of Lahnkmar in the old F.Lieber books is a great example of how one can layout a city without using massive areas.
What I like about it is that none of the buildings off the streets are detailed or shown. One can have medium to long but narrow areas depicting the major streets, and create just as much immersion without using massive areas. When people cut off the main street, whether to enter a shop, a side street, or a dark alley, they transition to a new zone, allowing you to control the environment better in every case. What you lose for a brief transition, you gain back in control.
Including a maze of alleys and side streets in the same zone as the big street just taxes the system and boxes you into the map as you drew it.
Here is a later version of the map made by TSR for D&D:
The detail level went up, but notice the white boxes? The set this map came with included a booklet of maps that could be used for encounters in those back alley areas... and you were never obligated to use the same ones in the same places.. By detailing the entire map on one area, you lose that modular control of encounters, but by keeping things seperated into discrete areas, you can do crazy stuff like have 20 back alley areas, and random transitions that will only attach those areas to other areas when somebody enters, leave them attached for a little while, then reset it.
Just some of my oddball musings. Hope it inspires you!
Submitted for your perusal:
This poor quality picture of the map of Lahnkmar in the old F.Lieber books is a great example of how one can layout a city without using massive areas.
What I like about it is that none of the buildings off the streets are detailed or shown. One can have medium to long but narrow areas depicting the major streets, and create just as much immersion without using massive areas. When people cut off the main street, whether to enter a shop, a side street, or a dark alley, they transition to a new zone, allowing you to control the environment better in every case. What you lose for a brief transition, you gain back in control.
Including a maze of alleys and side streets in the same zone as the big street just taxes the system and boxes you into the map as you drew it.
Here is a later version of the map made by TSR for D&D:
The detail level went up, but notice the white boxes? The set this map came with included a booklet of maps that could be used for encounters in those back alley areas... and you were never obligated to use the same ones in the same places.. By detailing the entire map on one area, you lose that modular control of encounters, but by keeping things seperated into discrete areas, you can do crazy stuff like have 20 back alley areas, and random transitions that will only attach those areas to other areas when somebody enters, leave them attached for a little while, then reset it.
Just some of my oddball musings. Hope it inspires you!
#28
Posté 24 mai 2012 - 10:24
Groove Widdit
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My area in question is the rural hub for my mod.
Modifié par Groove Widdit, 24 mai 2012 - 10:26 .
