Doom Mapping as a way of releasing stress

[HotCoffee]

I think of mapping as a creative outlet just like drawing or writing, in that way I believe it shares some similarities with producing art.

For once when I map I find myself relaxed and I'm fulfilled when I get to play one of the wads I finished. I think it helps with mental health and the best thing is mapping is so easy and accessible it doesn't take a lot to produce a decent map (unlike drawing for example which requires years of training).

 

I have tons of unfinished wads sitting on my hard drive that I started but never finished and I kinda made "for myself" not meant to be played by anyone else. But maybe one day I'll compile them into one wad that I'll publish...

 

The reason I made this post is I wanted to know if anyone else experiences this too. How does mapping "help" you?

[Pechudin]

I like to finish my maps, the enjoyment is 50-50 between putting it together and seeing it played and reacted to. But I do consider that being "for myself" as well.

[Dexiaz]

1 hour ago, HotCoffee said:

The reason I made this post is I wanted to know if anyone else experiences this too. How does mapping "help" you?

 

Making any kind of mods, no matter it's mapping, texturing, coding, modeling made me feel I'm releasing stress.

 

I do like the process, it's meditative.

[DoomGappy]

Mapping made me more observant about real life architecture. It also helped me to connect with other people through a creative outlet. The downside is I'm kinda addicted to doom at the moment, but that will pass in time.

Edited November 2, 2023 by DoomGappy

[DRON12261]

Modding and mapping (not just for Doom) helped me get out of a lingering depressive pit a long time ago. This generally applies to any activity that you really start having a flame for. I love what I do, I love the process, and I love seeing the result in the community when someone plays it. I wouldn't be doing it otherwise. And even more, I love watching people who are also glowing with their activities, no matter whatever it is.

 

[Sonikkumania]

I just have ambition. When I was a kid and we had no Internet (imagine that!), I used to draw imaginary Doom levels on a paper sheet filled with demons and weapons. For me it's just something I can't stop doing, even though it's heavily seasonal. 

[vdm1337]

I've been working on a WAD for Doom 1 for around the past year or so, and I found myself really enjoying creating it the most when I didn't take it too seriously and just tried making things fun. Every time I start viewing it as a chore, or telling myself "I have to get this level done, otherwise I can't publish it to /idgames!" I end up realizing that I don't enjoy level design at all. So, I think mapping for me is kind of a split because - I absolutely love it on some days, but other days I have ruts of no inspiration that can last for weeks and I end up hating it. But in small bursts, or on really inspired days, I think it's the most fun I've ever had. It even got me to try out other editors, too!

[Somniac]

^ ditto, when you're in the zone and stuff is coming together, and you're in a flow state its a good time, even therapeutic. When its not, I end up disliking the whole thing and feeling like I'm stood still next to everybody else who seems to put out a megawad every 20 minutes. lol. Sadly creativity doesn't work like a tap, so I've learned not to force it and only work on stuff when I feel like it basically. I might still open a map to fiddle with textures and do mechanical stuff like putting doors and elevators in place, though.

[RDETalus]

No, it's stressful for me. It only pays off once in while when a map comes together right. Otherwise, it's constant stress about how to put the map together.

[prfunky]

7 hours ago, vdm1337 said:

I've been working on a WAD for Doom 1 for around the past year or so, and I found myself really enjoying creating it the most when I didn't take it too seriously and just tried making things fun. Every time I start viewing it as a chore, or telling myself "I have to get this level done, otherwise I can't publish it to /idgames!" I end up realizing that I don't enjoy level design at all. So, I think mapping for me is kind of a split because - I absolutely love it on some days, but other days I have ruts of no inspiration that can last for weeks and I end up hating it. But in small bursts, or on really inspired days, I think it's the most fun I've ever had. It even got me to try out other editors, too!

 

2 hours ago, Somniac said:

^ ditto, when you're in the zone and stuff is coming together, and you're in a flow state its a good time, even therapeutic. When its not, I end up disliking the whole thing and feeling like I'm stood still next to everybody else who seems to put out a megawad every 20 minutes. lol. Sadly creativity doesn't work like a tap, so I've learned not to force it and only work on stuff when I feel like it basically. I might still open a map to fiddle with textures and do mechanical stuff like putting doors and elevators in place, though.

 

1 hour ago, RDETalus said:

No, it's stressful for me. It only pays off once in while when a map comes together right. Otherwise, it's constant stress about how to put the map together.

 

I'm not about to tell anybody how they should feel when mapping or doing any creative endeavor. Sometimes, it's

those feelings which create the conditions for great work! That being said, there's something about the mechanics

of working on Doom; it's both a creative and logical process. What the creator is doing is not an easy feat! One uses

different parts of one's brain for each facet. For instance, I do alot of code in DECORATE for my current work. This

is the part that takes great effort on that logical side. If I want x then I need to code supercalifragilisticexpialodocious.

However, assessing whether or not the results are what I want when testing is an exercise of the creative side of the

brain. Some of us are stronger in logical portion, some the creative, but we all have both. The Doom editing process

itself is a brain exercise where you find what your balance is and produce accordingly.

 

A word about workload:

Don't put yourself under artificial demands! My first released wad was a 10-map deathmatch work. It sucked. Why?

Because I put myself under the stress to get something done. Don't belittle yourself because it seems you're not

kicking out maps at the pace of someone else. You do you. Nobody else can! Really!! Think about that... nobody

else can create what you are creating because they're not you! What you make is yours and is great no matter who

else thinks so or not.

[Nikku4211]

Doom mapping is quite the opposite for me. It is pretty stressful because I obsess over quality and feedback.

I just never find the maps I make fun to play, and thus I feel they are not good enough to ask for feedback about it online without serious consequences to my account.

[Sonikkumania]

6 minutes ago, Nikku4211 said:

I just never find the maps I make fun to play, and thus I feel they are not good enough to ask for feedback about it online without serious consequences to my account.

I guess you should try to come up with an mapstyle that you enjoy yourself which is a way how you express yourself via maps.

Just try to create a map that you enjoy to play yourself and see how the world reacts to it.

[Cutman 999]

Doom mapping for me ist just procrastination. I try every single way to avoid drawing a layout, mostly because i don't have it much clear. I think i need to try speedmapping seriously.

[RDETalus]

4 hours ago, Cutman 999 said:

I try every single way to avoid drawing a layout, mostly because i don't have it much clear

That's why I switched all my map design to text documents. It's easier to "write" a map layout than it is to draw one. When I finally have a clear vision, then I draw.

[Cutman 999]

3 minutes ago, RDETalus said:

That's why I switched all my map design to text documents. It's easier to "write" a map layout than it is to draw one. When I finally have a clear vision, then I draw.

I remember I only did that for some scrapped maps i had, maybe i should try to take more notes and then start to speedmap seriously.

[RDETalus]

1 hour ago, Cutman 999 said:

maybe i should try to take more notes

Yeah note taking is crucial if you start and stop mapping with long periods of time in between. If you take notes, you can usually start mapping where you left off. If you don't take notes, you're more likely to get frustrated because you can't figure out what you were doing 2 months ago and throw the whole map away to start over.

[OniriA]

Although all my creative energies are focused on music at the moment instead of mapping, the feeling of completing something or seeing something you made come together "as a whole" is similar to defeating a difficult Soulslike boss, and it gives me such a rush that in the moment I'm feeling like the supreme God Vishnu.

 

We're essentially using our godlike capacity of "creating from nothing" by bringing something into the realm of existence from the black void. 

[Lila Feuer]

I haven't mapped for Doom before but I too get a similar rush when the cool thing in my head comes to life via DECORATE/zscript.

[volleyvalley]

I find mapping to be a fun hobby, that you could tinker around in for 1-2 hours a day, and then do something else. Of course, when working within that time limit, I most commonly resort torwards speedmapping, but that's not always the case. As for the pressure and stress of getting good feedback on the levels upon release, I will try to not set my standards too high, and my only goal is to make a better level than the last one, and if I succeed, then that's the only thing that will matter to me.

 

Oh, and also, just like the original poster of this thread, I have a ton of levels laying around, and quietly working on them from time to time. While most of them are quite mediocre, they show me how much I have progressed as a mapper since the beginning.

[Sneezy McGlassFace]

Mapping actually unlocked a lot of my creativity. After many years I found a way to express artistically without the usual feeling of failure. It always felt to me that drawing, painting, or music composition, or whatever else I tried isa daunting process. There's so much to get right and all the mistakes stick out. With doom, that's not the case so much. There's no rules or guidelines. You just make what feels good, it's incredibly liberating in that sense. You just learn to use the editor, and then you're free like a bird. Make whatever you want. I don't feel like that in any other medium. 

When I begun to feel comfortable with making maps, I feel confident to explore other forms of creativity without the feeling of doing it wrong. 

I love mapping, love the process, each stage of it. Layout, encounters, texturing, detailing, all uniquely interesting challenges. And pacifying the mind, seeing a whole new slice of a world being built up right in front of your eyes. 

[EPICALLL]

On 11/1/2023 at 2:33 PM, HotCoffee said:

I think of mapping as a creative outlet just like drawing or writing, in that way I believe it shares some similarities with producing art.

For once when I map I find myself relaxed and I'm fulfilled when I get to play one of the wads I finished. I think it helps with mental health and the best thing is mapping is so easy and accessible it doesn't take a lot to produce a decent map (unlike drawing for example which requires years of training).

 

I have tons of unfinished wads sitting on my hard drive that I started but never finished and I kinda made "for myself" not meant to be played by anyone else. But maybe one day I'll compile them into one wad that I'll publish...

 

The reason I made this post is I wanted to know if anyone else experiences this too. How does mapping "help" you?

Mapping tends to be a very therapeutic thing for me, as typically, when I'm stressed, I come up with loads of ideas and other things that are big creative boosts. However, sometimes mapping while angry can also create for some interesting combat design that you might not think of if you're a happy camper. I've found that when I'm angry, my often generous design turns incredibly sour, for example... Say... Trapping the player in a room with an archvile, Plutonia style. However, one thing I rarely do is map when I'm happy. When I'm happy, I'm very uninspired to do things for any more than one hour straight, and since each of my mapping sessions are at the very least double that, I tend to avoid it when I'm happy, I'm less creative in those moments, anyways.

[Gmg]

Mapping doesn't relieve my stress and it makes me feel bored if I do it for too long, and I always run out of ideas. It is probably for people who really like it.

[Treehouseminis]

I've been mapping a little, almost everyday since last December, so almost a year now. It's been a hyperfixation ever since.  I've been making some type of art since I can remember, drawing, dabbled in canvas painting, painting warhammer etc.  But  making a doom map is more satisfying than any of those to me.  It's not just something to look at, but interact with!  

 

So yeah it's a big stress reliever for me atm.  I see myself taking it easier in the future though. My first maps took a week, but as I get better in the editor and wanna do more stuff, it's easy for 3-4 weeks or more to finish a map.  I know that's fast still for a lot but I literally open the editor everyday unless I have a family event or something going on out of town.  

 

And since it's taking longer, It's getting only slightly stressful cuz I just want it to be done at a certain point so it makes me work longer lol.

[Gitdoomer07]

I feel the same way! It can either decrease or increase my stress. Sometimes it distracts me from what's stressing me out, but other times I'll find myself clicking furiously to add linedefs while tapping my foot, ultimately making matters worse.

 

And then sometimes I'll add a custom comment on a random vertex in the map detailing my current mood or what's bothering me.

[Koko Ricky]

Mapping more than "shares some similarities with producing art." It absolutely is an artform, much in the same way that video games are interactive art. 

[smeghammer]

I often treat mapping as doodling to relax.

 

Sure, if I get an inspiration, I'll run with it, but - for example - ATM I am tinkering with a kind of medieval village with twisty architecture - an attempt to get away from orthogonal layouts. It's taking ages, but that's OK. No real aim with it so far, but it's definitely relaxing to just lay down some linedefs and see where it goes...

[Arno]

I definitly have the same experience. What I find relaxing about mapping is that it's relatively easy to fit a mapping session into the daily routine. It doesn't matter whether I have 20 minutes or 120 minutes available, there's always an opportunity to extend a work-in-progress map with an extra room or some Doomcute.