Getting through Essentials

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  • As you learn, you build on that, getting better and better.

    My early makes looked awful. I've somewhat improved.

    Hmm... I don't go for super detail, nor use certain features.
  • edited October 2011
    OK, why is it when I try to place a fireplace, it won't place on the axis I'm viewing. It shifts 90 or 180. It's like it won't squeeze into the place I want and flips over or to the other axis.
  • Oh, another thing I came across. I'm in want of a weapons rack.
  • Well, my first level looks pretty decent. Still missing a bit, but I'm having trouble with the doors (and windows). They're not cutting the walls and my outer wall is the 2' Dungeon Basic wall and it really looks bad there. Like I said before, I checked the "Add Control Points" and that seems to be OK. So, what am I missing here?
  • I have stables and kennels, but no symbols I can find for such rooms. Where do I look for that? Btw, here's my first level, first "real" map.
    GF1a.zip 354.4K
  • That represents hours of work when I really should be doing other things.
  • edited October 2011
    Gads, this is so hard...

    I figured I'd use my lower level as a template for my upper level (just four towers after that), but I can't seem to find a way to copy it to a new blank template.
  • edited October 2011
    Damn. Another problem. Figured I'd number my rooms, but for simplicity I used an alphanumeric system, i.e. all storerooms are numbered "3." I try to add text (rather than numbers) and when I set the properties, they don't take.

    This is like life. Just too many damned options!
  • Well, I still don't know what the hell I'm doin', but I got the floor plan for the second level sketched out.
  • The fireplace symbols may have 'smart tracking' on.

    Click on the symbol select at the left, then move the mouse pointer over the map, and right click. Look at the lower left of the popup.

    Unclick the 'smart tracking'. Hold down the Ctrl and shift keys with your left hand. MOve the mouse slowly. Notice the symbol rotates fairly smoothly.

    Click when you have the symbol where you want it to be in the map.

    Also useful for mouse/building placement in a town or city.
  • I'm learning the hard way. One thing that might be useful to folks like me is a step-by-step guide to map building. For instance, the directions say to start from the ground up and top down, but just what order are the steps to placing an entity? Check layer, sheet, color, etc., etc. I'm not sure I'm being clear, but I find myself doing things over because I've done them in the wrong order.
  • Generally, when you select a symbol in CC3 it gets put on the symbols sheet.

    When I first draw a map. I load the template I want to use.

    I'll draw an island for this example.

    I pick an ocean template. I right click on the template icon in CC3.

    I choose select template. Browse to templates -> Overland Maps and select 800x1000.fct

    Click open.

    That loads the template.

    To draw ocean depths: Select sheet Ocean(contours) Click okay.

    On the color select, I chose 55, a medium blue. Clic okay.

    across the top of CC3.
    P:0.0 W: 0.0 L: select Coast/Sea LS: Solid FS: solid

    P is pen, W is line width, L is layer, LS is line style, FS is fill style

    I click on Smooth poly. Click in an area, making an ocean depth. Right click and it closes.

    On the left side of CC3, I click on Fractalize. I then click the edge of the smooth poly 3 times.

    Now, draw shallows so the island isn't just a drop off, gives the characters there fishing grounds to.

    Select color 72, a light blue, from the color selector.

    Select/click on Smooth poly icon.

    Draw the shallows. I would draw them away from the depth area, or put it in the depth, so you show the ocean deeps around the island.

    Fractalize.

    Change colors to a green.

    I chose color 23. I draw an island in the shallows.

    Select Land sheet, so the land will draw on top of the shallows.

    Since I start my land areas on Background layer, I select that layer in the layer dialog.

    Smooth poly, or you can pick fractal poly.

    Fractalize if needed.

    To select in the layer dialog, click the L: at the top of CC3. Click in the left most column of the layer you want the item on. Then click okay.

    Sheets and layers are very different.

    If two items are on the same layer, you can send one behind the other. But if they are on different sheets, 'send behind' won't work.

    Learning to work with layers, then sheets was something I just had to keep working on. I eventually got it. I have not much spare time, so it took my longer than usual to learn all this.

    The map I made with the above is attached. I'll add the map in the next post.
  • You were clear. I hope that helps.
  • One big problem I have on this computer is finding stuff. I'm constantly reorganizing trying to find the best arrangement for my activities. I've finished the second level except for my aviary and bestiary. Thought I saw a flying bird somewhere in the symbols. I took the heads from the political/borders catalog to make my trophy room. In there are a couple of horses which I could use for my stables, but the horses are long gone. Much better would be hay, maybe a pitchfork. I can also find no tack for the tack room. I'm kind of financially stuck right now, so upgrades won't happen until next month. In the meantime...
  • I've decided I don't like the floor on the second level. How do I change it?
  • You can remove areas you don't like and redraw them.

    We would have to know more about how you put together that level, what tools, etc. you used to give detailed advice.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 46 images Cartographer
    edited October 2011
    Another way is to use change properties on it. To avoid selecting other entities at the same time (like the walls) you can hide all the sheets but he floors one before executing the command. This ensures you only work on the appropriate entities.
  • Well, there's more than one way to skin a cat. I used Erase.
  • I'm having trouble with this (what's new?). I've replaced the floor but it overlays some of my symbol layers, so I isolated it and sent it to the back. That revealed about 75% of my symbols. I isolated them and brought all forward. It didn't have an effect. Now I think I have a clue here. I have several symbol layers, furniture, containers, magic, temple, etc. My sheets are ordered Common, Floor, Walls, Furniture, Symbols. I think some of my symbols are on the wrong sheet, but I'm having a time trying to figure it out.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 46 images Cartographer
    Best way to identify entities on the wrong sheet is to hide all the sheets except one. Then move the entities that shouldn't be there to the correct sheet (You can still move them to a sheet that is hidden). Then proceed to show only the next sheet in the list and so on.
  • edited October 2011
    It looks like I have entities on several sheets. My missing ones show up on Walls, but also show up on Furniture and Symbols. And I may know, but this is all still quite a jumble in my head, how do I move entities from one sheet to another?

    Answered my own question.
  • edited October 2011
    This is way too addictive!

    Second level is done except for birds and beast (or skeletons thereof). Still need hay and tack as well.
  • How do you get these moving symbols to quit jumping around?
  • I can get this done if I'm not too particular about things. Hard for an OCD guy, though.
  • There is just too much to try and remember!
  • It took me a while to, don't panic, keep working at it. You'll be making great maps.
  • Well, I can barely use this beast of a computer, so...
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