Tutorial Terraining - Barrens

[Uberplayer]

Contents
I. Introduction
II. Getting started
III. Working on terrain
IV. Placing doodads
V. Adding units
VI. Effects
VII. Epilogue

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I. Introduction
This tutorial will give you advice on how to terrain a barrens. I'm gonna teach you what units, doodads and effects are looking good in barrens. After reading this through you should have a small idea on how to terrain a barrens.

II. Getting started
Create a new map. For map size choose 64x64 and for tileset select "Barrens".

It's always better to make terrain at day time, so go to Scenario - Map Preferences, and to the Time of Day field set "Fixed - Dawn".
As it's day time now, we can start off by making the terrain of our barrens.

III. Working on terrain

Let's start off by changing the full map to terrain type of "Desert".

To make dunes you have to select "Raise", and for a shape select "Circle". Now, start raising the terrain with different sizes of brush.

After a while of rising the terrain you should have something that looks like this:



Then we should add more terrain on it. Barrens terrain isn't very random, mostly it's only sandy. Some rocky ground somewhere, with grass. Maybe few roads too.

Here is my terrain for now:



IV. Placing doodads

Go to Doodad Palette, and select "Barrens" and "Trees/Destructibles".

Cactuses are very good for barrens, also remember to add some ruined ground and bones to there.

My finished doodad placing:



V. Adding units

Centaurs, taurens, harpies and pigs.. All of them are good for barrens. You just have to place them in good places. Couple of centaurs to the same spot or only one in random place. Taurens and pigs are good to be in a camps. Harpies should have more space between them as centaurs. Few lizards won't be bad either.



VI. Effects

First we choose a good sky from Scenario - Map Preferences. I chose "Lordaeron Fall Sky", which looks good in barrens.. I think? You can choose what ever you want.



To display sky, press "K" in main window.

Then there could be some other effects too, as fog or wind.



VII. Epilogue

Now, you've finished making barrens <3. You can improve it in many ways, but this was only a tutorial of one kind of barrens.

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Please leave some feedback here

 

[Chocobo]

First we choose a good sky from Scenario - Map Preferences. I chose "Lordaeron Fall Sky", which looks good in desert in my opinion. You can choose what ever you want.

it isn't fitting so much with the desert.

 

[Uberplayer]

Well.. I think it doesn't look very bad neither . There just aren't any good, so you should do one by yourself ^^

 

[cr4xzZz]

Good job +rep

 

[Oninuva]

Hmm you need a more dusty enviroment.. Also the sky looks too.. humid.. you need it to be more hazy?

 

[2-P]

I think "Terraining with the Barrens tileset" would fit better.
All those trees and the grass don't give the right "desert-feeling". Don't get me wrong, your tutorial is good, adding green life was the right decision, the terrain would look too dull without it.

 

[SFilip]

Doesn't look like an actual desert...there are no trees (and almost no plants or life whatsoever) to be found in a desert.
I'd call this "Barrens Terraining" instead.

Edit: ah 2-P beat me to it.

 

[mikke95]

Hehe cool!

 

[Uberplayer]

Is there anyway then that someone could change thread to "Terraining: Barrens" or something?

>you need it to be more hazy?
I tried, but it looked so stupid ingame ^^

Okay, edited it and changed all to "Barrens". I don't even know what it means :S

 

[Sunny_D]

as already said, desert looks a little different (the main problem are the many trees in your tut). for the terraining itself you have made good use of the tiles and you gave useful tips. you also used many screenshots what is a must for every good terrain tutorial.

although you mentioned "fog" effects - what are in a desert... well, let me say 'rare'...

tip: a good tile for deserts is the "sunken ruins - sand". looks actually - in my eyes - better than the sandy dirt in the barrens tileset. here a screeny:

overall i can say i like it

 

[SFilip]

> I don't even know what it means
In this case it's an area in the warcraft universe, WoW players probably know it well.
Large part of the Rexxar campaign as well as tauren parts of the RoC orc campaign took place here.

There is also an ecosystem called Barrens, but I don't really know much about it.

Changed the topic name BTW.

 

[Uberplayer]

Should I say then "terraining THE Barrens"?

I'm very glad that you changed the title, thank you SFilip!

 

[uberfoop]

This whole argument over what tiles to use is totally dependant on what you're trying to do.
I think the terrain result of this tut is AMAZING. Yes, you can use the other suggestions to make other parts of the map more or less arid, but this works great for the feel it's getting at.


ps fog effects CAN work on barrens...sandstorm mb?

 

[Doom-Angel]

realy good job u have done here (+Rep ) but i agree with chocobo the sky doesn't fit much to the desert

 

[Uberplayer]

Thanks for the comments & reps!
Anyway, I could make a good sky for barrens with photoshop, and upload it here and tell how to import it

 

[Ranik]

Nice tutorial, and by the way, sunken ruins - sand... It is just simply too greenish, from my point of view...

 

[Uberplayer]

What should I do to get this out of graveyard?

 

[~GaLs~]

dont know...LoL

Nice tut though...1 of the pic link is broken

 

[Uberplayer]

Thanks, removed the pic as the sentence above was good enough. Maybe gonna make new pic to that soon.

 

[PurgeandFire]

I dunno why this is in the graveyard. It seems perfectly fine to me. I think the unapproved indexed tutorials might have been moved into the graveyard.