Who do you map for?

It might sound like a silly question at first, but think about it. Just who do you map for - yourself, or the Doom community?

I myself map for, well, me. I like to map, it's rather entertaining to put down a few lines in a level editor and have it look just like the image you had in your head before you started mapping it out. If you've got a burning imagination and can really imagine a level in your head, then mapping becomes even more fun, IMO.

I map for myself. It's better that way.

I make maps for myself, but I plan out the gameplay, puzzle, and logical progression as if it was someone else playing my map. What I mean is that I may know where all the monsters, items, and secrets are, so the map would be easy for me, but someone else playing it for the first time will not. It may make planning the gameplay a bit trickier, but it seems to work. Plus, I've been able to find a few bugs like this (the emerald key/Chaos Device bug on map 9 was a huge one). However, it is good to get some feedback now and then (encouragement, complaints, bug reports, etc.) so I know how people like my maps and what improvements I might make or ideas I may come up with for the next one.

The love of my life.

Interpret.

I map for the community. I want people to enjoy playing my maps.

Of course, if I didn't love mapping in the first place, I wouldn't be doing it at all.

I normally map for myself, but I always have the community in mind.

I map for myself, although I do somewhat care about what people think of my maps

I used to map just for myself but now I do it for both.

I map just for everybody else. I don't like actually making the maps, I just like people telling me they like it.

Myself and the community, moreso the community.

I enjoyed making maps and always hoped people would play them. It's about 50/50, seeing demos by the best players* on your map is a great incentive.

* actually any player

Myself.

I map for myself and the community...and I love it! Been mapping since it all started! (Damn, I feel old here).


Cadman - Member TeamTNT

Mainly myself, but I send maps to the community for their judgement. I really want to learn who to make even better maps. When I set my mind to it I can get pretty good detail, but sometimes it isn't enough.

I map for myself - why else do you think my maps are so unconventional? The community does have some influence (as my maps are a lot more detailed now than they used to be) but it's thinking up cool ideas and making them into maps that drives my ability (along with a desire to have fun and be challenged when playing them).

DooMBoy said:

If you've got a burning imagination and can really imagine a level in your head, then mapping becomes even more fun, IMO.

True. I'm already visualising the world for my next project after SSD. So even thinking about it can be fun...

(I always seem to get way ahead of myself with these things)

I map for myself, which makes the maps I make (will make) different because I have a messed up imagination. (wait until my adventure is finished, you will see what I mean. Or check out the website from time to time, the WWW button)

oops, I didn't mean to come off as promoting my project.

I have no friggin clue what other people want in a wad, so I guess I just map until I'm happy with it. Usually that makes other people happy with it to, so everybody wins.

I make the kind of maps I want to see .. ones with lots of monsters to kill :P

Well obviously I wouldn't be mapping if I didn't enjoy it, but support from the community does encourage me somewhat :P In the end though I want my maps to please myself more than anyone else, it's just an added bonus if other people do.

I map for myself, with my audience as a secondary priority.

Epyo said:

...I don't like actually making the maps...

Why bother mapping if you don't LIKE to map? Isn't that defeating the overall purpose of mapping in the first place?

I don't like the act of mapping, but other people playing my maps really makes me feel great. Good Job Epyo! That was one awesome wad Epyo! These words just really make me feel proud, and happy. Sometimes I just smile and play my wads and say wow I really made some good stuff here.

I like making murderously hard maps with legions of monsters and has pretty things in it, the player can choose to play it or fuck off =)

Probably 50/50. I like creating a challenge so immense that the player can feel a true sense of accomplishment if/when they defeat it. This usually means zero replay value, but I can live with that.

OTOH, I create stuff for myself. Ironically, this is why I don't do much mapping anymore. I've a couple ideas that could be turned into decent maps, but I can never design anything to my satisfaction(from a design perspective, that is; gameplay is easy). Plus it takes me forever.

I know not; I'm demon possessed and impelled by a dark driving pain in my chest to open my editing tools and go through the process of creating unreal places where violent conflict may be lived through by the hapless souls that happen to stumble upon them, over and over again till the end of their minds.

myk said:

....I'm demon possessed and impelled by a dark driving pain in my chest ...

Amen. Until recently that was precisely how I felt. Ideas would constantly pop into my head -- when I was driving to or from work, when I was in a plane 35,000 ft. above the ground, when I sat in quiet reflection with a beer in my hand. Then I would be driven to my desk, to pursue this strange passion late into the night. [Alas, for some months now the demons have been cast away from the vicinity, and I lack inspiration.]

So in answer to the question, I'd have to say I mostly build maps to bring my ideas to life. It's doubly gratifying if the community enjoys playing them.

Myself and the community equally.

ReX said:

So in answer to the question, I'd have to say I mostly build maps to bring my ideas to life. It's doubly gratifying if the community enjoys playing them.

I'm half mapping for myself, and half for a new project. The "myself" part comes from the fact that the quality of my maps is WAY under par. The project part comes from the fact that I'd like to make a TC centering around DM-- but it's going to be a while before it becomes a SkullTag-killer.

I map for myself. I make what I would like to see and don't really give a shit about what others think of them.
They are fun to me and my friends, so that's all that matters.