[WIP] Elements (second beta version)

[Forge]

More fined tuned shading. If it wasn't for the distance from which this screenshot was taken, you wouldn't even be able to tell that was the corner of the pool I'm looking at. Alot of the map is like this

The whirlpool sectors are too choppy and offset from each other.

[NerdKoopa]

I guess I need to find some good shading tutorials and see how the official maps are shaded. Right now I've been shading thinking "light comes from direction A angle B so the shadows are casted to direction C with lenght D". Maybe that's why it is so hard for me to shade places like the whirlpool area because I think the glowing lava is the main light source.

[Nexus]

One easy and effective trick you can use is to shade adjacent walls differently. For example, if you had a rectangular room you might make the north & south walls slightly darker than the east & west ones. That helps to break up the monotony and, if the textures are somewhat featureless, help the player distinguish the corners of the room. Sloping shadows on walls are also easy to make and look very effective.

[Forge]

I guess I need to find some good shading tutorials and see how the official maps are shaded. Right now I've been shading thinking "light comes from direction A angle B so the shadows are casted to direction C with lenght D". Maybe that's why it is so hard for me to shade places like the whirlpool area because I think the glowing lava is the main light source.

Third times a charm (I hope).

The whirlpool does NOT need shading. The sector HEIGHT of the SLOPES of the whirlpool need to be adjusted to give the whirlpool a smoother surface.

Nexus is correct about shading. Walls at right angles should have a different shade value to give depth to the map.