Graphics Tablet on a budget?

[festivus]

Anyone have any opinions of these Aquila-L1 graphics tablets I see on ebay for around $10? I suck at drawing with my mouse and need a better solution but don't want to spend a ton of money.

[Snikle]

I have heard bad reviews of them, I have a Wacom myself, but I think that unless you are a professional artist making money with your art, that any tablet will really do. And for $10, how can you really go wrong?

[festivus]

True, I just hate getting burned :)

I'll buy one and report my findings.

[Tailz Silver Paws]

Personaly from my experience if your going to get a graphics tablet you should get a Wacom. But I could never really get used to looking at the screen while my hand was down lower drawing on the tablet - just have to save my penny's and get myself a Cintiq. That way I can look at what my pen is doing while I draw.

https://www.wacom-asia.com/products/cintiq/img/option-cintiq21ux.jpg

[festivus]

I am not looking for any real quality here. It would only be used for drawing basic lines to form a map. My concern with the cheap one is the size, only 3x5" input area, I would think that might be a little tight.

I would love a wacom, but at several hundred dollars it's prohibitive.

[HolyOutlaw]

Is there anyway to do point to point drawing? Rather than freehanding lines, kinda like connect the dots? Click for point A, then click for point B, then right click to connect the two referrence points with a line? This would be much better than trying to freehand drawing walls and the likes that require straight edges/lines....

[Griogre]

I would like this feature. FG doesn't have it, and I miss it.

[SurlyDwarf]

Is there anyway to do point to point drawing? Rather than freehanding lines, kinda like connect the dots? Click for point A, then click for point B, then right click to connect the two referrence points with a line? This would be much better than trying to freehand drawing walls and the likes that require straight edges/lines....

or something like, hold shift and the cursor only goes in a straight line as is a convention in programs like Photoshop, etc.

[John_Geeshu]

Better drawing tools are needed, without a doubt.

[Tailz Silver Paws]

Better drawing tools are needed, without a doubt.

I think the drawing systems are in there for "on the fly" modification of maps and temp maps. I don't think its ment to be a fully fledged drawing system. Thats why you import your maps to the program, not make the maps in the program.

A few added extras would be nice, but don't expect photoshop tools in it.
The main things I think it could use is the ability to hold down shift to draw straight lines, thats the only extra I would like to see.

[richvalle]

This should be one of the improvements in 1.06. Ged posted a screen shot of the interface. More colors were part of it.

I don't know if being able to force a straight line is included.

rv

[HolyOutlaw]

The main things I think it could use is the ability to hold down shift to draw straight lines, thats the only extra I would like to see.

I agree. Just this addition would make it a better experience for the GM.

[festivus]

I think the drawing systems are in there for "on the fly" modification of maps and temp maps. I don't think its ment to be a fully fledged drawing system. Thats why you import your maps to the program, not make the maps in the program.

A few added extras would be nice, but don't expect photoshop tools in it.
The main things I think it could use is the ability to hold down shift to draw straight lines, thats the only extra I would like to see.

While I agree with you for the most part, there often enough seems to be situations that arise where I need to freehand something, usually with straight walls. With my mouse they come out looking something akin to my 2 year olds scribbling... hence my thought of buying a small tablet.

One more question, to steer things back to my original question, does the size of the tablet matter much? Can I get away with a 3x5 one?

[devinnight]

Hey Festivus,
I work with a 4x5 tablet, and you see what I do with that.
The smaller tablets are just fine.
-D