Sitting and thinking Created 18 years ago2005-10-15 18:56:44 UTC by ZeG

Im right now sitting down and thinks. One thing is what everyone is getting their's idea's from. Well Valve. How long time could it take for them to make a Map. Wath did they started with? A simple texture or started from PERFECT to PERFECT? How did they got their ideas? From Real? Fantasy? Books? Movies? :

I just pull my ideas from my warpped imagination.

Valves ideas... read 1984 then play HL2.

Read The War of the Worlds and then play HL2.

Watch War of the Worlds and then play HL2.

Nah, read the original.

normally just think what it would be cool to do in real life, breaking into bases, etc, and apply it to a map

You can get idea's from anything. Reference photo's, books, movies, real world...

Usually it helps not forcing yourself to get idea's. Something that also helps greatly is somewhat the opposite: brainstorming together with others.

Oh, and Valve maps aren't perfect. No single game is. Try to keep that in mind - you don't have to get things perfect immediatly. Failure isn't a bad thing, as long as you learn from it.
I mean, I failed countless times. I've got a load of half-finished maps that I'll never release because I can't get them finished anymore. but I learned from them: I now see I always got stuck because I never planned the layout beforehand, and that always became fatal later on. Now, I've done a layout first and the map plays fun, and the best thing is that I can now get detailing and that's what I like most!
So just try some things, just try to make a map that you think is fun. If people don't like it, ask them why not and ask for advice. You'll get better over time, it'll shape your idea for fun and helps you get better idea's.

</rant>

When games are made, a story is planned, gameplay is decided apon such as 'should this gun exist in our game?' or 'should we use rock music or pop?'

Now Captain P is right when you should plan a layout! Right now i'm not so sure but the last good map I worked on was de_boshi and guess what?
It was the first ever map I actually drew a plan of...
I admit I started off with a room and added lots of detail but afterwoods I wondered what I should add and just sorta forgot about it...
Then one day at school I was moved away from my troublesome friends and started drawing a plan while I was bored.

Here it is:

Now if you played my map then you will recognise this plan as my map is almost the same except for a few more corners and I think I removed the lounge room.

So a good map needs a layout! If you don't make a layout then you'll not finish a map (Sometimes you can if your gifted)
When I finished a room I looked at that plan and could then follow the plan and make the next room. It works very well! Seriously! Otherwise I would not have thought to add a garage or a toilet area...

Me? Well... I tend to have a very active imagination, although I try and keep in realism. Pretty much, I think the oddest something could be, but obviously make sure it is practicle and possible...

Valve... They got the idea for HL from science pretty much... Advancements in science... Hence "science Fiction". Pretty much, the whole incident was due to experiments with wormholes, and obviously from the storyline, they had already figured them out.

HL2 was a little more farfetched though... I really didn't like the storyline too much... was quite fun though.

@habboi:

That layout could use some changes. It's very linear and leaves little choice for the players in the paths they can take, probably making it very predictable combat.
So, maybe it's a good thing to study popular maps and sketch their layout as basic as you can. Then compare them with other popular, well-playing maps. Usually, there's a few combat area's with several paths between them. They're often well-timed too.

Anyway, I also think everyone has to find his or her workflow somewhat. Starting detailing was naturally for me but didn't work out. Doing a layout first and then detailing is something I had to learn but it's working much better, and therefor, also more satisfying. I don't think it can be taught really, everyone might differ a bit here.

My problem is close you say. I start it, Full of insperation. I know exactly how to do and make. But then when i made a bit. I get bored. I dont want to continue. Single player maps... I made a layout and just waited to start to map. But then... A small thing just destroys everything. It can be a thing that been made ugly, I try to fix.. But it dont work.. I stop. But i really want to continue. But.. I cant. Im to bored. I know its only going to scrap or it will be deleted.

Btw I have never released a Completed map.. I havent completed a map. And i have mapped 4 years!!!

I get the same problem, when I map too, Zeg..
Although that happens when the map is almost finished. The first parts of my maps are always made with care and enthusiasm, while the end of the maps is made with less care and almost no enthusiasm. Which means that it mostly requires lots of pimping afterwards.
That sucks, I know. But when I get bored - I usually take a 15-20 min. break, eat something, listen to some music and the enthusiasm comes back.
Anyways, I could get inspired by almost anything. Like when I was ill - I got the idea for my compo entry..

I released a few crappy completed maps and that's about it, although I am currently planning an HLDM map, although I might turn it into an SP map, I am much better at mapping more "linear" enviroments.

I haven't really mapped anything since The Discomboulator. Too busy.

I am mapping atm.

Hoping for a release this time, as I normally lose interest.

I've been doing minimal work on my MOD. If I get so bored I can't map anymore, Ill just do another part of it.

Sometimes it might be good to force yourself to work if you already have planned out what you want or need to do on a map. It might not always be fun at that moment but try thinking of the result you're doing it for. Releasing something gives a lot of satisfaction, not releasing a half-finished map is usually discouraging to me... so maybe it'd be good to just do it rather than waiting for the mapping vibes so to say...

I never and I mean never enjoyed mapping..

I hate your it when your greatiest ideas get ruined by a error or so.

Mostly I have these great ideas and I really wanna do them but then after 1 hour of mapping I get bored and it will take atleast 1 week to get another 1 hour of mapping done..

When I finally made the thing there's another problem. TEXTURES!

Damn it, those hl2 textures really suck.. When I still mapped for hl1 the texturing allways fitted nicely, but now I keep getting ugly warstyle textures and it pisses me off and I need to start something else.

I did some custom textures tuts but it still confuses me..

Basicly, I never finished a map besides some little projects and example maps. But this time I will not fail damn it, I must make my "Freshed Pwns Madcow" movie!

As I said, I don't enjoy mapping at all, it's the result that comes out of mapping.

I HATE mapping. But i want to map But yeah the textures is destroying the mapping always. Its just broken and destroyed and badlooking. Sometimes you want to do a new house. But you cant! The textures is only anoying. And i get bored when i mapped a while. Its a error and then the whole idea are crap. It seems that errors is following me. But i really want to map. But i dont give up. I believe on myself. I wont give up. My prob now is WAHT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? I have no idea left. Can you gimmie some? I've read books an looked on movies and tested. But i didnt got an idea. I feel hopeless right now.

Then do some experiments. Physics puzzles or trying out some new entities, whatever. I've used a lot of the past 4 years for just tests, experiments and such. It learns you a lot about the limitations there are, and how you can work around some. It has learned me to predict what things are likely to be difficult to get right, and what area's aren't so time-consuming. It helped me plan my maps better, so maybe it's a good idea to just try some weird things?