The majority of the maps that gets lots of views, comments, and downloads are either remakes of old maps (usually good remakes, to be fair), and detailed aesthetic maps with perhaps marginal gameplay or serious frame rate issues. I know I sound cynical, but that is the way it goes. Most Halo players, even the ones that post here, can't look at a screenshot and tell if a map has good design for gameplay or not, so those maps tend to get buried unless their aesthetics are really striking as well (which is hard to pull off). The two most popular maps I've seen here lately that weren't remakes or mini-game maps are probably Vanilla and City Streets. Vanilla is beautiful and would have good gameplay but for frame rate issues; even the toned-down version is prone to it in spots. City Streets has AMAZING aesthetics but also amazing amounts of slowdown, and is not great for gameplay either - yet if you look at its thread in the competitive maps forum, it's two pages of effusive praise and only one comment mentioning the negative aspects. (And I don't mean to bag on the guys who made those maps - both are beautiful forging jobs. But their issues mean that they are perhaps more fun to look at than play on.) (A lot of this is Bungie's fault, of course. It would be nice if we could empty Forgeworld's budget without running into performance problems [unless we stuck a bunch of high poly count items all in a pile - then we probably deserve it].)
Yeah City streets was really good. It looked kinda small though, but really playable. I think the main reason is because it just had a whole lot of self-made buldings instead of the already made buildings. I usually put down the made buildings and then make stuff on it and around it to make it look like I did something too.
2 days is not enough first of all. it takes a lot of time for proper testing, designing, etc. to carry out. dont EVER release a map that isnt perfect. also, put work into your map post. you mispelled one of the first few words in your thread. if you dont bother taking the time to make your post look nice, why would you want to make your map nice and polished? im not saying that the assumption is that strong, but it works in reverse. i see a great, well thought out map post, and i can safely assume that they put enough work into the map that putting all of that work into the post is worth it. but the main thing- TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST. and than TEST some more. and just when you think your done... Spoiler TEST
Just make a map that is appealing to you and your friends, its success outside of those people is pointless really. The only thing that matters is that you enjoy it.
I enjoy making maps and playing on my own But i just want a little more. It's not all about getting noticed, but not being noticed is really boring, and I also want to get better at Reach forge.
This exactly. I posted my map to get criticism on it so I could forge something better. Not a single **** said anything. The only other post in the thread said something along the lines of "I'll download it and comment." and that was it. Being new to the Live experience, I have very few friends to test my maps with. I didn't sign up for live until this month... http://www.forgehub.com/forum/reach-casual-maps/109989-blind.html I see nothing ugly or lackluster about my visible design either, so I don't know why that could even be considered a turn-off. I don't have things unnecessarily clipping or jutting out of odd places. </rant>
My thoughts exactly. Make maps for me and my friends to play on. I have a little FFA Slayer map that i play on with my friends. Games are made to have fun on.
Add me : xFaMouS x KiD I'll play with you on your maps and test it with you if you want. I am not a great judge, but i can tell when something will be good and wont be good. And usually when you post your first map, it wont automatically get 100000000 DLs. You have to put work in it, draw it on paper first, and put in some time and detail. Read the first 2 pgs of this thread. They may give you an idea of how you can improve in your forging.
It has plenty of detail and took a week to create. That's plenty enough for a first map. I didn't do little tweaks for nothing and I'm not going for a map that fits into the "aesthetic maps" section. But yes, I'll add you.
Protip: If you want attention, make your map threads attractive. If you don't capture people's attention with the first picture, it's very likely they'll just ignore your thread and hit the back button. With the thumbnail function now on Forgehub, you have even more competition because people will try to look for the most appealing map they can find on that page.
In my opinion I don't really enjoy maps with a lot of aesthetics. In fact, a lot of maps I've played that visually look great end up just being annoying to play. I really just like that simple bare 4v4 symmetrical bases style gameplay. I incorporate it into a lot of my forge maps and it makes me feel good about winning a game on these kinds of maps.
Hey Guys, read through this whole thread. It's a good topic and there has been lots of good comments here. With my first map and post, at first it was dry and kind of boring to look at, but I have continually gone back and tried to improve it. A visual flair in your post, with an attractive look to your map is what will get your map looked at these days. But we all know its the gameplay that will really keep people coming back and playing more. But what I mean is the gameplay can't just be solid and smooth, it really needs to have a unique flow and feel to it. I know that in reality every idea we could put into a map has already been done before, but the trick is using it in a way that it doesn't feel the same. To give it a new twist, or a new look so that it doesn't feel like we've been there done that a million times. Thats what really drives a map to greatness. My opinion I guess.
Originality trumps all. Even if it has terrible gameplay... people love trying out new and cool ideas. ESPECIALLY if it's an idea that they themselves can implement on their maps. See, a lot of people are selfish.. especially forgers. It's quite true, there's no way going around it. They want to be able to use your idea (or some form of it) for their own benefit. Inspire the crown, win the competition. And yes, that's a huge generalization. ..However, amazing originality AND good gameplay will completely demolish the playing field. Cool story, eh?
I agree with the "originality trumps all" aspect. For example, someone made a map placing a killball inside the large antenna thing. Looked cool, but then EVERYONE started doing it. Then, gunnergrunt made a map with a tree in the middle (Vanilla). What happened next? EVERYONE made a map with a tree in the middle. Original ideas that were cool the first time around. The next 30 or so maps that copied it, not so original anymore, and really, just seem gimmicky. When creating a map, try to be the guy that starts the original idea that everyone from then on copies. Never be the copier.
Aesthetics –noun ( used with a singular verb ) 1. the branch of philosophy dealing with such notions as the beautiful, the ugly, the sublime, the comic, etc., as applicable to the fine arts, with a view to establishing the meaning and validity of critical judgments concerning works of art, and the principles underlying or justifying such judgments. 2. the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty. ---- In short, how good your map looks. This, of course, is hugely subjective. ---- As for not getting feedback on the forum for a map, or maps, that you have put a ton of time and effort into... It is frustrating... A number of really good suggestions have been made here. I would recommend using them to improve your maps and how you present them. Each new map, hopefully, is a little better and something will eventually get noticed. On this forum in particular, the map really has to have at least one unique and interesting element that "photographs" well in order for people to take notice and comment. EDIT: Wow, in the time it took to post this, two pages of posts just appeared... crazy!
OK 1st, I like the unique maps. When you make something brand new and then everyone copies you, that's what I look for. Just like when people used the water and put it in their maps and even made maps out of the water. I even use that technique! 2nd, I dont like maps that are crowded and bunched up. It feels like you cant find the person that you want to kill and that you can't even find yourself. I like a nice map with a few hidding places cause I like to camp sometimes 3rd, Asethetics dont really matter a lot to me. I love having to go through a really nice looking map, but it cant be sloppy either. And 4, when I read the thread that you've posted about your map, I always look for the idea behind the map, the way you came up with it. You can't just make a map and be like "here's my map". And the name also has to go with the map. If you name the map "The Ship" and it is a tunnel made of rocks, i will not be downloading your map.
90% of the things said in this thread can be summed up in one word. presentation. its all about how you present the map. whether in the actual map or the post, it has to look appealing. if it looks great, you can get starter posts. a multipage thread is a happy thread, so people are going to look at it some more. the attention multiplies, and if you have great gameplay... than thats what will keep your map on the front page for weeks.
The think I also dont get is that when I post a map, i get a lot of DL's but then no one comments it. I was looking to see where to see how many people DLed the map and it said 20 and only 2 people made a real comment on it.