Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the Worldįorum to Find Artists, Designers, and Illustrators Paid to Play: The Business of Game Design Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games Kickstarter Advice from the Best in the WorldĮurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games Game Design Advice from the Best in the World But nature prevails and a few smaller trees and grasses start to come back in some areas.Here you’ll find lots of different tools, sites, and resources that will help you make better games, design better prototypes, and become a better designer. Lava has filled the crater, large rocks were scattered everywhere, and once lush trees are now dead. The Board Game Design Lab is my go-to interview podcast for improving my game design skills.
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Become a Board Game Design Lab subscriber today Gimme FREE Stuff I Hate Free Stuff. The settlement was destroyed, only the castle on its large cliff and a few ruins remained. Get Board Game Design Resources and Chances to Win FREE Games. Ash, lava and toxic gases killed everything in a large radius. However, after many centuries of peaceful living, disaster struck and the volcano erupted. Easy and successful farming made the area rich and a big castle was built on a rock. A forest covered the area and people created a settlement in the crater on the fertile volcanic soil. There once was a big crater of a dormant volcano. Before I did anything, I came up with a short story about why the area looks the ways that it does:
I have recently created a volcanic map with a deserted castle in the middle of a giant lava lake. Do the people live in peace or was there a recent war that has destroyed a lot of buildings? Are the people rich or poor? Is there a lot of farming or a giant mine?įrom a macroscopic level of the location of towns and villages to the level of a single person, that is very poor and lives in a shack outside of town, there can be a story for everything that explains the look of an area. Was there an evil king that ruled the land and has exploited his subordinates? That would explain a big and expensive castle while the normal houses would be very run down. Search for jobs related to Video game map maker or hire on the worlds largest freelancing marketplace with 21m+ jobs. The fun part is coming up with a story of the area on a human level. Later, as trade became more popular, towns were founded near bigger rivers or the ocean. Early settlements are likely to be on fertile soil with access to freshwater or near good hunting grounds. On the most basic level, the terrain is going to provide reasons for human decisions. Even in Antarctica or the middle of the Sahara you can find reminders of humans being there. There are hardly any areas left in the world that haven’t been touched and changed by humans. While geology has shaped the terrain, human history is responsible for almost everything else.
Obviously, there are no real photos of fantasy environments, but maybe there are drawings or other images that can give you some ideas and inspiration. When you have made a decision about the terrain type, it’s always a good idea to google it and look at a few reference images. For example, there could be a low gravity on a different planet that allows the vegetation and creatures to grow a lot taller. Despite there being no real-world equivalent, you should still think of a reason that governs the features of the fantastical terrain. There might be a fantastical elven kingdom with gigantic blue leaved trees or an environment on another planet made out of purple crystals. Virtual environments have another interesting aspect that does not exist in the real world: fantasy. For example, young mountains that are just being formed are going to be a lot more rugged, taller, and with sharper edges, while older mountains are smoother as the erosion has had a more time to shape them. Depending on the scale of your environment, there might be multiple terrain types within it, but for most smaller areas a single type is going to dominate.Įven within a single terrain type, there are differences. From flat plains over rolling hills to rugged mountains. There are a lot of different types of terrain in the real world. The shape of the terrain is going to dictate many other aspects like rivers, vegetation, and even human decisions. Before moving onto backgrounds, introductions, and key descriptions, start by putting your idea into a single, clear sentence. The most fundamental feature of every virtual environment is the terrain. A game design document is made up of multiple, detailed sections and when your head is filled with ideas its easy to get lost in it. The castle on the cliffs remained from the once prosperous kingdom after the volcanic eruption, image by author.