The topic title explains it all, but for those who don't understand, sometimes its fun to add a little backstory to your maps instead of them just being some random battleground. For example my map, Olympus (4v4 (possibly only 2v2, haven't worked out the kinks yet) Symmetrical Map) is set on Beta Halo, in a coolant tower. Another map, Core, a large 6v6-ish Symmetrical Map, is the power room of a spacecraft that crashed on Delta Halo. The craft is mostly dead, but the core room remains intact, still running. Now, they care just simple explanations to simple slayer maps, but more complicated scenarios like Invasion can open up even bigger backgrounds; During the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC was forced to decommission much of its fleet in exchange for more cost-productive ships. Before the war, the Hyperion-class Carriers made up the bulk of the fleet. While they had virtually no offensive capabilities, the Hyperion-class had the largest fighter complement of any capship in the fleet, allowing it to carry large amounts of ships and transports. This proved ineffective against the Covenant, and was quickly phased out of service in exchange for smaller, faster ships. Some stayed in service in the Inner Colonies. In enters the CVE-04 UNSC Victory. Carrying important intel during the Battle of Reach, the Victory became a prime target for the Covenant. Instead of destroying it, Covenant forces attempt to secure an entry point, bomb the hangar, then capture the data core from the bridge. After this, I decided to come up with an alternate version of the map, where the Spartans have to TAKE BACK the Victory from Elites. This version, accurately named "Retaking Victory", takes place entirely in the Victory, instead of the previous where air battles would take place outside the ship. I've placed a lot of thought into it for...well...months, even after the maps and gametypes themselves were finished. Anyone else end up doing this?
Well, honestly, I don't think of it at all when first creating the map. However, after finishing the map I occasionally go back and do what would be a conceptual drawing of what it would look like it I weren't restricted to pre-set textures on Forerunner lego blocks. I'd show one to ya, but I'm still working on the map for comparison... Thing is, when I do the concept I imagine a backstory and try to put hints of it in the description of the map and the art. What is this place? What happened here? What makes it hold any value? That sort of thing. So I guess I do, just in a different way.
What I do is create a layout, then find a location to match the shape of the path, other times I just think of places where it would be cool to fight in, themes only makes the experience that much better.
Most of the time I just wish people spent that time on the map instead of a story which for the most part no one cares about
I think having a narrative surrounding the map helps unify otherwise disparate structures into a theme (and I'm talking about when the map is still in the planning stages). I know that when Chuck and I were designing an infection map named Tritium ages ago, we spent a few hours coming up with a basic locale on which to base it, and it helped us devise a basic structure for the map around the goals we had set for gameplay. Then as we actually went in and built each room, it was easier to design aesthetically and functionally, because we had a theme to work toward. That being said, aside from the scripted-but-never-recorded machinima that was to accompany the map (read: really just to show it off, the narrative was literally a joke), there wasn't a story. This doesn't just apply to infection maps, and a theme doesn't necessarily need to be as specific as "this is a city" as you can apply the concept to just matching column structures in a map. So I think there are many examples of maps between those two extremes.
I only do background story of the map when Ive finished the map not before but I do always make a background story