Some questions about Co-op mapping

[GHermann]

I've been mapping since 2009, but I've always made single-player maps exclusively. I was toying with the idea of maybe doing a co-op map or two, but was unsure of how best to create something fun and playable. Is there a guide or an earlier post that lays out some really good guidelines and tips on co-op mapping? I tried looking for a bit and for the most part came up empty-handed.

Honestly, the only thing I learned from my search was to make keyed doors stay open after being opened in co-op maps. Otherwise I'm lost. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Foxpup]

It seems to me there are more "don'ts" than "do's" as far as co-op mapping is concerned. Some of the main points to keep in mind:

* Make sure your hallways are wide enough for two players to walk side-by-side easily while still having room to dodge attacks. Otherwise players will have to enter the hallway one at a time, and the players following behind will be unable to fire without risking hitting the player in front, effectively turning it into a single player fight with the other players not able to do anything other than stand back and watch (which is no fun at all).
* If you create a trap which locks the player in or out of a certain area of the map, be sure that other players (including the trapped player, in case they die and respawn) have an alternate route to avoid getting stuck. For example, in Doom 2 Map 08, the bridge into the red key room lowers into lava after you cross it, forcing you to fight your way through, but at the same time a hidden teleporter opens up near the starting room, allowing players to still get back into the room after the bridge lowers. Without this teleporter, the map would be unwinnable if the trapped player died before getting the red key.
* Don't use voodoo doll trickery unless you're aware of the issues relating to co-op. Specifically, actions affecting the player 1 doll will only affect player 1, not other players (regardless of who actually caused the action to happen), and the player 1 doll is not even guaranteed to exist, if player 1 left the game before the map was started. Voodoo dolls also don't respawn if killed. For dolls that grab items, it's only fair to include dolls (and items) for all 4 players.

[andrewj]

Make locked doors open-and-stay (D1 or S1), since it is a real pain to have to go get every key again to catch up with the other players when you die.

[printz]

andrewj said:

Make locked doors open-and-stay (D1 or S1), since it is a real pain to have to go get every key again to catch up with the other players when you die.

Yeah but some coop games have the setting to keep the key to the player even after a death.