Everbound - Map Layout
Hello all!
Happy to share an update on my progress with the video game concept, Everbound. In a recent livestream on Twitch, I focused on creating the 3D map layout for the game. It has been thrilling to finally see the map come to life as I make more and more progress. In this stream, I was able to get the map roughed out at a high level of detail, and more or less outline a plan to complete the map.
The process started with a 40x40 grid of squares, with each square representing 1 kilometer, and my hand-drawn map scaled up to match. I followed the topography lines on the map and set the depth levels at 1km increments to maintain a 3 dimensional grid. Most of the terrain was fairly straightforward, but some areas heavy with detail -such as small islands or narrow passages- were a little more difficult to represent accurately without a finer touch.
In the second half of the stream, we zoomed in on a particular section of the map known as Crown’s Ridge. I selected that section of the grid and separated it from the rest of the mesh, increasing the resolution using the subdivide tool. I set it to 9 subdivisions, leaving us with a grid size of 100 meters per square. I added a flat mesh at water height to help show the coastline, and with a recommendation from chat we were able to make that plane transparent to create a more realistic water effect which made it much easier to visualize the progress.
To achieve this next level of detail, I switched over to sculpt mode and first smoothed out all of the sharp corners from the lower resolution map, then I carved ridges and added mounds and hills to the surface of the mesh. I did my best to visualize rainwater flowing down the surface. I wanted to think about how water creates a positive feedback loop and, the more an area is eroded away by the rain, the more rain is drawn to that path and the deeper the scar becomes. This became more relevant after the stream, while I was working on the volcano, one of the largest landmasses on the map.
By the end of the livestream, I had completed the second level of detail for 2 of the 64 sections into which the map is broken up. As I mentioned, I continued working after the stream and managed to complete another 4 sections. The map is fairly large, but I don’t intend to complete this level of detail across the entire map before moving on. My plan is to focus on the areas where I have already made progress before moving on to the rest of the map. I want to add more surface details and buildings, as well as establish a visual style and gameplay mechanics in a small testing area before rolling through the entire world.
There is still a lot to be done, but I am excited to see how this game evolves as I continue to work on it, and I can’t wait to share updates with you all. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement as I bumble through the world of game design, it’s been a blast as always. I’ll see you in the next post!
