Could use some help with map layouts

It's been some time since I've done anything Half-Life related, I know. So I decided to come back and do some mapping, but I'm having trouble making map layouts. Can anyone direct me to a site that may help with drawing map layouts? I have no trouble using hammer, I'm pretty skilled at it. My problem is just coming up with an idea for a map and drawing out a layout on paper.

Ooh! I LOVE drawing map layouts; I come up with so many of them I never get a chance to consider them for a finished work. I normally do my drawings on a 1/4" sized grid paper. You can find them in any art supply store (maybe Wal-Mart?), or if you have a college nearby, check the bookstore for engineering paper.

I always draw with a straight-edge (that's just my style) and I like to use pencils with different leds, normally: .3mm=4H, .5mm=HB, .7mm=2B, .9mm=2B. I normally always begin with a plan drawing. I'm not really worried about a scale for the first drawing. I normally start with some circles representing certain areas of interest. It will look like one of those web diagrams. And then I start on a separate sheet of paper and begin drawing these areas imagining how they will be connected.

1st things first though:

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[*] You have to have a theme! Any good beloved map out there has a theme. Some maps can be excellent, but if they're too clich?d or have their theme has been overused, then the map will not be enjoyed, and perhaps even avoided. </SPAN>
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[*] For multiplayer: Always balance! -If you want players to feel that they are playing a fair game with one another, the mapper has to play fair as well. This involves weapon placement strategy (i.e. there can't be just one sniper's nest that can be overpowered!) There needs to be an opposite. Now this doesn't mean that all maps have a mirror on the opposite side, they can vary accordingly, but keep in mind how long it takes to get to certain areas. Are there moveable objects, or doors that can close to block off certain sections? Are there easy to reach places with too much leeway for one team? All questions to consider. </SPAN>


[*] Keep in mind what your map is about! This differs a little from theme, let me explain: A theme can give reason for why your map exists in the virtual world. With theme, you try to simulate an environment, fictional or not. You build a place that is believable for the players; an illusion of sorts. But this doesn't keep players from asking "why am I here?" They need a reason to be there! We're not going to build a level of a boring bathroom and tell the player to fight there just because they spawned there! Let's look at CS, there you already have your reason built right into the game: Terrorist vs. Counter-Terrorists. a constant struggle of good vs. evil. But What makes some of these places worth fighting at. Location, location, location! The Middle East, a warehouse full of money, an abandoned mansion. All perfect candidates for a T vs. CT fight.
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[*] Design with the bigger picture in mind! Here we have the problem of confused locations or different perfectly themed areas which would be seemingly impossible to link together so closely, yet there they are! What can we do to prevent this? The web layout helps for one. But something better to help keep you on the right track would be reference photos, or pictures. If you want to design a map around a certain image in your head or a place you remember visiting, look for similar photos. Or draw some of your own sketches. They don't have to be nice, just as long as you understand them. 3D is always excellent, if you're a heavy visual person and simple squares aren't cutting it, then 3D will do the job for you! I normally lay out my weapon placement with a simple color-coded legend and symbols. multilevel floors are drawn off to the side in the same scale. And I normally (but not always) try to draw a flow of arrows for different routes to take. This can be done with tracing paper over the top of the drawing, or on a photocopied separate sheet. Either way, this helps in visualizing how the players will traverse your world. </SPAN>
And I suppose I should back-up my claims. These are older drawings of mine done back in '03 so their not done on grid paper, (in class boredom). You will see that I like to stick close to my original plans. They save a hassle of a trouble:

my very first level I ever built (now gone for good, but at least I still have the drawing!

A view of a front of a building on a city block. (never built in hammer)

A level layout for one of my earlier projects also lost to the clutches of the updating steam progress bar! It was simply called: sp_morning and I happen to have it posted up here on the SnarkPit here

[url=http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t103/Riven_bucket/p1010006.jpg]The same area but done in 3D for perspective (another boring day at school if my memory serves me right).

<A HREF="http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t103/Riven_bucket/234.jpg" TARGET="_blank">And a picture of a picture of the lost design in HL2.[/url]</A>

this here is the level layout for dm_closequarters; also up on the Pit here for download!

I do have many other's but I don't want to give them away ;D Never know when that creative interest might strike!

I'm sure anyone who knows how to do level design, (or not) can help you with a level layout! Start a map thread, I'd be happy to critique it!

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

lol, wow :smile:

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Aaron's Stuff

Wow, that's one of the best answers for any question I've ever seen. I'll try using a few of those tips, thanks for the help.

Dude, the guys obsessed. The kind of obsession I have with Halo.

@ Riven: You know I'm just kidding.

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Aaron's Stuff