Well at the moment I'm bored while I'm waiting for my Xbox to get fixed, so I thought I'd have a go at writing this list. Feel free to post your own mistakes in the comments if you know any more. Also bear in mind that this list if for beginner forgers and is only relevant with competitive maps. 10. Generic Map Name (or description) This isn't technically a mistake, but maps with names such as: "The Arena" or "Zombie Attack", aren't exactly going to stand out very well, and more than likely won't get much action in the way of downloads. Of course downloads aren't everything, but most forgers like to know that their map is being played by others. Other generic names include "Castle", "Space Station" and the all-time classic: "My First Map". As for the description, try and avoid writing about how your map was once an ancient battleground. 9. Leaving Weapons at 30 Second Respawn I've seen hoards of maps with a great layout, excellent flow and great spawns; only to have a power weapon in the centre of the map on 30 second respawn with 2 clips of ammo left. Before you post your map make sure to check your weapon spawn times! The same thing sometimes happens with power-ups. I remember playing Halo 3's "Cubed" which even managed to get into matchmaking with an overshield on 30 second respawn. 8. Hiding Spots Some amazing maps have even been featured on this site and are easily escapable. The use of kill zones and soft kill zones is an easy way of preventing these things from happening. Some people just say: "Why hide in custom game?". This is indeed pointless yet people still do it, so be sure to hunt for exploitable hiding spots before posting a map. 7. Z-Fighting When two objects are merged into each other and flickering, they are described as being "Z-fighting". The is usually looked upon as ugly by forgers and can be easily fixed by moving an object ever so slighty out of the way. It won't be a waste of time espiecially as in the Review Hub, Z-fighting may bring down your maps' score in the aethetics department. 6. Poor Weapon Choices This is mostly common sense, but some people insist of doing it regardless. If your map a maze of corridors, please don't add a shotgun/energy sword/hammer, it just promotes camping and makes gameplay less enjoyable for all. Same thing goes with large open maps; a sniper or focus rifle wouldn't be the best option. 5. Forgetting to use Spawn Cameras At the start of a game most players wouldn't like to be greeted by a scenic shot of the forgeworld landscape, complete with a glimpse of a coliseum wall that makes up the outer boundary of your map. Again this may seem like common sense, but there are actually some maps in matchmaking that have this problem, so believe me it happens. 4. Not Writing Descriptions (On Reach) Descriptions may seem pointless if you just plan on posting your map Forgehub, however think about if someone in matchmaking just happens to look in your fileshare and see your map. If the default description is visible then it just looks unprofessional, and anyone looking won't bother downloading. It may not seem incredibly important but it is sure worth the 30 seconds it takes to write something. 3. Bad Spawns Lets face it everyone gets a bad spawn once in a while, regardless of what map your playing on. But if you constantly spawn in the same place or spawn facing into walls, then something can definitely be done. There are plenty of spawn guides on Forgehub so read them and learn. Follow a guide step-by-step as you construct your spawn system. Soon it will come naturally to you. 2. Frame-rate Lag This is a major problem for some of the more aesthetically orientated maps. For those who don't know, frame-rate lag occurs when a map contains too many objects in a small space. The best ways to combat frame-rate lag is to build your map while prioritizing gameplay and balance over aesthetic quality. Use large bland objects such as Brace Larges and apply aesthetics only after you have finished the entire layout. According to some people, the use of glass or light gadgets can signifacantly affect the frame-rate of a map, so if possible try and avoid these. 1. Insufficient Testing Overall, most of the problems on this list can be solved with just a little testing. Most good forgers will spend at least twice as much time testing a map and tweaking than actually forging it. Some maps are posted on this site without being tested at all, and as a result reviece little/no attention at all from anyone. If you don't have anyone to help test, submit your map to the testers guild. You should get some useful feedback.
All good and very true pieces of advice. I dunno about the z-fighting part though, since as much as I'd like to move it, the system doesn't allow for nearly as much precision I'd like it more often then not it makes it unsmooth. Also wish I could get rid of distance flicker, but I guess that's just an inherent quirk in the system.
Well, you could press and hold the left stick and that'll slow down your movement. Thus, allowing you to nudge everything.
Leaving a few hiding spots and leaving the entirety of forge world accessible are two completely different things.
Most of your list is alright I have a issue with this point, Shotgun is a poor weapon choice on small maps and a sniper is a poor weapon choice on large maps? What?!?
Good list. You forgot overuse of prefabricated building, though. It's not that much of an issue to use prefabs, sure, but most people on this site don't like them, as I've previously discovered, and it may hamper attention to a newbies map.
I didn't mention large or small maps, I mentioned open and enclosed maps. For instance a map which is maze-like and has lots of camping places and narrow corridors wouldn't be best for a shotgun, because people would camp with it. On an open map a sniper can be used to see every in the game without them having any cover to hide behind.
You did say "Large open map" and hemorrhage is pretty much the largest openest map you can make and it works fine there. Snipers are meant for large and or open maps I'm sick of seeing snipers on tiny maps where there only use is for no scoping. Swords and shotguns are meant for CQC they will be camped around corners in every map they are useless in large open maps, the trick is to balance the map according to the weapons your putting on there. But just flat out saying Snipers on large open maps=bad and Swords on maze like maps=bad is bad.
Sniper works fine on Hemorrhage haha. Snipers are bad on open maps. Be it big or small. And a sniper can work perfectly on a small map if there are some decent sight lines. A sniper on Countdown works excellent for instance.