Map Making Games

I just bought a grid paper notebook, a bunch of markers and pens, and I'm looking for games where you probably should make your own maps OR just ones that you find fun to make maps for. Preferrably NES or Genesis games and the genre doesn't matter to me.

I just beat Metroid on the NES and with my map it was super easy. I plan on doing Zelda 1 next. Any suggestions? Post your maps if you've made any.

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I get pissed off whenever I try this because I always end up going off the page or whatever and need to restart the entire drawing.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      That was me when I tried to make maps for Phantasy Star 1. I got lucky for my Metroid map. Started middle of the page and just barely had enough room. After I got the whole map finished I remade it onto just one page and cleaned it up.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >tried to make maps for Phantasy Star 1
        Holy shit, how do you deal with the teleports?

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Lol that's why I said "tried." I gave up quickly, before the dungeons even got wacky. I just followed that advice I heard where if you just hug the left wall of a maze you'll find your way out. I gave up on the game when it added in trap doors to inescapable rooms.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Fricking SOUL. I remember seeing some guy on one of the Ganker boards, I forget which, posting about keeping a notebook and graph paper while playing Wizardry and/or other games. It really does enhance your enjoyment of games. I think most of the b***hing people having about old games lacking QOL of being obtuse or difficult is them believing the game should do everything for you. Things are more fun when they require effort.
      Anyway, I've started a run of games with Dragon Warrior on NES this past week. It's only got a few dungeons, but mapping them was very helpful since you can only see as many tiles as your torch or light spell will light.

      That was me when I tried to make maps for Phantasy Star 1. I got lucky for my Metroid map. Started middle of the page and just barely had enough room. After I got the whole map finished I remade it onto just one page and cleaned it up.

      I made a thread concerning this a while ago because I was concerned about that exact problem. Here it is if you're interested in seeing some digital solutions.

      [...]

      I'm very happy with Graph Paper so far.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Just continue onto the next page and tape them together. That's what I always do. You can fold it to keep it small.

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Wizardry.

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Any dungeon crawler like Megami Tensei 1 and 2. I'm nearing the end of MT1 and frick, I'm sick of it.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      MT 1 and 2's dungeons are way simpler than the famicom SMTs, being more conventional mazes than teleport hell but I still wouldn't consider them games for series beginners. That long trek through the tunnels to Shinjuku and then up the high-rise to Pazuzu's boss room with no heal spots struck me as the most brutal part

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Do those have English patches? They're first person dungeon crawlers, right?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        the super famicom 2-in-1 remake is fully patched to english with modern atlus naming conventions
        the originals are not, and being able to pull up an in-game digital map was not introduced until SMT2. In MT1, MT2 and SMT1 (without a romhack) you would need a paper map

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          The originals are translated, though the first one has some glitches(crashes). There is a small 3x4 map feature in both games.

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I've never made maps but I used to keep a notebook to assist in trading etc on Elite many moons ago

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Spacewrecked - 14 Billion Light Years From Earth

    It's a sci-fi dungeon crawler, a nice change of pace from all the medieval fantasy ones.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Sweet, I'll check it out.

      the super famicom 2-in-1 remake is fully patched to english with modern atlus naming conventions
      the originals are not, and being able to pull up an in-game digital map was not introduced until SMT2. In MT1, MT2 and SMT1 (without a romhack) you would need a paper map

      The originals are translated, though the first one has some glitches(crashes). There is a small 3x4 map feature in both games.

      I'll definitely look into these, probably the 2-in-1 pack.

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Such a comfy idea for a thread OP.
    Here's a map I made of the original Zelda when I was thirteen. Never finished the game.
    I wonder if you could explore the idea of making a game where the player is expected to draw their own map. Maybe there's an in game tool to make maps and the player is responsible for being as vague or detailed as they want. Could be a fun idea, I don't know if it would work

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Sorry for the low resolution picture, I know I still have it in a little box at my dad's house but that's the best one I've got on my computer

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >I wonder if you could explore the idea of making a game where the player is expected to draw their own map. Maybe there's an in game tool to make maps and the player is responsible for being as vague or detailed as they want. Could be a fun idea, I don't know if it would work
      You're LITERALLY describing Etrian Odyssey

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Is that what Etrian Odyssey is? I played one of the 3DS ones and it didn't stick with me at all. Which one would you recommend?
        I'll be fair and say I didn't play it for super long.

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    The entire Dungeon RPG Genre. All but super entry level ones like the first phantasy star are basically unwinnable without mapping and even the entry level one's people who have innately poor direction skills would not be able to win without mapping. Almost every single Dungeon RPG that does come with it's own map either a) the map lacks enough information so making your own would still be helpful b) you can choose to play the game with the map disabled or c) there is some cost to using the map that make it impractical or impossible to relay on it constantly.

    Zelda 2 is a better choice then Zelda 1. In Zelda 1 the game has maps, making your own would still help as the in-game maps sometimes lack critical information. But Zelda 2 has no maps and the final dungeon is at the point where some humans would be unable to win without mapping it, but not all humans.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Dungeon RPG
      You mean dungeon crawler. The Dungeon RPG term is used by japs to describe dungeon crawlers.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        What's wrong with the term he used?

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    i don't know how people use spreadsheets to do this, it's tedious

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    It must be in the air or something because I also bought a bunch of graph paper and plan to do some dungeon crawling this weekend.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      What do you plan on playing? Here's my Metroid map. Lower Norfair isn't complete. Found Ridley by accident and then killed him so I just bounced and went straight to Tourian.

      The entire Dungeon RPG Genre. All but super entry level ones like the first phantasy star are basically unwinnable without mapping and even the entry level one's people who have innately poor direction skills would not be able to win without mapping. Almost every single Dungeon RPG that does come with it's own map either a) the map lacks enough information so making your own would still be helpful b) you can choose to play the game with the map disabled or c) there is some cost to using the map that make it impractical or impossible to relay on it constantly.

      Zelda 2 is a better choice then Zelda 1. In Zelda 1 the game has maps, making your own would still help as the in-game maps sometimes lack critical information. But Zelda 2 has no maps and the final dungeon is at the point where some humans would be unable to win without mapping it, but not all humans.

      With Zelda 1 I'm just doing the overworld. It's helping me keep track of the dungeons and fairy fountains and stores essentially. I'm looking forward to Z2 after this. Trying to beat Dungeon 6 now. 7 was a cakewalk, I've done most of 8, but 6 with the jumping wizards is beating my ass.

  10. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I map out my custom Excitebike tracks on the NES version track builder. I just use symbolism for track pieces in chronological order on notebook paper.
    maybe 2 people have ever played my tracks

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Phantasy Star 1 and 2. 1 has 3D mazes, 2 has top down view but don't let this fool you, the mazes are notorious for being crazy. Just beat 2, had like 5 A4 sheets of paper for dungeon mapping.

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