Mapping Journal: Making, and then wrecking, Hadeshill Asylum (Patreon)

As we have finally uploaded the second version of Hadeshill Asylum, a spooky, abandoned version (which didn't get finished in time for the start of the Halloween sale), we thought it might be interesting to post a bit about the process of making these maps.

Everything starts life as a good old-fashioned pencil drawing on grid paper, right down to the placement of all the furniture. This plan is scanned and the layout is blocked out in contrasting colours in Photoshop (see image 1).  Textures are then applied to the various colour blocks.  In picture 2 you can see that we started off the Asylum with a tiled floor.  This was a big mistake as it made the place feel too modern and clinical, so we switched everything to wood (3). 

The third image also shows that at this stage we start to block in key features such as stairs and doors, and apply various weathering and shadowing effects.  As the rooms become more furnished (4), we adjust weathering and shadow, because sometimes you can't tell about the balance of a room until it has some objects in it.  

Adding objects continues (5), with more tweaks to detailing and lighting, and at this 'nearly finished stage' we have a close look at the map to see what little details need fixing.  You can see these final touches in image 6, including: upgrading the furniture in the staff areas to help distinguish these; moving a vase that was blocking a door in the foyer (oops); and making the beds in the infirmary look more medical (erm, just making the sheets white).  At this stage we also added the plants outside and finished the windows and their lighting effects. 

Wrecking the place follows a similar sequence. Image 1 below shows the initial modification of the standard map, with the removal and relocation of furniture to try and show what might have happened in this building. To create a night effect, we tweak saturation and brightness (2).  Extreme weathering layers and ambient lighting are used to change the atmosphere of the map (3), and finally, image 4 shows the addition of copious blood stains, creepy weathering, and extra objects to tell the story of the abandoned asylum.

The images below illustrate this same process, but with a closeup on a particular room to show what happens in more detail.

We're happy to answer any questions!