Legacy: Critique please

[BMR]

Hiya, was hoping to get some critique on the layout of a couple of my maps. These are the actual layout of the maps in-game. Any critique or comments as to how I can improve anything would be very much appreciated.

The images are a bit on the ridiculously large side, so I won't embed them here, instead, I'll provide links so I don't get beaten to a pulp by anyone, hehe. I blew them up to twice their original size to make viewing detail easier, unfortunately, they're, as aforementioned, ridiculously large.

Theocracy Dungeon 01
Port Alkar


The first map is the first part of the first dungeon (a lout of "firsts" there, heh...). It's the first area that the player encounters. It's a holding cell for prisoners, so actually a "dungeon" so to speak. In-story, it was converted from a barracks to the prison it is now, which explains the less than efficient and ideal cell layout.

The second map is the docks district of a port city (Alkar). It's supposed to be relatively poorer in comparison to the Merchant Quarter, but not exactly destitute. As it's a port city, the docks area sees a fair amount of trade. Nothing too affluent, but not too poor either. The port is the first major city that the player arrives at after the first dungeon.

Again, any critique will be most welcome, thanks again!

[Nathan Karr]

I'm going to feel so compelled to face all those spots on the walls where one of the bricks is lighter and press the Use key.

[msw188]

Would it be a bad thing to put another exit in the Port town? Maybe one on the east side, so the player doesn't have to walk all the way back through town to find the exit.

[Stewitus P.]

Speaking as the kinda guy that absolutely, positively, NEEDs to see every part of the map before I move on, just in case there's a chest somewhere, that boat's gonna annoy me all the way down there if there's nothing in it

Other than that, that's top grade stuff.

[BMR]

Would it be a bad thing to put another exit in the Port town? Maybe one on the east side, so the player doesn't have to walk all the way back through town to find the exit.

Hey, that's a good idea actually. I've always been rather peeved at games that had too much pointless-walk-from-point-A-to-point-B in them. I'll add another exit in there somewhere to minimize the distance needed to get places.

[TMC]

Your tiles are great. My only complaints about the tiles are that some of them are a bit gridy, and that the perspective on the barrels is totally wrong: the tops should be ellipses, not circles. The rim of the well is not an ellipsis either; it's pretty uneven. I meant to say that in a previous thread where you were asking about the tiles.

The maps feel a bit large and empty though. I'm sure that's not true relative to 90% of OHR games, but I still see large areas where you'd have nothing interesting on-screen.

Did you make these using Tiler?

[BMR]

...complaints about the tiles are that some of them are a bit gridy...

Which parts exactly? I've been trying to get rid of the grid by breaking up the landscape, but I do suppose I haven't quite gotten everything yet.

...the perspective on the barrels is totally wrong: the tops should be ellipses, not circles. The rim of the well is not an ellipsis either; it's pretty uneven.

Hmm, hadn't noticed the barrels, but now that you point it out, yeah, I should do something about them, along with the well. I do tend to have a bit of a problem with perspective.

The maps feel a bit large and empty though. I'm sure that's not true relative to 90% of OHR games, but I still see large areas where you'd have nothing interesting on-screen.

And I'd have to agree about them being empty, though I can't quite figure out what else to add. I've been studying Chrono Trigger, Seiken Densetsu 3, Tales of Phantasia, and Breath of Fire 2, and I'm getting some ideas, but I'm starting to run out of layers, hehehe.

Did you make these using Tiler?

What's Tiler?