Do you really consider map details and level design important on maps? (Also free map on Patreon)

If you're only looking for the map, you can get all its variations at **full res for free** [**here**](https://www.patreon.com/WilliamOLaw/posts/japanese-hot-map-98998015).

**TL;DR:** I love making extremely detailed maps and carefully designing them, but despite spending weeks on each one, I haven't been able to make enough money from them to properly support the people I work with. I'd love to hear from DMs and players: **What makes a battlemap worth using or buying for you?**

Hi everyone!

I've been wondering about something lately, and I'd really like to hear your opinions.

I usually spend at least a week working on each map, sometimes several weeks or even a whole month. I spend a lot of time on small details, custom assets, digital drawings, and lighting, but I also try to design each map as an actual level for players to explore and fight in, not just as a pretty image.

I've been making maps online for a couple of years now, and while I've had some amazing support from the community, I haven't been able to make enough from them to properly cover the costs of the work I do, including paying the illustrators I've worked with and helping cover the expenses of the tabletop games company my team and I are currently setting up. This has made me wonder if I'm simply spending **too much time** on each map.

I see other map-makers doing very well with maps that, while great, aren't as detailed or heavily designed as mine (not saying they're bad, for real, we know most of each other and they're all awesome creators <3). So I'm wondering: **Is all this extra detail actually something people want?**

Maybe I should make simpler maps that take less time, even if that means sacrificing some of the identity of my work. Or maybe I'm simply making the wrong kind of maps.

So I'd love to hear from you:

**What makes you choose or buy a battlemap? What do you actually want to see in the maps you play on?**

**Do you prefer highly detailed maps, or are simpler maps more useful for your games? Do you care about things like interactive elements, multiple routes, and tactical design?**

**Any feedback, positive or critical, is genuinely appreciated.** I'm trying to figure out how to make the best maps I can while also making the work sustainable.

Thanks for reading!


**Edit:** Sheesh, thank you all for your replies! <3. I've just checked my phone and saw all the comments! Will do my best to answer you all!