gameplay

[Xtife]

heyas

what makes a map fun? iv heard people here say that gameplay is the most importent part of a map

so what things count as good gameplay? and how should i go about making my map around that? i here alot of people dont like lineir maps, how would should i make it less lineir?

[Louigi Verona]

Yes, indeed. Gameplay is what it's all about. However, gameplay itself is created with many elements and good level architecture is one of them.
Here are some tips from my experience:
1. Don't place too many big monsters in the level. In most cases big monsters are boring to defeat. Poor amateur maps sometimes have a cyberdemon in every room - that's very bad. A better idea is to distribute smaller monsters wiser.
2. Create areas that a player would like to explore. Make platforms or rooms that are seen to the player but not reachable immediately. Arouse the player's interest to explore the level.
For example, if I remember right, in the 29th level of Doom2 there are big platforms with cages on them from which the player is attacked by revenants throughout the level. Of course, that makes him want to reach those platforms, eliminate the monsters and just explore the place.
3. Don't make your level too long. Many well crafted maps are boring to play because they are so huge. Look at original Doom maps - in most cases, they are quite small, yet so fun to play. Sometimes, a detailed medium level is much better than a huge fortress with countless rooms.
4. Don't create a room if you have no idea what's it for. Thinking over the general idea of the level is important. When it is not done, you may end up doing many useless areas which will spoil the gameplay.

That's all folks! I hope those tips would be useful to someone.

[Linguica]

Xtife said:

iv heard people here say that gameplay is the most importent part of a map

I disagree, the most important part of a map is the choice of music!

[Louigi Verona]

Linguica said:

I disagree, the most important part of a map is the choice of music!

I disagree - the most important part of a map is the map filename!

[Lutrov71]

Play lots of maps and you'll figure out what's fun and what isn't.

[Xtife]

iv been playing alot :) im getting lots of ideas from them aswell

[DeumReaper]

I find fun maps that are easy to pick up and play, and those tend to be the wads I play the most often. Vanilla Doom2 is probably what I play most because its fun to speedrun (any good speedrun map could also be considered easy to pick up and play), and Hell Revealed is created by speedrunners for speedrunners, etc. Scythe 2 and Simplicity have captured this gameplay as well.

On the other hand, maybe the current mood of the player desires a more tactical approach, something instinct alone can't make an easy completion; e.g. a puzzle or alternate-gameplay map. When I feel like playing these kinds of maps I load up njol.wad or void.etc.