The Hardest Part Created 20 years ago2004-10-14 11:25:08 UTC by major_righteous

Sometime I think the hardest part of mapping is getting an idea and sticking with it. Does anybody have a good technique for coming up with original material?

try Abandoned places...
And google works too

Originality is overrated.

If you have friends who play the same games, try just sitting around, drinking a few beers and talking about what would make a cool level. But only if you are old enough to drink that is.

I put a floor down and start walling it in. After a while, it amalgamates into something. Sometimes it flows great! Sometimes I start again.

Google Image Search.

All yuo need is a theme, let the images do teh hard work for you.

Does anybody have a good technique for coming up with original material?

i don't really know if there's a substitute for imagination. just think about what you would find fun in a game. what kind of stuff would you like to see/do in a game.

maybe you could play other peoples maps and figure out things that would make them better/more fun, then work on incorperating those ideas into a map of your own. getting to know the half-life entities also helps in giving you ideas for implementing them in novel ways.

sometimes i find that when i lay in bed and am drifting off to sleep, if i think about my current mapping project, i can come up with new ideas...

good luck