It would be nice if the "player maps" didn't show secret rooms or if at least they didnt have that awful shading around the rooms so you could at least edit the pdf easily.
I don't disagree, but I can't entirely agree either.
On the one hand I would like no hint that the secret room is there, but once they do find it, I want to be able to show it on the map.
So either it is not on the player map and I have to Photoshop the room number out of the DM map to reveal the room. Or it is on the player map and I have to be careful to mask it's existence before revealing it. I'd rather have to do the second thing I guess (which is the way it currently is).
The maps DDB hosts are the maps WotC provides (that's why there's no player maps for Against the Giants in Tales from the Yawning Portal). DDB doesn't edit the maps, just uploads what they're given.
I've found it easy enough to use Krita (free photoshop equivalent) to hide the secret rooms on player maps, but using the smart patch tool (essentially the healing brush tool in photoshop) leaves a bit of blur in the texture, which I'm afraid may be a dead giveaway to more conscious players. Looking for easy-enough ways to work that out.
EDIT: After using the smart patch tool, I use the filter brush engine>sharpen brush (straight up sharpen tool in photoshop) to blend the edges, then desaturate/print in grayscale, or use another method to fix any noticeable discoloration. After that, I guess just describe the secret room in the theater of the mind. Not a big deal to me, all the combat areas are still on the maps.
It would be nice if the "player maps" didn't show secret rooms or if at least they didnt have that awful shading around the rooms so you could at least edit the pdf easily.
Would be nice, especially since many of the 'player version' maps on this site don't seem to have in-book equivalents, so they had to be sourced from somewhere or DDB themselves have done the modifications with permission from artists/WotC. So not sure of the rationale for why a lot of these elements haven't been fixed. This was a big problem for me with the ToA maps, especially, which showed a lot of the DM-only information on player versions. Essentially they were just the DM versions minus the numbers which is somewhat redundant given that the numbers, more often than not, give zero metagame information to the players.
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"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
WotC should offer digital player and dm maps as purchasable downloads. That would be awesome. I would certainly buy them as I did with some of Mike Schley’s maps. Maybe they have a deal with roll20 and fantasy grounds that prevents that but I don’t know.
It would be nice if the "player maps" didn't show secret rooms or if at least they didnt have that awful shading around the rooms so you could at least edit the pdf easily.
Would be nice, especially since many of the 'player version' maps on this site don't seem to have in-book equivalents, so they had to be sourced from somewhere or DDB themselves have done the modifications with permission from artists/WotC. So not sure of the rationale for why a lot of these elements haven't been fixed. This was a big problem for me with the ToA maps, especially, which showed a lot of the DM-only information on player versions. Essentially they were just the DM versions minus the numbers which is somewhat redundant given that the numbers, more often than not, give zero metagame information to the players.
They haven’t been fixed because WOTC hasn’t bothered to fix them. DDB gets the player maps from WOTC. DDB doesn’t alter them at all.
Would be nice, especially since many of the 'player version' maps on this site don't seem to have in-book equivalents, so they had to be sourced from somewhere or DDB themselves have done the modifications with permission from artists/WotC. So not sure of the rationale for why a lot of these elements haven't been fixed. This was a big problem for me with the ToA maps, especially, which showed a lot of the DM-only information on player versions. Essentially they were just the DM versions minus the numbers which is somewhat redundant given that the numbers, more often than not, give zero metagame information to the players.
They haven’t been fixed because WOTC hasn’t bothered to fix them. DDB gets the player maps from WOTC. DDB doesn’t alter them at all.
For some reason, WotC leaves secret doors, traps, and NPC patrol routes (if shown on map) on player maps and only removes the room number. Because you know, room numbers might tip players off...
They haven’t been fixed because WOTC hasn’t bothered to fix them. DDB gets the player maps from WOTC. DDB doesn’t alter them at all.
Not disputing this but has that been stated anywhere? I haven't been able to find the player versions that are on here, anywhere else. Does Roll20/FF have the same maps?
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"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
They haven’t been fixed because WOTC hasn’t bothered to fix them. DDB gets the player maps from WOTC. DDB doesn’t alter them at all.
Not disputing this but has that been stated anywhere? I haven't been able to find the player versions that are on here, anywhere else. Does Roll20/FF have the same maps?
I'm pretty sure I've heard it on a dev update or a mod posted it. I don't think there is an announcement or anything.
They haven’t been fixed because WOTC hasn’t bothered to fix them. DDB gets the player maps from WOTC. DDB doesn’t alter them at all.
Not disputing this but has that been stated anywhere? I haven't been able to find the player versions that are on here, anywhere else. Does Roll20/FF have the same maps?
I'm pretty sure I've heard it on a dev update or a mod posted it. I don't think there is an announcement or anything.
As DxJxC said, mods have said as much multiple times. The search function for the forums is too broken for me to be able to quickly find one of their posts to that effect, unfortunately.
I just came here to complain that having secret doors (and secret pathways, such as on the Skull Dunes "players'" map from Ghosts of Saltmarsh), on "player" maps is some of the shoddiest RPG mapping I have ever seen. As a former Living Greyhawk Triad member, I have seen some shoddy mapping and I am still embarrassed that WotC didn't have enough common sense to fix these errors before releasing them. Pathetic amateur-hour junk. Worse, DNDBeyond should push back at WotC and say, "No, those player maps are crap. Please edit out the secret doors, etc."
I bought GoSM on DNDBeyond tonight because we have moved our campaign online, like many others, due to the virus. The least WotC, and DNDBeyond, could do is give us proper "player" maps with these products.
If anyone is looking for a quick n' dirty solution for this:
Download the maps as JPEG's (just right-click and save image)
Edit in MS Paint by copying and pasting other sections of the map and covering up the secret doors.
Because the maps are in a grid it's easy enough to do, and if you pick the right tiles to use as patches, it has a pretty convincing result. I've used this in tandem with Roll20's fog of war system to a good enough effect
Even better, if you use a VTT, make an image that covers up the secret door and place that on top of the map in your VTT. When they find the door, reveal it by removing/hiding the cover.
ETA
An opacity gradient should also help with blending in
the more i dm the less i rely on wotc for anything, especially when they can't even keep secret doors a secret, which is just sad, really. it's a great thing the community is so amazing and recreates a lot of the module maps with incredible quality, adding tons of detail.. and removing dumb things like all the doors labeled S.. i'd recommend searching for maps by location on google, pinterest or just about anywhere else and upload em to your favorite VTT, like i'm doing with the AboveVTT browser extension right now when i came across this thread, lol
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It would be nice if the "player maps" didn't show secret rooms or if at least they didnt have that awful shading around the rooms so you could at least edit the pdf easily.
thanks
I don't disagree, but I can't entirely agree either.
On the one hand I would like no hint that the secret room is there, but once they do find it, I want to be able to show it on the map.
So either it is not on the player map and I have to Photoshop the room number out of the DM map to reveal the room. Or it is on the player map and I have to be careful to mask it's existence before revealing it. I'd rather have to do the second thing I guess (which is the way it currently is).
The maps DDB hosts are the maps WotC provides (that's why there's no player maps for Against the Giants in Tales from the Yawning Portal). DDB doesn't edit the maps, just uploads what they're given.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
I've found it easy enough to use Krita (free photoshop equivalent) to hide the secret rooms on player maps, but using the smart patch tool (essentially the healing brush tool in photoshop) leaves a bit of blur in the texture, which I'm afraid may be a dead giveaway to more conscious players. Looking for easy-enough ways to work that out.
EDIT: After using the smart patch tool, I use the filter brush engine>sharpen brush (straight up sharpen tool in photoshop) to blend the edges, then desaturate/print in grayscale, or use another method to fix any noticeable discoloration. After that, I guess just describe the secret room in the theater of the mind. Not a big deal to me, all the combat areas are still on the maps.
Would be nice, especially since many of the 'player version' maps on this site don't seem to have in-book equivalents, so they had to be sourced from somewhere or DDB themselves have done the modifications with permission from artists/WotC. So not sure of the rationale for why a lot of these elements haven't been fixed. This was a big problem for me with the ToA maps, especially, which showed a lot of the DM-only information on player versions. Essentially they were just the DM versions minus the numbers which is somewhat redundant given that the numbers, more often than not, give zero metagame information to the players.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
WotC should offer digital player and dm maps as purchasable downloads. That would be awesome. I would certainly buy them as I did with some of Mike Schley’s maps. Maybe they have a deal with roll20 and fantasy grounds that prevents that but I don’t know.
Tokens of all the monsters would be great too :).
They haven’t been fixed because WOTC hasn’t bothered to fix them. DDB gets the player maps from WOTC. DDB doesn’t alter them at all.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
For some reason, WotC leaves secret doors, traps, and NPC patrol routes (if shown on map) on player maps and only removes the room number. Because you know, room numbers might tip players off...
Not disputing this but has that been stated anywhere? I haven't been able to find the player versions that are on here, anywhere else. Does Roll20/FF have the same maps?
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
I'm pretty sure I've heard it on a dev update or a mod posted it. I don't think there is an announcement or anything.
As DxJxC said, mods have said as much multiple times. The search function for the forums is too broken for me to be able to quickly find one of their posts to that effect, unfortunately.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
/rant
I just came here to complain that having secret doors (and secret pathways, such as on the Skull Dunes "players'" map from Ghosts of Saltmarsh), on "player" maps is some of the shoddiest RPG mapping I have ever seen. As a former Living Greyhawk Triad member, I have seen some shoddy mapping and I am still embarrassed that WotC didn't have enough common sense to fix these errors before releasing them. Pathetic amateur-hour junk. Worse, DNDBeyond should push back at WotC and say, "No, those player maps are crap. Please edit out the secret doors, etc."
I bought GoSM on DNDBeyond tonight because we have moved our campaign online, like many others, due to the virus. The least WotC, and DNDBeyond, could do is give us proper "player" maps with these products.
/end_rant
If anyone is looking for a quick n' dirty solution for this:
Download the maps as JPEG's (just right-click and save image)
Edit in MS Paint by copying and pasting other sections of the map and covering up the secret doors.
Because the maps are in a grid it's easy enough to do, and if you pick the right tiles to use as patches, it has a pretty convincing result. I've used this in tandem with Roll20's fog of war system to a good enough effect
Even better, if you use a VTT, make an image that covers up the secret door and place that on top of the map in your VTT. When they find the door, reveal it by removing/hiding the cover.
ETA
An opacity gradient should also help with blending in
Vote here for an interim solution for homebrew classes:
https://dndbeyond.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360036951934-Homebrew-class-interim-solution
the more i dm the less i rely on wotc for anything, especially when they can't even keep secret doors a secret, which is just sad, really. it's a great thing the community is so amazing and recreates a lot of the module maps with incredible quality, adding tons of detail.. and removing dumb things like all the doors labeled S.. i'd recommend searching for maps by location on google, pinterest or just about anywhere else and upload em to your favorite VTT, like i'm doing with the AboveVTT browser extension right now when i came across this thread, lol