RMVX Speedmapping

Let’s get this thing started : Ever wondered how some people can produce ridiculous amounts of good maps in only a short time? Or how productive in mapping some rpg makers are? Well, they might have their own secret techniques of their own, and I keep some as well. This tutorial will share the complete steps of how to create maps quicker than ever while maintaining a constant outcome of good results.

This technique is most useful in creating outdoor and nature maps, where consistency and symmetery is not as important. It is also recommended to often use the rectangular tile placement tool, rather than the single tile tool especially for bigger maps.

We’ll start with an empty snowfield and since it’s totally white taking a screenshot of it is pointless. The next step is to add some icy cliff tiles here and there as a quick outline, like so :

It might not look like much now, but speedmapping is all about results. We’ll take care of it in the next step. Fill all the gaps with their respective tiles and add the cliff walls accordingly. I also added secondary cliffs which were covered in a mapping technique tutorial some time before.

Doesn’t that look kind of bare? It’s time to add some trees! Using the same technique as the ones we did with the cliffs, it shouldn’t take more than a minute to put those in. Using the single tile tool and then the fill tool can be really useful here.

Add some wild grasses on empty plots of snowfields using the rectangular placement tool.

After this, place objects all over the maps but be careful of overdoing it. Keep it balanced and similar objects should stay apart of each other to prevent symmetry in nature maps. Small changes can also be made throughout the speedmapping process on parts we think is necessary.

And we’re done!

Add some weather effects, screen tints, and other events that can improve the whole look of your map! Picking a suitable and good audio can also increase the overall impact and immersiveness of the map so pay attention to that as well!

This 17×13 map took me a mere 3-4 minutes from start to finish, and the time it takes to create increasingly big maps increases at a decreasing rate. In other words : the speedmapping technique is even more useful on huge maps! So practice, practice, practice! Hope this tutorial can help all those troubled mappers out there.

End of Tutorial

-Leventhan