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Author
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Comment
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Eltern
Memunite
(9/28/03 6:52 pm)
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PSP layered maps
Someone wipped up layered maps of all the maps, for use in paintshop or whatnot to reveal the map on a screen for the players as they move along.
THERE'S NO FIRE NODE!!!!
Did someone actually do it, and it didn't get loaded on Zansforcans site? Because my party just entered there, and I quickly realized there was no map on the net. I had a heart attack.
Eltern
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arcane12
Memunite
(9/28/03 8:25 pm)
Reply
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Re: PSP layered maps
Oh, wow! I just installed Adobe Photoshop 5.5 trial and had a look at those maps - they're great! I will have to set up my PC in the lounge so I can use those for the game  I will also be able to show the pics without having to cover up the module in the book As to the fire node : yes there doesn't seem to be one - doh!
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Eltern
Memunite
(9/29/03 3:51 pm)
Reply
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Re: PSP layered maps
Who made those before, and how did they do it?
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ZansForCans 
Dynama
(9/29/03 9:10 pm)
Reply
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Re: PSP layered maps
::points at the man looking suspiciously like Magnum, P.I::
Group Editing & Authoring Support
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info :: demoEdited by: ZansForCans at: 9/29/03 9:14 pm
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Eltern
Memunite
(10/1/03 3:20 pm)
Reply
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Re: PSP layered maps
Aha, and how did said person make these? Was it easy at all?
Thanks a mil,
Eltern
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 Infiniti2000
Cherub
(10/1/03 8:11 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: PSP layered maps
They're not to difficult, actually. I'm redoing them (maybe all, dunno yet) in high resolution (using the 8+MB images I put up on ZFC's site). Basically, once you have the base image, you load it into the image processing app (Paint Shop Pro is what I am using). The base map will be the 'background' layer. For each room, hall, or area you want to block off individually, create a new raster layer (naming it appropriately). Then, judiciously use the clone brush to block out the area. Remember that you need to clone from the background layer to the current layer. I.e. in PSP, select background, right-click (with clone brush selected) on the 'rock' area, select the new layer, and draw in the room or area. I'll have Map E (the Air Temple) done in a couple of days, but it will be greater than 12MB in size.
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Wintir
Mortal
(10/6/03 7:00 am)
Reply
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RE: PSP layered maps
hey, call me stupid, but how in the world do I view this this images? All I get is a black image, no mather which layer I click...
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(10/6/03 7:09 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
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layers
You need to load them in Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop, or a similar editor. In PSP, open up the Layer Palette. Click the glasses icon for each room/area you want to uncover. This disables viewing of that layers.
Basically, the background layer is the whole, uncovered map. Each additional "room" layer actually covers that particular area. So, you need to disable the view of a room's layer to actually see that room.
Edit: I'm sorry about the rolleyes emoticon. I swear I didn't enter it on purpose. I didn't even know it was there and I meant nothing by it.
Edited by: Infiniti2000 at: 10/6/03 10:00 am
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Wintir
Mortal
(10/6/03 7:42 am)
Reply
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RE: PSP layered maps
thanks, but I can't find the glasses - icon.. I do see now a miniature view of the map, but not the map itself yet.
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(10/6/03 10:05 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: RE: PSP layered maps
Okay, are you using Paint Shop Pro? You need to have the .PSD (or .PSP) file open. The layer palette window will have all the layers listed. You should see a red/green/blue icon and the layer name (typically the room number). Next to the name is an icon that looks like a pair of glasses (spectacles). The right column is a transparency slider that you should not use. The glasses icon is a button that you can click to disable that layer view (you'll see a red 'X' show up over the icon). Make sure that the image is NOT read-only as that might cause the icon to not be available or not be able to be modified. That's unlikely though.
To show the layer palette, go to View->Toolbars and make sure the "Layer Palette" option is checked.
Hope this helps.
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Wintir
Mortal
(10/6/03 11:55 am)
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re:
thanks a lot! what went wrong was the fact that I could see the layers palette but that the eye & transparancy slider were hidden... after moving it a bit to the left, it al came visible.... boy, do I feel stupid... thanks a lot though!
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Cordo Crowfoot
Dynama
(10/6/03 11:31 pm)
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Re: re:
What's everyone's thoughts on the room numbers being left in? The older ones had the room numbers smudged out, so I was surprised to see them left in the newer PSP versions. Yes sometimes the smudges are unsightly, but at the same time if you are going to show these to players, seeing the numbers on the rooms doesn't help with immersion.
"They were immediately and absolutely recognizable as adventurers. They were hardy and dangerous, lawless, stripped of allegiance or morality, living off their wits, stealing and killing, hiring themselves out to whoever and whatever came... They were scum who died violent deaths, hanging on to a certain cachet among the impressionable through their undeniable bravery and their occasionally impressive exploits" China Mieville, Perdido Street Station |
Infiniti2000
Cherub
(10/7/03 5:52 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: re:
It might not help with immersion, but the benefits are higher. My players love the numbers and quite honestly it helps me as well. Everyone knows that the numbers are there, so it is easy enough for the players to ignore them. Surprisingly, I think it is less easy to ignore the obvious smudges.
Anyone else interested in high resolution layered maps? I've done three so far (D, E, and J). They're about 12MB each. I've also spent some time to carefully block out secret doors and hidden lines (i.e. it's another layer to put back in a secret door, or to put in the dotted hidden lines).
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Cordo Crowfoot
Dynama
(10/8/03 7:24 am)
Reply
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Re: re:
Why do the players love the numbers? I don't grok that.
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Wintir
Mortal
(10/8/03 7:43 am)
Reply
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RE: PSP layered maps
very much interested in these maps. How to obtain them?
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benhamtroll
Cherub
(10/8/03 8:15 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: RE: PSP layered maps
Sorry. Just found this thread.
RE: The Fire Node. I'm still working on it. The problem I'm having with it right now is that there are something like 8 numbers and descriptions for a metric butt-load of rooms and hallways. I'm still trying to figure out a good way of indicating which of these cover what.
RE: Room Numbers. I left them in in the ones I did (up through the first parts of the CRM were done by someone else. Cthulu Ftaghn, I think.) simply for the sake of sanity. Removing them was a royal pain in the tuckus, and my players don't care since it's just reference. It has the added benefit of giving them instant reference when writing down treasure. When they write down the room number, it makes ID easier later.
I'm glad you like them. They've greatly enhanced my game, especially with my flat-panel iMac, since I can just swivel it around to show people what's up. My players get pissy now if I don't have them.
They're not that hard to make, but it requires a bit of aptitude with Photoshop.
What I did was select a portion of the stone texture and make a pattern from it. I then filled a new layer with the patter and proceed to select the shapes of each room and cut and paste them to a new layer. It is not an exact science, and it involves a lot of nudging and bumping to get things lined up. I did remove any secret doors, traps, or other things that would give stuff away to players. You'll notice it especially in the recovered temple area.
After having done all these maps for this game, I'll probably be doing this for every other game I ever run, and it can only be easier than this thing.
Take my advice though. DON'T try to make tiles. You have no idea how big this place is until you try to expand it to 1" :5' scale. <shudder>
the times have been, That, when the brains were out, the man would die, And there an end. .
www.benhamtroll.com
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(10/8/03 9:44 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: RE: PSP layered maps
"Why do the players love the numbers? I don't grok that."
As benhamtroll, it makes it easy to reference stuff. I think it also gives them the illusion that they know 'secret' information. Dunno for sure, but they just loved the ones with numbers and didn't care for the ones without.
"very much interested in these maps. How to obtain them? "
The originals are in ZansForCans's site, in the Layered PSD Maps section. The high res ones I mention above have just been uploaded, so I guess ZFC will get around to moving them to the Newest section soon.
"My players get pissy now if I don't have them."
LMAO! Same here! We have a rotating DM thing and now the other DM has to do something else additionally special 'cause I showed him up! He's a 3-D modeler, though, so I'm sure he's gonna do something cool.
"Take my advice though. DON'T try to make tiles."
I can't agree more. Who was it that was doing this, 3ebb?
"What I did was..."
Have you tried the clone-brushing technique I explained above? It works better I think. Check out the maps I uploaded and see how they look. In particular, check out Map J.
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benhamtroll
Cherub
(10/8/03 9:57 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: RE: PSP layered maps
I'll have to take a look at them as soon as they appear.
So, did you just clone an area of the background and paint it on a new layer? That sounds much easier. I'm not sure why I didn't try that.
the times have been, That, when the brains were out, the man would die, And there an end. .
www.benhamtroll.com
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Infiniti2000
Cherub
(10/8/03 10:02 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
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Re: RE: PSP layered maps
"So, did you just clone an area of the background and paint it on a new layer? That sounds much easier. I'm not sure why I didn't try that."
Yes, and I cloned from various spots so you don't get a repeating pattern all over the place. I had to frequently 'restart' the clone brush to cover larger areas. I did not make one large pattern to clone from, though if that were done well enough, it would be best. It would be nice to have the original texture, but this works well enough, though slightly more time consuming. Details: I used a 32-pixel round brush with hardness 0, opacity 100, step 25, and density 100.
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Eltern
Memunite
(10/8/03 11:13 am)
Reply
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!
Benhamtroll: Great to hear that you're working on the Fire Node. It means I don't have to.
Off topic question for you, Benham: You used the term "metric buttload" which I believed to be a phrase unique to myself (in my area). I got it from Philmont in New Mexico, where did you get this bit of vocab? You have no idea how my brain froze up when I read someone else using that term
Eltern
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ZansForCans
Cherub
(10/8/03 11:46 am)
Reply
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Re: RE: PSP layered maps
Quote:
"Take my advice though. DON'T try to make tiles."
I can't agree more. Who was it that was doing this, 3ebb?
There is really no way to do this without redrawing them yourself. I tried using I2k's high-res scans and then even did super-high res with my scanner over the main gate area. It looks like crap no matter how much filter tweaking I tried. I remember 3ebb was talking about it, but not hearing anything since makes me wonder if even he gave up...
I'm so jealous because our other campaign right now is CotSQ and the art from it is spectacular. The DM for it has printed out tiled rooms from the maps for nearly all our combats and used scanned art from the monsters/NPCs as figures for combat. Very, very nice looking. Probably very, very expensive too, so maybe I'm glad I can't do it
Re: files... they are there now, should appear within a 1/2 hour or so. I just realized we are talking about two different programs: PSD vs. PSP. Ugh. PSD (my version 7, at least) can't open PSP files. Argh!
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