I want to improve my mapping speed

Right now, my mapping speed is approximately that of an asthmathic, morbidly obese snail with a zimmer frame. I am able to come up with some quite pleasing stuff, it just takes me - LITERALLY - months to make simple invasion maps (which should take the least amount of time to make out of all of Doom's various gameplay types), and that's just setting out the layout, let alone the time I need to iron out bugs, add some detail here and there and place the things (yes, I takes me AGES to place THINGS in a map to a satisfactory level :/).

So, are there any speedmapping events that I can take place in, so I can boost my current record of "least time taken to complete the layout of one invasion map" from the time it takes to walk the English Channel to the time it takes to walk to the nearest chemist. Providing there is a conveniently placed chemist within walking distance of my house...which come to think of it, I don't believe there is. >:O

I know there are people out there who can make some amazing maps in the space of about 5 minutes - take the 32in24 team, for instance, or Mechadon, leader of the Sabbat Martyr II project, who, so long as he has the inspiration and doesn't have a tray of cookies within a 50-metre radius of his work station, can churn out awesome maps with great gameplay, layout and detail level within a scant few days. Right now, my time management with mapping is littered with procrastination, possibly unnecessary playtesting, WAD releases that drive me to the point of distraction, silly little side projects that I should have given up on years ago, and of course, sleep. Oh, and school.

I'd really like some help on this matter, since I think that with my latest upcoming Skulltag release, I've been taking far too long and have released too much teaser material while I've been working on it, so it won't be as much of a hit when I finally unveil it. If I took slightly less time with preparing my work, ironing it out, straightening it, and polishing every nook and cranny of it for its "big" release (like the person I am with my perfectionist attitude), spent more time actually building the whole map in steps, and actually kept more material from my project under my hat until I released it, then my WAD/mod releases would disappoint a whole lot less. Hell, people seem to be showing less and less interest in EC Invasion, while Insanity Doom still remains a big hit with most of the multiplayer community, as no-one on Skulltag (apart from those who were part of my own personal forum) knew I was developing it until I made the release thread.

So, any tips? Any special events I can attend to boost my mapping speed? Any good sites/tutorials I can read to get guidance on this subject?

Your main problem (if you can call it that) from what you write is that you're a perfectionist. If you want to do it faster, why not learn to let that go even if just a little? Also, don't procrastinate and keep a one-track mind. I have the same problems, it only takes me months to make a single SP map.

does it really take you MONTHS? are you sure your just not dedicated to your maps and take really long week breaks in between editing? Maybe your just not motivated. Becuase if you time yourself during editing, and dont count the time that your not editing, i wouldnt beleive you if it took you more than 24 hours to make one high detailed map. How long does it take to make one sector at a time??

im also pretty slow at mapping. just think about what you are going to do beforehand, motivate yourself, and dedicate a certain amount of time in getting your goal done. map like theres a deadline tomorrow.

Why not just follow a regiment.

Map Must be planned out in 2 days, at least a day before hand.
Chose theme and Architecture before hand.
5 days to map, minimum 4+ hours each time.
+1 day for Bug Testing, and adding extra secrets.
+1 day for Beta amongst good trusted testers.

And thats 7 days(plus planning time) for a map :P

I don't know. You have to practice some how.

I know my maps take me forever, because I never stick to the same theme and I over detail the rooms. If I stuck to one theme, and I made a basic layout on paper, I could make a map in that amount of time. My last map has probably 23 rooms, and each room has a different theme I tried out, and add on the fact that I have to find every texture I want to use in each theme, and that I map for about an hour every 2 weeks, that adds up to a long time mapping on the one map.

It also really depends on how much time you can spend mapping, take an honest look at how much time you have to put to mapping in between working, friends and social events, attention span, and school... and then tell me how much time you have.

Oh well those are just my opinions as usual. Good luck in finding out how to map faster, if you fuigure it out, pm me and we can work together :D...

Just to clarify, I use to be able to churn out maps its a decent amount of time. Since college has started up, I'm significantly slower than I use to be. Although, there are also some contributing factors to that than just school; you wouldn't believe how many "maps" I'm supposed to be doing right now, and there's pressure placed on me to get them all done (which sorts slows me down and hinders my creativeness sometimes).

But anyways, speedmapping is certainly a good way to increase your mapping speed...atleast, when I did it, it helped me out a lot. You'll have to realize though that speedmapping doesn't build your detailing skills; more or less, speedmapping, when done correctly, helps out your architecture, layout, and/or gameplay mapping skills. I know from the 32in24's that I've done (the actual speedmapping-esqe ones anyways), detailing was on the bottom of my list of priorities. I found that when a stesser like time was placed on me, your main effort is placed on just getting the map done, no bells or whistles or anything. If you do this enough (and I haven't) I think some of the more redundant structures that you tend to make a lot (whatever they may be), will be easier and quicker for you to make. You also learn about the wonders of C/P...just don't overdo it! I would recommend setting aside some free time to do some personal DM speedmapping. They don't have to be releasable quality or anything, just something to increase your speed in your free time. DM maps are probably the easiest speedmaps you can make, and make in large quantities over a short period of time.

As far as normal mapping goes, detailing (good detailing!) most certainly eats up 75% of the mapping process...atleast it does for me. However, don't get confused by the 'good detailing!' thing...I've found that small, super intricate detailing is almost not worth it. Things like Crucified Dreams are almost at the 'overdoing' it line...not quite mind you (love the detail work in it)...but its pretty damn close. I'll offer up mappers like essel, Spork, etc etc...they have a firm grasp on what looks good without going overboard. I'm pretty sure any serious mapper has his/her own way they detail...and different ways are certainly more efficient than others. When I started out, I'd say 90% of my detailing was done at the same time as the main structuring. I still do this to an extent, but I wouldn't recommend it unless your absolutely certain of the layout of your map. Once you add large amounts of detail to a structure, if you want to go back and do something drastic to that area (eg. totally change the structure, move it, change the detail), it can be a pain in the ass and its wasted time. I've really tried to train myself to do LAYOUT completely first, which helps with gameplay elements and can also give you ample amounts of time to determine your detail and texture pallete. Back to the latest 32in24's...since I was on the detailing team and I didn't have to worry about layouts myself, I could focus almost all of my energy on detailing without having the worry of changing my mind about a structure, etc...thus wasting time. So, as a guide you may want to try: Concept/Brainstorm -> Sketch -> Layout/Gameplay -> Test -> Detail -> Test

Also, your ability to work with whatever map editor your using and the speed at which you can get things done in it helps out a lot. Since I've been using DB for so long, using it now feels like any other kind of day-to-day activity...almost like its habit. Though I wouldn't recommend using DB so much that its like brushing your teeth everyday (**), the point is once you've developed some sort of speed and efficiency with your editor of choice, your map output will definitely increase.

But then again, I don't consider myself to be an expert at this. There are folks in the DooM community that have been mapping waaay before I even thought about it. They may have even better ways at improving your speeds...but I hope in the end that I was able to shed a bit of help for you anyways :D

At some point, you could try out speedmapping. It is a good way to learn how to get faster with mapping. However your first speedmaps will always suck alot. 100 minutes is not alot of time, when you also want to make some details to your map.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. :)

And yes, I have just had a short 100 minute speedmapping session with Impboy on the Skulltag forums. I'm putting my map up for download here. It is my first speedmap, so as Torn said, expect it to suck bawlz. :D

http://www.zshare.net/download/63476956e59464/

I began mapping faster once I joined a community project, so I had a deadline forcing me to keep working.

As for the mapping, I put architecture first, then the monsters and items. I only put monsters as I map when my work is an epic struggle with no learning curve. But without any monsters, I'm free to expand the map as much as I can. Otherwise I'm constrained by the evolving monster:ammo:health ratio. I hardly give high consideration to detail, I put enough stuff just to look decent.

Mapping keeps me stuck by the computer for rather long. That's what's bad and often makes me stop mapping if no deadline.

So what you could do: set yourself a deadline and map architecture first, then monsters, concentrating on what it's worth putting.

I think the best way would be to plan out waht you map to have before actually starting one. Pick a name for it before you start, gather up some ideas and then sketch the basic rooms out on graph paper. Build the map 1 room at a time and making sure that everything in that room works (as much as possible) before you move onto the next.