Miscellanea RPG Maps
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Free Experimental Tileset Release + Instructions!
🕑 Added 2020-05-15 19:03:13 +0000 UTCGood morning! To celebrate having crossed some 25 patrons a while back, I decided to create a free tileset for making maps with. So here's what this is:
- A pack of four tilesets made for use with Tiled, a free and open-source map editor
- All of the above assets (where appropriate) cut up and converted for use as tokens in VTTs like Roll20, so that you can assemble maps in Roll20 without dealing with Tiled
- Four example maps, to show off the set and to demonstrate how to use it
If you don't wanna mess around with tileset nonsense, I also included the free example maps in the header! They're also included in the .zip attached to the post, along with all of the assets. And if you're not interested in this at all, don't worry - my normal maps will still be around next week!
USE FOR ROLL20
So, first is the tutorial for using these assets in Roll20. I don't personally recommend this, but it does work, so if you don't want to deal with Tiled, this is what to do.
First things first, you'll need the Loose Assets folder included in the .zip archive below. Pretty much everything else can be ignored.
1. Create a new page, and set its grid size to 64 pixels.
2. Place a single tile on the map. This is so that you know where the true grid is, for later!
3. Change the grid to 32 pixels. All of the wall tiles are made on the assumption that they'll be placed between tiles, which dramatically reduces the number of permutations you need in order to get a full set of wall tiles.
4. Add a wall to the map. Make sure it's offset by 32 pixels from the block you placed earlier. This is so that it rests where it's supposed to be on the map when you reset the grid back to 64 pixels.
5. Using your new template, use the wall sections to build whatever map you desire. Copy-paste is your friend! The same principle applies for thin walls, doors, and bars.
6. Furniture can be added whenever. Holding down ALT while dragging a tile will prevent it from snapping to the grid, allowing you to place your furniture wherever you want. It'll also disable rotation from snapping to angles, too.
7. Change the grid back to 64 pixels whenever you're finished.
8. You can also change the background of the map, since all of the wall sections are transparent.
That should be all you need to build dungeons in Roll20.
USE FOR TILED
The Tiled tutorial is a bit more complex. You'll need the .tsx tileset files, a functional copy of Tiled, and a head between your shoulders, but it produces much better, faster, and easier results.
1. Launch Tiled. Create a new map. Make sure it's set to Orthogonal orientation. Set the map size to whatever size you want your map to be, but add two tiles to the dimensions. This is because you'll need to paint a cropping border later. Set the Tile Size to 64x64 pixels. Save it as whatever you want, and wherever you want. You should be greeted with a screen like this:
2. The next thing you want to do is get the tilesets available so that you can use them. Open the folder that you're keeping them in, and drag all four files onto Tiled's window.
3. Switch back to the main tab (in this picture, it's labeled as "tutorial.tmx". All four tilesets should now be visible at the bottom of the picture! You can also start painting with them immediately. Everything else is reliant on your knowledge of how to use Tiled, so I'll explain some basic elements next.
Whatever layer setup you use is totally up to you, but some of the tiles are meant to be overlaid on top of each other in specific ways. Below is the layer setup I used for making all four of the example maps. In particular, the only setup that matters is making sure that the Thin Walls layer is above the Walls layer. This is because you have to overlay the thin wall tiles on top of the normal walls in order to connect them properly. Play around with it a bit.
(Note the grid layer. There's a bunch of grid types off to the side of the Walls tileset. Fill a layer with them using the fill tool to get whatever grid type you want. See the included guide image for more details.)
Another important thing to note here is that lots of these layers are labelled "Offset". You know how you have to use a smaller grid to align the walls properly in Roll20? Tiled can handle that automatically! Every layer labeled (Offset) has been offset by 32 pixels down and to the right, so that you don't have to do anything dumb with a second grid or something.
When making a new layer, you can choose to make it a Tile layer, an Object layer, a Group layer, or an Image layer. Image layers are pretty much worthless, but Group layers are good for organization. But the Object layers are important. Tile layers mean that everything on them has to conform to the grid, but Object layers have a tool called the Tile Stamp that you can use to place tiles as images anywhere you want.
This tool only shows up when you have an Object layer selected, though. You can move, flip, and rotate tiles that you place using this tool by pressing S, or manually selecting the Select Objects tool.
Now, before you export your map, make sure to add a layer at the very top of the file, and add a ring of border tiles around the map. I included a tile under the Colors tileset specifically for this purpose. This is because you'll need to manually crop it, and the border helps you line up selection tools and make it clear where the border is.
Directly saving the file will save it as a .tmx map file, which is useless for gaming purposes, of course. Instead, under File, there's an Export as image... button that lets you export the map you've drawn as an image.
I would advise not using the included grid or background color, since there's grid types and background colors included in the tilesets, but you could use them if you wanted to. Pressing Export will save the map as a .png file to the directory you selected.
The final step for maps made with Tiled is to remove the excess material from the edge of the maps. The downside of offsetting layers in Tiled is that they increase the size of the map beyond what it should be. The purpose of the border is so that you can crop that off. Open the map file in an image editor like Paint.NET.
The next step is simple - zoom in, select only the part of the map INSIDE the border, and then crop the map to that selection. Then save the map file. After that, you should be good to go! Upload the file to wherever you're going to use it.
Thanks for all of your support, you guys! If anyone has any questions about this at all, just ask! And if everyone likes this sort of thing, I could expand it in the future with more options, icons, and tools.
