Mapping .vs Playing Created 18 years ago2006-02-02 18:42:15 UTC by Elon Yariv

I just wondered, what do you like best. Did you forget about that making maps is just for playing in them afterward, and you just map or not?

I think that I forgot all about Hl1, now I just map for it's fun.

Heh ever since I started mapping I see games differently...Like I sort of criticise area's and other times I go wow that must have taken a lot of entity work...

Mapping gets a bit boring so I often play games more than map. I'm addicted to this game called Lineage 2...Like WoW only I think it's better.

It's obvious that I map more than I play. I did play a lot back in 2001-2002, so I know how a multiplayer map should work.
I also make maps which are unrelated to any gameplay mechanics because they are projects or real buildings. I see Hammer and HL as a design tool.

I used to map more than I play, but now I hardly map anymore.

I mapped for HL1 and HL2 before I played the game itself, however,

I Play CS more than I map now-a-days. If I have no inspiration, i dont force myself to map. I rarely have inspiration as you can see from my map vault. Also, playing CS takes no thinking, mapping does. Sometimes after a long day of work, I dont want to think, I want mindless fun.

Gaming and mapping are linked to me : when I play a game, there's necessarily a day or another when I feel I have to map for it, because I think something is wrong, could be better, that I have to test some ideas etc, then I play less and start mapping, then I test what I mapped, then I am bored and play again on old maps, then remember why I wanted to map etc...

To be 100% gamer is not wrong to me, but to be 100% mapper totally is in my opinion on an other hand : a mapper who doesn't play is simply totally clueless about what he is doing, and the best way to notice him is when he has nothing to talk about but fps and graphics : when he tests a map (never more than 5 minutes), graphics are nice then the map is nice, else crappy graphics then the map sucks...

The worst thing about mappers is that most of them consider mapping as an higher form of gaming, which is totally totally wrong to me...

There's no 100% mapper. What's the point of mapping if you don't play it?

Mappers map because they love playing the game.

I do wonder sometimes about the percentage of gamers who are also mappers. I am guessing less than 1%.

I play more than I map these days, if you dont play a game then how are you supposed to make maps for it?

I get more fun from playing other peoples maps than my own, because when you make a map, its like you know everything that is going to happen, you know exactly what you have to do and how to do it.

When you play somone elses map its figuring out how to beat the level that makes it fun, unless its just a frag fest in which case the map is hardly worth playing.

I program more than I play or map these days.

At the moment I'm programming a small game prototype, console styled, including a level script system. Fun stuff, just to see if my little game idea is fun to play.

I play my maps most of the time. If its a cs map then I host it on my server.

I like playing better... less frusterating.. usually.. and.. fun..

I think anyone I've played on DM can say I map better than I play, I'm sure FreseD could back that up

Well If you suck on DM it doesn't mean you are a bad player. I'm really bad in DM, and lag too, but in SP I'm quite good.

Your right, its my computer and the internet dam its all slow.

Satchmo, we all noticed you dont map as much anymore
cough seventy releases of Justice cough

I play more than I map these days, if you dont play a game then how are you supposed to make maps for it?

There's no 100% mapper. What's the point of mapping if you don't play it?

I totally agree, but sometimes on forums (not that much on THWL's), I test maps from people who obviously does not play the game (CS maps with strange runtimes, dozens of strange "traps" triggers in a CS map, dust remakes with just 3 extra crates and 1 extra hole/path, etc), that's why sometimes I really wonder... while I see in addition on forums people talking about mapping (announcing "tutorials" they wrote (how to do a breakable window), giving advices etc) who obviously never mapped (talking very seriously, with technical words, tips picked straight from some mapping website, but with some mistakes, and the only problem is that finally doesn't help at all the guy who is requesting some help)... strange world all the same isn't it?

In my opinion, as yours, mapping is a real job, that needs real skills, a real interest, a lot of time, and patience etc, but it really shoudn't overrun/exceed the gaming interest, else it becomes totally pointless : sure you do great maps, well optimized, nice-looking, with dozens of models and sounds and this and that ok ok ok, but come on, this isn't a "map" anymore, this just turned into an artist showcase...

I map for HL more than I play it, but I suppose I play Quake3 and RTCW/ET more than I map for them.