Featured mapmakers would work pretty well for asking people why they made specific design choices, and what the effect would be if they had done something differently. I still like my idea of posing a hypothetical scenario and asking them to give a concise answer and explanation of their answer, then giving each person some feedback, and later posting some sample answers in the thread for future readers and other students. Properly designed questions should get a decent variety of answers, so you pick several different sample answers and explain some pros and cons to each one. You could even do something like the Template contests, but with templates being nearly complete maps instead of just started ones. And of course, you ask students why they did what they did, and what relation their addition has to the rest of the map. Its the learn by doing aspect that I think will stick.
Eh, I think the map maker idea was more of a Bungie thing than most community designed map makers. I was referring to professionals, since my class mainly is about speculating on what the Bungie designers (or any good multiplayer studio) were thinking. The thing is that all my questions should be like that...but I feel like without having the whole theoretical question thing, I won't have any meat to the discussion so that they can make educated ideas instead of, as I said before, a definition and ending up with a very artificial sense of it. I should mention I really like all these ideas, and I'm just stating possible concerns. Please don't take any of this as a "putting your idea down" or something...it's already given me alot of ideas and such.
I think the best method would be a number of "lolboxes" in a specified forum for the classes. Being connected with the site these could easily be administered by moderators. Also I think one of the most underused ideas of forging is the slow in gameplay as people turn corners. While people channel immense effort into developing the lines of sight on a map to balance power weaons, they never seem to think of the flow of the map and how the gameplay is affected by having a 90 degree turn vs. a pair of 45 degree turns. For example the back entrance to each base of standoff is curved. If this were less curved it would require that attackers walk farther to enter the back of each base, and defenders make a 90 degree turn upon exiting which would leave them more disoriented as they exit. The 45 degree turn required on exiting allows the player to slowly move into battle with a better chance of survival from nearby enemies. If the path were more curved anyone using it would be too sheltered from the outside with no knowledge until exiting. a rock placed near the end requires a definite split between players going to the top of the base or to the side, while covering them temporarily from fire. The curve also allows vehicles to better drive over the back of the base, giving it a more built into the ground character than built up.
I'm not sure what you mean here. Yup, I always go over this kind of thing, nice of you to bring it up, though. In general the way design is taught, like "this is lines of sight, do it right" I feel are the wrong way to go about it, it's better to analyze what the map is in it's pure design and what they were thinking when they made the decision to do that. At the moment, however, I'm really liking what I think I've got in my mind. That is: a skype (text) chat, where I'll do the following basic order approx of course: -Define the topic -Give examples with pictures. Give some bad examples or nonexamples, possible with pictures. -Student input. Some of them that come to their mind. -Go on with explaining some of the lesser often considered parts (still in definition), for example, degree of turns. -Student Q and As and such -Hypothetical questions: "What if...." "Why do you think..." "What effect does this have on..." -"Homework" and things to think about, PMed to me with no effect if they do it or not. Theoretically, that sounds pretty decent. I'm not sure this would work, but it could be good with the pictures. Those who are able to use their xbox at the same time can play in the map themselves and see for themself, those who can't will have to look at the pictures. I could do it once a week, and then the chatlog could be posted somewhere. There's what I've got at the moment.
Forum crash ate my last post so I'll summarize. Wasn't the fact that people didn't want to commit to meeting a big part of why you didn't think the first one worked well?
Partly. The problem is that there was no way to use what I'd just talked about to anyone else, the interest was somewhat there, and I could only do 5 people at a time, max, and more than 3 or 4 got crazy. In this, I'm thinking of using Skype text chat. Anyone who wants to can be a part, and the chat logs could be posted for everyone's later use for those who couldn't make it, I'd also be open to anyone being part of the "homework" or asking questions. Anyone interested in that? I'd like to give it a shot sometime soon as trial run and see how it goes.
In www.forgehub.com/forum/ there was formerly a "lolbox" where people could post random things like an open chat box. I dont know if my computer has stopped loading it for some reason or if it was removed, but it was basically the same thing as a skype/gmail/facebook chat window but right here on forgehub.