Mapping - A Process

[Psy]

Man, this is just pissing me off now. No matter how much detail I put into my planning and how much thought I put into a map before I touch Hammer I always seem to end up scrapping the idea because it just doesn't translate that well to the game.

It's really de-motivating and I have several ideas which I dropped after mapping them out for 5 minutes.

[hessi]

so you want some tough advices?

[Psy]

Indeed.

[FrieChamp]

I think someone needs a hug!

[Gorion]

well, i just found out today, that i need to rebuild a large portion of my map

not that hard, but it just sucks

[Psy]

Somebody motivate me please. I'll give you a (: if you do.

[e-freak]

I don't have that problem but for me my Workflow completely sucks. I can not set a brush without thinking of details, textures, different sizes etc... maybe some one gives "tough advices" on workflow as well?

[hessi]

maybe this will help

http://www.johnsto.co.uk/design/making_sienna

[R_Yell]

Do you draw sketches and that stuff? I mean not only 2D but 3D too, that has helped me in a current project.

[Psy]

Yeah, I draw sketches. I find it difficult to make every part of an area detailed without it being too repetitive.

[Gorion]

i mostly sketch view points, and how things must look like + layout

[Rick_D]

big blocks, and make passes over the whole map - rectangle everything. next flesh out the basic building shapes, then go into more detail, add soem textures - pop in a few models.

or go the other route and make one section at a time, full with detail, models, lighting etc.

or give up.

[-HP-]

or give up.

Yeh, go fishing or smomethin' to inspire ya!

[Hourences]

Think it over for a longer time. You say that you run into trouble after just 5 minutes, then why dont you try to foresee those issues before you even start? Simulate the first five minutes of development solely in your brains, when traveling in the train or whatever, and see what you kind of issues you hit on.

Think the entire process through, on every possible aspect including optimization, if your skill can handle it, if you have examples to fall back on, if none of the things you want to put in would conflict with each other (you want close combat gameplay yet also a huge and impressive hallway, that conflicts) and so on.

Compare all things you want in, against both itself as the available time, the technology you will use for it and so on.

Why doesnt it translate well into the game? What kind of things should have been different to do fit it into a game well? If you figure that out, youre half way.

And start small, make tiny maps, 1-1. Make maps based on other levels so you have a clear example you can fall back on if youre totally stuck.

Also dont be too damn critical of yourself. Plenty of people never finish a level because they always lose faith in their own creation after a day or whatever. You are unlikely to ever create a perfect level. There are always going to be things that just arent really great. I have made a 150+ levels of which half are commercial and yet, up to today, every time I create a new level, at one point or another I start doubting my own design because I start to notice flaws. Either I can quit, remake the entire level, or just accept the problem and do my best to work around it. I always do the latter.

Stuff isnt perfect and it never will be.

A repetitive level is better than no level at all! You can fix those kinds of problems later, first work on getting the basics going and that is finishing a level.

[Psy]

<3 Hourence. Thank You.