Conquer Club

Someone recently posted a link to a cool site to get free textures. cgtextures.com is a gold mine for you graphic artists out there.

Anyways, I found a simple shot of some weathered concrete, and I wanted to see if I could create a map from that texture. In a couple of hours, I had this.




I would love to develop it further. Like maybe add schools of colorful fish, and some boats...etc.

But, all of that would depend on the gameplay. AND, I am not too interested in doing all of that. So, if any of you gameplay guru's out there, think you could make a playable game from this first draft, I would challenge you to do so. I in turn will then take up the challenge, to incorporate your work into my graphic conception.

It basically boils down to this, I am only interested in working on the graphics. So please someone, take up this project. I will be here to supply all of the needed updates.

Wow... I'm kind of impressed with your effort Pork. It looks quite beautiful but if you add bevel or a glow to anything on this map you will destroy it.

Any idea for gameplay? I think you could run a desert island theme with this perhaps. Maybe something along the line of Swiss Family Robinson or something. Add some pirate ships... I dunno. I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this.

The map really looks fantastic... wanna give some hint on how you made it? Did you just take the texture, then add colours on it with multiply blend, or did you overlay the texture on a colour layer, or what?

Looking at the enlarged version... dunno how I missed it... but you might want to hit those edges with the blur tool. The Green hightlights and where the ocean meets the sand are the most choppy. Love the colors though.

I have spent many hours on google earth. And, I wanted to make a map that looks like a satellite image. So I went looking for a texture shot that would work. The idea was to use the texture to dictate the layout. Then add, and/or subtract elements, to produce a simulation of a real sat. image. This only took me a couple of hours, and I realize that if I were to take up this project, I would eventually be able to make it more realistic.

About the game play. I am hoping that one of you nuts and bolts guys, will take up my challenge. I hear much talk from some, about how the GP is the most important thing. Well, this can be considered as a rough draft, so, let us see if someone can make a good game from it.

My thoughts are this. I want to offer this project to an established veteran that has quenched a map or two, and is interested in taking over this project. I only care about doing the art. So, all of that dirty work will be provided by me.

Any takers

cgtextures is great, but don't they have a download limit? I remember there being some catch.

captainwalrus wrote:cgtextures is great, but don't they have a download limit? I remember there being some catch.

Yep. You can d/l 15mb for free, then you have to pay if you want more. Of course if you only need small textures you can just take screenshots of the previews

How about making the upper part of the map look like land as well.

A quick google search gave me another website: www.textureking.com. Unlike cg, this is completely free and doesn't require registration to browse & download textures.

OK I wanted to try it too, so here's what I came up with... not as cool as yours pork, but I think it looks pretty neat still. Could make for a feudal type map... what do you think?



This however looks more like an aerial photo than a satellite photo...

I don't know, natty, I see some pebbles and things that can't really be anything else. I think maps with larger things like that don't really make the best sort of textures for this kind of thing.

captainwalrus wrote:I don't know, natty, I see some pebbles and things that can't really be anything else. I think maps with larger things like that don't really make the best sort of textures for this kind of thing.

Yeah like I said, I was just trying this thing out, I wasn't seriously considering making a map out of that image.

porkenbeans wrote:Someone recently posted a link to a cool site to get free textures. cgtextures.com is a gold mine for you graphic artists out there.

Anyways, I found a simple shot of some weathered concrete, and I wanted to see if I could create a map from that texture. In a couple of hours, I had this.

Click image to enlarge.

I think you should take a wider part of the texture so that the land at the sides especially the right side have more area. You should make it a little lower to so the land connects.

I am always amazed at how fractal landscapes scale: from crumbling concrete to crumpling continents. You have a real eye for beauty, porkenbeans.

When I saw this, the theme that popped into my head was one that has been niggling at my hindbrain for a while: Captain Nemo. Verne's books, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and The Mysterious Island seem to me to be a source of some interesting thematic material. Sadly, I never seem to have the time to research my ideas well enough to get them going anywhere. (I spend too much time playing some silly world domination game online...)

I'll do the gameplay.

Sorry to be crude, but this is an arse-about-face way of making a map... The gameplay should come first, and the graphics should follow after - form should follow function.

That said, the graphics are good, but by becoming a slave to the texture you're severely limiting your gameplay options.

natty_dread wrote:

captainwalrus wrote:I don't know, natty, I see some pebbles and things that can't really be anything else. I think maps with larger things like that don't really make the best sort of textures for this kind of thing.

Yeah like I said, I was just trying this thing out, I wasn't seriously considering making a map out of that image.

I don't know, I think with a little work, it would be an excellent texture shot to start with.

That is sweet!

My map "lava island" could use some graphics, if your interested.

porkenbeans wrote:
Yeah like I said, I was just trying this thing out, I wasn't seriously considering making a map out of that image.

I don't know, I think with a little work, it would be an excellent texture shot to start with.
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nice!

You put UFO:s in there? That looks so cool... the fog thing is a bit much, though.

natty_dread wrote:You put UFO:s in there? That looks so cool... the fog thing is a bit much, though.

Maybe less fog.

Thomassaurus wrote:

natty_dread wrote:You put UFO:s in there? That looks so cool... the fog thing is a bit much, though.

Maybe less fog.

I like the fog, it really gives the map an aerial photo look, and it might be a good place to put a title or legend.

ender516 wrote:I like the fog, it really gives the map an aerial photo look, and it might be a good place to put a title or legend.

Well yeah, but it covers a big land area. If it's going to be used for a legend or title it'd be better if it were on water.

I added the clouds at the bottom for two reasons. First, because I have not done very much brush work yet on that area of the map, and just wanted to, somewhat hide, that section. Second, I was trying to add some depth and perspective to the image.

To address mr B's concerns-
Although it may not look like it, this rendering is only my rough sketch. It is meant to act as the scratch sheet. That is to say, it is the drawing that gets scribbled and erased on. Every map that has ever been produced here at CC, has started with some sort of doodle looking "first sketch".
I apologize if my sketches are not quite like, what you are used to seeing. But I assure you that they work just as well. I can easily make any graphical changes that GP dictates. So in the end ...
I would have to concede to your side of the argument about G v GP. and which is more important. Of course GP is the "BOSS". The Graphics take the back seat, and it is the GP that is in the drivers seat.

This first sketch is only meant to show the feel and mood. It is up to the GP vets to start the dictating. I can erase, add, move, scale, zoom ...etc.

The graphics, as in every project, will undoubtedly improve as time goes by, and as it goes from version to version, The Graphics play a game of catch-up. It's similar to a tennis match. I am perfectly able to do the GP myself, but I am smart enough to know that there are, in the Foundry, people that know much more about it than I do.

I am perfectly willing to listen to suggestions. As a matter of fact, I will go a step further, I will let a Vet take the dictatorship of the GP on this, or any project.

So, My style has been demonstrated in my various projects. and what I am trying to say is, I respect the talent and know-how of the GP Vets. If there is one that respects my graphic talent, then I am here, willing and eager to help make a CC map.

Thomassaurus wrote:That is sweet!

My map "lava island" could use some graphics, if your interested.

If you get your GP stamp, I will see what I can come up with, for ya.

@ pork's map
I dunno. It i really great at first glance, but there are still pebbles and stuff. If you cover all of them with buildings it will mess with the rest of it.

The idea is great, but I am not digging that example.

Also, do you have any example of how you would put territories on it?