Devlogs
A prettier map
Posted August 29, 2025 by hexhog
I updated my hex design system to move in a more organic direction. As a matter of fact, I redrew all of the tiles.
- Many tiles now break the hex border. When I started the project, I was on the fence whether to hand-draw a map or draw tiles. A custom map certainly looks better, but tiles can be reused. With the border-breaking drawings, I hope to give the tile approach a more organic feel.
- I am no artist, but I tried to add details and depth to the illustrations, without implying a particular tone.
- I decided to hand-draw the lakes for this version. Having hand-drawn rivers and tiled lakes just did not look good.
The new map looks far better, I think, but it comes with a bit more work attached. The dimensionality sometimes mandates a specific Z-order of tiles, and in some cases, I had to nudge elements inside tiles to match their surroundings. Overall, I am quite happy.