When making a map, what do you do first?

The first thing I do in forge is place a coliseum wall. Generally it takes about half an hour to get that right then I place a few more and take another half hour getting those where I want them. It's only after that first hour spent on a few coliseum walls that I start really building the map with more than a bit of floor. I find the floor is the most important part of a map and needs to be coliseum walls in a btb map. If you make the floor flat the map is going to be boring. If the map would look boring with everything but the coliseum walls deleted it's still going to be boring with everything else.

 

When making a map, I usually mess around in forge, building abstract, or random structures. When I find something that looks neat, I start making an idea for the map. Then start building around that central focus point.

 

Plan. Planning is your friend.

 

I usually fool around a little bit until I build something I like. Sometimes it's a number of floors set up in a way that I like, sometimes it's a cool centerpiece or just a part of forgeworld I want to build around. Then I start building the rest. Nothing planned usually, just what comes to mind. Mostly I start in the center and start building outwards.
It's fun but not all that productive I guess.
9 out of 10 initial ideas are soon discarded, I'm just not happy enough with them.
9 out of 10 of further progress is discarded, cool ideas but working it out bring a sub par map.
9 out of 10 maps are discarded, either because I'm running out of pieces or because I don't like the resulted gameplay.

It's like gambling for me

 

I usually get the initial Idea in my head, play around with it and see what looks good. Sketch it onto graph paper and get the whole layout of the map done, Or I just play around in forge and see what kind of maps I can make

 

I usually work out some idea in my head. Although I've done it, I think it's hard to just go into forgeworld and make a map. Don't try to make every map Emmy worthy. I've made hundreds of maps in Reach and finished only a handful. You just have to wait for a good idea to come along. Also you could go play other games and take inspiration from them. Just try to mix it up from the typical maps floating around out there.

 

I choose a design to use. First, i go on Google Sketchup 8 and make a basic design. there, i can figure out a basic layout using a 3d image. then i make a more detailed design using a drawing on a piece of paper. on the paper, i can label weapons locations and figure out more complex routes. After that, i go on forge.

 

You'd think it would go:

Paper ----> Sketchup ----> Forge.

not

Sketchup ----> Paper ----> Forge.

But whatever works for you.

I do a number of different things, and it often depends upon who I'm working with, or if I'm working alone. For example, when I worked with Ace on Lux, we would build the map each area at a time. We'd build an area, probably delete the first draft, figure out what areas needed connecting, then try again and again till that area worked out. When Ace and I started that map, it was just some cool aesthetic ideas in the middle of the map, so we just started branching off in every direction. When I worked with Nibs on Parallex, we started building a whole bunch of random aesthetic **** to fit a theme. That map would've looked AMAZING if we could've done everything we wanted to. After doing that, we did the first draft of the layout with sloppy blocks, and then worked on the layout from there, integrated aesthetics where they worked best.

When I'm working alone, two things can occur:

A) I have a design drawn up on paper, and just start building it, making adjustments here and there. (In this case, Opal and The Divide).

B) I have so many incomplete maps that are all just central atriums, pillars, or other focus points with nothing around them. Occasionally, and this is rare, but not nonexistant, I'll actually get a design idea in forge and complete the map. I have an unreleased 4v4 map called Oculus that should be ready for release soon that started in this fashion.


Oh yeah, and sometimes I start co-forges with people, only to finish the map before my forging partner has a chance to work on it ever again. (Sorry Erupt and Noxiw.)

 

I just forge what comes to mind.

 

I start out at the middle first (because it's the main area of a map), and work my way out.

 

You already know this, Kyle, but most of my maps are formed out of depression and angst. What I normally do is go out for a good night with my friends... spend some quality time with my family, try to have a good day, then when I come home, drunk... stoned... filthy with the stench of the good times; That, my friend is when the forging begins. I go into the kitchen, grab a pepsi or two... some snacks... basic stuff like chips or maybe a bologna sandwich(lately I've been putting BBQ sauce and mustard on my sandwiches... It's well worth it to experiment...) I then tend to talk to my dad, trying not to let it slip that I'm ****ed up... staying a good five feet from him at all times to hide the smells of intoxication. If my daughter is home I try to spend a little time with her before she lulls off to sleep, it's rough being a single father... Anyways, after my angel goes to sleep I listen to some tunes, usually some rap or metal, the good ****....sometimes matchbox 20 though it depends on my mood. Anyways, I throw the tunes on and turn on the xbox... I travel through the dashboard... push X to sign in, ugh who turned off my auto-sign in? **** that... Regardless I shuffle through the darkness of my room looking for my game case... Halo Reach, where art thou? Could this be it? **** no... Soul Calibur IV... you've fooled me many times... Alas, there is my copy of Halo Reach, the 4th one I've owned due to the general douche-baggery of my so called "friends"... I insert the disc, walking away to take a leak while it loads.... I go into my upstairs rest room... it really needs a cleaning, there are beer cans and tilt cans everywhere... some empty shampoo bottles on the floor, toilet paper rolls... blunt wrap wrappers, same old ****... my flow is heavy today... always a good sign. I go back into my room and Leonard sits there...angry because we aren't playing matchmaking. I check my friends list to see who all is on... Zeeb? Shik? Soz? Have you all forsaken me? No... it's not possible... Shik has lost full use of his router in the great bricking of 2011... a sad time for Shikari's gaming career... I then hit the forge lobby and allow leonard to sign into his account, Als Mustache... named for my dads horrendous mustache... We like to split screen in forge so that we may test Frame rate at all times, the more people signed in the more likely it will lag... We're ready to forge... we start the game... he delays the countdown to tell me to check the challenges...."Nigga there aint no forge challenges!" he tells me... ignorant bastard. I begin my forge... and well.... the rest is history...

 

I might be a bit overboard, but generally I take a while to start building a map, and I never start without first having a detailed overhead sketch. Starting without a sketch may work for some, but to me it is like writing an essay without knowing what you are going to say first.

Most major maps I take 2-4 weeks to plan, with smaller ones or side projects only a week or two. Currently I'm breaking my old record, having spent well over two months in the planning stage. It all depends on whether you have a clear picture of what you want or not. Jumping in at random is an alright way to start and get ideas, but generally I would do a layout sketch next so you know what you want in detail.

For Forger's block, look for things you like, things that inspire you and keep you interested. Even just shapes and colors you like matter. If you know what you want but not the details of what it is like, look at real life examples (such as pictures or visiting the place) or for artwork others have made (concept art and landscapes/ cityscapes.) If you aren't inspired to make anything, don't make anything real yet, just mull your thoughts over and try to get it going.

I hope this helps some, really you will know when you find what you are looking for. Just ask yourself at the start, "What am I trying to accomplish with this map?"

 

Step 1 -- Delete the initial spawns in Forge World
Just to be silly, but it is the first thing I do when creating a map in Forge. It's usually Forgeworld I'll use (as many around here probably do), and I'll just get rid of those three initial spawns in the hangar so that little task is out of the way.

Step 2 -- Figure out what the heck I want to make
I'm not too big on pre-planning my maps, my engineering design courses give me more than enough of that. Figuring out how everything works beforehand isn't a bad idea, but my approach to Forge is more free-form. Still, I need some sort of "launching point" or inspiration first. Until then, I could be doing just about anything. Goofing off, driving around in circles, placing pieces randomly.

Step 3 -- Select a location
Another obvious thing to consider, especially for maps which use the existing terrain. Even though a lot of my maps are of the "floating platform" variety, choosing the right location is still important; I enjoy the scenery of Forge World, so I like my maps to have a half-decent view no matter what they are.

Step 4 -- Start building
Again, I use a free-form approach to Forge. Once I have something to start with, and the right spot, I start placing pieces; deciding as I go where I want them to be. A bit hap-hazard, but this works for me. It's often a messy process, with me making a lot of mistakes all over the place... but I'm constantly looking for issues, and constantly fixing them. I like to think it gives me a more fundamental understanding of what works and what doesn't, even if it doesn't result in the best quality maps.

 

Shik, this guy has my exact style down, thats what I do, just follow these steps. This guy is OG.

 

Also a good idea. Making a map you don't intend to release unless it turns out very good can get the creative juices flowing. To rephrase, don't draw out your map until you know what you want. Here is a more chronological list of what I said before:

1. Figure out what you want to accomplish with your map. Ask yourself, "What do I want to do with it?" and answer this in one sentence. Ex: I want to make an infection map with incredible gameplay and a convincing abandoned mine feel.

2. From there figure out what you need to do to accomplish this. I say this word so much because that is what you should feel you have done by the end– accomplished something to be proud of. Reference photos, looking at maps you admire, and talking with other good designers helps a lot and can solidify what you know you want to do.

3. Once you know how you are going to do it (what gameplay should be like, what aesthetics will be like, and how you will do this) start messing around with sketches. Now that you have a clear idea what you want the sketches won't look like all the rest. By this point you should know exactly how you want the map to feel, and if you don't you aren't ready to draw.

4. Once you have the initial layout down as you like it, start building. The beauty is that even though you have a layout done you can still change and modify it if some parts don't work out right. You will most certainly be doing this actually, so be open to possible changes.

5. Testing: Remember, anything can change from here on out still, so analyze your tests and understand what makes the map work and what hurts it. I would suggest saving every video and watching it for problems, though remember to delete them when you are getting full.

6. Still Testing: Yep, you will be doing this for a heck of a long time. Don't worry, it will be worth it. Remember even now that initial sentence you wrote that brought you here and make sure your map still meets that lofty goal. Only when you can see no way to meet your goal better or improve the map any further after several subsequent tests are you finished.

Finally, look at your past maps and see what you liked and what you didn't try to advance what you did right and to eliminate anything that went wrong, and understand WHY each part is good or bad.

If you can't complete the first step now, that's okay. You can still mess around in forge and look for inspiration. But that inspiration is the founding point of the design, and without it nothing will be there. You may be able to make a decent, generic map, but it will have no life to it.

"Inception is origin: an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events."
This is a great way of describing the first idea that sparks the rest of your map. Screwing around in forge is a good way to create this, but not necessarily a good way to build your entire map. I hope this helps explain further what I meant. I learned a lot of this my self but the site World of Level Design is very helpful. The Inception line came from there as well, so it might be worthwhile to check out.

 

THAT.

Adding to this, I usually focus both on aesthetics and gameplay, but starting with the former. "What would look cool?... Okay, now how can I build it so that it's balanced?"

 

My maps.. I find an aesthetic piece I really like and draw a map around it on graph paper. I usually do this 3-4 times and scrap each project. I usually find a way to combine every idea I had from each of the previous into a full map. I draw it up, mess with other ideas. Taking balance n flow n stuff into account the whole time. I usually Sketchup that one because I like it so much. Make a few small changes after noticing problems. Then I go in and forge it. Usually end up forging and reforging it a few times as well.

That's pretty much it for me. Might not make sense the whole way through.. I'm dead tired. Hope it helps