-the lore is that the castle cannot rot and is preserved overtime whilst the area surrounding it is rotting away
Seeing as all the other flaws have been explained, I would also like to add that the surrounding area doesn't really look like it's rotting. To me rotting is:
1. darker, nasty colors (think podzol)
2. Non-moving pools of water
3. Mushrooms everywhere
I think if you make the outside look like that it will make the unique contrast that you're looking for.
The castle is good, but the walls of the cavern are absolutely awful. One solid color to start with. Sandstone or some kind of stained clay with NO OTHER BLOCKS in it. From there you might mix in one or two other blocks, but not as many as you have now because seriously, it just hurts to look at.
Community Question:Does anyone remember the days when aesthetics didn't matter so much in CTM maps? Is there anybody out there that can still acknowledge something like Legendary is still a good map despite it's blandness? And finally, do you think less is better than more in terms of CTM map aesthetics?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hey there, all. I stream CTMs as well as other indie games, Minecraft servers and probably that's it. I'm your supreme overlord too so I command you to CHECK ME OUT: www.twitch.tv/techniclepanther
Hi guys, quick question about stacking mobs. I want to make a mob that drops a mushroom (small) onto the ground after you kill it. I know you can use the FallingSand entity to cause the mushroom to actually get placed, but I don't know how to combine it with the mob. I've tried stacking them, but when the mob moves, the fallingsand entitiy drops. Do I need to change one of the NBT tags to get the Fallingsand mushroom to stay on the mob, or is there another way to do it? Thanks.
The only way I can think of doing it is making the mushroom a piece of armor with 100%drop chances, and since it's small maybe if it was used as a chestplate it couldn't be seen.
Community Question:Does anyone remember the days when aesthetics didn't matter so much in CTM maps? Is there anybody out there that can still acknowledge something like Legendary is still a good map despite it's blandness? And finally, do you think less is better than more in terms of CTM map aesthetics?
I still consider Legendary a great map! It's aesthetics are outdated, but not bad. In fact Legendary could still teach people a thing or two about traps and how best to use them. Some of Legendary's traps might've been unfair, to be honest, but it definitely shows the effect traps have on gameplay.
As for aesthetics, I actually do think less is better sometimes. It depends on the situation. A lot of time we try to overcomplicate aesthetics, add super amazing colors and make beautiful buildings and landscapes, that we forget to give our aesthetics character. It's important to make sure your area's looks set the right tone, rather than look particularly pretty.
You know I should really just do a full video series on this to be honest....
Hi guys, quick question about stacking mobs. I want to make a mob that drops a mushroom (small) onto the ground after you kill it. I know you can use the FallingSand entity to cause the mushroom to actually get placed, but I don't know how to combine it with the mob. I've tried stacking them, but when the mob moves, the fallingsand entitiy drops. Do I need to change one of the NBT tags to get the Fallingsand mushroom to stay on the mob, or is there another way to do it? Thanks.
You might be missing the riding tag, the command would be something like:
This is held in the hand, you can change it's location by adding empty brackets in the equipment tag. I believe it won't be invisible in the other slots...
Alternatively, if it fits your theme, you might consider having a mooshroom cow spawn egg riding the mob. The egg shouldn't despawn(not positive) and it's just cool. However the egg will be visible in the air.
Community Question:Does anyone remember the days when aesthetics didn't matter so much in CTM maps? Is there anybody out there that can still acknowledge something like Legendary is still a good map despite it's blandness? And finally, do you think less is better than more in terms of CTM map aesthetics?
Bit knew to CTM so I can't comment on the first part.
However, I do enjoy the older maps. Gameplay is good, even if most knew maps reuse it.
As far as aesthetics go, why not? If you can make something look really cool without allowing gameplay or general ambience suffer, then go for it.
This should be taken with a grain of salt though, some people can go over the top. Making things that look super cool and fancy, but can turn into an eye soar.
Personally my own aesthetic style is simple and cool. It may not be the best, but it's what I appreciate. And I can't do fancy that fancy stuff...
Community Question:Does anyone remember the days when aesthetics didn't matter so much in CTM maps? Is there anybody out there that can still acknowledge something like Legendary is still a good map despite it's blandness? And finally, do you think less is better than more in terms of CTM map aesthetics?
Here's the thing - Aesthetics never didn't matter in CTMs. At all. However quality of Aesthetics went up. People got better. Legendary was a good map, but that's because it wasn't bland. With what was offered at the time, it was very good looking. Aesthetics are less about trying to be insanely good looking, and more about giving your work character. Instead of just making Bland Castle #17, give it something to catch your eye. Little details matter a lot in making something look your own, rather than something anyone could have made.
To me that's more important than just making something godly gorgeous. Make something that, when I'm playing, I can take notice of because it has your own touch on it, rather than it just being something you can come across anywhere. That's what matters.
Community Question:Does anyone remember the days when aesthetics didn't matter so much in CTM maps? Is there anybody out there that can still acknowledge something like Legendary is still a good map despite it's blandness? And finally, do you think less is better than more in terms of CTM map aesthetics?
Yeah, Back when Super Hostile started catching lots of speed and the genre kicked off. They weren't the best looking maps but they were amazing because of the game play.
This is sort of how i view CTM Structuring and how i focus. The list is from high to low
1.Gameplay
2. Balance
3. Visuals
4. Lore
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
CTM maker, Rom-Hack Hard Enthusiast, Lover of Tacos and Coder
Community Question:Does anyone remember the days when aesthetics didn't matter so much in CTM maps? Is there anybody out there that can still acknowledge something like Legendary is still a good map despite it's blandness? And finally, do you think less is better than more in terms of CTM map aesthetics?
I just realized how I haven't post here in a while
I personally agree with Fang. Maps like Legendary are good looking at the time, with what was offered then. Mcedit back at the time isn't really that complex as it is now, plus with the added plugins and mods. It is bland nowdays because now we have better tools to work with and a bunch of maps with higher aesthetic quality. But at the time, it was gorgeous in my opinion.
So with so much possibilities of aesthetics design, I don't think this will be an excuse of making a map with lazy aesthetics (obvious brush strokes, bland walls, etc.)
Think of it like the old Nokia phones. It's innovative and huge at the time. But nowdays, notice how it's less appealing to the public like how it was before. With totally new inventions and innovations, only being able to take calls or text isn't a good quality of a phone nowdays. Same thing as this aesthetics. You got the new custom brush thing on mcedit, Tasch's and Rubisk's filters, custom plugins, etc. Use it.
Overall, I do think that gameplay is a very important element in a map. And so is balancing. And by balancing I don't mean not only gameplay wise. It also include the balance of the player's mood while playing your map. CTM maps aesthetics is like a painting for me. Most of them enlighten my mood when I look at them and took some of my rage feeling away when I come across that area.
So if you're going to make a player go through your hell, at least make it look good. So they last (and suffer) a little longer.
Community Question:Does anyone remember the days when aesthetics didn't matter so much in CTM maps? Is there anybody out there that can still acknowledge something like Legendary is still a good map despite it's blandness? And finally, do you think less is better than more in terms of CTM map aesthetics?
Can't really answer the first one, but I do think that a map can be good despite being bland if the gameplay is solid.
As for the last question, aesthetics are a bit like cinnamon, and an area like toast. You put some cinnamon on your toast to spice it up a bit, make it more appealing than just plain gameplay (or toast). If you don't put enough cinnamon on your toast, you won't taste it and there will really be no point in having it. However, if you put too much cinnamon on your toast, the toast will either not taste good anymore, or the toast will get lost under the massive amount of cinnamon you just poured on it. In addition, no matter how much cinnamon you put on your toast, if the toast is burnt it won't taste any good.
And thus ends my cinnamon and toast analogy.
EDIT: Also, it's more important that an area has a certain theme to it, and that is has character. I was playing a map in which one area was literally a giant cave made of sandstone that went almost straight down. Despite being bland, it felt fun because all the spawners were skele spawners. This gave the area character, made it stand out from the other areas. Also, there were 2 giant stone stalactites on the roof, which added additional character. It was something new, and was a standout characteristic of the area. There was tension created by the skeletons and the fact that there were no lights until you got to the bottom and saw a path into the next area. An area doesn't need fancy aesthetics to feel good.
CTMs have always been about aesthetics. Otherwise, why would Vechs have made each area in Kaizo look different? He could have just made all the areas identical, or made it so there were no unique areas at all. It could have all been set in vanilla Minecraft caves with no variation. But he knew, like his players, that that would be boring. He wanted people to be in awe of Cavern of Sky. He wanted there to be a distinctly different atmosphere in Spine Forest.
Okay, Kaizo isn't the most amazing looking map in the world. However, to say that aesthetics didn't matter in the old days is a bit ridiculous. Like Fang said, they've just evolved now. But making custom maps look nice has always been a big deal. It's just a bigger deal now that technology has advanced.
A map doesn't have to use a ton of block variation and cool architecture to have a good atmosphere though
Atmosphere is important and because of modern expectations for CTMs, aesthetics are a common method used to create unique atmosphere.
On that note, what do you think of the atmosphere here?
That's a snapshot of the completed Spawn Island for Descent into Darkness v.2. Missing from this image are the spawn section and the Monument (yes it's on the island itself this time; no it's not going to be hostile xD). #HYPE
Guys, I arrived now at the 3rd Intersection and here are the colors I was thinking about...
Any thoughts/advises/remarks =) ?
(Note that the terrain needs eroding and polishing, I'm really only after the materials for now )
Atmosphere is important and because of modern expectations for CTMs, aesthetics are a common method used to create unique atmosphere.
On that note, what do you think of the atmosphere here?[IMG]
That's a snapshot of the completed Spawn Island for Descent into Darkness v.2. Missing from this image are the spawn section and the Monument (yes it's on the island itself this time; no it's not going to be hostile xD). #HYPE
I do like it! Even though I think it would look better by sunset/night. The unique design of the towers is quite cool too =)
Atmosphere is important and because of modern expectations for CTMs, aesthetics are a common method used to create unique atmosphere.
On that note, what do you think of the atmosphere here?
That's a snapshot of the completed Spawn Island for Descent into Darkness v.2. Missing from this image are the spawn section and the Monument (yes it's on the island itself this time; no it's not going to be hostile xD). #HYPE
If you were going for a ruins of a lost civilization here, then you nailed the atmosphere. It looks very majestic and oddly whimsical, but it all works together. A non-hostile approach to its gameplay will also suit the area's atmosphere quite well I think.
@Crazy_Clamp The colors are solid so far, but the way you've applied them is bad to be honest. take the sandstone out of the grass and make the beach straight sand, no dirt mixed in. Then take the upper half of the walls and turn it into either stone mixed with cobble, or hardened clay by itself with no other blocks mixed in. Also mix some mossy cobble into the cobble in the grass, and make the cobble into scattered clusters rather than covering all the grass.
Guys, I arrived now at the 3rd Intersection and here are the colors I was thinking about...
Any thoughts/advises/remarks =) ?
(Note that the terrain needs eroding and polishing, I'm really only after the materials for now )
If you removed the sandstone the colors would look a lot better. When designing swatches of colors for use in a large area, look for complementing colors and styles. If you're using darker colors, such as the greens in this, use darker shades to complement, like the greys you have or some browns and blacks. Throwing in a light shade, with the sandstone, upsets the balance and in the end will do a lot to rather hurt your eyes.
If you want to actually use Sandstone, when you're using a darker color palette you have to use it in larger chunks in places that make sense for the environment, such as a beach along the water, rather than just shoving it into the middle of everything.
If you removed the sandstone the colors would look a lot better. When designing swatches of colors for use in a large area, look for complementing colors and styles. If you're using darker colors, such as the greens in this, use darker shades to complement, like the greys you have or some browns and blacks. Throwing in a light shade, with the sandstone, upsets the balance and in the end will do a lot to rather hurt your eyes.
If you want to actually use Sandstone, when you're using a darker color palette you have to use it in larger chunks in places that make sense for the environment, such as a beach along the water, rather than just shoving it into the middle of everything.
Yep, I replaced the sandstone with hardened clay. It looks more natural. I'll check after adding some structures,trees, cascades, etc. in the area how it turns out
Here's my take on block mixing, based on much experience:
There should be one block which dominates the others. This block must make up a proportion of 65% or above of the blocks present, in order for it to look good. I'd only then add in 2 other block types for the remaining 35% or so. And those additional block types should not ideally be a roughly equal split.
Here's an example:
65% stone bricks; 25% mossy stone bricks; 10% cobblestone.
Additionally, blocks used for lighting should not be sprinkled randomly through an area, generally. If you insist on this though, those light sources should account for about 1-3% of all blocks present. This will provide patchy lighting, ideal for widespread mob spawning despite it being a reasonably lit environment.
Those proportions have served me well and I hope that you will make use of this advice
I tried for the "walls" to keep a proportion of around 70%, 15%, 15%. But yep, I see what you mean by not having them equally split.
I'll see what I can do for that
Quote from Apollo9898"The colors are solid so far, but the way you've applied them is bad to be honest. take the sandstone out of the grass and make the beach straight sand, no dirt mixed in. Then take the upper half of the walls and turn it into either stone mixed with cobble, or hardened clay by itself with no other blocks mixed in. Also mix some mossy cobble into the cobble in the grass, and make the cobble into scattered clusters rather than covering all the grass."
Noted, I m in the "repainting" process to change that too. =)
ApolloCorp Memorandum Date: 16/2/17 To: ApolloCorp Board of Directors From: Dr. Matthew Fangride Subject - RE:PR Issues, Possible Solutions
Full correspondence below.
"Dear sirs and madams of The Board,
"I have considered your requests and believe I have come up with a solution. After the "incident" with HOST Project, the public has been distraught over its progression. First the outbreaks were bad enough, then we attempted to contain the disease through mass euthanization. The public was, understandably so, outraged by our actions. I can't tell you how many protests we've seen at the gates of Laboratory 3 here. People picketing "Zombies are people too!" and the like. The public's outcry is far louder in my ear than many of yours, if I may so state.
"However it is in saying this that I introduce a possible solution. There are still many miles of Laboratory 3 that have not been given a purpose yet, and I suggest devoting a section of the Lab off to an organization I like to call P.E.T.Z. People for the Ethical Treatment of Zombies. We can form this puppet organization and have all of the infected contained safely within Laboratory 3, as well as placate the public by building "natural living conditions" for the poor monsters. We can even take one or two specimen away for testing this way, and no one would have to know. In my opinion this is a win-win on all sides.
I wanted opinions on different color combinations for my next CTM map.
Here's an image of the map:
Now it's made out of stone, since it's what I first build my areas in. I was thinking on changing it to the smooth, seamless double sandstone slabs (43:9), as the primary color. But I can't decide on which other colors to use. Some of my ideas were: obsidian, dirt, endstone,red/yellow/orange clay. I have some pictures of the combinations I think looked the best, but I want advice before choosing the variation. You can also suggest me other ideas too!
Seeing as all the other flaws have been explained, I would also like to add that the surrounding area doesn't really look like it's rotting. To me rotting is:
1. darker, nasty colors (think podzol)
2. Non-moving pools of water
3. Mushrooms everywhere
I think if you make the outside look like that it will make the unique contrast that you're looking for.
The castle is good, but the walls of the cavern are absolutely awful. One solid color to start with. Sandstone or some kind of stained clay with NO OTHER BLOCKS in it. From there you might mix in one or two other blocks, but not as many as you have now because seriously, it just hurts to look at.
Is there anybody out there that can still acknowledge something like Legendary is still a good map despite it's blandness?
And finally, do you think less is better than more in terms of CTM map aesthetics?
Hey there, all. I stream CTMs as well as other indie games, Minecraft servers and probably that's it. I'm your supreme overlord too so I command you to CHECK ME OUT: www.twitch.tv/techniclepanther
I still consider Legendary a great map! It's aesthetics are outdated, but not bad. In fact Legendary could still teach people a thing or two about traps and how best to use them. Some of Legendary's traps might've been unfair, to be honest, but it definitely shows the effect traps have on gameplay.
As for aesthetics, I actually do think less is better sometimes. It depends on the situation. A lot of time we try to overcomplicate aesthetics, add super amazing colors and make beautiful buildings and landscapes, that we forget to give our aesthetics character. It's important to make sure your area's looks set the right tone, rather than look particularly pretty.
You know I should really just do a full video series on this to be honest....
EDIT: Oh yeah, and also, SHELVES!!!
You might be missing the riding tag, the command would be something like:
/summon FallingSand ~ ~1 ~ {Riding:{id:Zombie},Block:red_mushroom,Time:1}However, fallingsand blocks do despawn eventually. So it would be better to equip the mushroom as armor and change the drop chances.Like so:
/summon Zombie ~ ~1 ~ {Equipment:[{id:40,Count:1}],DropChances:[1.0f]}This is held in the hand, you can change it's location by adding empty brackets in the equipment tag. I believe it won't be invisible in the other slots...Alternatively, if it fits your theme, you might consider having a mooshroom cow spawn egg riding the mob. The egg shouldn't despawn(not positive) and it's just cool. However the egg will be visible in the air.
Bit knew to CTM so I can't comment on the first part.
However, I do enjoy the older maps. Gameplay is good, even if most knew maps reuse it.
As far as aesthetics go, why not? If you can make something look really cool without allowing gameplay or general ambience suffer, then go for it.
This should be taken with a grain of salt though, some people can go over the top. Making things that look super cool and fancy, but can turn into an eye soar.
Personally my own aesthetic style is simple and cool. It may not be the best, but it's what I appreciate.
And I can't do fancy that fancy stuff...-
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Retired StaffHere's the thing - Aesthetics never didn't matter in CTMs. At all. However quality of Aesthetics went up. People got better. Legendary was a good map, but that's because it wasn't bland. With what was offered at the time, it was very good looking. Aesthetics are less about trying to be insanely good looking, and more about giving your work character. Instead of just making Bland Castle #17, give it something to catch your eye. Little details matter a lot in making something look your own, rather than something anyone could have made.
To me that's more important than just making something godly gorgeous. Make something that, when I'm playing, I can take notice of because it has your own touch on it, rather than it just being something you can come across anywhere. That's what matters.
Yeah, Back when Super Hostile started catching lots of speed and the genre kicked off. They weren't the best looking maps but they were amazing because of the game play.
This is sort of how i view CTM Structuring and how i focus. The list is from high to low
1.Gameplay
2. Balance
3. Visuals
4. Lore
I just realized how I haven't post here in a while
I personally agree with Fang. Maps like Legendary are good looking at the time, with what was offered then. Mcedit back at the time isn't really that complex as it is now, plus with the added plugins and mods. It is bland nowdays because now we have better tools to work with and a bunch of maps with higher aesthetic quality. But at the time, it was gorgeous in my opinion.
So with so much possibilities of aesthetics design, I don't think this will be an excuse of making a map with lazy aesthetics (obvious brush strokes, bland walls, etc.)
Think of it like the old Nokia phones. It's innovative and huge at the time. But nowdays, notice how it's less appealing to the public like how it was before. With totally new inventions and innovations, only being able to take calls or text isn't a good quality of a phone nowdays. Same thing as this aesthetics. You got the new custom brush thing on mcedit, Tasch's and Rubisk's filters, custom plugins, etc. Use it.
Overall, I do think that gameplay is a very important element in a map. And so is balancing. And by balancing I don't mean not only gameplay wise. It also include the balance of the player's mood while playing your map. CTM maps aesthetics is like a painting for me. Most of them enlighten my mood when I look at them and took some of my rage feeling away when I come across that area.
So if you're going to make a player go through your hell, at least make it look good. So they last (and suffer) a little longer.
Can't really answer the first one, but I do think that a map can be good despite being bland if the gameplay is solid.
As for the last question, aesthetics are a bit like cinnamon, and an area like toast. You put some cinnamon on your toast to spice it up a bit, make it more appealing than just plain gameplay (or toast). If you don't put enough cinnamon on your toast, you won't taste it and there will really be no point in having it. However, if you put too much cinnamon on your toast, the toast will either not taste good anymore, or the toast will get lost under the massive amount of cinnamon you just poured on it. In addition, no matter how much cinnamon you put on your toast, if the toast is burnt it won't taste any good.
And thus ends my cinnamon and toast analogy.
EDIT: Also, it's more important that an area has a certain theme to it, and that is has character. I was playing a map in which one area was literally a giant cave made of sandstone that went almost straight down. Despite being bland, it felt fun because all the spawners were skele spawners. This gave the area character, made it stand out from the other areas. Also, there were 2 giant stone stalactites on the roof, which added additional character. It was something new, and was a standout characteristic of the area. There was tension created by the skeletons and the fact that there were no lights until you got to the bottom and saw a path into the next area. An area doesn't need fancy aesthetics to feel good.
A map doesn't have to use a ton of block variation and cool architecture to have a good atmosphere though
Hmmm...
Yea...
Probably...
Eh, I don't know :/
Any thoughts/advises/remarks =) ?
(Note that the terrain needs eroding and polishing, I'm really only after the materials for now
I do like it! Even though I think it would look better by sunset/night. The unique design of the towers is quite cool too =)
If you were going for a ruins of a lost civilization here, then you nailed the atmosphere. It looks very majestic and oddly whimsical, but it all works together. A non-hostile approach to its gameplay will also suit the area's atmosphere quite well I think.
@Crazy_Clamp The colors are solid so far, but the way you've applied them is bad to be honest. take the sandstone out of the grass and make the beach straight sand, no dirt mixed in. Then take the upper half of the walls and turn it into either stone mixed with cobble, or hardened clay by itself with no other blocks mixed in. Also mix some mossy cobble into the cobble in the grass, and make the cobble into scattered clusters rather than covering all the grass.
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Retired StaffIf you removed the sandstone the colors would look a lot better. When designing swatches of colors for use in a large area, look for complementing colors and styles. If you're using darker colors, such as the greens in this, use darker shades to complement, like the greys you have or some browns and blacks. Throwing in a light shade, with the sandstone, upsets the balance and in the end will do a lot to rather hurt your eyes.
If you want to actually use Sandstone, when you're using a darker color palette you have to use it in larger chunks in places that make sense for the environment, such as a beach along the water, rather than just shoving it into the middle of everything.
Yep, I replaced the sandstone with hardened clay. It looks more natural. I'll check after adding some structures,trees, cascades, etc. in the area how it turns out
I tried for the "walls" to keep a proportion of around 70%, 15%, 15%. But yep, I see what you mean by not having them equally split.
I'll see what I can do for that
Quote from Apollo9898 "The colors are solid so far, but the way you've applied them is bad to be honest. take the sandstone out of the grass and make the beach straight sand, no dirt mixed in. Then take the upper half of the walls and turn it into either stone mixed with cobble, or hardened clay by itself with no other blocks mixed in. Also mix some mossy cobble into the cobble in the grass, and make the cobble into scattered clusters rather than covering all the grass."
Noted, I m in the "repainting" process to change that too. =)
Thanks to all of you !
Date: 16/2/17
To: ApolloCorp Board of Directors
From: Dr. Matthew Fangride
Subject - RE:PR Issues, Possible Solutions
Full correspondence below.
"Dear sirs and madams of The Board,
"I have considered your requests and believe I have come up with a solution. After the "incident" with HOST Project, the public has been distraught over its progression. First the outbreaks were bad enough, then we attempted to contain the disease through mass euthanization. The public was, understandably so, outraged by our actions. I can't tell you how many protests we've seen at the gates of Laboratory 3 here. People picketing "Zombies are people too!" and the like. The public's outcry is far louder in my ear than many of yours, if I may so state.
"However it is in saying this that I introduce a possible solution. There are still many miles of Laboratory 3 that have not been given a purpose yet, and I suggest devoting a section of the Lab off to an organization I like to call P.E.T.Z. People for the Ethical Treatment of Zombies. We can form this puppet organization and have all of the infected contained safely within Laboratory 3, as well as placate the public by building "natural living conditions" for the poor monsters. We can even take one or two specimen away for testing this way, and no one would have to know. In my opinion this is a win-win on all sides.
"I hope you will consider this propostion."
-Dr M. Fangride.
End of correspondence.
I wanted opinions on different color combinations for my next CTM map.
Here's an image of the map:
Now it's made out of stone, since it's what I first build my areas in. I was thinking on changing it to the smooth, seamless double sandstone slabs (43:9), as the primary color. But I can't decide on which other colors to use. Some of my ideas were: obsidian, dirt, endstone,red/yellow/orange clay. I have some pictures of the combinations I think looked the best, but I want advice before choosing the variation. You can also suggest me other ideas too!
Variation 2:
Variation 3:
Variation 4: