First I get my ideas in school or wherever and I just draw what ever is in my head in the most illustrative way possible. Then I go home and basically forge what I have on paper to the best of my ability. If it works good I delete and, and forge it back only better. So basically my maps are half-planned, because I already sort of had the idea in my head.
both i do both of them and i usualy get bored so what i find fun is to ask a friend for and idea then another and so on so the i have all these random ideas and i put them together to find one big super idea...!!! but one thing i hate about not planning is that people rarely edit co ordinates so you get a sloppy road or a sunken floor. but ive got my friends into tru-ing as i call it as it makes what you see accurate. by making the coordinates correct? best map is in progress underwater town zombies 20% complete
planning may ultimatly be better, but the experiance of seing a map evolve from a single piece or idiea in your head is priceless (for ammetures like me anyway)
Why don't we have an actual discussion about planning maps instead of just state-what-you-think-and-move-on thread. Maps build without any plan in mind generally turn out terribly, but so do maps that are entirely preplanned. Building blindly often results in a map that appears just dumped on the location with no ties into the landscape, not to mention will have bad flow; conversely, going into forge and building exactly what you planned can have the same effect because nothing ever works out correctly so structures might not fit the way they expected. I have found that the best method is to create a loose outline of the map then build the map somewhat close to that outline, refining the outline as I go along. This is easy because building a map takes weeks for me so I have plenty of time to get new ideas for the design between forge sessions. The most important thing in my eyes is to take advantage of the existing terrain so the map appears to fit in and not just be some random structures. Sometimes this can actually work if you are able to keep the map focused on the little piece. Often, however, people become distracted by other things and what was supposed to be the focal point of the map becomes just another useless piece.
I usually have to be super inspired to come up with a map. But occasionally I just goof around and make some crazy ones (usually happens with my friends) Take Alpha Facility for example. One day I got inspired to make a "spartan training course". I drew an initial sketch, then one adjusted to scale a bit better. Version 1.8 (called Area 38 at this point) was taken almost exactly from my drawings. The real difference was I truncated it a bit. Versions 2.0 and on were simple modifications that added aesthetics and other gameplay modifications. Atlantis on the other hand was one I just sorta threw together (and it reflects that) just to get a feel for forge 2.0. Another map I haven't posted here called FUN I made with my friends. We each took an area of Forge World and built a base. Seeing as I just made it up on the spot, it really ended up just being a bunch of buildings and stuff randomly scattered about to give me some cover. The point being, if it's a map I think someone else would play, I've probably had it planned out. Sometimes my planning is a bit more intense than others, but I'm usually pretty bad at forging on the spot.
Planning's for people with too much time on their hands. I just free-forge. Much more fun, and much more creative at times.
i feal that i get idea's from things i seen (im kind of a perfectionist, but not a good speller lol) when i dont like what iv built whether im a 1/4 the way done or just finishing the wepon sawns i will delete the map and start over this happens 3 or 4 times till i like a map so i gess the maps just come to me
I usually start from the gametype, and kinda envision it like seeing the gameplay in a movie. The base elements of the map like in my latest to released started with the idea of a beach invasion. So I put two grids just under the water so players could wade in and the rest just evolved from there. It turned into a large invasion map. The aesthetics just kinda come from trial and error. It's amazing the cool things that will come out from an unintended mistake. I also tend to build take apart and rebuild till I get something that I'm happy with. The cliff base on the same map pic below. I built and rebuilt 4 times till I got it the way I wanted.
Well ussualy i just let it flow and it works out nicley(most of the time) but im making my first FH map that i want to spread worldwide.(will post soon) i planned that map out with 3 layers of paper (scenery;weapons;spawns) so before no recently yes
I get one idea that is unique and cool, then i add stuff to make it into a full map. I add RANDOM stuff to make it a map, and it usually turns out like ****. But i can't work my best unless its modifying something thats already done, so i rebuild each area of the map to make it work and compliment everything else until it works. I keep doing that forever until it turns out well. And you know what? I still never like it -_- I'm a theoretical forger lol, not a practical one.
This is exactly what I'm doing on my current project. It started as a single structure built for fun; then I drew up a floor plan for the map to go around it; now I'm building from the plan and adapting things a little bit as I go.
I have not made a single map by myself(there have been a couple planned coforges) where real planning beforehands was involved. I usually get a mental picture of what I want, and the map will usually turn out completely different than what I envisioned.
Some symmetrical maps can be built just by letting things flow then mirroring them on the other side of the map. For my own maps the first thing I look for is movement patterns. I want to see how the motion of the map will play before I even begin. As an example, one of my simplest maps is in my file share called Proto, which is built in the hills of the island (the beach side of the island). I wanted the map to be pretty circular but also run uphill somewhat like Isolations upper areas. The rocky terrain had a pretty good play area already so I just added some stuff and adjusted the map area. The hardest part of map making is fixing the mistakes though. Whether its a remake or your own map, when you find something that looked good but after testing clearly does not work, you're looking at a time consuming process fixing it (unless you're quite lucky or your map was simply too basic and you can just add detail). So really, like others said, both. But no map I make is ever made completely unplanned, and no map is ever made completely without some random inspiration.
At first I just went with the flow, and sometimes it does not turn out too bad. But for my 2 maps I am working on at the moment I would say it is definitely planned. In fact I have watched the film that they are based on twice, stopping a lot of the time to sketch designs! I have so many cool additions for my maps just by watching the film they were out of. In my opinion a little prep work pays off. Hoping to have the 1st map one here before the end of Nov!
i forge blind. i say this as i am always trying to make things fit. either the budget or the building blocks at my disposal. having one map awaiting testing and nearly finishing the layout of the second - i have found that what i intend to make and what i end up with are two very different things!
it seems like most of your stuff is easier to do that with. you have pretty casual maps usually, not super competitive, like back in H3 you did that one cool gametype (cant remember the gametype) and some infection and some aesthetic work. especially because your infection maps are linear, makes them a lot easier to build on the go. but im sure you had some sort of plan in your head, like in your infection map. im sure you had the basic idea of gameplay, and some of the different rooms planned out. but even if you dont have blueprints, ALL good maps take planning, at least in your head. maps built just by choosing your favorite pieces, and trying to make something cool, will very rarely, if ever work out. even if its just that overview in your head, its a lot better than 0 planning. ive seen too many maps built on reach without any sort of flow, or structure to them. thats because its so easy in reach to build what you want, that you stop caring what you build.
I never plan. To me it seems like I'm building the map twice. While this did bite me on my last map, I still like making things up as I go. It seems as tho the map ends up building itself.
a little bit of both for me, I generally start with some sort of plan with a image in my mind, then I go to the forge an make a rough version. I will then be able to get a stronger visual in my mind, or on paper. I build what I see, then run around the map in spartan mode for a long time, to check the map for flaws. A map does not need to be created in sketchup for it to be enjoyable. Unless you are making a competitive (Arena/MLG) style map... then Planning is essential.