Planning layout

[Mapham]

I have big difficulties inventing a working and fun to play layout. I have tried to look up some guides for this, but cant find anything that actually discusses about this issue. I could look how some popular maps are made, but I cant figure out how to replicate those without copying them.

[2d-chris]

copy the layouts, people have been doing that for over 10 years now - would help to know the game you're planning a map for too ^^

 

just learn to add your unique twist to it, that can be many things, planning on paper isn't required at all for relatively simple structures found in CS and TF2, the key is to analyze what makes official levels work!

 

simply boot up some popular levels and run around them and try to figure out whats going on

Edited July 31, 2013 by 2d-chris

[Mapham]

counter-strike global offensive

 

i cant just take layout of dust2 and expect people to play it, they would just probably think that my map is just poor mans de_dust2

Edited July 31, 2013 by Mapham

[Thrik]

Try doing a bullet point list of what attributes you think makes de_dust2 so popular and successful.

[Minos]

You could for example use de_dust2 as a starting point and then modify some chunks

[Vilham]

Honestly it depends on the type of shooter and its really important to know the mechanics of that game. Also a lot of trial and error.

[-HP-]

I second what everyone said. No point in reinventing the wheel, specially if you're starting and learning. Just study and analyse other peoples maps, specially the good ones of course, lol. (Although it can be a really good learning experience to open and analyse bad maps as well.)

 

“Good artists copy. Great artists steal.”

Pablo Picasso.
 

[Mapham]

But what is the point of making map if it is a copy of another map?

[Spherix]

Learning.

[PyroGXPilot]

Learning to copy! -HA

[-HP-]

If anything, you guys are learning to miss the point real fast.

[TarrySruman]

Make a copy of Dust or Nuke or Inferno or something, but change some things, then play it. You'll figure out pretty quickly what makes those layouts fun.

[blackdog]

I'd say: worry about distribution of the map when you actually have a map to upload on the workshop.

I think you are trying to "grill too much meat at your first attempt" (as we say in where I live - see other topic about making money off a map). I say this because of personal experience: don't think too much.

On the subject of copying, I've read one time that a famous writer "sat down and copied an entire book by another author, just to understand how it feels to write (and finish) a great novel". Unfortunately i cannot find the original, but it's pretty self-explanatory.

Edited August 1, 2013 by blackdog

[Thrik]

Yep I agree with blackdog, you seem like you're trying to run before you can walk (to use another idiom lol).

 

To put it bluntly, you're way off the level of skill where you should be seriously thinking about selling maps, having huge successes, etc. At this point in your quest to learn, don't worry about all that shit — just focus on figuring out what exactly makes maps work, why they're successful, and try to rebuild what others have done so you can learn how they did it.

 

That last bit is more important than anything else. Nobody is just born into the world as an artist, film director, musician, etc. They spend years observing what others do, building on it, etc. In fact, the entirety of humanity is built upon those things that came before. If we wiped out everyone and everything on Earth right now apart from a few people with no memories, they'd have to go through thousands of years of figuring out how to make things all over again. Don't just dismiss your peers' creations, use them.

 

So as has been said, start looking at other peoples' work and learn from it. Once you can make something equally as good (Could you build dust2 from scratch right now equally as good and optimised?), then you can think about doing something more original. Learn how to lay bricks before trying to architect a house.

[Mapham]

Yeah, but like I said in that another thread, i wasnt really serious about making money (atleast for a long while). But what i am concerned about, is that how to invent layouts. But this problem is gone for now, since I have one map in development right now which is kinda like some classics but still different to distinguish itself.