Where do you tend to start when making a map?

[punch you in the face man]

Open question to anyone who's made several maps, what's the first first thing you do when making a new map? Do you start with a paper map or just make up areas as you go? Do you make rooms with enemy placement in mind or place them all afterwards? Do you start with a visual theme or specific location and go from there or just make gameplay scenarios and then apply a theme to the level? Just curious to see other people's creative process.

[ChopBlock223]

I tend to often make it up as I go, but usually with a vague concept or two in mind, like, this is an aesthetic I want to use, this is the kind of combat and exploration I want to make. Sometimes my goal changes during, sometimes it just evolves.

 

In terms of the actual building, I tend to begin with the starting area, though if it's a concept like some sort of island (or platform of flesh suspended in a void), I'd shape that general outline first.

[Doom-X-Machina]

Doom Builder...

[jerk-o]

At (0,0)

[pcorf]

When I press the insert key and start drawing the first sector, right click to finish drawing.

[DooM Bear]

I’m admittedly a pretty shit map maker so my method could be “wrong” but I usually start with deciding the theme / location.

 

For instance, I might decide to make a map of my office building or house and then build the rest of the map around that (sometimes even pulling multiple real world locations in to one map when in reality they are miles apart) :-)

 

Am really hoping to see some responses from some well established mappers so I can follow their processes and (hopefully) one day evolve from a shit mapper to an ok mapper :-P

[smeghammer]

Other than the obvious 'start map editor of choice' answer, I tend to start when inspiration hits. This usually happens when I am out and about rather than in front of the editor. Sitting down and forcing myself to draw usually comes to nothing.

 

I don't plan in advance, I get an inspiration from somewhere to do a certain theme (my most recent for example was inspired by a thread on Doomworld about the FIREBLU texture). After than I just wing it and do what feels 'right'. I will take notes if it gets large (sector IDs and co-ords etc.), but I'll never plan in advance.

 

** EDIT **

Oh - there is no right or wrong answer to this. Different people will develop maps in different ways, and it doesn't matter as long as you enjoy doing it.

 

** EDIT 2 **

Specifically regarding notes, if my map gets large, I tend to lose track of the coordinates of sector IDs and corresponding line special arguments that refer to them, so I will do a little spreadsheet that link sector co-ords, sector ID, line special and line co-ords.

Edited December 5, 2020 by smeghammer

[TenenteZashu]

I start by creating the starting room, adding textures and then I move away from it and start to create a big-medium size arena that will serve as some sort of hub for the map, for example in my Megawad, map02 takes place in a small hole at the top of a mountain where on one side there's part of the UAC facility and on the other side there's an infernal shrine.

[MegaZzZeux]

Make a room, texture it, maybe connect a room... decide I don't like the theme and toss it in the garbage. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

[Alper002]

Not a particularly well-organized mapper, so maybe take this with a grain of salt?

Aside from choosing theme, music, and whatever other silly and/or non-silly idea(s) I have in mind for a map, I tend to start off a map by making a shape, a room, etc.

What the shape is can be pretty loose, it doesn't need to be a basic or complex one, just one that evokes the right idea. I'll also set the textures then and there to get my mind going.

I then build into and off of that shape to make what ends up being the map. The area I start with isn't necessarily the beginning of the map, but it tends to turn out that way.

 

There isn't much planning involved when I make a map, usually there's some idea and I attempt to execute on it. Some ideas can need slightly more thorough planning in order to manage properly (I.E. making a map based around a puzzle), but usually having maps come straight from the stream of consciousness works well.

 

That said, the order of when I build and when I get the idea for the map can get muddled on occasion...

One of my stand-alone releases started off with me randomly deciding to draw sector art of a cat, and then with a vague idea deciding to make what ended up surrounding it.
In that case, it's more like the random shape came first and the plan for the map came after lol

 

While in the making of a map I'm usually not particularly fussed about adding to or messing with what's already there, if something needs to be different I'll go through the trouble. Selecting multiple lines/vertices at a time, splitting lines by putting a vertex in them, merging sectors, etc. tend to be very helpful when messing with areas in that way. I don't mess with geometry in that way too often though, the most common case when I connect a new area to a previous one and vice versa.

[Job]

A sector box lined with STARTAN1 and a player 1 start thing. 

[spineapple tea]

I always start making a really nice looking starting room. It always give me motivation to keep working on the map which is why I haven't released a map in like eight months.

[Salmon]

I've only posted three maps and don't have any idea what I'm doing, so don't consider this advice, just an answer.

 

I start with a simple theme, usually an idea like "nukage river" or "spy movie" or whatever.  After that, I sketch out a guess at the map flow, either on paper or with squares and rectangles in UDB.  I put down where I think keys, key doors, weapons, and major switches might go.  Importantly, this is a rough outline that always changes during the course of mapping.  Even the theme changes at least a little.

 

After that, I work on the opening area and/or any initial hub.  I tend to do a lot of work here before moving on--geometry 80% done, texturing 70% done, enemy and item placement 70% done.  Maybe it's because I'm new, but I find it necessary to do this.  If I don't have a space I can move around in and see then it's hard for me to "believe" in the project.  If I can pick the MIDI here, I do, because I like to let the music influence as much of the map as possible.

 

When I have an opening section somewhat finished, it gives me confidence and helps me see how the map might flow outward from there toward the keys and the exit and such.  After that it's a process of discovery combined with trial and error.

[nrofl]

Draw a random sector shape and stick to a theme. Wing it and just detail it as it goes, I tend to not think about the greater picture and just will see what sticks.

[xvertigox]

On 12/6/2020 at 9:28 AM, Job said:

A sector box lined with STARTAN1 and a player 1 start thing. 

 

Then use that to check the textures and flats in the resource pack.