Themes anybody?? Created 17 years ago2007-03-15 13:05:09 UTC by THE_SHRUB

Hey, lately ive been going on cs and finding alot of crappy looking maps, sure they play well but they have no theme, no purpose and the general theme of grass and grey stone wall is begining to bore me. thats why ive taken it upon myself to make a completely unique map... the only problem is that i cant think of a theme!!! so my question to you mappers out there is how do u pick/think of a theme and stick with it??

P.S. just thought it was worth noting, not all maps are badly textured, many maps posted on this site are well done, and also i know that if you go and look at my maps they look a little monotonous too... which is another reason why i wish to enlighten myself

thanks

May not be original, but I've yet to see a generally well done rubble map. A modern city that has been destroyed by some kind of a weapon would provide endless possibilities.

i love this guy! ^_^

He clearly understands what makes a good map. a combination of gameplay and looks.

Destroyed city'd be great.

I enjoy facility maps a lot. Maps like de_prodigy, de_nuke, and dm_steamlab are good examples.

Make maps with multiple ways it can turn out.

Like, use a trigger_random or whatever its called, and make the map change every time its played.

For atmosphere, check out one of the great tutorials that TWHL has to offer.

Take... this one for example:

http://twhl.co.za/tutorial.php?id=78

If you want to make something original first think of what you wont usally see in a source map. Most Hl2 maps I've seen are of ruined cities with combine bases in, so having that will certainly wont be original. Also making a desert wont be original. After I remove all these option I thunk of whats left and if it was frequently done in other games.

In CS:S there are plenty of offical maps and most unoffical maps are replicas of the offical ones, or just crappy. Making a map unlike and offical map will be original. Now was there any underwater map in any of those two games? I am thinking of a base under the water with glass for walls and ceiling so you can see in many places the thing that happen around. Maybe there will be a part that you can exit the underwater base. Maybe it can be a sunken sub or ship, with an area sealed so no water can come in, your choice. How I think of these ideas after I found out what not to map... I don't know.

CSS map where you bomb a submarine?

Idea: Make a naval base. I really dont think theres many of those.

The only one thats similar is the dock one from CS, forget the name. But its not a naval base. Make a submarine, or a battleship or something in it.

Yeah, I know what you're talking about... de_port, I think it's called.

Make it so you can enter the submarine too

Make one where you're floating on a giant asteroid in space. It should have two bases on each end and you should be able to see the earth rotate around you. Call it de_face. Also.. low grav plz.

I am thinking of a base under the water with glass for walls and ceiling so you can see in many places the thing that happen around.

http://alexroyce.com/dm_poolflood

Good map.

Strider.....
Unreal tournament is good, but halflife cant handle the redeemer.
Nice try

Ask yourself three questions:

What are you going to map? Anything from the most detailed recreation of an existing place to the most abstract mapping exercise follows a set of rules and objectives. That's what we call a theme. What you are trying to represent or tell with the map.

Why will this theme work? Will your map offer anything new at all to the thousands of existing maps or will it at least be an enjoyable experience to map for from which you can gain experience? Do you like the theme enough not to get bored soon?

How are you going to do it? Do you have the resources needed for the map or the ability and dedication to make them? Do you know beforehand if the entity setups you want to achieve are possible with the engine?

There are so many paths that take you to the same places. You can have a map inspired by films or places you have been to. You can make a good texture set and make a map according to what those textures suggest. You can think of spaces and gameplay situations and then think up a good theme for them etc

So was there no sunken sub map? I'm glad I thought on something original per chance. Also it's possible in source, you just need to find some way to block the player from getting to the 'open ocean'. Cause then he'll discover he is in a small cube or something like that, not an endless ocean.