Mapping Natural Formations: Cliffs

[dolarmak 23]

Natural formations: Cliffs

 

Note: This is an intermediate mapping class. If you do not understand the basics of mapping you will want to look at the other tutorials we have on the site.

Kiriashi's Mapping Class

 

 

You see them all the time in forest, hill, desert and mountainous areas. Cliffs are natural barriers that prevent you from moving on from one area to the next. In videogames this is a simple and effect way of leading the player so that a linear area doesn't seem to linear. Good use of it however is hard.

 

Even in towns where people live there is an often area where this natural barrier has presented itself. But the key thing to remember is that Cliffs are natural formations (or rarely man-made). They have stood there for centuries or millennia before men began building around them and that is a thing to remember: We build around them. So for mapping purposes it is always best to start with the geography. Sure you can add it in afterwards and even some professionals have been known to do it, but over the years many people have learned from their mistake. When done properly the finished product is many times better.

 

So let’s start understanding Cliffs. First there are many different types of cliffs. Cliffs created by the sea and erosion and cliffs in the mountains are very different things and look very different. Cliffs in forest and hill regions are also different from the others because they are formed by earthquakes or rivers that flowed through the land but are now dry. Each type has its unique features and we'll look at those.

 

Sea Side

Cliff sides by the sea are also known as bluffs. The first thing to remember is that these cliffs are created by erosion. That means the water has slowly eaten away at the land and what once stretched flawlessly into the sea has been eaten away and is now a near vertical slope.

 

 

 

 

 

These aren’t perfectly uniform however. Because different types of rock have various densities they can take longer to erode, and thus odd formations crop up all the time. Often creating small coves and out cropping.

 

 

 

 

 

Mountains

Mountain cliffs are often the enjoyment of rock climbers and beautiful natural barriers. These cliffs have actually been made by the tectonic shifts in the world that press against each other so that the rocks jet out of the ground. Some times these cliffs are formed by rockslides and many have been carved out by glaciers. These are part of the mountains and can stretch for miles and tend to look impenetrable.

 

 

 

 

These cliffs however are much more jagged and splintered compared to bluff because erosion hasn't had a been great factor in their development. They stick out at off angles and jet out in ways that seem impossible and often unstable.

 

 

 

 

Other cliff Sides

Lastly you have cliffs that form in forests, hills or plains. These are often the ones where people settle near because they are not as grand or dangerous and tend to be near a resource we use. that is not to say they can't be just as dangerous. The most well know cliff side world wide is the grand canyon and that was carved out by the river at its base, but for the most part these types tend to be smaller. These cliff sides are created by earth quakes and long dead rivers that have eroded the path they once took.

 

 

 

 

These have pretty straight foreword natures.

Riverbed cliffs flow like the river did, their path bends and weaves around the hills and surroundings. These can even be full of trees the drop only being 10 to 12 feet, or as high as the grand canyon.

Earthquake formed cliffs tend to be jagged and rigged, following the fault line splitting the earth. They aren’t completely straight however and tend to take sharp turns but flowing the general path of the fault. They also don't tend to be very wide.

 

 

 

 

Mapping

Now that you have a basic understanding of cliff faces, let’s start building them in game. Be sure to remember that unless the cliff is man made (either in a city or maybe a vineyard like in Portugal) these are never straight. They bend and twist, the take sharp corners and turn. They are natural and straightness is rarely of nature.

 

So let’s start with a Mountain. Since these types of cliffs occur often in games and they often steer the player to a destinatin, they tend to be the predominant feature.

 

Start off with the levels of the cliff. Since this is a Mountain there tend to be many levels to the cliff top, they are uneven and often misleading. I like to use the walls for this. It allows you to see how tall the areas are and where you can make outcroppings.

((Bare with me since I’m using the RTP the selection is limited. I always suggest using custom chipsets, either built from scratch or at least one that caters to your needs precisely.))

 

 

 

 

The red lines indicate the cliff edge. Don't forget that cliffs like mountains have a lot of outcroppings and little edges that are not easily accessible. Now that you have the layers of the mountain, you can add the detail to finish the levels.

 

 

 

 

Now you can clearly see the edges of the cliffs. Practice makes perfect, but a good eye can detect errors. Try as hard as you can to fix little things. Can you find the ones I made?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that we fixed up the mistakes, Now if you are unfamiliar with layers, I suggest you check out Kirishi's Lesson 2 - Demystifying the Layers. This will help you out a lot. Here I'll show you the way I used them in order to make the map look a bit more dynamic.

 

 

 

 

Finally we can add our details. These would be trees, bridges and wild life. Depending on what you want remember to put the appropriate details. A rocky mountain won't have many trees, as a lower mountain does.

 

 

 

 

This map wasn't made with any design or path for players to walk through. This is simply an example of what a mountain sides can look like.

 

There you go, you have finished a Mountain with cliff sides.

 

Here are a few examples of other types.

 

 

 

 

[Kevin.ds 28]

very nice tutorial and its very understandable. Looking forward to more of your tutorials =)

[gRaViJa 4]

well explained and the maps look pretty good, but not awesome. Too make it more realistic, the height of the cliffs should vary. Also, the maps are a bit too bland. But you explain the techniques right, that's the most important.

[dolarmak 23]

like i said i was only using the basic RTP chipsets thats why they are a bit bland. it's the technique that really matters, I am not teaching you how to fill the area with stuff, but how to form proper cliffs.