Help Thread: Map Rating/Review Thread

[Vrai]

now my map :)
i want to see what people think of it, its for an upcoming hack im going to make.
if it looks really bad,please dont be harsh and dont say its REALLY bad because it will make me feel bad.

Map Name:route 1
Base:fire red
Hack: soon to be part of a hack
Map:in attachment
Comments: i just noticed a tile error that prevents you from going through the route( theirs a rock in the middle of the road) but other than that, i think there aren't other tile errors.
the signpost is messed up also, i forgot to repaint it.....also thanks Wah for the mountain tiles.

Okay. So let me tell you something.

If you want something you make to ever be judged, you can't say "oh and don't say bad things because I don't like it". If you really want it to be judged right, you have to accept the good criticism and the bad, regardless of how mean they sound. They're just trying to help you improve, okay? I can't just tell you everything looks perfect and wonderful just because you don't want me to say otherwise.

Anyway, there are indeed a lot of problems with your map, but also a lot of things that come with being a first-time mapper. The first thing is that you're using those rocks and bushes as like a border for the player to follow. They're not really meant to be used in that manner. In fact, they're intended to me more like decoration than to make pathways for the player to use. So;

Step 1. Don't use rocks and bushes (you know, the long green things) as pathways for the player to walk through.​

And partially because of that, you've gotten yourself into another problem. I know you wanted to make this map like a maze, but it's usually really difficult to do that without severely cutting into the map's playability. If you don't know what that means, it's basically how enjoyable it is for the player to actually progress through the map. If they're stuck walking through 1-tile pathways all the way (and especially one for that long), most players will get really tired of the map and could even stop playing your ROM hack (which is not something you want happening!). There are a lot of spots in your map where there are 1-tile pathways that you need to avoid.

This is almost a perfect example of what I'm talking about. You see how you can only get through there by following the exact path you specified? You can't do that if you want people to enjoy your map. The stairs count, too - you should have more than one stairway lined up together, otherwise that's a 1-tile pathway too. And now, we have;

Step 1. Don't use rocks and bushes (you know, the long green things) as pathways for the player to walk through.
Step 2. Fix up all of the 1-tile pathways. The player should have more space to move around.​

Alright, so what's going to happen next? One problem that most beginners have is with flowers. People either usually don't use any, or they use way too many and it makes the map look bad. Can you guess which category you fall under?

Fortunately, this is easier to fix than one would think. Your flowers are actually fairly good; I mean, as a beginner. Flowers generally should go in a diagonal pattern, like the way you've got them going here:

...but aside from that pair and another just below it, the rest of your flowers aren't so hot. They should be clustered together diagonally, but only like two or three in a group. Spread the groups out a little bit. It's really not that difficult to get the hang of, and they can make your map look really nice in-game if you do it right. If not... then it doesn't. Anyway, you need to touch up your flowers a little bit. And now we have another step added!

Step 1. Don't use rocks and bushes (you know, the long green things) as pathways for the player to walk through.
Step 2. Fix up all of the 1-tile pathways. The player should have more space to move around.
Step 3. Flowers need to be clustered together, and then they need to be spread out more. Don't let the player see more than two clusters at any given moment!​

Now, I kind of want to talk to you about what the player can see. As the player goes through your game, they see your maps through a small window. If I recall correctly, it's a window that is five tiles each direction tall, and then seven wide, although I can't remember exactly. I do know that seven tiles away from them is the maximum they can see at any given time. But as they approach the edge of your map...

What shows up in this red circle, do you know? They have to see something there. What the player sees are called "border tiles" or blocks, I haven't mapped in a while don't hit me! D: . You can set them in AdvanceMap, right above your normal tiles. However, border tiles (or blocks :x) won't look very good with your map. Do you know why?

It's because the tiles that are closest to the edge of your map keep changing. Some of them are mountain ledges that point off the edge of the map, some of them are just a continuation of the grass tile. You could probably be fine with the grass, but... the mountains coming off the edge really break it, because they'll just be running into trees or whatever the border block is and it won't look right. These are called border errors, and they're some of the hardest problems for a mapper to fix. Basically, you're going to have to turn up the mountains so that they don't run into the edge and thus allow you to use a tree for the border block. Either you do that, or you add enough trees to the edge of the map that the player can't walk all the way to the edge to see the border. It's a problem, and there are only a couple of solutions, but you'll have to pick one for it to look alright at the edge of the map. And now we have another step!

Step 1. Don't use rocks and bushes (you know, the long green things) as pathways for the player to walk through.
Step 2. Fix up all of the 1-tile pathways. The player should have more space to move around.
Step 3. Flowers need to be clustered together, and then they need to be spread out more. Don't let the player see more than two clusters at any given moment!
Step 4. Try to fix the border errors. I know it's difficult, but you can always post your map here and specifically ask if there are any border errors.​

The next notes I have written down are about your mountains. They're not bad, but they could still be improved a lot, especially right here:

It's really annoying for the player to have to push down, left, down, left, down, left, down, left, down, left, down, left, down, left... heck, it was really annoying to type that. :( While "how" you should map mountains isn't really a set standard, there are some things that you should keep in mind while mapping them. First of all, don't make mountains like that. It's not worth your time, and people hate pressing down, left, down, left, down, left... I'll stop myself now. :>

Mountains are really a flavor thing. You can map them really straight, or you can give them a lot of turns and stuff to add spice. Keep playability (that 1-tile stuff I mentioned earlier) in mind, though. That's really what mountains are all about.

I also like the tile you chose for the mountain. Good choice. :)

Step 1. Don't use rocks and bushes (you know, the long green things) as pathways for the player to walk through.
Step 2. Fix up all of the 1-tile pathways. The player should have more space to move around.
Step 3. Flowers need to be clustered together, and then they need to be spread out more. Don't let the player see more than two clusters at any given moment!
Step 4. Try to fix the border errors. I know it's difficult, but you can always post your map here and specifically ask if there are any border errors.
Step 5. Mountains need some touching up. Keep playability in mind when you're changing them!​

The next thing I have down is the grass tiles. It's nice that you know how to change palettes and you can work with tiles and stuff, and I know this isn't a tile/palette rating thread, but the color of the grass tile really takes away from the quality of the map. It's also really hard to tell what color the little spikes of grass are (they're usually the lighter part of the grass). I'd advise you to change them back to the original palettes or something less... "blech"-y. I'm not trying to insult your palette choices, but they mesh really poorly with other FireRed tiles and I think it makes the quality of your map less good.

Step 1. Don't use rocks and bushes (you know, the long green things) as pathways for the player to walk through.
Step 2. Fix up all of the 1-tile pathways. The player should have more space to move around.
Step 3. Flowers need to be clustered together, and then they need to be spread out more. Don't let the player see more than two clusters at any given moment!
Step 4. Try to fix the border errors. I know it's difficult, but you can always post your map here and specifically ask if there are any border errors.
Step 5. Mountains need some touching up. Keep playability in mind when you're changing them!
Step 6. Grass palettes need some changing. They're not as good as I think you imagined.​

Okay! Whew, that was a lot of typing. ;-;

As you can see, there's a lot of things I think you could use to help you fix up your map. I tried to bold stuff that was important, and I made a step-by-step outline of things that should be improved. It's not a comprehensive list (by that I mean it's not everything you need to fix); there's always more things you can fix. You can't expect to make a perfect map the first time, so I hope you take this criticism/help guide/tl;dr whatever in stride to help you make better maps!

/like an hour and a half of writing

 

[Alignment]

Mapshot:

Spoiler:

I actually think that this map is pretty good. You've left a good amount of space for the player to move around while at the same time taking up unoccupied space with trees and flowers. Good map. Remeber to add a couple of well displaced people ;)

Mapshot:

Spoiler:

Your first map was good, but this map's kinda on the faulty side. I see what you've done with the ledges, trying to make the player go through all the grass on the way there, and nothing on the way back. But seriously speaking, that's a lot of grass. It'll be a real nuisance walking throught that with wild Pokemon attacking you every second. I don't think it really matters if you decrease the encounter rate, it'll still reflect on the appearance of your map.

A suggestion would be to break up those massive patches, replace them with trees ect. Make the ledges smaller, and use other tiles to coverup the extra space.

Also, I noticed that the tree tiles you've used in some occasions are the shadowed ones. This is also present in your first map, but not as much. Those tiles should never be in the perimeter of a body of trees (least I'm willing to bet so). That's about all I can really say about this map.

Map Name: no name
Base: Fire Red
Credits: Kyledove, Ziekku
Comments: OK, so I hope I didn't make a ton of tile errors trying to use these bridges. Sorta aiming for a town built on top of a lake type theme. I realize that there are a couple 1 tile paths (though there's only 1 or 2 I think)
Map:

Spoiler:

 

[Starchomp]

@alignment

I love the tiles you're using for the city, and I think that you already pointed out the bad points by yourself, one tile paths and the tile error over by the mountain, other than that, it seems like a fun and unique map to play!
Rating: 9.5/10

heres my map:

Map name: undecided
Comments: this is the starting town for the hack I am working on. I tried to make the trees look as natural as possible. :)

Credit to Allistair and rata for the tiles.

Spoiler:

 

[Starchomp]

i like the grass pallete and the tree tiles too, but you might want to add a few more houses, and some flowers because it looks lonely. i give it a 9/10

BTW the first map on the above post i had isnt mine, the second one (the map on the right) is.


Map name: vermilion city (looks a lot like it)
Rom base: fire red
comments: still havent repainted the signpost.
Map: on attachment

the main complaint I have about this map is that there is waaaaaaaaaaaay too much concrete. Look at any FR map and there is never an entire town full of concrete (execpt maybe saffron)

Suggestions: remove some of that concrete and we'll be good


All right, I went ahead and re-did my starter town to make it more interesting and stuff.

here it be:

Spoiler:

 

[MysticFlygon]

All right, I went ahead and re-did my starter town to make it more interesting and stuff.

here it be:

Spoiler:

8/10 just because the grass tiles on the tips of all the trees look kind of weird. You did a pretty good job with filling up the empty spaces but some of the smaller trees just don't seem like they belong.

Now, I'm a gifted scripter but when it comes to mapping I fail epically. I'm new to the whole mapping on my own thing so go easy on me.

Map Name: Acleon Town
Hack Name: Typhoon Blue
Comments: This is the starting town of the game and connects to Route 1(left) and the Pokemon League(right). And yes, I do know there is a tile error by the beach area and I'm having trouble fixing that in block editor. Oh and I wasn't really going for the "natural" feel in this map.

Spoiler:

Credits for this rombase go to:

Spoiler:

Reck
Kyledove
Alistair
Nintendo (Minish Cap (Tiles), and original ROM, and Pokemon Emerald (Meteor Falls, a few house tiles, and the small tree. These are used as Placeholders until I find better tiles (apart from Meteor Falls, better in Purple!))
WesleyFG
Sega (Casino Tiles from Sonic 2 Beta)
Bomberman Tournament (Safari Zone Tree Tiles)
The various Tool Makers (Lu-Ho for Advance Map, ZodiacDaMaster for Door Manager, Microsoft for Paint)
Pokemon-Diamond of DeviantART - The Pont Water Edge thing Tiles.
spaceemotion
Alucus
Chimcharsfireworkd
Pokemon-Diamond (All these from DeviantART - Tiles)
C.N.C - The mart.
Zein
Teh Panda
Creator - Banjora Marxvile

 

[Try4se]

Ratings in spoilers, I'm not going to use numbers anymore for my ratings, instead I will just rant on the maps. (not like I rated a million maps anyways)

ΣŁ1ŦΣ CHΛRIΖΛЯĐ:

Spoiler:

map name: none
Hack: none
comments: i got bored and decided to make this map so someone could rate it.

The map feels too cluttered with tall grass, especially near bridges that people walk on often, someone has to cut it to make it look nice. Changing the bridge's size drastically doesn't seem normal, think about it, are there any bridges you have ever seen that weren't collapsed that looked like that?

MysticFlygon

Spoiler:

Now, I'm a gifted scripter but when it comes to mapping I fail epically. I'm new to the whole mapping on my own thing so go easy on me.

You and I should team up, I can't do anything except map, even if my life depended on it.

Map Name: Acleon Town
Hack Name: Typhoon Blue
Comments: This is the starting town of the game and connects to Route 1(left) and the Pokemon League(right). And yes, I do know there is a tile error by the beach area and I'm having trouble fixing that in block editor. Oh and I wasn't really going for the "natural" feel in this map.

The only tile error I see other then the one you pointed out already, was the roof of the top right house, it has a green dot on it, which is fixable with the block editor. Fix the errors, and the map will turn out very nicely.

Now for me. :D
Once again for my zelda/pokemon hack

In order:
Lon Lon Ranch
-Cave
-one route in forest leading from Lon Lon ranch to Hyrule field
-Update on Goron Village.

 

[marcc5m]

Ratings in spoilers, I'm not going to use numbers anymore for my ratings, instead I will just rant on the maps. (not like I rated a million maps anyways)

ΣŁ1ŦΣ CHΛRIΖΛЯĐ:

Spoiler:

The map feels too cluttered with tall grass, especially near bridges that people walk on often, someone has to cut it to make it look nice. Changing the bridge's size drastically doesn't seem normal, think about it, are there any bridges you have ever seen that weren't collapsed that looked like that?

MysticFlygon

Spoiler:

You and I should team up, I can't do anything except map, even if my life depended on it.[/COLOR]


The only tile error I see other then the one you pointed out already, was the roof of the top right house, it has a green dot on it, which is fixable with the block editor. Fix the errors, and the map will turn out very nicely.

Now for me. :D
Once again for my zelda/pokemon hack

In order:
Lon Lon Ranch
-Cave
-one route in forest leading from Lon Lon ranch to Hyrule field
-Update on Goron Village.

They are all extremely square and empty. The first map needs a lot more trees and flowers, less square fences and paths, and some flowers and stuff. The second one is one of the Regi caverns with two rocks added...again, very empty. The third one is an obvious edit of Route 101, with the ledges replaced with long grass, and is too easy to get through. The last one is probably your best, but again, it's kinda empty.

-----------------------------------------------

Map Name: Lunar Forest
Map Game: Pokemon Iron and Stone
Credits: First post of hack thread
Comments: Remapped my Lunar Forest, which connects route 402 and 403. The evil team, Iron or Stone (depends what version you're playing), will battle you here, and at the place with the two massive trees the two leaders will be having a battle, only for the evil one to win and escape, at which point the good one will give you HM Cut. At the Rock Climb place you can catch Tropius on a Friday, and near the big trees you can catch the elemental monkey that is weak to your starter on Mondays, strong against it on Wednesdays, and same type on Saturdays. There will also be a bunch of items, some monkeys and bugs and stuff, and once the evil team is gone, Bug Catchers. You can also use Take Down on the large trees for Pokemon to fall out. Oh yeah and a guy who will teach a Pokemon Megahorn :)
Map:

Spoiler:

https://altariaking.deviantart.com/art/Lunar-Forest-V-2-197664082

 

[TehHepticOne]

Since I have to rate before I post my maps...My first time at this.... Hopefully it's good enough =D Here goes!

Map Name: Lunar Forest
Map Game: Pokemon Iron and Stone
Credits: First post of hack thread
Comments: Remapped my Lunar Forest, which connects route 402 and 403. The evil team, Iron or Stone (depends what version you're playing), will battle you here, and at the place with the two massive trees the two leaders will be having a battle, only for the evil one to win and escape, at which point the good one will give you HM Cut. At the Rock Climb place you can catch Tropius on a Friday, and near the big trees you can catch the elemental monkey that is weak to your starter on Mondays, strong against it on Wednesdays, and same type on Saturdays. There will also be a bunch of items, some monkeys and bugs and stuff, and once the evil team is gone, Bug Catchers. You can also use Take Down on the large trees for Pokemon to fall out. Oh yeah and a guy who will teach a Pokemon Megahorn

Rating: 8 out of 10
Reason:
I really like this map but I have found a few aspects of this map quite disturbing like the colour of the grass =\ but that's a pallete issue not a map xDD. I think that there is quite a lack of tall grass in the map. I also find it rather empty where the two bigs trees stand to the south-east part of the map. But I really like that little lake at the top with the bridge.
Overall I find this to be a brilliant map.

Suggestions: More flowers I guess. Add more grass, flowers and the other decorative stuff to the parts of this map where it seems empty. E.g. Well I already mentioned one, and maybe the highest point of the mountain

----------------------------------------
My map ^^

First one (The town):
Map name: Doesn't have one
Rom: Used Firered as a base
Comments: I was bored so I just started to map...

Second one (The forest)
Map Name: Doesn't have one
Rom: I was planning to start a hack but never followed through with it =3=....
Comments: I think this is one of the best maps that I have ever mapped

Credits:
TB Pro
Welsy FG
Wah
Kyledove
Alistair
Dewitty
874521

 

[Raigeki]

now my map:
map name: route 20
rom:fire red
comments:nope
credits:Wesley fg, and wah for the tiles
map: is on attachment.

EDIT: i decided to add another map.
map name none
rom:firered
comments:this map is a somewhat improved version of a map i posted here before.
map:is on attachment

I really like your first map. It kind of reminds me of route.... 11, I think. The one north of Cerulean.

The tileset is nice, and it looks naturally because the trees aren't placed systematically. But.. behind the house in the top of the map (to the left), the rock/cliff/whatever has a little yellow-ish "crack" in the corner. It's like that in all the corners. And it looks a little weird that you have two kind of lakes. The very long and thin lake looks a little misplaced too. And I think you need to give the player the choice of which way to go. Like.. Putting in some ekstra stairs in the right side, or something.

But it's simple, awesome and it looks good. 4/5


I'm sorry I can't comment the other map. I have to do my homework, and I don't really have time to be on the internet right now, so this is it.

But I'll just go ahead and post a map myself. I'm new to this forum, so I'll probably screw something up when posting the image. Please read everything below before you comment it.

It's the Viridian Forest from a random, clean FireRed Rom, but my map is NOT a forest. Just a very forest-like valley, and it's not even sure that I'll make this valley on the Viridian-Forest map again. It's not really a hack (yet?), but I wanted to make some maps, that I might be able to use in a future hack. As of tilesets, I've only darkened the trees. I really suck at editing tilesets, so I might need some help, there. I think the map would look SO much better with better tiles.

One last thing: The two trees in the center of the map don't serve any purpose. I just needed something to put in there, so I picked them. I'll either keep them for story purpose later, or put something else there.
And yes, I know that it's "overcrowded", but is it a problem? What do you think?
The exit is near the two trees in the middle and the entrance is in the bottom left corner. You are able to get through this valley A LOT faster with surf, because you skip like half of the map. Is that a good thing?

I can't post images and links as of now, so here is a link that I'm allowed to post (or something).. You don't need to put http or www in front of it.

img819.imageshack.us/i/viridian.png/

 

[G00dbye]

the mapping is nice but when you put flowers, dont put them everywhere, try to keep them diagonal and clustered together, also the big lake needs to have a different figure, having it square does not look natural,also like you said, you should take the two big trees and put something else (like a lake that may contain a legendary pokemon) it would be okay for an event, besides these things everything looks okay and i give this map a 7/10.
by the way, the map you rated IS the map above cerulean city xD

this map is the next route to the map i posted above.

map name: none
rom base: fire red
comments: this is the first time I've used the waterfall tiles and they look wrong so if they ARE wrong, tell me so i can fix them.
map is on attachment.

Rating: 6/10

Reason: The waterfalls look wrong but you have said that by yourself already. I don't know how they must be, maybe you can look at the waterfalls in the real game and see what you've done wrong. If the waterfalls look right I would give a 8/10 because I like your tiles, but maybe you can make the grass a little better. And I think you get border errors.

Suggestions: What I said the waterfalls. And maybe improve the grass a little bit. And the border errors.

(Somethings what I said could be wrong because I'm not the best person in it.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for my map


Map Name: Route 01

Map Game: Fire Red

Comments: This is my first own made map.

Mapshot:
Sorry for the copyright sign but I've only done that because otherwise everyone who search on google can steal it and nobody going to read the first page where Manipulation said:

- No stealing.
Only post Maps for rating/reviewing if you made them, do not steal any work of others and claim it as your own!

i52.tinypic.com/1zvwzk8.jpg

no www needed (I can't post links only if I have done 15 posts)

 

[MUDKIPS4LIFE]

Posted by GOOdbye
Now for my map


Map Name: Route 01

Map Game: Fire Red

Comments: This is my first own made map.

Mapshot:
Sorry for the copyright sign but I've only done that because otherwise everyone who search on google can steal it and nobody going to read the first page where Manipulation said:

- No stealing.
Only post Maps for rating/reviewing if you made them, do not steal any work of others and claim it as your own!

i52.tinypic.com/1zvwzk8.jpg

no www needed (I can't post links only if I have done 15 posts)

"image removed"

1:the tiles are wrong. you used the top tree tile instead of the repeating.
2:The shadings are a little bit messed up.
3:It seems to synchronized.

besides those things the maps really good maybe make the lakes a random shape not squares. The one thing you need to work on is your shading.


Map review 6/10

---------------------------
My map

Map Name: Black Mount City
Rom base: Fire Red
Credits: WAH for tiles
Map: In attachment

"image removed"

 

[NurseBarbra]

this map looks really nice but the only problem i see with it is below the gym, the trees there are all straight, they should be put randomly anywhere instead of keeping them straight, it makes it look non natural, but this map is really good so i give it a 9/10

map name: cemetary
rom base: fire red
credits: me for the tiles (don't steal)
map: in attachment
comments: the floor tile is kind of messed up so i might fix that.

This is a nice map,I really like the Zelda: LTTP tiles. The pallets are a little iffy in places making it hard to differentiate between the path tiles. It also looks a bit to open for a graveyard, so I would suggest filling it in some more.
Overall I give it 6 brownie points out of 10 /quickreview
---------------
My map: Lanat Village Version 1 (technically 2) + Route A
Game: Pokemon Evanesce
Rom: Firered
Credits: alistar for the grass and zetavares852 for the tilesheets.
Maps:

Spoiler:

(They connect from left to right And I HAVE fixed the Tile errors on the maps.)

 

[joshblevins]

MYYYYY map!

1:the tiles are wrong. you used the top tree tile instead of the repeating.
2:The shadings are a little bit messed up.
3:It seems to synchronized.

besides those things the maps really good maybe make the lakes a random shape not squares. The one thing you need to work on is your shading.


Map review 6/10

---------------------------
My map

Map Name: Black Mount City
Rom base: Fire Red
Credits: WAH for tiles
Map: In attachment

"image removed"

Personally i like your map. The tiles seem to be good. they blend well which is not easy to do seeing as you are using the default houses and pokemon centers which im not a fan of.

Map Review 10/10
_________________________________________________________________
My Map

Map Name: Nameless for the time being.
Rom base: Fire Red
Comments: This doesn't have a name yet i will edit it when it does but, it is the second town (including the starting town). It isn't anything special it is just a filler town for now i may add something to tie it into the main story maybe not but i think i did a good job on it. What do you guys think?
Map:Attachment below:D

 

[marcc5m]

Personally i like your map. The tiles seem to be good. they blend well which is not easy to do seeing as you are using the default houses and pokemon centers which im not a fan of.

Map Review 10/10
_________________________________________________________________
My Map

Map Name: Nameless for the time being.
Rom base: Fire Red
Comments: This doesn't have a name yet i will edit it when it does but, it is the second town (including the starting town). It isn't anything special it is just a filler town for now i may add something to tie it into the main story maybe not but i think i did a good job on it. What do you guys think?
Map:Attachment below:D

Ok, first off I have to say, that without a doubt, those are the ugliest tiles I have ever seen in my life. The map is too big. It has too much space, which really wasn't needed. The mountain is extremely square, and random - as is the rock - and there are tile errors at the two bottom corners. The path is also too straight and boring, and that fence behind the house, again, unneeded. Try adding some more houses, trees, flowers (scratch that, add some flowers) and a sign or two. Oh, and tile error in that tree in the bottom.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Map Name: Diamond Cave
Map Game: Pokemon Iron and Stone
Credits: First post of hack thread
Comments: Diamond Cave, or part of it at least, exits into biggest town in hack, would say more but about to sleep.
Map:

Spoiler:

 

[colcolstyles]

Map Name: Diamond Cave
Map Game: Pokemon Iron and Stone
Credits: First post of hack thread
Comments: Diamond Cave, or part of it at least, exits into biggest town in hack, would say more but about to sleep.
Map:

Spoiler:

I like the idea of having black around the edges, instead of the standard floor tile. It gives the cave a darker feeling so it's not just a map with a bunch of rocks but instead it's an actual cave. On the topic of tiles, the corner mountain tiles look a little weird. Everywhere else, there's a transition from the lighter rock to the darker rock but at the corners, there's a sharp contrast between the two. Also, the stairs look a little odd but that's pretty minor. As for the layout, I think the windiness is nice but I feel that there aren't enough dead ends. If this cave doesn't have the "flash" effect (and I have to assume it doesn't because you didn't mention it in the comments), the player can easily locate the correct path and take it. Caves are supposed to frustrate the player by leading them down false paths, thus causing more random encounters, and I get the feeling that this cave would be pretty easy to traverse. Overall, it's a nice map but it could use a little more complexity.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Map Name: Diamond Cave
Map Game: Pokemon Iron and Stone
Credits: First post of hack thread
Comments: Diamond Cave, or part of it at least, exits into biggest town in hack, would say more but about to sleep.
Map:

Spoiler:

Yo, it looks cool, man. Kyledove tiles right?
Watch the way you put your rocks, there are too many in one spot. It looks kinda weird. Also, there's plenty of space to move around. Easier for player to get passed this cave; personally I'd use a repel and get over this in 20secs. Haha :p anyway, what about making it more natural? More difficult that way. (e.g. rocks in player's way)
I dig your style, keep it up.

Rating: 7/10

My turn now, right.
Name: Windstrong Town
Game: Nirvana
Comments: First and last town of Nirvana, as I'm not working on it anymore. Favorite map so far, full natural style, haters of natural style don't look at it, or QQ.
Credits: Kyledove, zein and me, Novus, GFreak, Wesley (for the revamped house), Laz and Zeikku (for just being there)

Spoiler:

P.S Yeah, I see that tile mistake in the big house's bench.

 

[Mewtoo22]

Not bad, Ray Maverick. Using different kinds of trees and bushes does give it that natural look. Some of the pathways look a bit too narrow, though. Also, I think the lower part of the town (on the right) would look better with a sandy path like you used leading up to the house on the left. What's up with that mailbox by the stairs, anyway? So yeah, 9/10, I don't really see any problems. Just needs more space to walk, really.

Town Name: None yet
Game: Burnt Umber
Comments: First town, will eventually be remade with custom tiles, building in upper right is the lab
Credits: GameFreak

 

[Ray Maverick]

Not bad, Ray Maverick. Using different kinds of trees and bushes does give it that natural look. Some of the pathways look a bit too narrow, though. Also, I think the lower part of the town (on the right) would look better with a sandy path like you used leading up to the house on the left. What's up with that mailbox by the stairs, anyway? So yeah, 9/10, I don't really see any problems. Just needs more space to walk, really.

Town Name: None yet
Game: Burnt Umber
Comments: First town, will eventually be remade with custom tiles, building in upper right is the lab
Credits: GameFreak

Quite nice map you got there, mate. Nice style, also, though not natural.
There are only two things bothering me: there's a special tile for the vertical fences, makes it look more normal. The other - the grass and some tree shadings. You just missed 3-4 tree shadings, you know, the ones between the trees?
Would be easier to use just one grass tile, instead of all of them together.
Other than that, it's a very good map; rating: 7.5/10

 

[Fee Nicks]

Ray Maverick:
I really, really like this map. Far more than most maps I've seen with similar tiles, this just seems alive and vivid, something that seems to be missing from most maps I've seen. This is also amazing in that whilst it does a marvelous job at using a natural-ish mapping style it also still keeps the edges properly aligned where it needs to.
I would, however, say to either change the pathway around the house in the top-left corner to dirt or to just keep one type of pathway throughout. Right now it just seems a bit odd that there's a stone pathway around a house but a dirt pathway leading up to it.


Mewtoo22:
To be brutally honest, this map doesn't exactly stand out from the crowd. It's perfectly serviceable, but the fact that it almost religiously clings to the original tree grid is disappointing. Nonetheless, I still have a liking for the overall design; even if the posts are somewhat oddly-positioned, I still like it quite a bit.
The thing is, however, is that it's just another generic starting town map. No matter how nice it looks, it just seems like you're going to be boxed in entirely thanks to the inherent design traits those types of maps seem to perpetuate. The custom graphics you say you're going to add are probably going to help a little with that problem, but the fact remains that it still extremely plain in terms of design.

Meanwhile, here's something I've been working on for the past two days. Technically it's not in the ROM yet, but given how fairly simple it should be to insert a new palette for it and actually get it in there. Also technically it's not something that's usually seen in this thread, even if it does fit the topic:

Spoiler:

"image removed"
Somewhat WIP, but more-or-less complete, unless I decide to change how I do the towns and whatnot.

 

[Arma]

@Fee Nicks: May I ask what game you are hacking?

The map itself looks quite good. I don't like the looks of the western Shore, though. Even if it's supposed to be some sort of wasteland, it looks horribly plain. Try adding a lil more elevation there?

The thin strip of land down south shouldn't also entirely be covered with trees, try creating some open spaces or adding some beaches.