How do you guys come up with forge map ideas?

Most of my maps come from sketches. If I think of something cool in my head, I'll jot it dot on some paper, then build off that. Even if I don't have any ideas, sometimes I just doodle when I'm bored, and eventually something will strike me that could work as a halo map. Then I'll draw potential connections and stuff. So, my advice to you, get drawing!

 

My way of capturing inspiration is overloading my head by looking at tons of maps from different arena shooters in one sitting. The more maps I look at, the more they blend, resulting in an original concept, rather than copying somebody else's map.

Or you can closely study specific maps and learn what makes them work. The more you understand map design, the more you will be able to design your own map.

 

currently im just attempting to recreate ideas ive had in previous halo's. during which i usually end up running into "change" which may hinder progress and i keep note of, while some changes allow me to complete failed ideas ive had in previous halo's but could never achieve realization.

i like to make games that deviate extremely from usual play. (minigames)
its rare that i make vanilla maps that cater to standard play but if i do. its usually got something unusual not seen in base forge maps.

from there i may or may not sketch a design based off of what i want to see in the map and start visualizing where this map would exist and justifying why it would exist. kinda give it a purpose lol.

from there i begin to think about player movement, and equal opportunity with player mentality. "ranged players would favor this" while "aggressive players would favor this" then going into how locations cannot be abused and begin designing double edge swords. Risk rewards.

once my rough draft is complete, i take the remaining budget if possible to delete and replace pieces that are not aesthetically correct or pleasing, and suger coat the entire map while still staying true to the maps "purpose" on why it existed.

most of the time my ideas crash into me at random times. falling asleep, looking at buildings, using the restroom, taking a shower, or bouncing ideas off of fellow forgers. recently ive had around 3 amazing ideas by simply playing some vanilla games and going "man, i bet this would be so much more interesting if it were like this..." and just went on a roller coaster of creativity from there.

 

I just start forging, playing around with how pieces fit together. Most of the time it doesn't really go anywhere, but from time to time I'll come up with something interesting. Sometimes it's enough to base an entire map around, sometimes I make a mental note of it and incorporate it into a future project.

 

Really I base my maps off of feedback that I've gotten from past maps. Everything I learned has been because of my past errors. Learn from your mistakes and you will get better.

 

anywhere.

i would suggest that you become as familiar as you can with the forge maps and the pieces you are able to use.

that way when you have an idea or become inspired by something you have seen or heard, you can immediately imagine how it can be forged.

and check out other forgers maps, they can show you what can be done in forge!

seeing a good map makes me feel i can do that too.

sketches are good too. as a reference point.

with the forge setup. i find trial and error is best.

get into forge, start putting things together see what works.

with what you make that works, see how you can incorporate them into one map.

also google.

there are some good articles on the theory of map making.

the guy who created cs_dust has a couple of old blogs that add some good insight.

here

dont take them as gospel but they can give you ideas



also, play halo!

play all the maps, making note of what you think is good and bad.

dont necessarily rip off ideas, but just see if they inspire you.

if player movement inspires you.

 

Years of experience forging makes you faster at actually going through with your designs. But making the design is the hardest part. Balancing a map, is something even the best of forgers are still working on. It also all depends what kind of maps you like. For example I like making more realistic settings and keeping a theme throughout that setting while still incorporating all the height variation and control points that a balanced map should have. Also right now, a certain standard of planning will eventually come to you. Instead of just thinking about what you are working with right at that very moment, you'll start thinking about how that piece is gunna connect with what's around it, and how those pieces could connect with these pieces and so on. I'm not quite at the level where I draw up layouts, but planning is the best way to go. Whether you plan out just a room, or a whole map design, it's definitely better. Its weird as hell but when people ask me how I forge I just say I visualize what I want to end up making before I start making it. A common mistake (this might be what your having problems with) with forgers is that they will build around what they think looks awesome, not what works. And my last piece of advice. Build in measurements. The minute you start going off-snapped and off-coordinates is the minute your map gets extremely hard. Doors won't line up with bridges, inclines will end up looking awkward, everything will just be off. If you wanna do fine tuning/difficult angles/off-snapping do it when you've already measured up where you need to go with your route. ( I usually build in 4x4 increments.)

In the link tombo posted, the author talks about extrapolation. Which is basically making a whole map out of a small sample that you want to use for theme. He also talks about rejected ideas. When you come up with an idea for something to add to your map, it must go through a thought process. Consider what the idea will add to the map and also consider what that idea can take away from the map (or stray away from what you originally planned.) You should read those two sections.

 

Burn one.

 

That too.

 

great advice PA1NTS.

 

I like to look at the pieces and think about how combining them together might make interesting architecture. turning pieces onto their sides and duplicating them for pasting together is a good way to create what seems like new pieces out of a very very limited set.

 

My map ideas come from the best of science-fiction and horror films or tv shows, as well as other video games. The problem is I haven't planned any of them properly so none ever got finished or worked out good for gameplay and became a waste of time pretty much, other than the practice I got all the hours forging them. From my experience, you really gott pre-plan the whole map before you start building. You also have to know by memory the majority of the forge pieces you have to work with and how they can be used innovatively. Another great inspiration is other people's maps, especially aesthetic ones can really give you good ideas or you can even improve upon them. Some may say that is copying or stealing... but it's just Forge and any real map maker should feel privileged/honored to have people use their ideas. I'm not saying go and copy someone's map...but if you see a cool looking table or chair design in someone's forged map, by all means use it. The more higher quality maps we have for the community the better.

Today I got a great idea for a map theme. It would have had to be built on Erosion to fit the theme using the outside and the inside grifball court. Unfortunately when I went to test something out in the grifball court, I realized there is no dynamic lighting. I was willing to let the brown non-matching forge palette slide in the grifball area, but without dynamic lighting it just doesn't look appealing at all. I'll never understand why they chose Erosion to put a metal grifball court when you only have brown pieces, but that court really needs some dynamic lighting from the lights on the roof. A real shame.

 

I usually get inspiration for something cool either from something I see or something that pops up in my head. That inspiration usually is only one part of my map and I kind of forge around it until I like everything else.

 

I usually get a theme idea first. or sometimes I find some cool new possibilities in the editor and build a map around that.
but I'm not sure forge is ideal for theme maps, not many textures, and hard to use well, a lot of the maps I see here seem to not have a very strong theme.