Planning a map

Something I've always struggled with is planning out my maps before hand. I tend to just get an idea and start mapping it, but then I end up suffering from lack of direction/connectivity. I was wondering, how do you guys go about it?

I tend to just go for it. I work on one particular area, then if it's looking interesting, I try and expand on the theme. If it looks like it's going to work, I'll think about layout and perhaps do some top-down sketches. Normally I get stuck on the 'expand on the theme' part, but I think this could be down to lack of experience on my part. I think if you just practice making any old random area, then joining it up to another area, eventually you should be able to do the same quite easily for most random rooms you come up with.

I normally get an idea, throw some bits and bobs together in hammer to see if its gonna work out in terms of theme, then try and think over my layout. Sometimes this will involve overhead plans, or sketches, but more often than not I just get a general idea and then try it out. My layouts are often improvisational too, in that I'll look at what I've made, and think how best to connect them from then.

I just start building things in WC and see where that takes me. I never plan things out, cause whenever I do they turn out s**tty. I start with an area and let it grow from there. This organic nature of construction forces me to dump a lot of maps because they turn out s**tty, but most of my better designs come from it as well.

I'm pretty aimless, but most of my past maps have tried to use a particular feature. in Cratesis it was believeable machienery, in nuclear_research it was env_beam and func_train. I've made many others (unreleased because they sucked) which were of similar nature. I had an arch tool map, triangle terrain map... ect.

i draw a full overview (in color!) with information and brainstormed ideas in the various areas, draw concept art to put on paper how i want certain areas to look, think of a basic storyline etc etc...

I all plan it out, but a lot of changes are made through the process of mapping ofcourse.

I tend to get an idea and make a room of it first to see if I like it.
If it seems like it'll be a good map, I develop it further, blocking
out a rough layout in Hammer (sometimes). While doing that, I look up
lots of reference pictures on stock.xchng or something and gather
textures. But I usually don't draw out layouts on paper - I always
inevitably end up changing it a lot, and it doesn't really seem too
practical to me. Maybe some rough architectural ideas, but almost never
layouts. Maybe that's why I can never finish a map? :razz:

The main problem I have with mapping is choosing the right textures. I've thought up countless ideas and tried to implement them, but I can never do it because I can never find the right textures for what I want to do. It doesn't help that I have trouble making textures either. But I have a set of textures that I'll use, I usually just create maps area by area. I only really plan it out on paper if it helps me clarify what I'm trying to do. I can usually just ork from what's in my head. Once I've done say about half a map, I can picture how it will all come together, but I never really plan any floor plans or architecture out.

things just seem to grow in no particular direction for me.

when i'm on a roll and know what i want to make, things can just fall into place. but more often than not, working out what to make [and where to cut back] is the biggest obstacle.

I picked other since it's usually a combination of 2 and 3.

Its cool to just break hammer out and start mapping ... but ... those are usually maps that get thrown away or something as such.

The idea in the noodle is helpful ... sometimes I have to draw it out to make sure about areas and such before continuing (to see if they really will connect properly)

I generally get a cool idea for a room or two and base the map around that. In general, that's not a good mapping practice since then you just have one or two cool rooms... oh well.

I kinda try to get a theme first. And that's about it. To start my map, I usually base the first 2 rooms off of some other level I've seen, but I don't fully duplicate (The only similiarity would be in outter wall and ceiling structure, but the inside detail could be different.)

I generally make up my map as I go. I get to the unifished part and think "hmmm what would go good after this...." then I put something there. I try to throw lots of different stuff in my map, rather than just tons of corridors.

Sometimes i just open up hammer, but most of the time i do a quick sketch of the lay out, then see if i like it, if i do, then ill carry on.

<DIV>I find it's best if I plan out the map for gameplay first. By this, I mean a simple layout diagram with the possible routes of access marked, as well as camping locations, sniper spots and such. I find it's also important to check the gameplay with one strategy for each team.</DIV>
<DIV>Planning for a particular number of people is important.</DIV>
<DIV>On a more arty side, I just pick a basic setting and run with it. I find that if I try to make the theme too specific, I can never get it perfect enough.</DIV>

crack open hammer. Define atmosphere. Build off of that. Voila. Level designers should have gameplay oozing from their ears...like reno.

I told you man, thats a medical condition, and no matter how hard you try and convince me otherwise, I won't believe that sticky stuff is gameplay!

With dm_hogwarts, i actually did a hell of a lot of planning, most of it never used, i took it out of the beta's, for the sake of low[er] r_speeds. I swear i watched that scene at the start of the first harry potter movie where they all go into the entrance hall about 50 times!

ReNo said:
I won't believe that sticky stuff is gameplay!

That just sounds wrong when you don't read what ferret says :razz:

ROFL.

I usually just crack open hammer and go. However, the maps I actually release (which make up about 5% of the maps I make) usually have a little bit of planning. Nothing down on paper or anything drastic like that, but I'll bounce an idea around in my head for a couple of weeks before committing myself to a big mapping project.

I tend to work pretty much the same way as ReNo it seems. Only problem is that I end up with loads of abandoned maps in various states of construction - from one room all the way to full-blown maps that I left for one reason or another.

I think time and a short attention-span probably are contributing factors :wink:

Planning map: Make big box. Make it hallow. Add one overbright light. Add prefab(s). Add spawnpoints and weapons (lots of theim, so you dont need to place any ammo). Done. Post to Snarkpit forums.

nooooooooooooo dies at thought of killbox

See what textures I have to hand, and bosh out some random stuff, trying to keep connectivity flowing as I go.

lep and I are similar