In retrospect - or, looking back at where it began

Hey guys,

it's been a while since I've been around here now, a few weeks or so, and frankly, I'm not doing any level-design anymore (except for hacking away testlevels in a hex editor untill I've written a decent tile editor). And most of the oldies here have either gone pro or gone elsewhere, so I thought it was time for a little reflecting.

I'm interested to hear what you think you've learned from building levels, why you started it and what was so compelling about it initially, and how this changed over time. In other words, I'm asking you guys to describe the development of your level-design hobby. :smile:

I would say I've always been interested in arts, which showed from the many drawings I made. When I found the possibility to create 3D levels, I gladly started building things, even though I didn't know how to compile a level. Initially, it was the ability to create 3-dimensional, game environments that hooked me. I also liked the very experimental aspect of it: playing with entities and tools to pull off what seemed impossible.
Later, I developed a taste for fine visuals and an over-critical eye I think. I started modelling and creating textures in my quest for unique looks. This was a time where I learned mostly other skills.
Even later, I got more interested in the design behind a level, the gameplay experience, and so on. Experimenting became fun again, only this time with gameplay idea's. My desire for unique looks became a blockade as it meant little to no finished levels.
Which is when HL2 came in, and art times skyrocketed. I tried, and found out my concentration span is too short to create a fun, unique HL2 map singlehandedly. At that point I also became more interested in game-design, a step up if you like. That's when I started to focus on programming more and more, and some time later I got a game-programmer internship, besides working on a game of my own.

I can say my HL level-design period learned me a lot of things, from pure art production skills to insight in the development process, and personal things like my limitations and the difficulties of team dynamics.

So, how about you? :smile:

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Create-ivity - a game development blog

Things I gleaned, more so than learned in my advent unto level editing.

• Not all mappers are created equal. Certain people have a natural flair for the task, while others like me struggle to render their thoughts unto reality.
• You can determine whom will last in editing by their attitude toward the subject. Certain people can retain the joy of their first room well into their 3rd or 4th release. I have met a few who kept it indefinitely.
• Mappers can retain more insight into their own improvement by helping others. The simple act of helping can gain some mountains of experience. It doesn't really matter if the person you are helping is more or less experienced than yourself. You can gain insight from the most unlikely sources.
• No info, is bad info. You may think that something is stupid on the surface but in most every instance, some insight can be obtained from almost any bit of advice.
• The success, or failure of your earlier releases has no bearing on how you will eventually develop as a mapper. I have seen people who began as inept as you can imagine, blossom into someone to behold. Conversely, I have seen people make something awesome early on, and improve not because they believed their own press release. You and you alone can achieve your goals. No amount of back slapping will do it for you. Someone/everyone will eventually see you for what you are.
• Mostly, I learned that there is always someone more gifted. No one is the "Best" If you think that you are above someone, more than likely, you are the only one who thinks so.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I wandered into a CS server running a custom map perhaps 3 years ago. The person who made the map, [dnv]Cross was in the server and getting feedback from his clan and random pubbers like me. The map was de_arboretum_v4. It was the best looking and most thought-out custom map I had ever come across at that point. I seldom strayed from the official maps so it was a pure coincidence that I found him and his server.

Basically, I was in awe that a random Joe, who didn't work at a videogame company could, in his free time, create something that other people enjoyed and that he could proudly say was his own work. I complimented him and his time and his skill, and he pointed me to Counter-Map so I could get started. I remember being uncontrollably excited about creating something as s**tty as this:

Or this:

I think my excitement came in the idea that I had seemingly limitless possibilities, and complete control. My imagination started to run (not very wildly) and I wanted to create something other people would enjoy. That could have driven me to make killboxes, but that seemed like the easy way out. I put a decent amount of effort into mapping, but never really committed to it. Now, I'll probably never do it again. I'm caring less and less about what random internet people enjoy or care about. I mean the majority of people who play any given game. I don't mean the Pitters here. You guys are special.

Basically, the will to map hit me hard, and faded.

I always liked drawing and creating things. When I got my first computer, a 486 (when 486es where long outdated and ridiculous) I discovered programs like paint (no joke) and the level editor of a litte but ingenious 3D driving game called "Stunts". I was hooked.

The computer allowed me to create things that simply aren't possible any other way. Naturally, when I found Worldcraft on the HL(1) CD I tried it out and was fascinated by the possiblity of creating 3D space, with lighting, interactive creatures, a sky above it and that you could virtually walk around. I leanerned all the basics from HL1.

That was about a year and a half before I got internet. Some friends of mine started mapping, too, when I showed them and downloaded a few tutorials for me. But they didn't have the patience to master the more annoying parts of mapping. So when I got the internet, mapping was the first thing, the first community that I found a platform for in the net that I couldn't have possibly found anywhere else.

I learned how to use forums. I learned a bit of programming, 3D modelling, even webdesign by working on various things and projects that seem to have happened ages ago but it can't be much more than 4 or 5 years. In that time I moved from HL1 over CS and TFC, Quake III, an obxcure Deus Ex mod to Red Faction, then on to HL2.

I guess what I learned with mapping is that design isn't about pretty pictures but about hard work and thoughtful planning. It took a while to learn it but mapping certainly was one of the key experiences. It influenced me later when I chose to become a graphic designer rather than a painter. Because it's about working with concepts and goals rather than doing random things and hoping it will turn out fine. I like to solve problems in a creative way.

I've only been mapping here and there since 2 or 3 years. Every now and then I get a week where I have time to work on a map I really like but I find it much harder to get anything finished these days. I had to realize that time isn't unlimited. I still find it painful to cope with this fact. So much I'd like to do and no time for it and I constantly feel like choosing the wrong thing to spend time on.

What interests me the most at this date, what keeps me from installing Hammer completely, is probably lighting. I applied things I learned when playing around with RAD that I now use in photography. Or even for color composistion. When you walk through a well-made level you react to it in a way and I find it very interesting to find out how and why. The atmosphere of a level, why are there maps that look completely stale and others that are fresh and exciting even today? Whenever I think I found a trick, a formula, I find a new surprise. And that all lies in mapping. Things that work on a subconscious level. It can be applied to anything, game design is just an intersting vessel.

I also try to help new (and old) mappers where I can. Mapping taught me how open communities and information gathering works on the net and I enjoy feeling like I give something back.

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Why snark works.

I was first introduced to level design over 8 years ago. I think it began when my father showed me Qoole, a quake 2 level editor at that time. Needless to say, I was hooked. My first maps were nothing less than large boxes with stuff inside, but I didn't care. Later on I got my hands on a copy of Half-life, and really enjoyed the game. When I tried to map for it with hammer (yes, I was late) I HATED the interface. I found out about QuArK and started using it instead. I continued mapping on and off, never really completing anything until my Dad and I built a Q3 level together. Valley was the first map I ever released, and it still is one of my favorites.

Once HL2 came out, I was forced to learn the hammer interface. It took me a lot of time to figure out how to make a block, but in time I managed. The second map I released was ctf_wizard, which I know some of you are familiar with :smile:

It been forever, and I still can't stop mapping. I get really excited about the little things still, and I hope I never do lose this excitement.

Some things I've learned:
Lighting:
-The colors you use in your lighting are extremely important to the mood. It's called color theory. Blues make a sad and depressing map, reds and oranges add excitement, and so one.
-Bright maps speed players along, as the hate to be open. Dark areas slow players down, as they tend to sneak about.

Gameplay:
-Keep it simple, stupid. The gameplay doesn't have to be complicated to be effective. Sometimes the most simple objectives can be the most fun. Make a player work to turn one valve to open a door, instead of having a combination of valves to do the same thing. The player will love you :smile:
-If you have an objective, mark it well. If you need to place a LARGE X on the ground, then do so. Even the dumbest players need to be able to instantly know what the objective is. Also, landmarks are important for the player to orient himself. Make sure that every area in your map is unique in some way.

One of the hardest things that I had to learn was, gameplay is more important than art. Noone will care how it looks if the map lacks gameplay, and I've always been picky about the look. This is not to say that your maps should be ugly, just that your map needs to be focused on the gameplay above all other things. :smile:

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Dark_Kilauea
DVS Administration
http://www.dvstudio-production.com/

it started with discovering "build.exe" in the Duke directory. In that time i played long hours dm Duke against my bro over the null-modem cable. So i figured i'd make my own level for us to play in (in which i only knew the secret places :razz: ). i printed the manual and voila..

dindt really made levels after that, untill i discovered the mapping forum at the Paroxysm website. It was the time when i was interested in HL1 mods and this one in particular had my interest. I saw some amazing screenshots from guys like KingNic, Reno, CJ, ... and since they were discussing Hammer issues, i figured i'd give it a go and try to design something like that. i'm not extremely proud about how my first level looked, but the layout and objective system worked great. A second level came, this time with improved visuals.

During these months i discovered Snarkpit and gained more knowledge about how to make better levels. I made a HL1sp map which was originally concieved to be a parox map, but parox died so yeah. Then HL2 came and i was intrigued by its specular and normalmap materials, so i picked up source mapping, and along with all the gained knowlegde from my previous maps, and the knowledge that floated around here, forged a new map, this time for a HL2.

after that the last compo came, and i tried experimenting a bit.. right now i'm thinking of making a FF map.

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These words are my diaries screaming out loud

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting BlisTer</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>it started with discovering "build.exe" in the Duke directory. </DIV></DIV>

Starts humming tune

"Those were the days"

Might I ask Master Blister (not to be confused with MisterBister),
Did you discover Build, before or after 1998? I only ask because I was playing Duke way before HL1 and I owned them both. HL1 was not able to capture my attention like Duke did until after I got my first internet connection in 1999.

[edit] yes, I mapped using build as well. Mirrors and water.. what interesting concepts to render. :eek:

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I started off with Doombuilder

After getting good with it and basicly getting pissed off at the engine limits and how complicated it all was. I moved onto quark

I started off making some stupid quake stuff that was horrible. I moved onto quake 2 made two maps and stayed with halflife 1 I think my map stricken is a good example at where my skill level is at now but theres always alot of room for improvement.

Despite getting little feedback for my maps i took much to word what people said and tried my best to fix or correct any problems in the maps.

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Why Do we all have to wear these ridiculous ties

I started with Duke Nukem 3d and Quake... those were the days.
Then it was Unreal & Call of Duty. The phyics in HL2 grabbed me and pulled
me back into level design. I could never make really mean traps in unreal for
my own amusement. lol

Simply put, I like to create things. I may very well suck at it, but I try my best. I could very well build a really decent map if I put my mind to it, but putting my thoughts into a virtual world isn't all that easy.

Things I've learned>

• even the most experienced can overlook the simple and obvious.
• you don't have to be a mapper to give good suggestions.
• you can always learn new tricks and techniques.
• tutorials don't always give you the full picture, sometimes

you have to figure things out on your own with their guidelines.

• ask questions
• accept failure and try again, negative comments lead to positive output.
• detail is important, even if the player may not always notice it.
• plan ahead and make notes, but improvisation can lead to better

output sometimes as well.

• the simplest observations can turn an idea around.

152. Fake it 'til you make it.

219. There's only so many concrete warehouses one can make.

I started off with Doombuilder

After getting good with it and basicly getting pissed off at the engine limits and how complicated it all was.

*Throws Insane on the floor and sits on him

Really now. Doom mapping doesn't get any easier than DoomBuilder; you must have been mapping for the old Doom2 engine :razz: (zdoom please)

ahem Anyways, I suppose I got into mapping/modeling/ all that back a long time ago when I was only a young child. Games enthralled me, and I always wanted to create the things that I had seen in them. In an imaginary world, there are no limitations -- regardless of what engine you use. Around the year 2000/2001, I stumbled across a "Game Developer Kit" which really wasn't all that great. It was overly comlicated, with no instructions, and the stuff you made with the mapping program was slow to render and use -- I never really figured it out, yet alone compile anything with it, but I did eat the damn thing up with a spoon.
So around February in 2003, I was walking through Best Buy and saw the HL Platinum Edition. I thought to myself, "I've already got it on the PS2, but I'd like to see the differences it has on the PC."
So, after it was all installed and thoroughly played, about 3 weeks later I came home wanting to do some StarCraft mapping. I went thumbing through the folders on the family computer -- and stumbled across an interesting little folder labled "WorldCraft". I set the damn thing up later that night, and early the next day after school, I compiled my first box :biggrin:

And if there's any reason why I do mapping or modeling, or anything related to it, it's probably because I want to etertain people the same exact way that all those games long ago entertained me. :smile: And further on:

The things I've learned thus far probably are:

• Take all suggestions, good and bad, and reguardless of how trivial you may think they are. They'll always help you in the end.

• Don't always think your map is awesome, or think it stinks. From the mapper's point of view, you may be seeing flaws with it that no one else can see -- on the flip side, you may also be seeing the beauty of your map that no one else can see.

• Be different and experiment. Everyone likes creative maps that are different -- even if your map doesn't have the best architecture or graphics, thinking outside the box and making some new will almost always be a breath of fresh air to the players.

• Don't be afraid of your engine. Don't ever think that just because you're using an engine that's very old or outdated (slaps mister insane once again :razz: ) that you're limited to things only done at the date of which the game was made. With that being said, don't ever flaunce the game's limitations either.

• Don't speak for your map. I generally try to be informative and tell people what they are going to get when they play my maps, but I've seen that one should never tell people that "My map is going to be great and you're going to love it!" because many times, I've seen the exact opposite.

• Comment about other's peoples maps, and be honest to. People appreciate the feed back, both good and bad. (Sadly, I myself don't comment as much as I should :/ )

• Be willing to learn -- saying that you won't do something because, "It takes too much time and I don't know how to do that." Well learn then. :razz: (once again though, my will to map for HL1 currently outweighs my will to master the HL2 engine, which I'm starting to want to shoot myself over :/ )

/end speech

I did map for zdoom what i was saying was basicly you needed to be impossibly good to make really nice maps. I have 3 gigs of doom 1 and 2 stuff you dont need to question me.

Grove is still my all time favorite map and thats for zdoom

I knew what k2 bridges where etc i was rather good actually i have maps to prove it. I even started some stuff in polymost engines. like doom legacy

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Why Do we all have to wear these ridiculous ties

Orpheus said:
<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting BlisTer</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>it started with discovering "build.exe" in the Duke directory.

Starts humming tune

"Those were the days"

Might I ask Master Blister (not to be confused with MisterBister),
Did you discover Build, before or after 1998? I only ask because I was playing Duke way before HL1 and I owned them both. HL1 was not able to capture my attention like Duke did until after I got my first internet connection in 1999.

</div></div>

before 1998. Maximum a year after it was released, dunno the exact time, but it was before i started playing HL. HL1 didnt' do it for me like Duke, too. I was such a fan of Duke Nukem DM play that i even bought a T-shirt like the nerd that i was.

I started with Worldcraft 2.1, although I had mucked around with
various RTS "map makers", the simplicity of those things can't really
be classed as map creation really though.

What have I picked up?

• Finishing a map isn't conducive to my lazy genes :razz:
• Fellow mappers are your best friends for development, and usually
  ones you don't know too well. Friends have a tendency to lavish praise
  even on a steaming pile of turd.</li>
• Advanced entity work is a real headache!
• Forum culture is the driving force behind the custom scene, to turn away from it when developing maps is to do so at your peril.
  </li>

I was first inspired by a rats map that took place in a kitchen for Half-Life, that was when I had just got the internet connection to work, and I was going to servers with custom content for the first time, this was something like 2001 (I know, I was a late bloomer).

I started with Hammer 3.something, the first version that they called Hammer, instead of Worldcraft. I remember the very first thing I ever got to work, a box, consisting of only the default eight-ball texture, where the player was stuck in the ground.

Then I actually made a map, it sucked, but still. I made it during Christmas break so my brother could help me with it, and build his own section while he was at it. The map had no plot, no thought to the texturing scheme, plenty of leaks, crappy ai, since I didn't know about nodes, and some butchered sections where I carved.
Not bad for a first try. I built the entire thing with one single tutorial, and introduction tutorial. After that map, the computer crashed in a big way, so I couldn't use it. We ended up losing all the data on it, and I didn't touch mapping again until HL2 came out, because I knew it would come with Hammer, I waited for it.

At first, the program didn't even open, so I couldn't do anything for months. Once the gameinfo.txt error got fixed/I found the fix to it, I actually did something. I didn't study any tutorials before making my first map, so of course it sucked.

The map had no plot, no thought to the texturing scheme, plenty of leaks, crappy ai, since I didn't know about nodes, and some butchered sections where I carved.

Also, it didn't actually end, in the first one you died at the end.

From there I actually looked at tutorials (after making an idot out of myself asking noobish questions on the VERC forums). I made dm_carnival, which was bad, but much better than my first two. dm_pointless was better, and so was cave, my next two maps, which actually had logical themes and stuck to them.

Now all I need to do is release something new, the only problem is that a mountain of schoolwork, and extra-curricular activities are taking up all of my freetime, so the only things I've done lately have been tutorials.

But there's hope, once football season is over, I'll have free time.

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Also change the texture of the dock. Docks are rarely tile. -Facepunch
As I Lay Dying

Mapping is hard, and requires a lot of patience. I discovered that I have a lack of patience, so I turned to coding, which I like more. This doesn't keep me from cracking open Hammer from time to time to start working on a map which is absolutely brilliant in my head, but turns out like a pile of bad brushes in the end.

It's not all rain and thunder, though. I've learned a lot of things, about optimizing maps for example (someone here gave me an excellent explanation about visleafs and visblocking, I think it was Reno).

I'm just lurking around on the boards nowadays. Things aren't what they used to be, and that includes me. I'm at the university now, so a big heap of my free time dissapeared.

Keep on mapping, and thanks for all the help and the good laughs,

I could go and make a list of special thanks to people, but I will not do that, Reno, Orpheus, Cassius, Gwil, Mazemaster, KungFuSquirrel, Campaignjunkie, Lep, ... (oh boy, I'm forgetting people here).

I'll see you around,

Force

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:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer

Things I've learned>

• even the most experienced can overlook the simple and obvious.
• you don't have to be a mapper to give good suggestions.
• you can always learn new tricks and techniques.
• tutorials don't always give you the full picture, sometimes

you have to figure things out on your own with their guidelines.

• ask questions
• accept failure and try again, negative comments lead to positive output.
• detail is important, even if the player may not always notice it.
• plan ahead and make notes, but improvisation can lead to better

output sometimes as well.

• the simplest observations can turn an idea around.

Nice list.

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Why snark works.