Guide to new map makers,

[Lemonlytical]

This thread is for tips for the most basic of basic people on how to start making doom wads.

This is in regard to making maps using Zdoom UDMF format

Step 1- Learn the basics-

Learn how to use basic linedefs, such as doors, crushers, lifts, floors lowering and raising and the usage of sector tags, also learn what Lower, middle and upper textures are.
Upper- when you lower a ceiling, the textures that can be seen are known as upper textures.
Middle- These are a bit more confusing but to explain the basics- when you build a sector and the very ending walls (the ones that are white) are known as Middle texures, they can also be used for textures like MIDGRATE to create iron bars, you can easily get the hang of it if you make levels for a while

Lower- same as upper but just for when you raise the floor.

Step 2- Be simple with design at first, learn John Romero's Level design rules-
You dont have to make levels like the ones you may see in wads like valiant or evertinity, start out by making maps that look similar to the ones in Doom 1 (mainly E1)

The rules can be seen and explained in this video- 

 

Watch his tutorials by the way they are VERY HELPFUL!

If you have learned how to make doors, crushers, and make levels akin to the originals, well then great, you can now move on to step 3


Step 3- Well good job on learning the basics, because now I am going to teach you on monster placements and level layouts.
When It comes to weapon and monster placement, there must be progression, of course its bad to chuck 500 Barons on the first room, but giving the player a BFG 9000, plasma gun or even Double barrel early is just DUMB!
 

The super shotgun should not be given early to the player, make them work for it, and after the player gets it, more tanky monsters such cacos and hell knights can be placed, just never place those types of demons when a player only has a shotgun or chain gun, give them a rocket launcher if you want to immediately.
From all the good doom maps I have played,I have learned that to make a fun level, you must never make the player have to use the BFG 9000 more then once in a fight, never make any sort of battle where you just hold down the left mouse button and slaughter a bunch of monsters in a boring way, make fights rely on constant movement, and constant use of different weapons.
 

Use a lot of traps in your level, and cyberdemons as turrets are always fun to take down.
In early levels, dont make the player "fight" the cyberdemon or spider mastermind if you choose to place them down, make it telefrag-able or make it so that other monsters can in fight with it.

 

Step 4- Learn how to use slade and maybe basic ACS.
Use custom music, custom textures, and if you are feeling spicy, maybe add a decorate monster!

Well that's really all I can give to anyone starting out, I am not great at mapping, but this is all stuff I had to learn my self so It might be easier to newer people to learn using this guide

If you are a new mapper, reply to this thread with maps following everything I have put here and one unique gimmick, and Ill let you know if its good!
 

[Doomkid]

Good thread, but might be better off under the Editing section of the forums 

[Arcturus]

Decent tips, but I'd argue if you're just starting out mapping you're probably better off not using UDMF and designing for vanilla. Yeah I know its not as exciting because you don't get all the nice features and there are limitations, but it helps you focus on the fundamentals. 

[Killer5]

I would argue that if you are starting out you should avoid vanilla mapping unless you already understand all of the limits and how to properly test them.

 

Tbh it is easiest to use udmf to just made some first maps if you have no idea what you are getting into but just want to make some stuff.

 

Just avoid all of the features except what you really need to get started (draw lines, connecting rooms, doors, etc). Ditch 3D floors, portals, etc at first. Focus on gameplay/layout and nothing else. I ditched my first maps because I was trying to do too much. Keep it simple and make completed maps because you can’t build confidence without releasing stuff and getting community feedback.

 

Avoid all suggestions about gameplay. People saying ‘don’t do x’ only limit your ideas. There is no right way to map. I feel like people know what kinds of maps they want to make starting out already. You only need to keep your targeted user base in mind - do I want to map towards the more traditional crowd or get into the challenge community (for example). If you want your maps to be more popular then look at more popular sets and ask why they are popular. Then eventually derive your own style after stealing good ideas and mixing them together as well as adding your own.

 

Just get stuff completed and get feedback. There are community discords for this sort of thing. Use them.

 

[Fonze]

And I'm gonna post in the middle to say that it may be best to start off with a lower format, but not vanilla for the limitations, to keep things more simple and avoid being overwhelmed by options. Honestly I don't disagree with the posters above me; they both raise good points wrt map formats, but I guess the lesson here is to just be open to the idea of trying a couple out and seeing how it affects your workflow.

 

But the most important piece of advice to new mappers I see is:

 

1 hour ago, Killer5 said:

Just get stuff completed and get feedback. There are community discords for this sort of thing. Use them.

 

 

 

Also the guide was a good read and may be good for some new folk :)

[HAK3180]

I would specifically encourage you or any new mapper to experiment with different ways of handing out weapons. Plasma gun in opening room can be a lot more exciting than shotgun 20 monsters, then chaingun 30 monsters, then super shotgun most of the rest of the map and maybe find a secret rocket launcher. Something like the former can also be a much better way for a new mapper to learn monster behavior and good setups, etc., since having some decent firepower early may force some tougher encounters. Probably the best thing you have to say in Step 3 is "make fights rely on constant movement, and constant use of different weapons."

[Bridgeburner56]

The first rule of mapping: make maps and get people to play them
The second rule of mapping: make maps and get people to play them
 

2 hours ago, Killer5 said:

Avoid all suggestions about gameplay. People saying ‘don’t do x’ only limit your ideas. There is no right way to map. I feel like people know what kinds of maps they want to make starting out already. You only need to keep your targeted user base in mind - do I want to map towards the more traditional crowd or get into the challenge community (for example). If you want your maps to be more popular then look at more popular sets and ask why they are popular. Then eventually derive your own style after stealing good ideas and mixing them together as well as adding your own.

Just get stuff completed and get feedback. There are community discords for this sort of thing. Use them.

This is top tier advice, especially the part about joining community discords. I will add that the best maps to make are the ones you enjoy making. Everything after that is secondary to be honest. If you have fun, you'll keep mapping. Yes you should consider feedback from people who play your maps but you're never going to please everyone. Focus on pleasing yourself.

*Edit
Not to say that it's necessarily that it's 'bad' advice, but I followed none of the steps laid out in the op. There are a myriad of ways to learn.

[Chris Moyer]

2 minutes ago, Bridgeburner56 said:

The first rule of mapping: make maps and get people to play them
The second rule of mapping: make maps and get people to play them
 

This is top tier advice, especially the part about joining community discords. I will add that the best maps to make are the ones you enjoy making. Everything after that is secondary to be honest. If you have fun, you'll keep mapping. Yes you should consider feedback from people who play your maps but you're never going to please everyone. Focus on pleasing yourself.

I please myself every day! Oh crap, wrong forum...

 

But in all seriousness, I agree that one of your top priorities should be to have fun, the passion and excitement will show in your final design.

[PeterMoro]

If i could go back in time, this is what I'd tell myself:

 

1. Learn all the short cuts / hotkeys / and functions for UltimateDoomBuilder (or whatever you use). Things like flood select and auto-align texture, make rectangle mode etc. This can save you hours of your life and make mapping a more fun and pleasant experience. In my first map i did everything meticulously by hand. I even rebuilt the same door 20 times before i learnt copy / paste. Fucking noob.

 

2. Save detailing until last. I once spent hours and hours building and detailing an area. It looked really nice. Turns out it was a totally unnecessary and unusable area as the map was close to completion. I ended up scrapping it. A complete waste of time detailing it. Don't do that. 

 

3. Spend time with Doom + DoomII in the wad editor. Do a lot of looking around. Think about your favourite maps and why they are good. Try to reverse engineer how they were made and the thinking behind their creation. Try to be that good.

 

4. Put down all your ideas on paper first. Without fresh ideas you've got a bland map. Turn off your PC and tap into your imagination. Welcome to the world of unlimited boundaries. Imagine areas, rooms, traps, scenarios, secrets, setups, and boss battles, etc. Write them down. Make sketches. Plan them out. Turn on your PC. 

 

5. Find influence from outside sources. I'm always taking photos of architecture, lights, flooring designs and stuff in everyday life. Check out photos of buildings and locations and try to put it into a map. Recently i was playing Riddick:Escape from Butcher Bay. Great game and chock full of Doomy ideas to plagiarise, I mean, be influenced by. Don't copy but take concepts and ideas and mix them with your own to create something new.

 

6. Focus on lighting. This game is heavily dependant on lighting to create atmosphere. Lighting can make or break a map. Experiment with different lighting scenarios and try to get a good contrast between dark areas, bright areas, and everything in between. 

 

7. Watch tutorials and mapping streams. It's amazing how much you can learn watching other people mapping. 

 

8. Make junk. This is a crazy concept that can totally work. When you are out of ideas and low on inspiration, just sit there and "scribble". Make anything. Create as if it's all going to be deleted. Just build anything and be half-assed. The crazier the better. It's amazing what can appear when you are totally free of all expectations and pressure. It's 99% junk but you might find gold in the pile. You might find a hint of a new idea. Being too serious and uptight about creativity leads to rut. This technique can help break the rut. 

 

9. Never compare yourself to other mappers. You'll just feel depressed. So many mappers are insanely good these days. Don't try to be as good as them. It's not a competition. Just try to make fun maps. After a few maps you'll find something way better than being 'the best', and that's a style of your own. 

 

 

[Rajerel]

On 8/25/2020 at 11:12 AM, Arcturus said:

Decent tips, but I'd argue if you're just starting out mapping you're probably better off not using UDMF and designing for vanilla. Yeah I know its not as exciting because you don't get all the nice features and there are limitations, but it helps you focus on the fundamentals. 

I'm a beginner, and I can strongly agree with you!

Though I almost never use Vanilla, except I use Boom or even MBF if I'm feeling Valiant-ty, lol