What was your first ever map?

[Nerve]

As a beginner I'm curious to see what you guys were making when you first started out.

 

I have an idea for a map I'd like to start boxing out, but I'm not sure if it's too ambitious as a beginner as it would require a lot of custom assets - which I have zero experience with - so I'm thinking I should stick to a theme that matches the textures/assets already included with the CS:GO SDK.

 

What was your first ever map or some of the very first work you produced? If you have pictures, even better!

 

[Evert]

My first map was for HL1 I think, in QuArK.

It was awesome, because you could rotate the grid and build everything on weird angles.

I also discovered that you could cut brushes in the 3d-view. It cut through all geometry from the camera point of view, ignoring if the brushes was visible or obscured by other geometry. And also the cut tool didn't align with the face so it was completely angled cuts as well.. The map didn't compile.

[2d-chris]

starcraft zergling defense mission, then some scifi fortress shit in Unreal ^^

[Chimeray]

Age of Empires 2. I hated that the AI always rushed me so I made a map where you start of surrounded by bamboo and you had to cut your way out, delaying the game. I still lost but at least I got to build a city xD I always was more fascinated by building stuff.

 

8 years of shit after that in various editors, both ingame and some more complex. Both 2D and 3D.

I suppose my first "real" editor was the F.E.A.R. dev kit, didn't finish anything on that.

 

I'm not gonna discourage you to start using a complex editor but why not try one that's built ingame first so you don't get all the errors, build issues, etc? If it's your first map don't make assets for it, waste of time since your map will be shit anyways. Better spend that time on making more maps and learning from mistakes rather than tweaking textures (unless you wanna do art).

Edited December 6, 2013 by Chimeray

[iwxanthi]

Duke Nukem 3D. If I remember correct, it was a bunker complex because that was easy to make I thought. Took me 3 weeks to figure out how to make a moving door...

Thank god for the Internet these days

[Nerve]

 

Age of Empires 2. I hated that the AI always rushed me so I made a map where you start of surrounded by bamboo and you had to cut your way out, delaying the game. I still lost but at least I got to build a city xD I always was more fascinated by building stuff.

 

8 years of shit after that in various editors, both ingame and some more complex. Both 2D and 3D.

I suppose my first "real" editor was the F.E.A.R. dev kit, didn't finish anything on that.

 

I'm not gonna discourage you to start using a complex editor but why not try one that's built ingame first so you don't get all the errors, build issues, etc? If it's your first map don't make assets for it, waste of time since your map will be shit anyways. Better spend that time on making more maps and learning from mistakes rather than tweaking textures (unless you wanna do art).

 

I've been using Hammer every night for about 2 weeks now, I've tried to get 2-3 hours or more in. I feel pretty comfortable with the basic fundamentals and tools and have been reading lots of level design theory in my spare time. 

 

I think I could box my layout quite well-ish but when I get to the art side of things I'd be stuck so I guess it's pointless really. Maybe it's something I should come back to in the future when I'm more experienced and have the chance of working with an artist.

 

I'm thinking I should stick to basics and work on a layout using textures and assets included with the SDK (cs_italy themed or something), just to get a feel for everything.

Edited December 6, 2013 by Nerve

[PaulH]

Sticking to basics would be setting everything up using dev textures only and no real assets. Doesn't mean you can't get across an idea of the final theme though, but does mean you don't have to spend time dressing areas when simple blocks representing cover will suffice.

 

Think my first level was in UDK, something for the original UT. It had a section of floor that was disguised and when players stepped on it they realised it was a fast moving lift which took them down into a lava pit. I don't know why, it was shit.

[Warby]

half life 1 sp levels and some death-match maps they all:

 

looked like crap

played like crap and

performed like crap

 

its a miracle that they compiled at all

[Skacky]

Much like warby, except most of these were for old versions of CS. I also made one or two very very crappy Quake maps with WC 1.6 and some really lame deathmatch maps for UT. Fun times.

[Spherix]

Tons of Red Alert 1 maps, mostly ones where I gave myself a spawn with tons of resources and giving the enemy next to none.. I was 8 or 9..

[Squad]

My first map involved dust textures No idea how it'd have played out, but performance was pretty crappy.

 

As others have said, I would just focus on blocking something out. Set your main goal to making something that is fun with good performance.

 

I'd consider this optional for your first map, but as a second objective for yourself, you could (afterwards) focus on visuals. Just pick a theme that already comes with CSGO and try to build something nice looking with these assets. Don't bother with creating your own materials or models, it would be too ambitious and you will likely not be able to finish your project. The custom assets are great, study the official maps about how they used textures (which combinations, color pallete, etc), lighting, prop placement, ... The CSGO SDK comes with a couple of VMF's from official maps, be sure to check these out and don't hesitate to decompile another map if there's something you'd like to study in it (don't decompile if it's not for learning matters though). And last but not least, finish your project, even if you're not fully satisfied with it! You'll learn from your mistakes which will help you to avoid such mistakes in your next map!

[Nerve]

Sticking to basics would be setting everything up using dev textures only and no real assets. Doesn't mean you can't get across an idea of the final theme though, but does mean you don't have to spend time dressing areas when simple blocks representing cover will suffice.

 

As others have said, I would just focus on blocking something out. Set your main goal to making something that is fun with good performance.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I might just block out the layout I had in mind then and not worry about any custom assets/textures to start with. Just to try and create something fun that's well optimised.

 

@PaulH - Airport was sexy! The multiplayer maps in the beta were the reason I bought Crysis 3, so much fun and they were gorgeous - awesome work.

Edited December 6, 2013 by Nerve

[mjens]

Quake 1, late year 2000 - A medieval tower, water pit at the bottom, few platforms, fullbright. Made with Worldcraft 1.6, pirated. Great times. After this I made something like "my imaginary house" with bed, traps, doors, little garden... Crap as hell but so fun!

 

My first released map was MatDM1: http://www.quakewiki.net/archives/retroquake.planetquake.gamespy.com/blog/index5f87.html?p=110

Edited December 6, 2013 by seir

[Vilham]

Probably some SC1 custom map where the player didn't base build but had to fight through a terrain complex against zerg, those missions were always some of my favorites, they broke up the whole build giant base, massacre enemy missions.

[PaulH]

 

Sticking to basics would be setting everything up using dev textures only and no real assets. Doesn't mean you can't get across an idea of the final theme though, but does mean you don't have to spend time dressing areas when simple blocks representing cover will suffice.

 

As others have said, I would just focus on blocking something out. Set your main goal to making something that is fun with good performance.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I might just block out the layout I had in mind then and not worry about any custom assets/textures to start with. Just to try and create something fun that's well optimised.

 

@PaulH - Airport was sexy! The multiplayer maps in the beta were the reason I bought Crysis 3, so much fun and they were gorgeous - awesome work.

 

 

Thanks, there's a lesson you can learn from it - in order to piss the art team off simply insist on crashing planes into things