improv map (hey look I made another one)

does anyone else here make maps, but don't necessarily have ideas for them, yet still make the map(s) anyways? in other words, you just improvise a whole map? what I'm trying to say is, is improvisation a good thing or a bad thing to do when mapping?

I've just made one lately, but really have not put any thought into it whatsoever. it's just completely improvised.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/w65r5di7vjvenb1/nothoughtwhatsoever.wad

replaces E2M1, probably the one thing I didn't do to this was add difficulty settings. I did test it though to make sure it wasn't unfair.

Once you pass the first 2\3 shotgunguys the difficulty is fine, the last ambush before the exit is a bit easy toh, you may want to add a teleport ambush behind it at highter difficulties.

Anyway to respond on topic, yes a did some this way, but usually they dont pass the layout part, because i don't know what to do with what i have done.

As example, i made this abomination below for the monocrome mapping project(the grid is 512x512), i started drawing sectors after sectors until i had no idea what to do with those, also i wanted to do some weird random items/monsters spawn generation that were really difficult to balance out, so at the end i abandoned it, half scripted and half finished.
This remember me that i never truly fixed some bugs in my other mmp map...

With nearly every map I make, I have a rough idea of what I want, but the majority of the process is definitely improv mapping. There are things I know I want in certain maps, like a ledges with a particular view or windows into an area you can't acess til later or things like that.

Regarding the wad, this is certainly my kind of Doom map - Short and sweet, fun combat but not too challenging. I'd like to see a little map pack full of levels like this, it would be really fun to blast through.

OP: I had trouble opening the doors to leave the large room containing the blue key and crates. Was I missing something? anyway, the map isn't bad, has a fairly lonely feel to it.

The way I make maps is to speedmap some initial layout and then texture/decorate it sparsely, gradually building up an idea of the setting as I go, and then make sure the beginning and exit are the last two things I do!

Doomkid said:

I'd like to see a little map pack full of levels like this, it would be really fun to blast through.

could I really? it is possible. although I might have to not think about a cool layout and just build away if that happens lol.

yakfak said:

I had trouble opening the doors to leave the large room containing the blue key and crates. Was I missing something? anyway, the map isn't bad, has a fairly lonely feel to it.

what port are you playing on? I didn't have any troubles leaving the room from my end.

I actually have the opposite problem - most of my maps are improvised from the very beginning. Personally, unless I stumble upon a really good idea, I usually won't complete it.

I find this method of mapping best for 'practice:' you don't intend to release anything, or even have a playable finished product - you just want to try out some weird ideas, and see what's worth preserving for other maps.

hey look I made another one (E2M2)

something I always seem to do in all of my maps, and it's kind of evident in this particular map, is I just put "placeholders" into my map. in other words, textures that I put inside an area and leave there until my brain decides what else to do for the walls in that room. in this map, the T-shaped hallway is mostly STARTAN textures and the NE curvy hallway has STARG3 mostly (with a few lighting details added). there's also the whole beginning area of this map. anyone else put "placeholder" textures? and is it a good idea or a bad one?