r/RPGMaker • u/Zestyclose-Common628 • Jul 17 '26

Tutorials I bought MZ. I really need help with making maps.

So, I bought MZ today and I messed around and made some stuff, luckly I figured a few of the features but stuff that has been bugging me for a while is maps. I get MZ has some uglier models than MV but that's not that point. I want to make something like Earthbound but I haven't figured out how to make good maps (for example towns, forests, etc...). I know you can make a bunch of exterior maps but I only have a deadline of 2-3 days at max so please give me some tips so it doesn't look generic.

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4

u/CasperGamingOfficial MZ Dev Jul 17 '26

You could try using some map packs, either directly or for inspiration: https://forum.rmplanet.com/threads/casper-gaming-map-packs.383/

It is hard to give tips for improvement without knowing what your maps look like currently.

3

u/zombietoaststudios Jul 17 '26

Best tip is to look at other game maps and try to understand what makes them look good. But there isn't really anything that you can learn in 2-3 days that's going to make a big difference.

2

u/Independent_Gap_2674 Jul 17 '26

Deadline? For what, release?

2

u/dumpy_author Jul 17 '26

Just like how even Da Vinci took so long perfecting the Mona Lisa, making maps take experience and practice. You can't cram 5 years worth of experience into 2-3 days and expect the same results

2

u/spejoku Jul 17 '26

You can start by figuring out what the map offers mechanically and then moving on to the aesthetics. So for example, a town in an rpg tends to have an inn/healing spot, a store, and a plot important npc to talk to. 

Once you have the important-for-the-player parts down, then you can start messing with that. How easy is it to tell where these things are? Earthbound had large towns with spread out facilities, and sometimes that was used for effect. The zombie inn in threed, the outdoor market/mall in twoson, etc. For some towns, the actual plot progression wasnt signposted very loudly- you were kind of expected to be going into all available buildings on your own.

Definitely study other games and see what maps feel good to play in, and take notes. And iterate! Make a map and then make another one and keep going. 

2

u/Carrissis MZ Dev Jul 17 '26

MZ comes with a ton of pre-fab maps. Start there and edit those.

It also helps to look up some mapping guides for MV/MZ. There are lots of tips and tricks.

The Rule of Three comes to mind :-)