What do you hate the most about mapping?

[RedDash16]

My 3 main issues with mapping:

1. Texturing

2. Texturing

3. Texturing

[SavageCorona]

Starting out with no ideas on what to do.

[Yuki Senmatsu]

Trying to add enough gameplay

[Reisal]

On top of mapper's block, not finishing partially constructed projects for months at a time..

[pcorf]

When I worked on WOS my ideas were rock bottom resulting in some symmetrical maps. Gone are those days. Although I certainly don't map as much these days, but when I get the chance I try my best to motivate myself to create maps that are no longer like this. I strive to create over and under maps that have a flow, that minimize back tracking. Look at THT Threnody MAP03 for example. I aim for a design for example, you must see a key door first before you find the key.

 

Enemy placement and testing, certainly not the most fun thing. But once I am satisfied it is a thumbs up! When I worked on my massive city map named "The Great Urban Battle", it took me something like 4 months to make with more than half of that time enemy placement and testing.

Edited September 4, 2017 by pcorf

[TootsyBowl]

-Thing placement, excluding lighting objects

-Trying to make areas that I don't have a clear idea of, like a cave. I have to make up areas as I go, very tedious.

-Setting up teleporter traps. Also tedious.

[40oz]

Once you start mapping and become aware of the full scope of Dooms possibilities, limitations, and toolkit, it starts to lose its spark. Occasionally ill watch a lets play video or a stream of a casual Doomer.

 

"Whoa did you see that revenant punch out that zombieman?? He exploded!! Hahaha!"

 

"Hooooly shit ive never had to fight 2 Cyberdemons at once! OMG!!"

 

"good lord look how tall these buildings are,"

 

"Oh crap all the guns in one room, shits gonna get crazy"

 

In part by being a seasoned Doom veteran, but also a level designer that can create anything I want, a lot of this stuff becomes rather mundane and unremarkable. It gets harder and harder to identify those things that make Doom so exciting for other players. Then the little things that are rare and highly unprecedented in other peoples maps tend to go unnoticed by most players. So if there is one thing I hate about mapping, it is that it does, to some extent, compromise your expectations as a player and makes the game feel a little less exciting and unpredictable. Once you lose it, you can never fully get it back.

[franckFRAG]

On 20/08/2017 at 6:20 PM, SavageCorona said:

Starting out with no ideas on what to do.

Same.

[SOSU]

Lighting Variation

[TootsyBowl]

2 hours ago, SOSU said:

Lighting Variation

That's funnily one of the things I like most. Such a simple thing, and it makes maps so much more interesting.

[Endless]

I hate that I dont have the time. :c

[Roofi]

Same , creating a coherent lighting is one of the hardest thing to do in Doom mapping according to me.

[Doom_Dude]

On 6/14/2017 at 0:42 PM, Cell said:

Renovating (my) old maps. I have a few scattered around from 2009 and 2010.

I heard once that two guys wanted to tune-up a 32-map megawad called Journey of Time (I guess?), and at around MAP11 they both ragequit. I laughed at them at that time only to come to the recent conclusion that they were painfully right.

Oh man, I've been renovating Vilecore since 2001 (32 maps). I can't ragequit now.... aeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii but these fukken maps. haha.

 

Anyhow, I like most things about mapping tho I'm totally clueless when it comes to adding any sort of music. Where do you even start. Instead of even trying to sort that out I tend to go do something else.

 

Also I'm annoyed / confuzzled at the whole, do I balance a set of maps for pistol start or continuous gameplay. Ugh.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Doom_Dude

[BigDickBzzrak]

^ Music? But dude that's the funnest part.

Search the /idgames frontend for "music", you'll get a bunch of WADs full of usable MIDIs. Pick one you like, open it up in SLADE, find a good midi and use it.

If you really can't decide, just take RotT's "Goin' Down the Fast Way" as that track fits literally anywhere. Scientific fact.

[NeedHealth]

I had a great design idea last night. Went to sleep on it and now I've forgotten it.

[Doom_Dude]

4 hours ago, bzzrak said:

^ Music? But dude that's the funnest part.

Search the /idgames frontend for "music", you'll get a bunch of WADs full of usable MIDIs. Pick one you like, open it up in SLADE, find a good midi and use it.

If you really can't decide, just take RotT's "Goin' Down the Fast Way" as that track fits literally anywhere. Scientific fact.

Ok, I will actually have to get my shit together and do that.

[Juza]

Thing placement and detailing.

edit: and lightning

[Remilia Scarlet]

Layering 3d floors has been a pain for me recently.  Like a few vertically isn't bad, but when you try to construct an entire detailed room above another detailed room, you start to wish you had brushes instead of sectors.

 

Also making layered 3d sloped floors.  After a while I give up and simplify my design.

[Zanieon]

1 hour ago, YukiRaven said:

Layering 3d floors has been a pain for me recently.  Like a few vertically isn't bad, but when you try to construct an entire detailed room above another detailed room, you start to wish you had brushes instead of sectors.

 

Also making layered 3d sloped floors.  After a while I give up and simplify my design.

@Ed doesn't know what you are talking about :P

Anyway i also drag myself when stacking lots of 3D floors, but i do if that is necessary to make the room look good, making the entire map lit by dynlights is also a slow process.

[Remilia Scarlet]

1 minute ago, Zanieon said:

@Ed doesn't know what you are talking about :P

Anyway i also drag myself when stacking lots of 3D floors, but i do if that is necessary to make the room look good, making the entire map lit by dynlights is also a slow process.

Yeah, I'll bite the bullet and do it if I have to, but the little bit of Quake mapping I've done recently has left me feeling envious.  On the other hand, the lack of ACS leaves me feeling the same way when building Quake levels :-P

 

Lighting with all point lights doesn't really bother me, but maybe we're approaching it differently to achieve different looks.