Another thing I might try is to put a thin line of black contour similar to what Shessar does to represent valleys, around the the trapdoor and then put a blur on it. Or maybe just a black glow to represent that it is built into the stone floor. Right now it kind of looks like it's sitting on top of it.
The trap door is an older symbol. I may remove it and say the debris down on the main floor is where the door leading from the top of the keep down to ground level used to be.
Add a 'Bevel, Lighted' effect on each of the crenelations sheets. Set the Bevel size to about 0.2 and leave the rest as the default. Also make sure this effect is the topmost effect in the list for each sheet. I think that will look nice.
I feel like I'm missing something here. Why do you put effects on three different crenelation sheets? Does doing so give you better control over effects or are do you have three levels of crenelation symbols? It looks great by the way.
Ancient burials on the northern hills. The now abandoned, but being worked on, village was attacked multiple times. The villagers blame their losses on having round towers. They had no connecting walls. In the past square towers were good for them, so they brought those back, not realizing such technology had been passed by.
The battle ground in front of Daefadel Fort was over treasure believed to be inside. The real treasure was in the two mines on either side of the fort.
Some nights there is no one on watch. Sad.
======================
The abandoned village.
1) worker's homes, more like dorms. Crowded. Makes you wonder who attacked whom ? 2) bread ovens and break maker 3) Inn
4) A small grove of apple trees, not good to eat any more. 5) broken, and partially burned, barracks for the nearby tower. 6) broken tower
7) broken tower 8) associated barracks 9) an unknown statue head, the villagers don't remember it from before
10) a few berry bushes. 11) Manse, the town owner 12) the well once had nice cool water, no one drinks from it anymore.
The villagers didn't cut down the other trees.
=================================
The Inn ruins.
Recently diseased shrubbery on the left. Broken furniture with bones and other debris inside. The pond used to be a gathering place, now overgrown and fetid.
C: evil worship area, fire ring and idol. Orange bushes and trees leading into the house from the cemetery.
Pumpkin patch near the 'e' in Manse.
==================================
Daefadel Fort.
Ground level.
1) entrance 2) guard room and a last ditch defense 3) guard room, nothing but wood debris.
4, 5, 6, and 7) barracks and storage areas.
Some broken, but unopened small boxes.
8) Remembrance Hall. Old paintings and tapestries of past glory. Some might be worth a small amount, a few gold.
And the top of the Giants' foot bath. A large flat rock covers the opening. Small bushes grow on it in dirt placed there by the giants, so it doesn't look like it is movable.
=====================
Daefadel Fort Sub-level 2
1) entrance to the level 2) barracks. All looks neat and correct, covered with dust. 3) kitchen some debris, but not much destroyed
4) dining room, rotted food on the tables 5) barracks 6) armor and weapon storage... too far from the barracks.
1) entrance area, a battle took place here. 2) empty room behind secret doors. 3) water storage and water feed. Why does the water taste funny ?
4, 5, and 6) store rooms. Mostly debris, but a few barrels left unopened.
7) empty room 8) store room used for defense 9) 3 open chests.
10) baskets didn't last long as defensive works.
=================================
Worker Dorm 1 ruins
An ogre or gnoll seems to have taken up residence in one of them. Bird guano on the broken roof. The pit out front has a victim and is new. The humanoid has a cook pit upper right of these ruins. Debris and villager remains.
Since I want to place the Fort in one post and the new keep in one post, separate on this thread, this is it for these maps. Sigh. Tired, anyway, only two in this post.
Food and other storage like arrows. The wood wall section is a bad idea and doesn't give protection to fighters, etc, on this level during an attack. Flying creatures can go right in.
===================
Square Keep. Third level, nothing on the roof to protect from sky attacks.
The large opening was for a ballista that never arrived. A few days walk away adventurers might find the burnt remains of it and the people who were bringing it here. Something, or someone, is making certain they don't have too much protection.
The arrow slots are just square cut holes. No protection from arrows being fired at the inhabitants.
These are great Jim... but: 1: the manse and inn do not match the shapes in the village plan 2: the new Inn and keep's position on the overall map is not clear to me. Perhaps it could be related New Inn. 3: the buildings on the overall map do not seem to match the map of the abandoned village. I think it would be easy to correct the main map to correlate with the village map. But you will have to decide whether to change the shapes of the Inn and Manse to be identical to each other, either by redoing the Inn and Manse map, or tweaking the village map (which is the way I would go)
Number 1 is often the (unfortunate) side effect when going from symbols to a custom floor plan. You have a limited amount of symbols available, and have to use one of the available ones, even if it doesn't quite match your detail map. Personally, I think it is an acceptable compromise even if they don't match, the symbols doesn't always look like you want them to, and drawing it yourself instead of using a symbol often yield something that has a completely different style than the rest.
Comments
I'll see what I can do.
The two glows specifically.
Glow: outside, 12.5, 1, color 247
Glow: inside, 0, 4, color 249.
The trap door is an older symbol. I may remove it and say the debris down on the main floor is where the door leading from the top of the keep down to ground level used to be.
I think you might have got it just right now.
I have one more suggestion though.
Add a 'Bevel, Lighted' effect on each of the crenelations sheets. Set the Bevel size to about 0.2 and leave the rest as the default. Also make sure this effect is the topmost effect in the list for each sheet.
I think that will look nice.
Here are the changes.
I might do an area map of the burial mounds, and some maps of the burial interiors.
@Quenten. Elves in the village, and dwarves in the fort ?
Who might be in the burial mounds north of the village ?
So, elven lords of the area.
Please wait until I'm done for comments. Thanks.
Ancient burials on the northern hills. The now abandoned, but being worked on, village was attacked multiple times. The villagers blame their losses on having round towers. They had no connecting walls. In the past square towers were good for them, so they brought those back, not realizing such technology had been passed by.
The battle ground in front of Daefadel Fort was over treasure believed to be inside. The real treasure was in the two mines on either side of the fort.
Some nights there is no one on watch. Sad.
======================
The abandoned village.
1) worker's homes, more like dorms. Crowded. Makes you wonder who attacked whom ?
2) bread ovens and break maker
3) Inn
4) A small grove of apple trees, not good to eat any more.
5) broken, and partially burned, barracks for the nearby tower.
6) broken tower
7) broken tower
8) associated barracks
9) an unknown statue head, the villagers don't remember it from before
10) a few berry bushes.
11) Manse, the town owner
12) the well once had nice cool water, no one drinks from it anymore.
The villagers didn't cut down the other trees.
=================================
The Inn ruins.
Recently diseased shrubbery on the left. Broken furniture with bones and other debris inside. The pond used to be a gathering place, now overgrown and fetid.
A: wood pile, with rats and termites.
B: could be a root cellar, but why in the house ?
C: evil worship area, fire ring and idol. Orange bushes and trees leading into the house from the cemetery.
Pumpkin patch near the 'e' in Manse.
==================================
Daefadel Fort.
Ground level.
1) entrance
2) guard room and a last ditch defense
3) guard room, nothing but wood debris.
4, 5, 6, and 7) barracks and storage areas.
Some broken, but unopened small boxes.
8) Remembrance Hall. Old paintings and tapestries of past glory. Some might be worth a small amount, a few gold.
And the top of the Giants' foot bath. A large flat rock covers the opening. Small bushes grow on it in dirt placed there by the giants, so it doesn't look like it is movable.
=====================
Daefadel Fort Sub-level 2
1) entrance to the level
2) barracks. All looks neat and correct, covered with dust.
3) kitchen some debris, but not much destroyed
4) dining room, rotted food on the tables
5) barracks
6) armor and weapon storage... too far from the barracks.
7, 8, 9, and 10) kitchen storage
1) entrance area, a battle took place here.
2) empty room behind secret doors.
3) water storage and water feed. Why does the water taste funny ?
4, 5, and 6) store rooms. Mostly debris, but a few barrels left unopened.
7) empty room
8) store room used for defense
9) 3 open chests.
10) baskets didn't last long as defensive works.
=================================
Worker Dorm 1 ruins
An ogre or gnoll seems to have taken up residence in one of them. Bird guano on the broken roof. The pit out front has a victim and is new. The humanoid has a cook pit upper right of these ruins. Debris and villager remains.
Since I want to place the Fort in one post and the new keep in one post, separate on this thread, this is it for these maps. Sigh. Tired, anyway, only two in this post.
============================
Couldn't decide on text for worker home type 2.
Looking for suggestions.
Partially broken side, debris on the ground floor.
A trap door on the tower roof, but the ladder inside is long gone.
The roof is cracking and likely very unstable.
=========================
New Inn. Only one floor. Guests sleep in unguarded tents nearby.
Two newly dug wells, a dining room and parlour for those who don't want to eat in the dining room.
Veranda currently has no seating, that's 'not ready yet' as the Inn folks tell travelers.
No charge currently for the food, but there are those who keep track of the gluttons, who will pay dearly later on.
==================================
The new square keep, 3 levels.
ground level in this keep, other keeps can vary, are for new villagers to register for work. No work, no food nor shelter.
Barrels and crates are for storage. The three clerks/scribes who work here won't answer much in the way of questions.
Guards sleep here.
Food and other storage like arrows. The wood wall section is a bad idea and doesn't give protection to fighters, etc, on this level during an attack. Flying creatures can go right in.
===================
Square Keep. Third level, nothing on the roof to protect from sky attacks.
The large opening was for a ballista that never arrived. A few days walk away adventurers might find the burnt remains of it and the people who were bringing it here. Something, or someone, is making certain they don't have too much protection.
The arrow slots are just square cut holes. No protection from arrows being fired at the inhabitants.
1: the manse and inn do not match the shapes in the village plan
2: the new Inn and keep's position on the overall map is not clear to me. Perhaps it could be related New Inn.
3: the buildings on the overall map do not seem to match the map of the abandoned village.
I think it would be easy to correct the main map to correlate with the village map.
But you will have to decide whether to change the shapes of the Inn and Manse to be identical to each other, either by redoing the Inn and Manse map, or tweaking the village map (which is the way I would go)
Nice work, Jim
I understand what you are saying Quenten, but I'm going to leave it the way it is.
I will get the zip up today he says hopefully.
Zip submitted, had to do it in two parts.