Map Rating/Review Thread

[Hiche..]

Spoiler:

Rating: 9/10
Reason: Looks like a great route map. I like the placement of the PC and the cave right next to it. The problem is that you can actually get off from the border. I like the little bridge across and the icy lakes. It looks very neat.
Suggestions: Nothing really XD.

Thank you so much for the positive rating, cell.
what do you mean get off the border? you mean when I walk down?

Thanks again

 

[TB Pro]

Spoiler:

Rating: 9/10
Reason: Looks like a great route map. I like the placement of the PC and the cave right next to it. The problem is that you can actually get off from the border. I like the little bridge across and the icy lakes. It looks very neat.
Suggestions: Nothing really XD.

Thank you so much for the positive rating, cell.
what do you mean get off the border? you mean when I walk down?

Thanks again

You see the frozen lake furthest to the right of the map? Well if you walk out on that, you can go off the boarder :) Oh, and there's a spot to the left bottom of the map that you can squeeze between the tops of two trees, off the boarder.

 

[Hiche..]

You see the frozen lake furthest to the right of the map? Well if you walk out on that, you can go off the boarder :) Oh, and there's a spot to the left bottom of the map that you can squeeze between the tops of two trees, off the boarder.

Oh no, There is a connection down. I mean you can walk to another route when you go down.
Hope that clears it up

 

[Disturbed]

since a cave seems better near the PC, then I improved the map(I think)
(I'll fix the cave more later)

Not a bad map, infact, I like it. The only error I can see is that you get off the border by some ice
7/10

Map Name: Remal Village

Map Game: FireRed

Comments: Newest Map ^_^ Rate it ! Thanks~~

Mapshot:

Its your best map yet. But I don't like the shape of the water, and the many stairs you included.
6/10







Blame Colcolstyles for making me post this. Well, here we go. NOTE: THIS WAS REQUESTED, I DID NOT STEAL THESE TILES!!!

Spoiler:

Apparently it is my best map. I want to know what you guys think.


There is a reason for different signs, there is a reason for an empty beach, and there is a reason for each secret exit included on my map.


EDIT: FORGOT TO MENTION: THIS IS AN ACADEMY!!!!!!!! AND YOU ENTER BY BOAT.

 

[colcolstyles]

Blame Colcolstyles for making me post this. Well, here we go. NOTE: THIS WAS REQUESTED, I DID NOT STEAL THESE TILES!!!

Spoiler:

Apparently it is my best map. I want to know what you guys think.


There is a reason for different signs, there is a reason for an empty beach, and there is a reason for each secret exit included on my map.

Blame ME? I didn't MAKE you do anything. I just suggested it. Anyways, I'll repost my rating that I gave you earlier for others to view:

Spoiler:

Okay sorry for the huge delay but school has been pretty bad lately. Alright. Let's get down to business:
First of all, I think you need to understand the system I use for rating maps. You see, my rating is based upon two deciding factors: concept and execution. We'll start with concept. Basically, every map (in my opinion (which is in no way correct)) contains a concept or general layout. This includes the general shape of the map, the idea of the map (route, city, etc.) and other smaller factors that make up the basis of the map. The concept makes up the majority of the points I give for ratings. Execution is the actually way in which the mapper goes about making the map. This includes, but is not limited to, which blocks the mapper used, tile errors, and placement. I do not find execution as important as concept because if you have a really good idea for a map, it takes a very bad mapper to completely screw it up. So now that you understand how I look at maps, please read on for your rating.

As I told you, I made a rather large list of positives and negative points about your map. I will now put them into an essay form. Let's begin with the negatives (my favorite :) ):

First of all, I don't usually like (or even rate) maps that use a ROM Base. For you I will make an exception, but in the future, I will only accept maps with normal Fire Red tiles or ones that the mapper himself made. Moving on: tile errors. The biggest tile error, and the most repeating, are the waterfalls. If you played this map in a game, you would see that the waterfall just doesn't seem right. Take a look at the Cape Brink map. For waterfalls shorter than three blocks, I'm not quite sure what's the correct way but I'm sure if you try some things out and them look at them in game, you'll figure it out. Also, there's a tile error in a tree in the northeastern part of the map. Some other smaller tile errors include:
1) At the top of a waterfall, you need a special river edge tile (see Cape Brink)
2) On the southern edge of a river, I see you have used the bottom edge tiles (unlike many who are unaware that they even exist). However, there are special tiles you can use when the bottom edge meets a vertical edge. This probably isn't making much sense but if you look at the block palette, you'll see that on either side of that blocks there are similar blocks that curve at the edges. If you try them out, I think you'll see what I mean. If you take a look at this map, you will see what I mean (hopefully).
3) I see that you made a custom block with a vertical mountain behind the roof of the mansion. However, if you look closely (my job), you will see that there is a small black dot to the left of the mountain in the background and above the mansion in the foreground. In-game, this will show up as some weird blue stuff. In order to get rid of that problem you actually need to edit the tileset and add a special tile. Take the top left tile of a vertical mountain block and take the second color (green) in Palette 1 and fill in the black area. Again, I probably am not conveying this very well but the green will match up with the grass, effectively getting rid of the black dot.
4) You use different signs. Maybe there is a reason for that but that is generally a no-no in mapping.
5) At the top of the map, you have two two block waterfalls. However, they use different parts of the waterfall. Try to make them more consistent.
6) The fences around the signs are kind of weird but at the same time, they look kinda cool. That's probably a more personal issue so I'll let you get away with that.
7) All of the houses are mansions except that one small house and the lab.

Here are some other general errors I noticed:
1) You often don't leave enough space in front of houses (especially the lower house in the west). You also do the same thing with stairs: as soon as you descend the stairs, you are behind a tree. I guess you just need to put more spaces in front of houses and stairs so they aren't so crowded by trees or mountain blocks.
2) The Gym is usually an important place in the map and you have it partially obscured by trees.
3) The stairs south of the mansion second from the bottom in the southeast look very weird (they're right next to the other mansion). If you added one more block in-between, your problem would be fixed.
4) In my opinion, double stairs (where you have more than one level of stairs) are kind of weird. I know what you're thinking: "but colcolstyles, you used THREE consecutive stairs in your Route 5." I know that. And looking back on that map, I HATE the fact that I did that. I really want to repost it but I've decided it isn't really worth it.
5) For some reason, I don't really like the bridge/ dock blocks. Again, this is more of a personal thing so I won't mark you down for it.
6) That long strip of small trees is kinda weird.
7) The beach is too empty. Try placing some rocks here and there.
8) In general, there are empty spots around the entire map. If you just put in a few more flowers or rocks (I didn't see any in the entire map) or even small and headbutt trees, you could easily fill those voids. Speaking of vegetation, you could probably get away with more flowers, bushes, and rocks without overdoing it.
9) There is a hidden path on the eastern side of the map which I originally liked. You could have used it for a pokéball. However, then I noticed that it's closed off. I would recommend either opening it up for the player or filling it up so that the player doesn't try to get in when it's impossible.
EDIT: I just noticed that the hidden area is accessible from the route to the east. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not but that actually looks pretty cool.
10) The trees in the northern part of the map arranged in a grid look weird. If there is an in-game reason for that, it's more acceptable but on a strict mapping basis, it doesn't look good.

Back to paragraph format:
One thing that I noticed is the map is very maze-like. This is good in routes (and even better in caves and forests) but from my experience, cities are usually very easy to navigate. On a similar note, sometimes the path through the city (not the path tiles but just the general path through) get very thin. Once again, this is great in wild areas but in cities and towns (and in real life livable places) the paths are wide and, as I mentioned above, easy to follow. That's probably just a personal preference of mine. Another thing I don't usually like in cities are ledges. These I don't mind as much but I when you use them so that they make a one-way path, it makes the city less navigable, like I said before. If you just use them decorative, they can actually help the map. But in your case, they just make it harder to get through the city.

Okay, I think that's enough negatives (for now). Let's move on to the positives:
First of all, the underlying concept is great. As I said, every map has a basic form or blueprint that makes up a huge part of it's rating (for me). This map's shape is just great and the general idea is really something. I especially liked the shape of the mountains. You didn't make them square or anything like that. And that goes for the entire map; it's not square (except for those grid trees) and the whole map just flows well. Some maps are painful to look at but yours is a beauty. Another thing I liked was the mixture of big, small, and headbutt trees throughout the map. That's one thing that I struggle with myself. You found the perfect balance in usage between the three. Also, I liked that way you placed the trees. You could have improved tree placement a little (like filling in those empty spaces) but overall it looks really good. I really liked your idea of that island in the middle. Now I'm mad I didn't think of it first :).

Looking back, I see that the positives section is dwarfed by the negatives section. However, don't take that the wrong way. I'm just generally a negative person and I take pleasure in pointing at other people's flaws. However, for me to compliment you on the concept of your map is really something that I don't just toss around. As I said, that is what makes up a huge part of your rating so I don't take that section lightly. In fact, your concept is so good that it makes up for a large portion of your errors.
I suppose you need an actually 1-10 rating. After much though and consideration, I give it a very solid 9/10, making it the top rated map I have ever rated. I know that after reading that, an 9 doesn't seem like a great rating. If you look at the Map Rating thread, you'll see tons of ratings better than that. However, you have to look at the rater, not the rating. I remember receiving a 10/10 on my first map from people like Wind~ and Riolu 9 but it wasn't until Neti gave my map a 10/10 that I truly knew that my map deserved that rating. I'm positive that if you posted that map, many people would give it a perfect score but what really matters is the rater and their standards.
In closing, I just want to say that you truly possess a great mapping skill. You just need to develop a greater understanding of the entire block palette and map types (the differences between cities and routes (like how I mentioned that some of your paths were too thin)). Let me know if there's anything in this post, scratch that, essay that you didn't understand. Keep up the excellent work. :)

 

[Disturbed]

Hell no! I'm not gonna spend 10 minutes reading that glorious story again!

 

[Golden Shaymin]

it's a nice map disturbed, I'd give it a 8.7 out of 10
If it's an Academy then no exits, or small exits are a good thing, make some water rocks and maybe replace a mansion with a hotel

 

[colcolstyles]

Hell no! I'm not gonna spend 10 minutes reading that glorious story again!

Of course not! Hell, I can't even make it through it, even though I wrote it. I just thought I could show some people how far one can go into the details of a map.

 

[Tyrantrum]

Been a while since I posted here.

Here's a new map with some AWESOME new tiles:

Map name: None as of yet...
Map of: Fire Red:
Credits: Mew_Ryn for inserting and Kyledove for making.
Map:

Spoiler:

Please rate and comment. :)

I would appreciate anyone who will use this form below:

Rating:
Errors:
Suggestions:
Comments:

Thank you. :)

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

Guys, you can't reach the border on Tamerhaider's map by the ice, I've looked thoroughly at it.

 

[Hiche..]

Been a while since I posted here.

Here's a new map with some AWESOME new tiles:

Map name: None as of yet...
Map of: Fire Red:
Credits: Mew_Ryn for inserting and Kyledove for making.
Map:

Spoiler:

Please rate and comment. :)

I would appreciate anyone who will use this form below:

Rating:
Errors:
Suggestions:
Comments:

Thank you. :)

Rating: 8.5/10
Errors: Don't see any
Suggestions: You can put the sign post thing not in the middle of the road, but all in all, it is a great map
Comments: You are using great tiles ^^

And my map has a connection down, you can walk down to another route.

 

[TB Pro]

Guys, you can't reach the border on Tamerhaider's map by the ice, I've looked thoroughly at it.

Ummmm...Yes you can, but it dosen't matter anymore, he fixed the problem, so it's k.

 

[sab]

Originally Posted by Poke-Roy
Map name: Harmony of the earth
Mapped ROM: Fire Red

nice map, I really like it. My personal opinion, but I think you should have made a map connection (or at least a cave)so that it's not a dead-end map.
Rating: 8/10

Originally Posted by Wind~
Been a while since I posted here.

Here's a new map with some AWESOME new tiles:
Map name: None as of yet...
Map of: Fire Red:
Credits: Mew_Ryn for inserting and Kyledove for making.

Rating:6.5/10
Errors:none.
Suggestions:use a wider range of colors so that it doesn't all blend together.
Comments:good tiles bad palletes.

 

[Chimchar 9]

hi iv just made a quick map its not my best anyway on to the info
town name : twilight village
map of:fire red
map:

please rate

 

[Tyrantrum]

Ooh, I kid of like the map. :)

Rating: 9.1/10
Errors: No errors.
Suggestions: Hmm...there's really nothing I can think of..O.o
Comments: I really love the shape, the path is used nicely, good amount of vegetation, nice palette edit too. :)
Very nice. (b'-')b

 

[D a n i e l]

Rating: 9/10
Comments: I like the tiles =) The two tree types suit each other. Also it looks great for a starter village. Theres just one point I have to criticize: The whole map looks very dark and the footpath is too bright. Bu all in all nice

 

[sab]

Originally Posted by lucario 9
hi iv just made a quick map its not my best anyway on to the info
town name : twilight village
map of:fire red

rating 8.5/10
looks like a great start to a great game.the only thing I didn't like was that the flower tiles don't have a real border around them so that they look likethey are on the same level as the ground.

 

[Chimchar 9]

here is route 1 rate it please
map name : route 1
game base : fire red
map:

 

[Disturbed]

hi iv just made a quick map its not my best anyway on to the info
town name : twilight village
map of:fire red
map:

please rate

So this is what you dragged me over here for? I'm kinda busy inserting tiles, but whatever. Thin out the path and give the pond more shape. Nice shape with trees. 8/10

here is route 1 rate it please
map name : route 1
game base : fire red
map:

Get bigger rocks in there, and remove the ledge next to the honey tree. 7/10

 

[suoert]

Hi guys Here's a new route from me!