Advanced Squad Leader Map Making

This video has been a long time coming. It took me months to gather/create the resources, and then self-learn how to design Advanced Squad Leader maps for VASL, printing, and playtesting. These maps can then be used as baselines to create high-resolution production maps for your ASL projects. I show you how it’s done in Photoshop (works in GIMP too) and provide all the files (link below). Enjoy!

If you have a project and have board concept(s) but don’t want to deal with initial creation, contact me (with a sketch) and I can knock out print/VASL playtest version for you in an afternoon.

Update: You can now design ASL maps in a web browser using the Command Post!

VASL Map Making Files

Keep in mind that these files are not meant to be used to create ultra-high resolution, professional level ASL maps (ie. at MMP resolution). These files (and the method shown in the video) are meant to be used to quickly create VASL files for playtesting and/or design ideas. The method used here would be exactly the same for a production map. It would just have to be done using higher resolution assets. That being said, these maps can be printed and are perfectly serviceable for playing with physical components.

If a map you design ends up becoming an actual project it will have to be re-done by someone with high resolution assets (which I’ve never been able to track down). But using this method re-doing a map should be a quick affair.

This method uses Photoshop Elements (the “home” version of Photoshop, $60-$100). The full version of Photoshop starts at $23/month because it’s online subscription model (no thanks!). GIMP is free and can open Photoshop files. GIMP might be able to import Photoshop brushes, colors, and patterns. You’ll have to research that.

Description of the zip file contents …

• _Starting Geo Board
  • starting-geo.psd = The starting file to create ASL geomorphic boards.
  • vasl-style-references-board.psd = A board displaying all the terrain elements and how they should look. Some of these elements can be cut out and placed in your map design (eg. vineyards)
• Board Examples
  • Several .psd files showing completed board, or board in process. Including Hatten in Flames, Sparrow Force, and ASL Academy Bocage 1.
• Buildings
  • .psd files containing buildings of various sizes, compositions, and shapes. These can be cut out and pasted on your map, as well as rotated once there. These files contain hundreds of building assets.
• Hex Grids
  • Various sized hex grids files.
• Photoshop Brushes-Colors-Patterns
  • Three files containing those things shown in the video. These are Photoshop format. Search Google on how to import them into your version of Photoshop. You may be able to import these into GIMP as well, but I’m not 100% certain.
• Terrain Clipart
  • Various terrain clipart .psd files. You can open these and cut/paste different terrain into your map, such as crags, shellholes, palm trees, etc.
• Texture Files
  • The files used to make many of the patterns included in the “ASL Patterns.pat” file, all .psd files.
• VASL Color Master
  • A text file containing all of the official VASL terrain colors. I’ve not added EVERY color listed in the file to the “ASL Colors.aco” color swatches file, only the most critical.

Links:

The Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlS841xw8qE

The ZIP file: https://asl-players.net/downloads/vasl-map-making-files.zip

Photoshop Elements: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html

GIMP: https://www.gimp.org/

GET TO MAP DESIGNING…!!!

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