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Ebon

How do you design maps?

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Do you go for pure gameplay, where detail and eye-candy doesn't matter?
Or do you want the new world to look realistic/life-like?

Personally I prefer the first choice, because Doom essentially's still the same old 2.5d engine: the player can't be surprised this way. Much of the monsters act all the same, too.
I favour wasting my time on primal challenges, only painting eyecandy when finishing it (if I want so.)

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I concentrate more on the gameplay element, making sure that there's enough ammuniton and health items lying around, while also making sure that the difficulty of the map is not too overwhelmingly easy.

This requires too many test runs.

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I'd go with illustrating a challenging scenario on paper, and then finding the best way to represent it in the engine. I suppose that would put gameplay over layout, but sometimes realism itself can present its own gameplay elements (i.e. having to sort out a puzzle by thinking what would happen in real life).

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I focus both on gameplay and graphics... and at the same time too! I create a room or a more complex area, I detail it and then add monsters, ammo, health, weapons, other stuff and some ZDoom effects and ACS Scripts; once that area is completed, I go forth.

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There wasn't really anything wrong with Map32 of 1monster.wad that you made. It was pretty tough and I couldn't beat it on UV from a pistol start, meaning it's hard enough (I'm not very good at DOOM).

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Did you find any secrets?, the shotgun secret is easy to find all the others are not.
Finding the secrets make this map a whole lot easier.

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A mix of both, but more number 2 I guess (keeping in mind that eye-candy and detail aren't the same thing, overboard detail can actually make things look worse IMO).

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dutch devil said:

Did you find any secrets?, the shotgun secret is easy to find all the others are not.
Finding the secrets make this map a whole lot easier.

I found most of them in the end. They're really really well-done.

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I ususally go for gameplay or just testing of new ideas. Details are important, but it usually takes me many runs of a map before i finish addinga ll the details in. I'm not a fan of too muchdetail since it distracts the player from the game as well as causing the player to miss switches by mistaking it for detail. A decent amount of detail is important.

As of thea ctual process, I take a piece of graph paper and just draw the basic shapes of the map out;the main rooms, the doors, teleports, etc. Then I make it using doom builder according to this sketch, and test it. Fix it until it works properly, then just add detail after detail until it looks good.

If you are beginners in Doom mapping, this method might not work very well since it's hard to imagine a 2d graph into a 3d environment until you get used to the fundamentals of doom maps. But i'm sure after about 3-4 maps, people get it down pretty well.

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First, I take one cup of sexellent ideas. and mix it with 2 cups of swedish awesome. (Note, swedish awesome is the only that will do as it is many times greater than any other awesome)

Anyway. I make a world based on an idea or more. (be it design, gameplay idea or whatever) When I've made the world completely finished, detail and all. I start adding the monsters and items.

I choose this method because I want to create a sense of history to the map as a means to make it more alive. And that's something you don't get when you plan the layout around the gameplay.

Also, all this BS about overdetailing. Well that's just something that people that got the odd idea into their head that detail somehow can be forced. Detail should be made to compose the room in question into something more than a 6 sided box. It's a part of the layout. You can't just go slapping on detail w/o any goal or reason. Because then it'll look like crap. And that's what is overdetailed.

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I look at what I wish to accomplish in the map and I also take into consideration the map before and after the map I'm creating, gotta keep the "flow" going. Weapon balance, monster placement and texture alignment must be very good. Everything goes in my maps whether it's for deathmatch or coop.

Cadman

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I build a small area, texture it in doombuilder, wait for ideas then expand on it, add monsters, test, and repeat

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I used to do everything as I go along. Build the map, detail and play balance all at the same time. This is incredibly inefficient.

I've been doing basic level construction, detailing, then finally gameplay stuff with much success. But occaisionally I'll deter to my old ways.

I find it difficult to just sit there and think out a whole map before I even use the editor prog.

Sometimes I'll get bored of making naked sectors so I'll start detailing and/or adding baddies and goodies. It's best to find your own style and go with what works. Some people have great success drawing the map out on a piece of paper.

With that they have the basic layout complete. Then they just fill it with detail, and all that other stuff. Presto magico doomo mappo.

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Im drawing alot of stuff on paper lately and work that design out in doom builder it gives me better results.
I have an pretty high reject rate, im not easily satisfied with my own work.
There are times when I design an room and im liking the looks of it, and when im pretty much done with the map im scrapping it because it doesn't match the other areas of the map.

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I just get an inspiration for some crazy map and then I'm obsessed to do it :D

For some other kind of maps(normal ones), I do pretty much the same thing, I get some inpiration and I just let it flow. Sometimes I might draw something on a paper, like when I can't access my computer. Usually those maps don't look anything like the drawing when they're finished.

One time I went sneaking into some non customer area at a bus terminal. After a while some guard came there and said I need leave the place. He also asked what I was doing there. I told him I was looking for some inspiration for some Doom maps!

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dutch devil said:

There are times when I design an room and im liking the looks of it, and when im pretty much done with the map im scrapping it because it doesn't match the other areas of the map.

I get like that too, but even though you scrap the map, hold onto it. Save the good rooms you made in that map for othermaps. You can look back through your scrap pile and place it into later maps with great results. Like if you get stuck or wonder what you can put there, you can go through the odds and ends and try find something that works.

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kristus said:

First, I take one cup of sexellent ideas. and mix it with 2 cups of swedish awesome. (Note, swedish awesome is the only that will do as it is many times greater than any other awesome)


My swedish heritage has aided me well in Doom level design, muhahahaha.

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Rather than realism, I prefer believeability. Ever play Quake? The lighting was unreal... but beliveable.
I also like to make sure gameplay is good as well.

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