How to make a town

[CoolZidane]

For many people, the best part of making an RPG is making the dungeons. They make excellently designed dungeons that you truly feel immersed in, but then you get to the towns. Quite a few people have trouble making towns. Others are just lazy, and the town looks like a few chipset pieces strewn together to make something that resembles a building.

Well, with some time, effort, and these tips, you can make great towns.

1. The Geography of the town

When you make a town, take into account where this town is in correlation to your world map. If it's next to a mountain, put some small cliffs and mountain-esque features in it. If it's by the ocean, put a beach and some ocean water. However, it's important that the geographical features don't completely interfere with the design of the town.

2. The buildings

a. Look

Use the various building pieces in the chipset in making the building. It allows for more creativity in the design. On another note, don't make multiple buildings that look the same. Add stuff to the side, make extensions, etc.

b. Purpose

The buildings in the town should serve a purpose. Don't just make homes, shops, a pub, and an Inn. While sometimes that's okay, make more buildings. For example, have a farmer with a pen of animals behind the house. Have a City Hall for the mayor if your game has that. Make a church if your game has a religion. Put in a marketplace. Make a library for all I care. Adding buildings make the town more unique, and will give it extra flair.

c. Geography

If you have cliffs in your town, feel free to utilize them. Put houses or other town features on the cliff. If you have a river, make a bridge.

3. Other features

After making buildings and the other geography, work on the fine details. Put in dark grass occasionally, put in paths where paths are needed, and maybe make a fountain.

4. People

Outside of the buildings, this section is the one most people have trouble with. People need to be in your town for it to be a town. There are a couple notes:

a. Don't put too many people in your town.

It overcrowds it and makes it less enjoyable. Plus, if you have more people than the houses could hold, it hits the old "cliche" of more people than room.

b. Put a variety of people in.

Put in men, women, little kids, old people, and even animals. Also make sure to make the people have personalities of their own, rather than just "Hello." Give them something they do on a typical day. Have kids playing around, have old people sitting in the house, yearning back to the good ol' days. Make it interesting. The townspeople are people too.



With a combination of these tips, you should be able to make great towns in your games.