Alright. I've been working on a map lately, and it's supposed to be a relatively small map: about big enough to fit a 2v2 match (I hope). I've been working on it, and while trying to put it some good cover and line-of-sight blockers, all I've been doing is really focusing on how good my cover and blockers look. Aesthetics are going to be a big part of the map - if you've seen Tayari by Paranoia_uk, you'll know that form and function can go hand in hand really well! The question I'm asking, is whether or not you Forgers are actively planning, designing, and building your maps with aesthetics in mind, or if they're an after-thought.
I'm a aesthetics *****, I always try to add 'new' and innovative aethetics to my maps. To me, aethetics are eyecatchers, they make people want to look at your map, if you are able to combine that with good gameplay, you forged a winner. It's very important to have at least one outstanding aesthetic feature on your maps, that way people will remember your map and the recall value is a lot higher. When I'm forging a Map, I always think of a certain theme for the map, here is some asian architecture for example To me, a great map has to look good and play good, sure, there are examples of plain maps that just play wonderful enough to let me forget that they look boring, but those are rare. This is an exaple how to combine aethetics with gameplay. I could have used a regular ramp, but instead I made a curvy ramp out of 2x1 blocks. They look good, offer as hight difference and serve as outstanding structure in combination with the grid and the lights. But make sure that your aesthetics don't break your gameplay. Here you can see a beautiful staircase and some sort of "rocky way" that you can find in many gardens. I created both of them using a glitch you may know, the underside of the 3x3 Short Block and the Window Coliseum both have a invisible wall, so if you walk up the stairs, you have the feeleing that you walk up a regular ramp, without any bumps and the rocky way plays like a regular flat floor.
I usually build my maps as if they were real word structures, like putting supports of bridges or something to keep up a platform, but its interesting to break that habit. I was making railings around a platform and I'd put posts in to look as if the railings weren't just floating. Why? Why shouldn't the railings just be floating? I just shifted the entire a considerable amount upwards in to the sky, why should I be restricting myself to real-world physics and architecture? As LD said, you still need to combine the aesthetics with good gameplay. You could spend ages forging a beautiful centre piece but whats the point if people load your map once and don't even finish a game because it plays so horribly?
Looks are not as important is what most people will tell you on-site. However an aesthetically interesting map is really the only way to grab peoples attention. While it's true that gameplay makes for a better map, chances are most people won't even play a game on your map. An interesting appearance is therefore the only thing they will notice. So of your after downloads make it pretty. Do I actively plan with an aesthetic in mind? Sometimes yes, but when I do the map always becomes smaller somehow, especially if it's an indoor map, so I'm trying to avoid it. Though if it's a 2v2 I don't see a problem.
Depends on the map. Casual and mini games are generally more friendly to aesthetics than competitive. That being said, no one likes playing on a map that is all geometry and no spectacle. Just a big grey box with slopes. You just have to find the right balance for the specific map. Keeping in mind that in a casual game players will be more inclined to look around, where as competitive they are running around too fast to notice small details.
I think you need some of both. You can make a pure aesthetic map that's just for looking at, but if you're making a map you intend people to play on, it needs to be functional and playable first, with good and interesting aesthetics second (but not to the point that you can leave them out). A map can't look boring - it makes people not want to play it and it can make player orientation from spawn needlessly difficult. It also can't look junky or sloppy, which again will make people not want to play it and can hurt gameplay as well (people getting stuck on rough spots, grenades disappearing into holes between objects, etc.). Some basic sense of proper aesthetics is needed just to make the map appealing, and to help people get around. Beyond that, I think a certain aesthetic flair is the key to transforming a fun but forgettable map into something people will remember, and want to keep coming back to. But it's still secondary to gameplay - if that aesthetic centerpiece or design starts ruining framerate, you have to compromise or ditch it. Otherwise you may as well be making an aesthetics-only map.
@LD: Those are some impressive examples! The asian architecture looks especially great. As for that ramp, I agree that if you have something simply like a ramp, it would be worth your time to think up something more decorative. Or, at least if it doesn't alter gameplay or flow. @The Rest of You: Yeah, I get what you guys are saying. Of course, gameplay and flow are both really big factors in a map. I'm not asking about an aesthetic map, because that's a whole different thing. I want a map that looks good but also plays well. As for what DMM White said, I suppose that's a whole different thing - whether or not you want your map to LOOK like it's real or totally whimsical is up to you. But, I suppose it's more of an aesthetic choice. But, aside from LD, I'm still curious about what YOU guys do. Do you Forge with aesthetics in mind?