Inception though design

Using different textures for different areas of the map can do more than just describe the thing they paint (cliff, beach). We can also direct the eye and put ideas into a player's head, just as lighting for the stage and cinema can, with textures. This post describes work I've done mapping for the real time strategy game Vietnam: Glory Obscured

Valley of the Ethereal was a difficult map. I was given it in a very rough state. It had a strange texture pallet that I wouldn't have picked and a labyrinthine layout. It had the basic textures thrown across the map. However, it had a nice set piece which the initial author had spent much time on. Also, I was feeling in the mood for a challenge with the texture pallet, so I kept it.

I did my best to fill out the rest of the map and put stuff for the players in appropriate spots. Using the other person's initial texturing and working around it both looked strange and took much longer than usual.

Several months later, I decided to go through all the maps with a friend and bring them all up to the best quality they could be. This map in particular needed attention.

Players did not like the map. We decided:

- They didn't understand the layout. They didn't know where they were supposed to be guarding or why, as they had no idea which areas were valuable and worth keeping.

- The map was ugly. The textures didn't go well together.

The map is huge, completely changing the

texturing would have been an nightmare. In addition, the AI waypointing, which for a 4 player map like this takes perhaps 3 - 4 hours was already done.

Two important changes were made:

The layout was made very much more symmetrical: A pocket village (pocket meaning very near to the player's starting position, so easy to take; villages in VGO are the players' source of constant funds) counter-clockwise for each player, and two symmetrically placed ones in the middle of the map.

More importantly, I changed all of the ground level texturing away from the river. I used a light grassy texture set to contrast with the dark mountainous textures which had previously been across the map and were now exiled to just the raised areas. Now, immediately when looking at any area of the map, the players could see where the high vantage points were, where the low flat areas were. The lighter textures also contrasted better with the grey/green cliff textures, so the shape of the map was easier to work out.

Below: After and before the changes. Think: is bottom right low and flat or high or what?