Which is more important to you? Do you prefer a map with forging that's iffy, but is great fun to play on, or a beautiful map, but with some flawed gameplay? Does a map have to have advanced forging techniques executed flawlessly to be good? Can a good map be simplistic?
Remember that no matter how good the map looks the game play is important thats why all the aestetic maps are only good for looking at
I say, make the key parts of your map aesthetic, and take pictures of those, and make the rest as functional as possible, while not being randomly thrown junk.
functionality trumps aesthetics any day. but if you have the materials after your satisfied with function, make it as pretty as possible.
I mostly prefer fumctional maps, though I do love aesthetic ones, maybe you could make one which is functional and aesthetic! Happy face.
Functionality + Game play = Epic Win. You need to find a balance of the two. You can't have an aesthetic slayer map....It just doesn't work you need to mix the both together to have a great map...
Like others have said, it's best if you have both. If you have to sacrifice one over the other, chose aesthetics, but try hard to find a compromise
why the hell would you choose aesthetics over gameplay. thats stupid. unless your only goal is to get a couple more DLs and improve your worthless psuedo-internet fame. its all about having fun and playing maps that actually work well.
I said aesthetics is the one you sacrifice, not the one you chose. You sacrifice aesthetics, meaning you chose to emphasize gameplay. sorry if i worded that wierd
Gameplay kicks the crap out of aesthetics. You add those in with the extra budget you have when the map is finished.
It can be the coolest looking thing you've ever seen in froge but if it doesn't play well then it will get old quick. I love maps that play well and have been designed well. Sadly most mapmakers out there would rather concentrate on making the map look good as possible rather than fine-tuning gameplay. I think that is also because of the community at large. People won't give a map the time of day if it doesn't use advanced techniques and uses them well. I would love to see the day when the community makes a good review based on gameplay and what to improve upon rather than "graet interlokzors 5/5." I think most people have yet to truly understand level design and instead concentrate on competing with other well known creators to churn out the best possible looking maps even though when you get down to it, they all play the same. So, you may make a map that is amazing to look at and uses cutting edge techniques, but I am interested in how it plays. Your map may look nice and impress the simple-minded, but it will not impress me at all. Okay maybe a little drool at the cool features, but I wouldn't care to play a game on it later. So you forger's out there, make something that's fun to play not necesarily fun to look at. As for the community you should encourage creators that make maps that are really fun to play and stress the fun-factor instead of the wow-factor.
Well, I was considering posting a map on Forgehub, but I've heard that there are some TOUGH critics out there in terms of forging techniques. One bumpy interlock and you get a 0/5 heading your way. It seems you guys aren't that harsh on aesthetics.... or at least I hope that's the case.
Aethetics are what get people to play your map, the functionality is what makes them play it again. A great map must incorportae both good gameplay and aesthetics, there is no better trait.
Functionality is key. The trick is coming up with a design that is inherrently functional, but that also very easily turned into something aesthetically pleasing. Often times, though, because of the designs of the items on the map, it is difficult to make them one hundred percent aesthetically pleasing (if you're playing on Foundry, it's hard not to know that you're playing on Foundry). So while aesthetics are nice, unless you can come up with a design that somehow incorporates the natural object shape, texture, and color into itself, it's almost not worth doing. Go for functionality, and then go for aesthetics if you can. That actually makes a lot of sense. Listen to linubidix. He speaks truth.
I say gameplay is much more important in a competitive map. Aesthetics come second but they're still an essential for a quality creation. But that's pretty much what everybody's been saying.
They are both needed to make a great map. Nobody wants to play a game with a bunch of boxes on stacked on eachother, and nobody wants to play a game where poeple dominate by camping.
good maps have both, BUT it gives you this sense of artistry when you make a quality aesthetic. its like contemporary architecture. its pointless but it looks cool. edit: theres also something 'real' about playing on a map with great geo merges. it doesn't feel like a bunch of forge items thrown together. it feels like an actual map.