Area in Profile: Lune Village (WIP)

A few days ago, on my last post I said that "The Café Lodge" was my best map, triumfing with the fact that it was created when I was feeling the most creative. Well, perhaps the creativity that brought that map to life has returned now, because I personally think I've created my best map to date. Lune Village was from the beginning a village I designed in September 2008 to be this dark, rainy area with music. Much inspired by Animal Crossing, the map featured a slow-paced mood with simple music from a golf game and lots of old people to really set the mood.

But recently I noticed that the mood was perhaps a bit different from what its background and especially its name says. On a sign I made in another village while Lune Village still was just a thought in my head I wrote "Lune Village - A place of miracles and mysteries". The guy building the city (I don't mean me mapping it) was a man who was said to possess magic powers and could control the weather and light/darkness on specific places. Well, it didn't look that magical. Just plain sad. Huh? You want to see it? Sure thing:

                                    

Not that exciting, huh? Not that it's the worst map I've made or anything like that, it's fine, but it just didn't fulfill what I had in mind. The new map is, well, what I wanted it to be. The new map uses alot more effects and events to make it look good, it has caused some problems with lag but after some editing (and some helpful scripts) it ain't a problem no more. So how did I get the inspiration I needed to find a mood that would suit this map. Well, look past the green grass and nature at its best and you might see a bit of christmas...or do you?

Area in Profile: The Café Lodge

It's been a while, it's christmas-time and that's a busy time. But anyway, welcome to The Café Lodge, my favorite place in The Explorers so far. It's the one and only bar/inn in the village of Playton and is a very popular place for all residents, even from places outside of Playton Village. The bar was firstly a place only populated by adults but as complaints about letting kids inside alone with drunkards and other strangers the owner decided to begin to serve things for the younger ones as well, in the end transforming into a complete new beginning for the bar. This included food and dessert on the menu instead of only drinks, more seats but also some removal of things and that wasn't used that much at the time like a piano in the bar, guards and map-selling.

The creation of this map was made pretty quick. When I created it in August 2008, the imagination in my head was just sprouting and exploding with ideas and creativity. What I was aiming for was fitting much content in a small space while still making room for the character. Making this look good at the same time was a tough job but I realized that it didn't need that much. To focus on individual parts of the map one at a time is important. Once you're done with one, move over to the next one. When you seem to be done, do some small editing, change some graphics perhaps and add some characters (eventing can be done later on, you know) and well, there's the bar. Since August this map has recieved some minor changes and things that have been added but it remains the same and will always be. This is absolutely my best map ever and until I get a proper education or another creativity explosion this will remain my best map. Judge for yourself by the screen at the top of this post, but I hope that I can make a map like this one again. Soon.