How do you build wads?

[Krivanka]

How do you great level editors start out making your wads? Do you brainstorm before hand on what the level will look like? Do you just build rooms one by one, completely designing each room before you go on to the next one?

Right now what I'm doing is making lots of squares and hallways and connecting them with doors and such and leaving everything ashwall then going over it all. Only thing is that when I do this I'm not really sure where to put keys and switches, so thats why I'm curious as to the approach good wadders take to creating their pwads.

Any information would help alot :) thanks :)

[Glassyman]

I always use Doom Builder. I usually start creating square rooms without inspiration. Then, when inspiration arrives, I design all rooms I want and then I begin to add detail and things.

[Steeveeo]

What I do is usually get an inspiration in real life on what the section should look like (like a rock face in a canyon that would make a nice sniper position in DM with a railgun, or some image on TV)

or I plan it out what it should look like and what it should do, then try to draw it to the best of my ability adding textures as I go.

So basically all my levels are a tad modular, but the end result still satisfies me.

Also, dont forget to get a good editor and game engine!

From expirence here are my recommendations

Editors:
Doom Builder - This is compatible with many games that use .wad maps. Interface is easy to use, functions are right there in front of you, and editing is very straight forward. You'll be a mapper in no time with this program!
XWE: Extensive Wad Editor - Very handy program used to add, edit, and replace resources to your maps.

Engines:
GZDoom - Runs off the ZDoom engine but adds more functionality and graphic capability.
JDoom (Doomsday) - Pretty good for looks, but it doesnt like small sectors all that well and is prone to crashouts with random Segment Violations. Not a very good program for Custom Multiplayer maps but is good for keeping the original Doom expirence with way better graphics in SP.

[Krivanka]

Thanks for the replies, more are welcome. I'm using DoomBuilder and usually my engine is glboom.

[scwiba]

Great levels can be made using any of the methods you've described. For example, you can see in some of the Doom alphas that at least some of the original Doom maps were created by laying out the floor plan first with all the same height, no detail or texturing, and then going back over it later. Then again, other maps out there are created by meticulously detailing and perfecting each room at a time.

I don't know how valid my experience is since I don't think I'm a "great" mapper, but I do something in between, I think. Often, I'll plan out a basic section (more than just a room) to get the flow of it right, and then detail in afterward. However, some of the finer detailing, I leave until the whole map is done. I have a basic idea of the "feel" I want from a map, but I don't work it out on paper beforehand or anything. I've tried that and it just doesn't work for me.

So, if you're asking how best to go about making maps, I don't have an answer for you. It's really what works best for you. Try different methods and eventually you'll find your own process and style emerging. For me, it was really out of the blue when I noticed my maps started to stop looking like complete turds. Just keep practicing and maybe experimenting with things you see in other maps.

[Dutch Doomer]

I draw my rooms on paper first then build the room in Doom Builder it gives me better results and I don't have to cut out alot of bad sections anymore.

Before that I used to build my rooms one at a time without any drawings this way of mapping was slower for me and I found myself scrapping alot of stuff and had to start over again from scratch.

[printz]

First, I set the theme for the level, being installation/dungeon/brickwork. Then I start designing the rectangular starting room. I work out the first challenge, extending the sector, adding monsters and items. As soon as the player reaches that area, I plan the next challenge, and so on. Everything has to be simple.
That's a good way to keep up with my map, because I wouldn't get lost with useless details and eyecandy, rather focus on the monsterwork.

I edit with Doombuilder, modify lumps with XWE and/or DeepSea, and make the maps for vanilla Doom, which I run under DosBOX. I prefer 'nilla Doom because of its physical limits, so that I have to make clever small maps.

[Mithral_Demon]

For me, though I haven't submitted (since practicing is hard), I think of a level theme, which should it be, dungoen or instalation/space look. After that, since now my idea finally came, I chose a Sky level, and then I create a simple square, probably 400*400, then add another sector in it, none to large like a platform, and 3d mode. Then make ceiling (sky) like 100 or so above '0' mark and lower floor drasticly (This may cause hom depending on which texture used) to 1000 (LARGE, but since its a sky level, gotta be hard and looong FALL!).

Thats how I start off depending on style, and my source port is Skulltag since I would make my map a deathmatch wad (Team/Free for All- Dm), a idea with the map is I'll make the Dm part having Last Man standing, sure the map may be big, but sniping spots will be included.

[Steeveeo]

1024 falls are not actually all that big, takes about 2 seconds to hit ground. I do 9999 ;)

[Krivanka]

Hey thanks for all great replies. Most of them have really helped. My designing is definitely getting better. It's really interesting to see how people mentally approach building wads.

[Cadman]

I use Deepsea extensively for all my map making, I usually start out with what I want in my feeble mind, a theme is a good start, it helps you decide what textures to use, the type of gameplay you want. The amount and type of monsters you use are very important, and especially the placement of those monsters. Ammo and weapons to kill those monsters are equally important, too much ammo and it's too easy and makes it a boring map, too little ammo makes it very frustrating, it needs to be balanced out. Don't forget health and power-ups as well. There is so much to it and there are some great tutorials out there to help you out. Real quick, here are a couple of things that kill a map for me..

Bad texture alignment
Poor lighting effects
Poor texture usage
Poor monster placement and usage

Do this many times...Playtest, playtest and playtest!!!
Get rid of the bugs and improve it!

Good luck to you!


Cadman - Member TeamTNT
Doom2 GrandMaster - DHT5 Standards

[Jodwin]

I usually find out new ways to improve my mapping technique during each major map that I work on, but right now what seems to be working best for me is first starting out by fleshing out some areas of the map on paper just to get started. I don't even try to draw the whole map or add lots of detail in the sketches, since I find it easier to add more whenever inspiration strikes me instead of forcing myself to it.

After fleshing out the first parts of the map I begin moving them to a map editor and as I come up with new ideas during this stage I apply them to the early sketches and thus expand on the map. I've found it to be easiest for me to first draw a great deal of the whole map in the editor before applying any detail such as heights, light levels and textures: This forces me to go through every area of the map in the editor at least twice, first while drawing the lines and a second time when detailing, sometimes even a third time if I'm populating it with monsters and items afterwards. The benefit of this is to get multiple looks at the same area at different stages, which can further give new ideas and inspiration. Of course, this isn't necessary if you are a mapper who can make himself to go through his map in good detail before releasing to find out whether there's anything to add, but I'm not one, so I'm using such methods to get the best out of myself. :-)

In the end, I guess that what you 'should' do is keep analyzing yourself as a mapper and, more importantly, as a hard worker: Can you do even the most seemingly boring tasks with great patience, or do you need to come up with artificial tricks to force yourself like I do? And then based on your own qualities begin building up a personal mapping process.

[farhaven]

I haven't done many maps, but I usually at first create a square room with some detail (e.g. a platform with stairs),then a door or something like that and a little bit of corridor,then another room and so on. While editing the basics of level architecture,I place some monsters if they are required for triggers or scripts. When all the architecture is done and all riddles are implemented,I place monsters and then,in a last and final step,I add lighting effects and decoration to the maps. After that of course comes extensive testing and sometimes reworking parts of the maps. I use Yadex with enhanced ZDoom support for levels,DeuTex for the compositions and The Gimp to create graphics (though I am not very talented when it comes to drawing :) ).

I get most of my inspirations from trying out some features I haven't yet,for example I'm working on a map which makes excessive use of the Transfer Heights special found in ZDoom to create an underwater part and some kind of 3d floor in conjunction with the bridge thing.

[deathbringer]

Recently (well, for my last released wad, 666Hell, which came out ages ago) i started laying down all (or most) of the sectors needed in wadauthor, but leaving them all totally blank, with the standard floor, ceiling, wall and lighting settings. And then switching to Doombuilder's 3D mode and texturing, lighting and setting heights in that, the advantage being it is fun to do, and i can see the map as i make it and make tiny tweaks here and there to get everything looking just right

[stewboy]

I just wait till an idea hits me... if it doesn't, I create a few randomly textured, randomly shaped rooms and see what happens.
As for detailing, well I usually detail as I go along because once I've finished the layout I can't bear to have to go over all of it again.

[GGG]

I always plan my maps out first on paper, down to the structural details (but not textures) and often initial monster placement as well. But I don't do this until I have an idea for the map. Theme is one thing, but I always yearn to have something special in my maps-- something unique.

[sirjuddington]

Krivanka said:

Do you just build rooms one by one, completely designing each room before you go on to the next one?

That's pretty much what I do.