How do you design your own maps?

Youtube search halo design talks. Those'll get you started.

 

http://www.forgehub.com/threads/forge-fundamentals.147829/

 

I try to think of a cool centerpiece, theme, or focal point, then I build around it. For instance, one level might have a really neat structure or aesthetic piece that doubles as a gameplay element.

 

I've used just about every method you can think of, from planning out everything down to minor details like respawn points ahead of time, to loading up forge without any idea what I'm going to do.
It seems that just about any approach can work as long as you have a decent ability to understand how gameplay will function on a map, and have decent problem solving skills.

 

I'll get a really cool idea of a structure or how cool a certain area of a map would make interesting encounters. Then I think on the rest of the map in about an hour. I usually skip the drawing phase and go straight into forge. While forging I use the design in my head and make constant changes as I go. The changes are usually from new ideas that pop into my head that I believe will improve the gameplay, make interesting encounters, and/or looks cool. Sometimes I'll draw a quick sketch, literally like a 10 second sketch. That's just to get an area that I have in my head down on paper to see how it looks there.

I think if you can see your entire map's layout in your head then there's no reason to sketch it. That's because blocking out your map takes no time at all anymore. In halo 3, a detailed sketch was a priority. Back then, it took months to finish maps so it was good to have your ideas on paper.

I draw my inspiration from the community forged and Dev maps. I also will see an interesting picture or place and go from there. For example; while driving to the doctor today I came across my State's Capitol building
Seeing this made me instantly think of @Demption map Shurima. http://www.forgehub.com/threads/wip-shurima.149943/
My mind instantly though of how cool it would be to remake my state's Capitol building with surrounding streets and apartments. While the main inspiration came from the circular yellow dome that is in Shurima and putting it on top of the Capitol building, as it is in real lif. (See picture above).

Another example; I saw a picture on google of the halo warzone map Battle of Noctus. In the picture was a circular staircase that led underground.
As soon as I saw this I used the circular staircase as my starting point. I then started thinking of a design to surround this staircase. While designing in my head, I realized that a part of my map looks like Haven from Halo 4. I continued to grow on that until I had a layout I was satisfied with. As I began forging my design changed a bit in certain area because I began to get new ideas, but one thing stayed the same, the circular staircase


When it comes down to it, we all draw inspiration for architecture and design from each other. there is a huge difference in getting inspiration from someone's map and completely stealing a design or piece of architecture. I bring this up because I feel like the best way to grow as a forger is to look at other forger's maps. See how they build things, how their design flows and so on. Design is tricky, so if you are ever stumped, check out Community and Dev maps to gain inspiration.

I suppose everyone's approach to designing a map is a bit different, I just use inspiration from other people, games, places and pictures as a starting point. But to answer your question. Inspiration>design in head>forge>occasional quick sketch>forge>change/make tweaks to design>forge

 

I start building randomly, delete stuff, rebuild, test, delete stuff, rebuild, repeat... decorate... and so on. randomly

 

I only forge tracks, but usually i'll start with a good turn, or a good aesthetic piece. If I like it enough I'll continue on instead of deleting everything. A lot of stuff is based off real life tho. Also maps that have backstory tend to be more fun, and meaningful.

 

The first thing I do is ask myself what kind of map I want to create.

What is the geometric theme? Where would I build it? What pieces will I use? What kind of gameplay do I want to support? What kind of symmetry do I want?

Then I'll organize all of this into a chart and keep it in my consciousness, revisiting it as necessary. Here's what the chart looks like.


Sometimes I'll begin a map with a layout in mind, as it's not unusual to go into Forge with a brief sketch of some or entire areas of the map. If you're going for a more blocky style map, it may also help to create a 3D model in Sketchup.

Here's a sketchup of an idea for a center atrium.



But a layout can change at any point as the gameplay dictates, so I don't want to walk in attached to a specific design. This especially true for terrain maps. In the past, most of my terrain layouts have either been unsatisfactory or too ambitious for that Forge iteration. Now that I can build virtually anything I can think of however, I tend to focus less on the layout in the initial stage and more on the essence - the feeling of the map. Thus, what happens more often than not is that I think of a single aspect of the map that would be cool. Maybe it's a giant set piece or interesting pathing, or perhaps it's some kind of playspace with an unique gameplay dynamic. There's no one area to start, but I tend to begin by first looking for the "fun factor" on my map - the gameplay hook - that makes me want to keep playing it.

Then I go into Forge and create what I call a scratch canvas. This is simply an experimental file where I find pieces that go well together and develop different themes and aesthetics to see how I can build the map modularly. An idea for a layout may arise from this stage if I don't already have one, but again, I'm more focused on the feeling of the map at this point.

I may also gather various reference materials that help convey that feeling. These can be anything from a small structure to an environment idea, and they don't have to be from Halo or even video games.

Here's a bit of reference material from the Campaign that I really liked:






A layout might spontaneously form in my mind at this point, but I'm still making sure to consider whether or not it is possible to create. If i'm unable to build the map because of the limitations of the editor, this is when I'll find out and decide whether to revise it or put it on the shelf until another time.

If it makes it passed this stage however, (and it rarely does), I then take what I have and start creating my own concept art. I continue to visualize what the map might look like, using any reference materials I've gathered to push it closer in the direction I want. I'll also sketch out the various structures I may have already built, or draw new ones entirely and then attempt to translate them into Forge.

Here's some of the more quick stuff I sketched up:



I'll do a bunch of these random drawings to get a sense of how I want the map to feel, but again, it's rare that I have any kind of layout at this point. This is he "pre-visualization" stage for me where I'm simply discovering the map I want to create.

After the pre visualization stage, I'll begin focusing on the gameplay and design of the layout. I begin on a second scratch canvas and start building with a greater focus on pathing. I'll start placing down objects to get a feel for flow of a design, as well as any thematic elements that impact its geometry, and then push and pull from there to see what sticks. During this "mass out" phase, it's important to keep the map flexible and open to quick iteration. It's also good not to settle on one design, but to make several and pick the best elements between them to refine further. There are times however where I may invest an unnecessary amount of energy into a design though, which is something that's best to avoid, lest you find yourself in an endless cycle of iteration. Nevertheless, it's good to keep details in the back of your mind at this point because you're still trying to piece together the map. Something that may look cool and feel good might not be possible to accomplish.

So once the rough version of the map is approaching a playable state, I start thinking more on the balance front. Weapons, spawns and objectives are all inherent to the way a map plays, and the sooner you plan for them, the better in my opinion. (Of course, they can always be adjusted as necessary, but i'd rather not build a portion of a map for a specific purpose and then have it fail to fulfill that purpose.)

Then comes the early testing, often referred to as the Alpha stage. The map is often only played "internally" among a small group of people and is subject to quick and sweeping revisions. Most of the Alpha tests I conduct are 1v1s. I can usually spot the glaring issues with the map and tweak them as necessary after these "chess matches", but larger tests may be necessary to fully grasp the layout and gameplay, especially for bigger maps.

This is a constant process of tweaking and iterating, incorporating feedback and making informed decisions after playing it to help the layout shape up. Again, major changes may be necessary at this point, after which another set of testing is required to see what then needs to be revised. We're pushing and pulling to find out what makes the map work and bring out more of that design while chopping away at the extraneous bits.

Once the map has gone through enough of this, I do another art pass. This time, I take the geometry I actually have and try to understand how it is constructed once again. This helps with piece usage and informs the look of the map for the Beta stage. I may also construct additional concept art based on the existing geometry.

Here's what that might look like:





I'll also create a blueprint of the current geometry. How much time I spend on these depends on how comfortable I am with the current geo, but this helps to understand where the layout could go, and it'll also be tweaked as the layout changes.



After I'm comfortable with how the map might look visually, i rebuild it for the Beta. At this point, I focus on scaling everything for optimal piece usage and player engagements. The map may end up feeling completely different afterwards even though it retains the same core pathing. The point of this stage is create a clean and presentable design for a wider audience to then come in and test. These tests will be focused on weapon, objective and spawn balance. While geometric changes may still be necessary, I generally feel that if any changes are needed to the layout, they ought to be discovered in the alpha state when the map is still flexible.

I don't have a set date for betas, as it's been a while since I've ran them. I generally want to get at least a week of testing, or 7 separate games of the primary and secondary gametypes each before I would consider releasing the map. This provides ample time and data to analyze how different players move around the map, what exploits there may be, and what sort of balance changes may need to be made.

So let's say the map ends up feeling pretty good at this point. It's unlikely i'll rebuild the beta version, so i'll do a final art pass on the map and then optimize performance. Aesthetics such as lighting would also be done at this stage, although temporary lights may exist beforehand. This polishing phase usually only lasts a few days, but it's important to be thorough before release.

Now what happens at release is a mystery to me because I don't remember the last time I reached that stage. But I think at that point I'd pull together some screenshots and do two walkthroughs of the map - a gameplay trailer and a walkthrough with commentary on its design. Then I'd post it and everyone would tell me it's too gray and needs more 4chub.




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And there's my process, or at least what i'd like for it to become. Everyone else works differently and there's really no right or wrong place to start. There are no rules, just tools, so as long as you start and invest enough time into understanding and refining your design, you should end up with solid results. Or maybe you'll end up making junk, but hopefully it'll be a learning experience for what to do differently the next time. I know for my next maps, i'll be getting them to playable states much sooner.

 

this is how i forge:


what i tend to do is have a vague idea of what i want to build, put some pieces down around the vague idea and extrapolate outwards from it based on how i think each addition will interact with each other, while at the same time figuring out a more concrete idea to work with.

 

Step 1: think of a map I like.
Step 2: boil that map down to its most basic flow and lines of sight.
Step 3: decide on a goal for my map (team size, geometry, etc) that reintroduces the flow I like in a different way.
Step 4: draw iterations on graph paper.
Step 5: enter forge, and through rough, rapid iteration find a loose scale
Step 6: block out.
Step 7: test.
Step 8: repeat steps 6 and 7 a few more times.
Step 9: art.
Step 10: test.
Step 11: start a new map without finishing the old one.

 

Same here, I just follow a basic design then modify them until I test them, then keep fixing any problems

 

In short, I usually come up with a concept for a map generally starting with an intended game mode or desired player count. Then I write a goal for the map, like "The goal of this map is to create a BTB experience that focuses on mid-to-close range infantry encounters with hit-and-run vehicle gameplay via light armor vehicles." A clear goal helps me to maintain focus when building a map as I don't forget what I set out to do besides just create a BTB map. Goals typically are gameplay focused for me as they're more specific but goals can be anything, like "I want my map to give players the sense that they're fighting aboard a Forerunner ship."

Then I usually draft the map on grid paper typically sketching out top-down views as I imagine and make notes of inclines and vertical distances. When creating a BTB map I start with main features of the map to break it down in order to compartmentalize it all on paper, like sketch the bases and focal points of the map. The overall sketch of the map is usually really simplistic just to give me an idea what the whole thing will look when pieced together.

However, my sketches don't always translate perfectly to Forge which is where I then refine dimensions, alter sight lines, and ascetically elevate the map. Most of my time is probably spent re-designing portions the map in Forge whether it is due to budget restrictions, gameplay breaking spaces, or just because I don't like the feel of the area.

Of course I tend to freehand from time to time, but sketching the map first tends to save me a bit of in-game time.

 

I usually take a concept from a map's geometry or structure, and re-approach it. From something physical, like the central wall on The Pit, to something conceptual, like how the teleporter system works on Chill Out. No matter what it is I draw inspiration from, I make sure to have my own interpretation of it, so the map has its own identity.