What's your way of making maps?

[RockyGaming4725]

Kinda what the title says. I guess I'll start - 

 

I don't have a set-in-stone method of making maps, but I've tried a few different ways. I've made maps by sketching out the 2d view of the map on a piece of paper, with details such as what textures I should use, stairs, differing sector heights, weapons, enemies, etc. I've made maps by quickly making different rooms in udb until I think I have a good idea, and I've also made maps just by taking an idea for one room I could visualize vividly in my head, and then following the theme that that room provides (which is definitely what I do the most often). And of course, I've just looked at the commercial games/other wads to get certain ideas.

 

Do you have a method of making maps that works best for you? Let me know! I'd love to hear all the different ideas people use.

[Murdoch]

1. Think longingly about an idea.

2. Realise with enough interests to entertain 5 people and running a business I could not possibly find time to do it justice. 

3. Forget idea.

4. Return to step 1.

[Arrowhead]

I usually only make multiplayer maps nowadays, but this is kind of how I do it:

 

0. Perform 0 planning.

1. Start erratically doodling in UDB.

2. Refine said doodles so they don't look so doodly.

3. Look for interesting and unique interconnections between already drawn rooms.

3a. Draw said interconnections.

4. Mindlessly run through the entire level for at least an hour to see how well it flows.

5. Make adjustments based on snags and issues you encountered in your run.

6. Send to a playtester.

7. Send to another playtester.

8. Agonize.

9. Release maps months later when you finally have the confidence.

 

(At least that's how I've always done it)

[Kuro_mahoh]

1. Get inspiration
2. Do stuff in GZDB
3. Just literally draw whatever
4. Turn that weird-looking room and make it fancy

5. Repeat steps 3 & 4
6. Add monsters, items, and secrets

7. ???
8. Profit!

[MemeMind]

1. think about mapping

2.make a map

3.abandon halfway through

4.wait months.

5.start mapping again.

6.finish it.

7.profit!

[DoomBoomer]

1. Get some idea

2. Let the flow to do the rest

3. Finish it after testing it many times.

[HAK3180]

I've done a few different things, but my approach seems to have solidified into something like this:

1. Some, not a lot of sans Doom Builder mental planning: overarching themes, signature fight ideas, gimmickry
2. Draw hideous geometry with no texturing but with crude height variety
3. Make level beatable by inserting necessary switches, keys, lifts, etc. (Not all of these, just the most significant ones on the critical path)
4. Title map and decide on music, do it in Slade (this step varies, but usually happens after #2 and before #6)
5. Insert monsters/encounters while simultaneously fine-tuning geometry (A small amount of this can happen simultaneously with #2 and/or #3)
6. Throw supplies down haphazardly
7. Test a lot
8. Do all visual detailing. Map has been mostly monochrome up to this point.
9. Fine tune supply placement and monster placement if necessary
10. Test a little
11. Modify monster placement for different difficulty levels (a small amount of this can happen simultaneously with #4 and #8)
12. Test some more
13. Determine and set par time
14. Done

[Murdoch]

26 minutes ago, Arrowhead said:

Refine said doodles so they don't look so doodly

 

Cannot forget the all important dedoodling. Critical step in the process.

[Jacek Bourne]

1. Create an environment in my head of what I want the map to look like.

2. Design a layout in my head.

3. Figure out what kind of gameplay I want.

4. Slowly build the map itself over a long period of time.

5. Send to multiple play testers.

6. Refine the map.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until I feel I am done.

8. Release the map.

 

[Alfredo]

1. Get map idea.

2. Stew on the map idea for a few days or weeks while at work. 

3. Finally start throwing down lines in UDB. 

4. Add monsters and closets as i go.

5. Create 3d floors as needed during layout phase.

6. Tag and script everything until map is exitable. 

7. Only thingplace for UV at first.

8. Send to playtesters.

9.listen to playtesters curse my name.

10. Tone down difficulty in places where name was cursed the most. 

11. Add lower difficulties and then move on to the next map. Repeat.

 

[Tactical Burger (Old acc)]

1. Decide what theme the map will be.

2. come up with a design idea

3. start making a prototype without monsters

4. add monsters and see if difficulty is on point.

5. start adding details, items, secrets and weapons

6. final polishing

7. you have a complete map!

[Captain POLAND]

I mostly just think about it and never actually get around to doing anything.

[Killerratte]

I sit on the crapper and just stare into the void until some solution for a mapping problem pops up in my head.

[beast]

The question of the ages!

 

I used to detail-as-you-go but found that ends up more work when you need to restructure the layout. Then I tried drawing roughs on paper, which had some success, but it did not stick.

 

Most recently I took a new approach of setting the default texture/flats, closing the texture browser and just laying down geometry in huge swaths. Then I begin slicing, dicing, connecting and opening up areas between each other. I have to resist the urge to add detail, but I persist. This includes no height or light variation. The most detail at this point is setting SKY, but that is it.

 

Only once I have a decent feeling layout, with all areas connected and a general flow to each corner of the map, do I go through adding height variation. All the while I resist thinking in terms of "this is the start, and this is the end". Instead I think to myself, "so this base has a good sized storage area, maybe the armory is a section within it, obviously the armaments would be a secure area, so let's wall that off. Perhaps there is a small training ground in the outside area, as this base receives new recruits, and the Colonel is a hard-ass and insists they keep in shape."

 

So far I have nearly completed three maps, six more to go.

[CittyKat112]

First I draw an empty square room, then think about what my map should be about, start adding details and then draw other rooms while trying to come up with ideas for combat situations for said rooms.

[roadworx]

my mapping process is uh...terrible lol

 

first i'll start off by making a starting area with absolutely no plan as to what i wanna do going ahead. i'll detail it so i have an idea of what i want in terms of aesthetics. once i start to build off of this area, however, i'll realize that 1.) i have absolutely no idea where i'm going with this, and 2.) i don't even like this starting point. so, i'll put it aside and start over. this'll repeat for a while (in the current map i'm making, this happened five times), because i unfortunately don't know how to plan things out ahead of time.

 

after a while, i'll finally form some sort of general idea of what the overall layout is gonna be. once this occurs, i'll finally start making the actual map...very, very slowly. i pretty much just wing it for the most part, all while following this loose "plan" that i have in my head. whenever i make a new area, i do my best to shape it around dynamic, chaotic combat, which means that i have to have multiple loops, connections, windows, etc; this means i have to think up of what i actually want before doing it, which can take a while and oftentimes will require restarting work on an area several times. not only that, but i also really like having the geometry of the map change to create new paths or open up new areas, which takes even more time due to my aforementioned ineptitude when it comes to planning. when combined with the fact that i'll typically make the architecture and do basic texture work alongside the layout (cuz i can't help myself), this means that mapping takes fucking forever.

 

while i'm busy doing that, i'll slowly start to detail the earlier areas that i'm happy with as well as add monsters and resources. i'll spend a lot of time playtesting in between making new areas, which takes up even more time. however, eventually i'll finish the map, and usually i'm satisfied with the finished product. as shitty and as time-consuming as my process is, it gets good results.

 

 

it'd be nice to figure out how to do things differently, tho...

Edited February 23, 2022 by roadworx

[Nikku4211]

Sometimes I just draw some triangles on a map and connect them together.

Sometimes I just see a random photo on the internet and try to recreate it.

Sometimes I go to a place and think of how nice it'd be to recreate it in Id Tech 1, only to forget about it by the time I get home because looking at a photo is not like looking at the real thing.

Sometimes I mess around in WHackEd and decide to make a map around it.

 

Sometimes I put a drawing from Ivan Zanotti in a map and try to make a whole premise and a megaWAD based around the premise before losing the motivation to make 32 maps because it got boring and never come back to it because surely the Doomworld community will never tolerate such a thing like it ever.

 

And sometimes I just try to put Caritas into a Doom level.

[StrangerRanger]

1. Get an idea

2. Open the doom editor and turn the idea into reality

3. Run out of ideas

4. Procrastinate Take a break for few days

5. Come back

6. Try to add something to the map, test it

7. Repeat step 3-6 until you feel like map is big enough

8. Improve monster and item placement

9. Playtest playtest playtest

10. Done

[jerk-o]

slige -doom2 -levels 30

[GalaxyTails]

- Get map idea

- Sketch out map

- Make map

- Realize it looks bad

- Give up

[TheMightyWhoosh]

I generally begin to map the layout partially and decide which part of the map that particular section of map will represent (IS - starting area, final/exit area, etc). I’ll then theme it, add details and then expand from there.
 

I want to change my mapping techniques and methods in order to improve my map-making skills, though. In future I plan on creating the entire layout prior to adding the details. Sometimes shaking up a routine can give really positive results! 

[Hitboi]

1. Dream about my magnum opus map.
2. Start drawing square rooms.
3. Add a player start, SSG, monsters and an exit switch.
4. Realize my map is low-effort or too simple.
5. Ignore step 4 and release map.

[BetelgeuseSupergiant]

1. Get an awesome idea for map
2. After 2 weeks finally open GZDB
3. Create 1 room, add details, close GZDB
4. Repeat

5. After 3 months we have an small map for 5 minutes!

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Step 1: Turn on my computer

Step 2: Open up UDB

Step 3:

DEEUUUUUHHHH *Rapidly smashes head and fingers against the keyboard till a map is made*

 

And that's pretty much it. Yeah I literally don't plan for anything I do. :l

[Sneezy McGlassFace]

Sometimes it's an uphill battle, and sometimes it just ... happens. I'm a novice, so ymmw. I would say that for me, most of the actual work is inspiration. That's the hard part. Putting the lines and things down is easy, once I know what I actually want to make. Playing wads helps quite a bit for that. I like to start with a room with all details and stuff. That's an anchor that encapsulates the map's vibe. When I'm out of inspiration, I look at other people's work, some non-doom related stuff, and this one room. Get inspired one way or another, and get to it. And that's pretty much it. Just get the creative juices flowing.

John Romero (praised be,) says that he likes to think of opening a door and "what do I wanna see next?" I think that's my approach too. There's the one infamous map he says was made in just a few hours, and everybody and their dog are sceptical about that but I can totally believe it. I can see it on myself, when I'm really inspired, it's just happening so effortlessly, you know? Have a vision and keep refining it until it's done. It also helps having a list of things the map should have. Of course when the creative juices don't flow, it's like pushing boulder up a hill only to watch it roll down past you time and time again. Good fun.

[Kokoro Hane]

I'm still new to map-making (and have yet to release any of my work), but generally I try to think of a concept and then I work on it from there. I will have ideas of certain areas I'd like to make, and try to make them. 

[Nefelibeta]

Just replay whatever I/everybody liked and copy and paste their ideas.

[thiccyosh]

Step one: I want to make a map with a uniqe idea

Step two: Oh shit that has been done before

Step three: start from step one

 

Or:

 

Step one: start making a map

Step 1,5: open Ultimate Doom Builder and start doodling just to Ctrl + Z literally everything if it doesn't fit immediately, even if you only placed one linedef

Step two: eh, I'll get it done someday

Step three: forget about said map and start from step one

Step four: release map (optional)

[MoreMending]

Get motivation

Think of some asshole-ish traps for the player and generally how the map would work

Try to make it in Eureka

Add extra stuff because I forgot to think out the rest of the map

Try to make the exit connect to the next map

Think out the next map based on the exit

lose motivation to make the next map

[NinjaDelphox]

I just draw lines until it looks OK and go from there until the map is done