An Update on the Future of Aonbarr Cartography - Clip Studio Paint, Foundry Modules, Discontinuing .dd2vtt Files, Discord Community, & Mapping Wizards of the Coast Adventures (Patreon)

Hi folks!

It's been a long time since I made an update post, and I think it's about time for another, as there are some pretty big changes coming that I wanted to make you all aware of.

I'll go into these points in more detail and provide some previews below, followed by a brief statement regarding the last six months or so, but first, a summary of what's to come:

-I'm going to switch to releasing four 25x25 maps per month.

-I've started using Clip Studio Paint instead of Dungeondraft for my map-making, and the difference in just how much I can do in CSP compared to DD is... astonishing.

-I've started building some of my recent battle maps in Foundry VTT, and hope to begin providing them as modules in the very near future.

-It's very likely that I'll be retiring my .dd2vtt releases, since I'm hoping to stop using Dungeondraft, which creates the .dd2vtt files, and since the Foundry modules will provide a significantly better product anyway.

-I'm going to be launching a Discord community soon!

-I'm going to return to mapping locations from official Wizards of the Coast adventures here and there, though I won't be taking on full adventures again like I did with Curse of Strahd.

-I’m also going to be posting a new Directory, as the Curse of Strahd directory has needed to be replaced as the pinned post for some time. Of course, both directories will be linked in my About section, and the new directory will also link the CoS directory!

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Now, to dive into things in a little more (read: a lot of) detail:

Release Schedule Change:

Originally, I guaranteed four releases per month, but would usually aim for five. As my maps became more detailed and involved, it became harder to maintain this pace - I switched from 30x30 maps to 20x20, and eventually decided that my fifth map of the month would be a 10x10 mini-map.

As much fun as I've had with the mini-maps, I'm going to be retiring the project and limit myself to four maps per month. Since the end of March, I have taken less than four days off map-making, and even with that, I've spent the entire time trying to catch up with the release schedule. Frankly, I've been feeling quite burnt out, and my maps have suffered for it, so something has to change.

I do intend to increase my typical map size from 20x20 to 25x25, however. Ultimately, the planning phase is one of the most time-consuming and mentally taxing parts of my map-making process, so an extra 25 grid squares per map is a lot easier to manage. Though, naturally, the grid size will vary from map-to-map.

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Clip Studio Paint:

After months of telling myself I would start using Clip Studio Paint to make my maps, I've finally started doing so over the last few days. The learning curve is pretty steep after so many years of using Dungeondraft, but honestly, the results I'm getting even with my first map are shaping up to be so much more detailed and evocative than anything I could piece together with Dungeondraft.

Even ignoring the aesthetic potential of the software, it's going to be significantly easier for me to provide variants of my maps, and more of them, at that.

The myriad of quality of life improvements it's offered me thus far, paired with the simple fact that being able to use my drawing tablet makes me feel more physically involved in the process, is reigniting my love for map-making, and I'm genuinely excited to learn the software and see where it takes me.

I'm hoping to release this first CSP map on the 31st, all going well! It's still very much a work in progress and I haven't done much with lighting or filters yet, but just look at this tree:

Honestly, I can't tell you how excited I am about being able to blend roots into the stump assets, and not having to painstakingly outline the stump and/or roots with dozens of grass paths so they look like they don't just sit on top of the grass, and being able to shade without having to click several dozen times per object, and being able to use a moss brush to fluidly paint moss onto its roots rather than having to place several hundred assets, and...

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Foundry Modules:

I've mentioned this a couple of times already under my map posts, but I figured I should bring it up here too so more folk are likely to see it!

I've been experimenting with adding my maps to Foundry VTT and setting them up as more involved scenes than are possible with the .dd2vtt file types from Dungeondraft.

I don't know when I'm going to start publishing them just yet - I still need to figure out the best methods for distributing them - but I'm hoping to get the modules up and running within the next few weeks.

So far, the results are a lot of fun to play around with - I haven't entirely settled on a module list yet, but I'm planning on using Monk's Active Tile Triggers, Levels, Better Roofs, and Wall Height. This way I can stack multi-levelled maps into a single scene in a visually-pleasing manner and set it up so that a player can easily be teleported from one layer to the next.

To give an example of the kind of things I'm trying to do with the modules, see the gif just below. I set up a system for the trapdoor in the Ruined Tower map; in its basic, closed state, a player can stand on top of the rubble-covered trapdoor without issue, but standing on it's opened state, whereby the rubble has been cleared and the stairway to the dungeon below has been revealed, will teleport them to the dungeon level of the scene. To activate its opened state, the players or the DM simply click on the door icon, which then reveals the hidden tile of the trapdoor in its opened state and activates the teleportation trigger.

I have a lot to learn with the software, but I'm incredibly excited for just how much it will do to add to the immersive potential of my battle maps. If any of my patrons are particularly well-versed in Foundry VTT or in producing, packaging, and distributing modules, I'd love to hear if you have any suggestions or advice!

I'm also toying with the idea of including public domain sound effects and some of my own music in these Foundry modules, but that will require some further thought. I've been making music again recently, and a lot of it is dark fantasy-themed instrumental material, which seems fitting, but I'm not sure if there's much demand for it.

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Discontinuation of .dd2vtt Files:

With the decision to make Foundry VTT modules for my maps, I can't imagine that my .dd2vtt maps will serve much purpose going forward, given that the .dd2vtt files are often quite crude and would require adjustments from the GM before they were ready for play.

If for any reason, the .dd2vtt files are still in demand, please let me know - the only hesitation I have concerns Fantasy Grounds and Roll20 users, but my understanding is that there are ways to convert Foundry modules for use in Fantasy Grounds or Roll20. If anybody knows more about this, please let me know - I don't want to deprive my patrons of something they use without providing a viable alternative.

Of course, if there's demand for the .dd2vtt files, I can still open up Dungeondraft use the trace tool to pull up the map in question, place some invisible walls and light sources in the appropriate areas, and export it - you'd still need to add the JPEG or WebP files to your scene, but since the .dd2vtt files double up on lighting so much that the image becomes horrifically over-exposed, this is something that I imagine most of you were doing anyway.

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Discord Community:

This is fairly self-explanatory, but I'm setting up a Discord community for my patrons!

I'll be using it to post more regular updates, offer some behind the scenes looks at my process, take suggestions and feedback for my maps and Foundry modules, host polls for upcoming maps/adventures/content, and I'll even have a channel for community maps, where you can post your own maps to get feedback or suggestions, or just to show off your work.

No launch-date just yet, but it's definitely coming soon - I just need to file down some rough edges and it'll be good to go!

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Wizards of the Coast Adventure Maps:

I've been considering returning to mapping official content for some time now, and I think that I've finally put enough distance between myself and the colossal undertaking that was mapping out Barovia that I can think about adapting official maps and locations without feeling my anxiety spike.

I don't plan to make concentrated efforts to map entire adventures again, as mapping out Curse of Strahd was utterly exhausting, but there are a few adventures that are more likely to be featured than others - namely, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, and Ghosts of Saltmarsh.

I'm also considering revisiting a couple of locations from Curse of Strahd to remake some of the maps I wasn't happy with at the time, like Van Richten's Tower, Vallaki Town Square, the Yester Hill maps, or even just some of the locations that were a lot of fun to work on at the time.

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Closing Thoughts:

Finally, I'd like to apologize for the inconsistency of the last six months or so.

Throughout 2022, the Patreon saw huge growth, and it started to look like map-making was genuinely something I could pursue full-time. It didn't compare to a full-time wage, of course, but it was almost enough to survive on, and it seemed like it was going to keep growing.

Unfortunately, in November, my income from map-making took a pretty significant hit. I started to scramble for possible solutions, but mostly I was burnt-out and floundering - I didn't have the energy to come up with actual solutions or improve my craft, and this was all while I was planning a three month trip to the US that would start in late-December, so I couldn't really dedicate as much time to figuring it out as might have been required.

I'm still not making as much from this as I was in November, but rather than desperately fighting the decline, I'm taking steps to reduce the most stressful parts of the work-load to make space for the parts I enjoy, and I'm embracing the fact that these changes might initially result in a loss, but will hopefully allow me to push ahead with a better quality product that will help me to continue growing this venture.

June’s going to be a busy month, and I expect I may stumble here and there as I attempt to find my footing, but I know it’ll be worth it in the end.

Thank you all again for your support - this has been an incredible journey so far, but I genuinely feel like the best is yet to come.

-Vincent (Aonbarr Cartography)