I've never been too good at coloring maps. My current map is the interior of a UNSC ship on Tital (clear day skybox). Now I'm at the stage where I need to experiment with the "color references" in the map options to find a good color scheme I like, but this is also the where I'd normally take forever and end up with an ugly mess of colors anyways. Do any of you know of a great color scheme for indoor ship maps that I can apply to the "color references" part of the "map options"? Also, does anyone know of a really nice looking existing indoor map that I could use as a reference? I'd also prefer colors that won't make the map look too dark, though I do already have lights set in place. Thanks in advance!
Well military ships are usually pretty bare bones aesthetic wise, function over looks. So if you're trying to stay realistic, it's gonna be mostly greys. But that would be boring. I'd definitely suggest some greens and blues as highlight colors. Did a quick Google search of battleship interiors and this is one of the few I found that has some color Do some more searching on Google images, Pinterest, and ArtStation and you'll probably find some more inspiration.
Make a selection of let's say 5 blocks with 5 colors you find interesting. Copy that group and adjust the metallic etc. Copy that group and adjust the material etc. Copy that group and adjust a layer of grime or whatever. Maybe add some different invisible lights or what else you see fit. Now you have 20 or 25 small blocks which you should prefab and then test on different canvases in different conditions to see what colors do well or look the way you want it.
One thing I've found that helps spice up boring gray maps is the green filter. It adds a little bit of color interest to grays and blacks without taking it in a wild direction. Another thing that helps is using colored lights instead of white. Determine what type of bulb your lights would have and use a subtle color for those. I usually use the following colors depending on the light source: Daylight - white or light blue Tungsten (traditional light bulbs) - eggshell or beige Fluorescent - faded green or light blue green All of these colors are close to white, but not fully white, so if you mess around with them you can get some natural looking light effects. I think of it sorta like setting the white balance for your map, if that makes sense. The most important thing to remember is that sunlight is cool and light bulbs are warm. Try starting with that and you can expand on it from there.
If you wanna take things to the next level, try to learn which of these colors become neutralized by the filters you're using and you'll really be cooking with gas. For example, if you have lights set to chief green and you use the blue filter, the two will mesh into a grayish color. The gold filter with light blue green lights or blocks will create white. My personal favorite is using the red filter, and making all my lights and white / gray colors out of shades of light blue. Here's a few images of a map of mine where I use that trick: Spoiler: Images It still has a hint of blue, but if you don't bake the lights on this map it's basically neon blue. In the comparison between versions I didn't do anything drastic to the aesthetics, just switched my whites for their blue counterparts, and then counteracted that with the red filter. The purple parts of the map are actually 50% gray, when the filter hits shadows it is more intense. If you were to do what Mullertje suggested and try out some swatches of color, I'd suggest also trying to learn which filters and colors interact well and to try to use that to your advantage. I like to make sci fi industrial maps often and once I figured out how to manipulate these things, it really expanded what I sort of mood I could create with my gray on gray maps.
don't forget the option of using colored lights and colored blocks in a cube map box if you are using one. that lets you adjust the tone of the reflection lights