The perfect map.

General talk about the map making process.
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hutty
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The perfect map.

Post by hutty »

I want to make a map that is fun to play on and has lasting value. What things do you look for in a good map? Please tell.

Examples:
Camping spots
lots of jumping places
lots of flags
few flags
textures
no textures
ect ect.
For all of you who have asked what a hutty is, there is one as my avatar.

instant map... just add water
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Bambino
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Bambino »

Few to no flags and good ricochet options.
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lep
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by lep »

bambino and i hav similar play styles. just one player is better than the other ;) few flags, not only good but different rico spots (numerous) and for those few flags, something to empower them, yet keep them tolerated.
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joevano
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by joevano »

Lots of flags and no ricos...

You are going to really have a hard time coming to a consensus. Really it just depends on the map, the options need to compliment and enhance the design.
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blast
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by blast »

A good map isn't always something that you make in a day and post online. Most of the "good" maps have had a lot of testing, feedback, and updates to get them to where they are today.
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tobylane
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by tobylane »

Most of the best maps aren't focused on fighting, like the mazes or Loumans. Art > War.

Otherwise, flags seem to be more bother than they are worth. Jumping needs skill. Rico needs skill. Pyrs and corners need skill. You need a lot of deflectors but little shielding.

And CTF is worth trying, less focus on war makes most maps better.
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Spazzy McGee »

tobylane wrote:Most of the best maps aren't focused on fighting, like the mazes or Loumans. Art > War.

Otherwise, flags seem to be more bother than they are worth. Jumping needs skill. Rico needs skill. Pyrs and corners need skill. You need a lot of deflectors but little shielding.

And CTF is worth trying, less focus on war makes most maps better.
That is a load of horse manure. ^

PLAYABILITY is what makes maps, regardless of their aesthetic qualities. That is, the tactical qualities that make up balanced play for all teams, or interesting play for FFA. If you want to build a really popular map, you'll need to find that extra something that people just seem to like. Some maps have it, most don't - and I couldn't tell you what that is, because it seems entirely subjective.

There is no formula anybody here can tell you for a popular map. Just build it to be what YOU think will make a good map, and what you think people will find fun.

Eye candy is great, but for popular maps they come secondary to playability and layout.
Last edited by Spazzy McGee on Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by lep »

Spazzy is correct about playability.

@spazzy:
i think that huttymuncher's purpose of this topic was to see what the players liked in a map. When you make a map the way YOU want, then your not too sure how others will like it. Otherwise, your correct
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Strakowski »

Spazzy McGee wrote:Eye candy is great, but for popular maps they come secondary to playability and layout.
Indeed, the maps I have the most fun with are the ones that have been built with gameplay in mind, not aesthetics. I believe that at the core of every map, the floorplan is what matters most. :book: Every mapmaker should have an idea of how his/her maps going to play out. It's usually pretty obvious when a map has/hasn't been constructed with physics in mind. For example, when one 'story' is short enough to jump onto, but not enough to not jump over, and the buildings/objects themselves are spread apart at jumping distances or other lengths with significance (jump with agility, falling from two stories up, two flaps with wings, etc.)

[controversial]Though many people may disagree, I also think that no flag should be significantly better than others. The and you're dealt shouldn't matter as much as how you play it, and besides, nothing frustrates me like a long GM rampage :x . [/controversial]

So have a plan! No what you are doing, how you are going to go about doing it, and whether or not it's worth it. Maps should always be unique, too. If it's already been done, don't bother doing it. And even if it hasn't, you should still proceed with caution.
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by ahs3 »

Spazzy McGee wrote:
tobylane wrote:Most of the best maps aren't focused on fighting, like the mazes or Loumans. Art > War.

Otherwise, flags seem to be more bother than they are worth. Jumping needs skill. Rico needs skill. Pyrs and corners need skill. You need a lot of deflectors but little shielding.

And CTF is worth trying, less focus on war makes most maps better.
That is a load of horse manure. ^

PLAYABILITY is what makes maps, regardless of their aesthetic qualities. That is, the tactical qualities that make up balanced play for all teams, or interesting play for FFA. If you want to build a really popular map, you'll need to find that extra something that people just seem to like. Some maps have it, most don't - and I couldn't tell you what that is, because it seems entirely subjective.

There is no formula anybody here can tell you for a popular map. Just build it to be what YOU think will make a good map, and what you think people will find fun.

Eye candy is great, but for popular maps they come secondary to playability and layout.


I agree completely :)
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hutty
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by hutty »

looks like the question I asked has many different answers.

In my opinion I tend to favor maps with little rico more fast paced, well spaced platforms for jumping, lots of flags, and good sniping positions.
For all of you who have asked what a hutty is, there is one as my avatar.

instant map... just add water
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by jack »

I like laser sniping, games with not radar, and places where if you don't conceal yourself you get killed in a heartbeat. GMing is fun, but if you get cloak to stop lasers, you get GMed. If you get stealth to not get GMed, you get lasered. Its a no win situation.
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Evanejk »

There needs to be a balance of powers. Like on bloodbath there were snipers, but you could sw them by jumping off the bridge.
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Spectre »

In my opinion, a good map works with default or nearly default settings. GM turn angle should definitely not be increased, nor should tank speed. Personally I enjoy ricochet and few flags, and no jumping.
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Bambino »

Ducati style is the prefect map ;) great ricochets, learning to dodge, using all your bullets wisely. It takes skill :)
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Gamma
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Gamma »

Bambino wrote:Ducati style is the prefect map ;) great ricochets, learning to dodge, using all your bullets wisely. It takes skill :)

That's why I don't like playing ducati style maps, because it takes skills I don't have :wink:
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Bambino »

Gamma wrote:
Bambino wrote:Ducati style is the prefect map ;) great ricochets, learning to dodge, using all your bullets wisely. It takes skill :)

That's why I don't like playing ducati style maps, because it takes skills I don't have :wink:
You won't get the skills if you don't practice ;)
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by PhaseShifter »

I can't say there's one perfect map--I like some variety. That said:

Ricochet: I like it a lot. I just don't like getting blamed for TKing when anyone watching the radar can see me trying to hit someone by banking shots off 2-3 surfaces, but still chooses to run back and forth across my line of fire. Maps without rico are fine too, just not as interesting.

Shot limits: depends on the map--sometimes a weapon is an effective godmode for certain maps, and the number of uses needs to be limited.

Fastshot: The shots need to have a short range, or you need a decent number of obstacles so you have a good chance of not being killed within .5 seconds of spawning when the server has more than 2 players. The worst of these maps also lack shot limits and include GM (which stands for Godmode just as much as "guided missile" in this case--someone can get GM, hop on top of a building, and chain kill as many as five or six other players)

bad flags: I prefer maps without them, but bad flags that last a few seconds are OK. (They basically change the tactics from "search for the perfect flag" to "find one that works and use it", so people don't run around grabbing and dropping flags at random.) Bad flags that last a whole minute tend to ruin gameplay, though.

Jumping: I'm a noob, I like to jump. But it's more than that--some maps have a bit of a platformer/obstacle course nature to them, and that adds a bit more variety to gameplay.
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Re: The perfect map.

Post by Ragnarok »

I like maps that have rico, but not ones (like Tricolor) that almost every time you shoot, you get a rico and kill yourself or your teammates. I Also, like maps with good GMing spots that are not too open but if there is a ST nearby, you are dead. Also, places where there are good L sniping spots, but not so much as if everyone on one team gets L, you cant really do anything if you are on the other team. Also, places where CL are really helpful are fun to play in. Maps that have 2 teams and big bases (Missile War 2.3 by Ducatiwnnannabe) are also fun. More than 2 teams can get really confusing and annoying.
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