Reverse detailing

[40oz]

I once thought of a mapping challenge where mappers had to start with a convoluted detailed level and reduce the detail of the map so that it was only a bare-bones layout. The goal being to subtract the aesthetic value without deleting the map and starting over or redrawing things with new sectors and instead manipulating the existing parts of the map so that all that remains is the inherent gameplay functions of the map.

I rarely do it myself except to fix errors because it otherwise seems counter productive. But I've been thinking about practicing on some one else's highly detailed maps because I think it could become a valuable mapping skill.

Has anyone here had any experience or tried something similar? What steps might you take to go about it? I suspect a lot vertex dragging, Merge Sectors and Make Sector tools to be involved.

[scifista42]

40oz said:

Has anyone here had any experience or tried something similar? What steps might you take to go about it? I suspect a lot vertex dragging, Merge Sectors and Make Sector tools to be involved.

Select entire map while in Sector Mode -> "Merge Sectors" (all 2-sided linedefs get deleted) -> start working up from there.

[Danfun64]

Forgive my ignorance, but doesn't "2-sided linedefs" include stuff like doors?

[scifista42]

It does, but the remaining layout would probably keep it clear where the doors are supposed to be, so I'd just redraw them. I also forgot to mention that the necessary follow-up step to my method is to select all 1-sided linedefs and nullify their tags / actions / flags except Impassable, and then select the map's remaining huge sector and do a similar purge to its properties. :)

[40oz]

scifista42 said:

Select entire map while in Sector Mode -> "Merge Sectors" (all 2-sided linedefs get deleted) -> start working up from there.

You can lose a ton of stuff from that though right? like sector tags and linedef types?

[scifista42]

Yes, but recreating just these gameplay-important things in a perfectly bare layout would be much easier than bothering with paying attention to too many random unnecessary sectors/lines all around the map. I could recreate them while having the original map opened in another editor window as a model, or after playing it and remembering "what/where/when" was important from player's perspective.

[Arctangent]

Perhaps the goal shouldn't be the bare minimum, but instead converting a busy, high-geometry count layout to a clean, simple, yet still aesthetically pleasing design. That way while preserving the core layout only and then working from there is an option, there are still others, especially if you have a piece of overdetail that could still be simplified into a cleaner piece of architecture that still has the same general shape.

Bonus points for allowing complete theme swaps, allowing the minimalized architecture to be interpreted in different ways.

[40oz]

scifista42 said:

Yes, but recreating just these gameplay-important things in a perfectly bare layout would be much easier than bothering with paying attention to too many random unnecessary sectors/lines all around the map. I could recreate them while having the original map opened in another editor window as a model, or after playing it and remembering "what/where/when" was important from player's perspective.

Sure it would be easier, but so would creating a new map from scratch. You are technically following "the rules" but you're taking away from the challenge of preserving the original map by deleting things and remaking them yourself. The point is to flex your editing muscles! Btw a map with a lot of height variation for example would suffer tremendously, and I'm sure a lot of seemingly unimportant sector tags could go overlooked.

[Armaetus]

How about reverse detailing Sunder as a starter?

[Dave The Daring]

I'd say some of tourniquet's maps would be a worthy reverse detailing challenge.

[scifista42]

Now I remembered, KDiKDiKDiZD was basically supposed to be like this! :)

[baja blast rd.]

Dave The Daring said:

I'd say some of tourniquet's maps would be a worthy reverse detailing challenge.

He has released more than the two Nova maps? Links please if so.

[esselfortium]

scifista42 said:

Now I remembered, KDiKDiKDiZD was basically supposed to be like this! :)

That was also actually the original plan for KDiKDiZD, too, which lasted for about a day like that before the process became maddening and I tried something different with it, heh.

[Dave The Daring]

rdwpa said:

He has released more than the two Nova maps? Links please if so.

I dunno. Hopefully he'll see this and link us to more tourniquet mapping goodness.