What is your mapping muse?
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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Naklajat on Mon May 23rd at 1:34pm 2005


What is your method of coming up with inspiration for mapping? In some of the maps here I see great layouts that really flow well, and I was wondering what some of the veteran mappers do for brainstorming and such. I can imagine experience helps, but like the topic says, what is your mapping muse?



=o



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Orpheus on Mon May 23rd at 2:16pm 2005


I do not recall all the titles, but this thread has been done at least a dozen times over the last 5 years or so.

look back a few dozen pages. It was done this year for sure.





The best things in life, aren't things.



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Loco on Mon May 23rd at 3:27pm 2005


Pretty sure Orph is right, but I'll post anyway.

I listen to anything by Silicone Soul and then start planning, often with an idea that springs to mind. Odd method, but it works (sort of - I've yet to release a decent map, but I'm hopeful).






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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Madedog on Mon May 23rd at 3:36pm 2005


I take examples from reality. From something that exists and that I can view from any angle. Like a city house for instance... or Deck17 from UT2004...



HL2 tutorials 'n' stuff: http://madedog.pri.ee
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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by French Toast on Mon May 23rd at 3:53pm 2005


I sit there and think about all the maps I hate, and why I hate them. Then I'll try something exactly opposite.




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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by habboi on Mon May 23rd at 4:14pm 2005


I listen to music, think of all the good maps that are far surperior to what I can make and then I get angry so I start mapping a corridor or a room and I go 'Hmmmm pretty cool, lets make it into a level' and so I carry on with that...

At the moment I am doing what my leader says because I was asked to make a graveyard so that is what I am currently doing...





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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by G4MER on Mon May 23rd at 4:24pm 2005


I try an approach everything from a gamers prespective.. what would I like to play.. maybe others would like the same thing. I get ideas from other games, from TV shows, or from real life places. Some of my favorite maps are the ones that have a sci-fi feel to them.. and dont really have any real purpous, they are just fun levels.. I think Orph has really captured that mapping style in spades. You should see some of his early work.. I was impressed from day one.



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Dr Brasso on Mon May 23rd at 4:27pm 2005


yeah, jons a good man.....but he still aint much to look at....////runs like hell...<img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_lol.gif">

Doc B....:dodgy:





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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by rs6 on Tue May 24th at 12:09am 2005


I sit bored in shcool; so I think of a cool map theme, and then start to make a layout sketch of the map. When i get home i start mapping it, and keep mapping it until I finish or I relize that that theme/layout will not work good, so I start form the begining.



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Campaignjunkie on Tue May 24th at 12:41am 2005


I find maps that I like, proceed to maliciously copy their best traits, then slap them together like some sort of deformed mutant flying kangaroo-giraffe.




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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by DrGlass on Tue May 24th at 2:35am 2005


I remeber when I first played Natural Selection, but when it was in beta or v1.0...

anyways, the maps were so well done I found myself getting so drawn into the game. It really inspired me.




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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by SaintGreg on Tue May 24th at 4:30am 2005


"imitate then innovate"

I find what I like best about the maps I like to play, then I figure out how to lay the map out so that it tries to embody some of the best traits that I like. I draw it out on paper and then get to it.



To get something to work, sometimes you just have to beat your head against the wall longer; the skin grows back, but the brick doesn't.

Source hates soup!



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Cash Car Star on Tue May 24th at 5:53am 2005


My current maps mostly come from the philosophy of nihilism.



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Naklajat on Wed May 25th at 7:33am 2005


? quote:
I do not recall all the titles, but this thread has been done at least a dozen times over the last 5 years or so.

look back a few dozen pages. It was done this year for sure.


Whoopseh... ha, shoulda searched. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyways, thanks for the replies! I've been trying to both tweak a couple layouts that I think could be fun if something was different and also come up with new ones, but I've been stuck. I do find that my best artistic work comes from when I've had proper sleep/nourishment, not 20+ hours into my "day" and last eaten 10 hours ago...



=o



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Fjorn on Wed May 25th at 2:50pm 2005


? quote:

? quote:
I do not recall all the titles, but this thread has been done at least a dozen times over the last 5 years or so.

look back a few dozen pages. It was done this year for sure.


Whoopseh... ha, shoulda searched. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyways, thanks for the replies! I've been trying to both tweak a couple layouts that I think could be fun if something was different and also come up with new ones, but I've been stuck. I do find that my best artistic work comes from when I've had proper sleep/nourishment, not 20+ hours into my "day" and last eaten 10 hours ago...


naw, if ya did that they wouldn't complained about bringing back a dead topic :P



Signature? What signature!?



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by LAzerMANiac on Wed May 25th at 8:42pm 2005


three things are my inspiration:

-coffee
-techno
-my girlfriend.




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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by JannemaN on Fri May 27th at 9:34am 2005


Nature, when im out for a jog im getting inspired by the surrounding im running in. Sometimes i birng a digital camera to picture it too..
That and. Music. Opeth. Black Mellow Metal..




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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by rival on Fri May 27th at 5:43pm 2005


music. i listen to it while i map and inspiration just flows. but usually i get about half way through the map and i get a new idea so i leave the one i started.



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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Fri May 27th at 6:47pm 2005


My mapping muse is the desire to avoid homework.

I never get inspired when I have free time, only when I have a 7 page paper breathing down my neck.




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Re: What is your mapping muse?
Posted by Orpheus on Fri May 27th at 10:01pm 2005


? quoting Fjorn



naw, if ya did that they wouldn't complained about bringing back a dead topic

Actually not.. If someone brings up a long dead topic, "just because' then yeah, they will most likely get burned for it, but if the reply is totally relevant then usually it just picks up once again.

There is a 6 month cutoff for "general" forum replies.. so even if you wanted to, you cannot revive a thread older than its last reply of ">6" months.

If someone did harass someone who revived a post with a relevant reply, I would harass them in turn. <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">





The best things in life, aren't things.




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