How do you design your maps?

[Andrez]

This is especially referred to expert mappers.... I explain.... What do you exactly do before making the actual map?
Do you draw it on paper, or do it in real-time while editing...? Share your mapping "tactics"!

[#M|A#Wolf]

Do you think of the layout, or idea/theme, or draw a little mini map on a paper then after the layout is done add stuff to implement different tactical ideas? It would be very interesting to know!

[JMM]

I start just mucking about and the something comes out if it.

Incidentally, I haven't finished one single map so far, I have a whole pile of WIP maps sitting there.

[Habluka]

In the case of the only map I've ever actually released, I sort of drew out some guidelines for it on some paper that gave some notes about how it should be textured, the heights, the sizes, and the floor plan. Of course, I don't always do this. In my most recent map, which I do not feel like releasing, I was just frustrated that I couldn't actually play very well on the computer I'm using, so I started messing around.

[Ruthless]

I make it up as I go along ;)

[RandumKiwi]

I start just mucking about and the something comes out if it.

I do this...

I make it up as I go along ;)

... and this

(Hence why ac_toxic looks weird and stuff...)

[Undead]

used to do as i go along, seems to work alot better if you draw it in paint or smt beforehand as a basic plan to follow.

[Gibstick]

If you make it up as you go along you'll spend a lot of time on textures (or 'tis what I do). Get a basic plan first! Otherwise it'll look as ugly as Bukz_Concealed_Crypts. Edit: Ask Bukz for it.

[DrauL]

Where can i get Bukz_Concealed_Crypts?

[Habluka]

Where can i get Bukz_Concealed_Crypts?

Did you try asking Bukz?

[DrauL]

Nope. Did you?

[Habluka]

Did I ever say I wanted it?

[R4zor]

I drew ac_gothic on a whiteboard.

[V-Man]

I followed Dreamer around for an hour and a half.

[mikebefore]

hey, ... by the way ... the above eye looks like the eye of a Jerry Garcia sound-alike I know who happens to look nothing like Jerry. Lol. But Elvis could sing better than Garcia and Sinatra combined but I am a fan of all three. But more to the point I am also a fan of 3 dimensional geometrical thinking before starting a map. As I go along and go off on a tangent I save the original plan as a file to come back to if I decide I liked the way it played before the updates. Save the updates every time. leave some room for details. and read the manual a lot. then go back and read it again. also read the forum a lot and again. and bookmark the useful threads with links you want to revisit.

[Mr.Floppy]

Pretty much like this.

[Ronald_Reagan]

Think of a cool idea, make the basics of it, lose all inspiration, give up = my process.

[Andrez]

Do you think of the layout, or idea/theme, or draw a little mini map on a paper then after the layout is done add stuff to implement different tactical ideas? It would be very interesting to know!

I do! I'll post a map I drew on paper as soon as possible!

The problem is that even if I follow thousands of tutorials (I read Mr. Floppy's map design like two or three times) I can't get my ideas working on editing. Something goes wrong everytime, like too wide or tight tunnels, too long or too short ways, rooms with no ways or just 2 ways out...... :/

[DrauL]

Im just OCD so never accomplish anything. Only me?

[a_slow_old_man]

I play other games and get inspired by them,
eg. when I made ac_slum I played mw2. Then I look in the internet how a real slum lookslike and I try to do it.
Then I adjust the height of the map to take the advantage of the upper team, download and make some new textures and a few new mapmodels. Once I'm finished I normally realise that the map is just a bunch of textures an models and I just hate it...

But yes, I draw it also on paper

[Orynge]

I draw them out on paper before-hand, or on a whiteboard.
Then I put it in-game and put in mapmodels and other stuff.
(Would love to show you some of the maps I've done, but I accidentally deleted them all when I reinstalled -_-. I've since started remaking two of them)

[Alien]

1. Idea (based on gameplay or theme or style)
2. Name of map
3. Layout (paper for coop or in single in head), then create basic layout without textures and details, you have created the whole map after this step something as nooby map
4. you start to create detailed parts,
4a. Putting to each part of map some idea to get it easer for learning and create diversity
4b. Combine mapmodels with textures and layout of detail
4c. Try to modify your idea to overall style of map.
4d. Put lights and all mapmodels
4e. Restart map and go to look how this part looks by eyes of player.
4f. if you like it go to other part
(don't copy ideas from other maps, do something original in your map, use /copy and paste for get effect of regularity, try to have proper diversity and the same style and theme everywhere etc.)
5. /clearents light and create all lights again
6. go through map and fix mapmodels, put ladders and clips
7. put player entities and pickups
8. test gameplay with friends
9. upload your map everywhere you can, force all around to test it, advertise, lobby and force lazy players to learn your map.

[DogDancing]

I usually sketch out a few layouts on paper first. Then once I have a solid idea of what kinda map I want I start building the "blank" area's. With Shine...I built that map for my AR! So it has nice long walk ways..also plenty of different ways in and out of the bases. I hated playing maps with only 1 or 2 ways in and out of a CTF base...makes for bad game-play I think.

I usually decided on the textures before all the other details, after most of the textures are done I start adding map models and details...and yeah that's pretty much it.

[Robtics]

I draw a basic layout on a paper first too. Once I did that I create the very basic layout and then start to add a few details every here and there. It takes some time until it looks good but that way I dont loose my inspiration and fun in creating the map ... usually I dont work longer than 30 mins in a row on it ;)

my layouts I drew on a paper mostly look like this:

(wont tell you much about how the map will look like in the end but its enough if I know what I drew ;D)

[Andrez]

That's epic ^

Well, as I promised, here's my (supposed) ac_drain:


Yeah, pretty poor, but my fantasy does not fly that high :P

[ExodusS]

ac_warfare[/b]

The preview :




The real and final version :

[Robtics]

^ great map

[Alien]

so detailed sketches would demotivate me, i love improvisations :)