Attitude and Intent - Ken Banks

someone go post this on hl2world please.

Never read that before, but I learned that lesson quite late. Lots of my first CS maps I only did in the hope of getting them official. Obviously they had no soul and I always ended up hating them, which obviously was why they were no near official CS map quality (except some of the last official CS maps), which I then learned later on.

When I then started doing silly maps (A.k.a the Pringles Era) I started having fun and really got into how layouts work and how you get a flow going in your map. I also started working alot faster when I worked for my own pleasure rather than trying to gain something from it.

Its also something that is simply a must if you want to go pro, because you wont put out quality work if you're not into it and having fun.

You really pay attenttion on the flow of the map when it doesn't matter what the map is made out of, and it can be seen in many of the TFC maps, many of them are just wild, completely wild compared to CS and DoD maps, and to me, they were always fun to play.

And that is one thing about realistic games like Rainbow 6, the accurate model of Alcatraz or something might not be fun, and there are alot of advantage places that ruin the flow.

One such game I should mention that has never had a map that I completely hated (official maps ofcourse) is Natural Selection. Maybe it is the fact that most of the maps are identical in visuals so mappers can spend more time designing the flow or maybe it's that the maps are built out of love for the game, but the maps are just fun to play, always.

good read. i really agree on it that the most important thing of amateur level design is having fun at doing so, when i create a map i usually just start to build some crappy stuff not even having a layout or anything else done. i just go crazy with the geometry and most of the time something cool comes out of it. then when i have created a lot of pieces like this. i start thinking about combining them to create a nice and interesting layout. its not that i NEVER draw a layout before i start with a map but i find working like this much more fun and interesting and yes it does make creating a fun map much and much harder but it also gives me as creator a lot more fun and for me that is what its al about. i also find that this way i learn a lot more of how i can make things work within a map then when i start with basic layout totally done already and just add the details. when i first started with creating maps i learned to first draw my layout and the n detail it and stuff and i would allways find myself with cool ideas i couldnt fit in anymore because the layout didnt let me. working out of the wild takes a lot more of your imagination and ability to come up with sollutions for layout problems etc.. wich wil eventually make you a better level designer AND create maps that are way more original then maps created by drawing a layout as a base because you take a lot more time for the base and look at a lot more possibilities in doing so...

now your probably thinking what does this all have to do with the topic??

well when i first started mapping and all i got pointed at all kinds of sites with tutorials and stuff to learn from and i allways found it very interesting to read about how people work on them. and most of the time the articles i would read would go like: you MUST draw a layout first and you HAVE to do this first bla bla you know it all. and as a newbie your being thrown totally in the dark with this kind of talk. you shouldnt be limited by how the pro's say you HAVE to work, instead take on your own turn have fun at what your doing and find yourself creating things that can be equally fun as when doing it their way. working like this wont allways give you a playable and fun level and it will probably give you a lot of unfinished maps but i can tell you once you have enough pieces created, things will come together and will emerge in a map that was created with a lot of fun and is also a lot more fun to play.

as you can now probably understand the thing im pointing at is that its the communities that create the kind of mapper that has to be the number 1 cool guy that designs things for the purpose of making him more cool and thinking that he is "pro" in what he does but instead he should just have a fun time at creating his maps and let people have fun at playing them

comments people!

I miss ken when I used to work with him on Nightwatch. Incredibaly inspirational. I"ll read this when I get to class.

If I wanted fame and recognition I woulda moved onto mapping for mods that people actually play

He raises some good points there but a few I don't agree with. He seems to be saying that you should only map when you are in a good mood, but I've often used to it to get out of a bad one and I don't necessarily think it always results in poor work. He also seems very jaded about the scene and possibly taking some jibes at more of the famous names, but most of the biggies I've come across in my time have been really nice people who do it for the love of it. People often say there is too much one-upmanship and non-constructive criticism around, but I musta been lucky over the years because everywhere I visit has been far more full of camaraderie than competition.

heh, I'll have to tell ken you dug this up

Hmm seems like I have been going the wrong way then. Back my early mapping days with Prixun etc. I mapped because it was fun and because I wanted to create wild maps. These days I more map because the mod need it.

I can see his point but what he seems to forget is that there's also people who have fun doing their work but create it with the intention of getting it official. I was kinda like that when I worked on DOD. I had lots of fun texturing the maps but I worked on a lot of them cause I knew they would probably make it into the official cycle. And I don't see anything wrong with that attitude because at the end of the day it DOES get your name out there, and you DO gain popularity and most importantly this is the stuff that gets you noticed by other companies and ends up getting you jobs.

So yeah, I agree with him about people who create maps for the sole purpose of getting their work into counter-strike without actually enjoying the process of creating.

But he needs to realize that the two can go hand-in-hand and you can have fun creating WHILE working on getting your name out there and getting somewhere with your work.

Good read, I hadn't come across this article yet. I wasn't really that far with mapping in 2002 anyway.

I definitely agree you should have fun making a map. That's why most people started, isn't it?

But different people find different aspects of mapping fun. For me, I liked to experiment a lot and play with graphic effects to fake players, but after a few years I really don't like having just 2 maps finished. For me, part of the fun now is to see one of my maps being played and being liked in-game by others. Heh, I've actually started to play HL2DM after betatesting a map of mine again...

I also think you shouldn't just map when you're feeling like it. Sometimes this can keep you from finishing anything and I've found that to feel worse. Maybe that requires restructuring your workflow or whatever, which may not sound like 'just fun', but if it pays of it can be so much more fun. It really depends on how much time you are willing to invest in it, I think.

Is there some not so hidden parallel between the fact mappers who make levels for Natural Selection can go crazy with scale, reality, etc? Where as cs or dod you're limited by many factors, and as such can't just take carte blanche on creating something insane?

All level designers are quake designers at heart I guess.

Maybe, maybe not. David Johnston wrote in his blog I believe that he gave up on mapping in the Quake time, but got going again for HL and then CS, which was where he really broke through.

But I do agree that the more restrictions a games theme has, the less it's liked by most mappers, or at least, it won't give most people what they would really like to do. I think. At least I know I especially wouldn't want to do a WWII theme because it's so limited in area's and themes.

I have read a lot of banal articles here the last few days...

I know no mapper who maps without having fun. The persons who not have fun will give up after a few weeks.

I dont understand the intention behind such articles. It reads like "see how pro and experienced i am and you others are all noobs and must learn from me!!!!!11111"

Good article Whats Kens nick? Since I've seen the name alot of times, but cannot connect it to a nick

I really hate to work on something that I do not like, like most maps now days for HL2. I have no fun at all, why? I have no idea, its just like that. When I made ts_tomb, I had so much fun making it, since I didn't really have any idea about what a good dm map had, so I just made random traps and stuff that I thought was cool. But now I think too much about gameplay and stuff, so all the fun goes away (in my mind).

Thats why I mostly make props these days, cause they are quick, don't need any "gameplay" or anything. You just make it like you want (or as requested) and be happy with it.

I agree with you Klein, its nothing wrong with making stuff that you think will go official, as long as you have fun doing it. Its like working at a gamestudio that only make god damn boring games which you doubt will be fun..

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IT*S KEN BANKS! I LOVE KEN BANKS HE'S MY IDOL.

It should always be fun ofcourse but I dont agree at all with the "dont be the most popular, it wont do you any good"

Getting regular media attention helps a lot in getting the right contacts, in getting companies to notice you, etc. The same goes for reviews, Ive saw people getting offered a job because they were map of the month at their planet site.

If youre unknown no one knows who you are, what you do or how to contact you and only you can land yourself a job, if they do know you you can get jobs landed without doing anything. And that matters, a lot more opportunities.

And if you want to become popular you dont join a mod because mods push away individual work and make it all become team work and therefor your name doesnt get enough publicity

I think his point is "Don't map just for the sake of getting your name on PHL" or whatnot - And I don't think any studio would take a slightly worse applicant who's content was at PHL as opposed to one who's work is clearly better but is not featured anywhere.

If you submit a proper resume and application as well, people know who you are and how to contact you as well.

If you are good and know how to network and present your work then your name will get around either way.

I still don't see anything wrong with why people shouldn't "map for the sake of getting their name on PHL".... if that's all they want then why not? They are obviously not passionate about it.

And those that ARE passionate about it will have fun doing their work AND be featured on PHL or any other site.

And yes, people that show their work around in every 2nd art forum on the planet tend to get picked up and noticed more easily than those who don't. But when I have two portfolios in front of me and one of them I found on PHL and the other came in the mail then I really don't care about PHL. Anybody can get on PHL these days, it's nothing special. The only questions I would ask myself when reviewing those portfolios would be "Does this person have the necessary skills and experience and will he/she fit well into my team and help the project? How does he/she compare to other applicants"

It was an article I wrote 3 years ago while still working on Natural Selection. I think you guys are taking the PHL thing too literally. I didn't intend to imply that you should keep yourself "secret" or literally avoid showcasing your work on sites like a Planet site or whatever... that would be insane. The whole idea is to share your work - and if looking for a job, get noticed - right?

It was mostly written, specifically directed at the natural selection mapping community, with the intent to hopefully gear people away from the elitist attitude that was starting to become rampant at the time.

My point was in dealing with the attitudes of members in the community towards others, and how they went about achieving publicity, not that publicity was bad in itself or something to avoid.... I guess you had to be there? Heh.

I just think the article - or rant, really - is being taken a bit out of context. It’s really old and cheesy too.

Thanks for the mention though! It's cool that people actually got something from reading it, positive or negative.