A different view on competitive mapping.
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I've always seen many competitive mapping guides on the net, but I
must say I never found any of them very satisfactory. I'm not going
to say I think they are incorrect, I don't, if you are looking for
advice on how to place items for some specific gametype you should
go consulting them, but I always thought they stated a set of rules
where rules shouldn't exist, as I thought they were missing other,
more ethereal, but aswell more primary concepts.
So I recently thought I should put together what is my personal phillosophy for getting a competitive map going, and try to help other mappers by getting more abstract concepts into words. And as they are abstract, they aren't for any specific gametype nor game. I would face a ctf, duel or Enemy Territory map the same regarding the following ideas:
- Watch the map rhythm: Maps have a rhythm when they are played. The player actions set it. It's nothing you can quantify, but feel, and the only way is running around the map, and watching players playing it. A good rythm is the difference between a good map and a played map.
This rhythm is not the same thing as the map flow. A map can have good flow and boring rhythm, as in, for example, monotonous. The rhythm is produced by all player actions and not only movement, and monotony is usually a bad rhythm quality. But it can't really be said a type of rhythm is bad, we can't only try to make our map to have a pleasant rhythm.
I think I could say as example that a rythm like this has good chances to be from a boring map:
move * move * move * fight * pick * move * move *move * pick
While this could belong to a more interesting one:
move * fight * move * move * fight * pick * move * fight * move
- Keep players in wise distance: Players need chances to hide, as they need chances to know where the oponents are. It's not good that players are all the time in contact as it isn't that they are too far away. Finding the right balance between these 2 cases is a must for getting an enjoyable map, and the road to reach a good playing rhythm.
- Use the architecture for improving player fights: All gameplay mapping papers I've seen blatantly ignore this and focus solely on a layout/routes point of view. Fighting in a square box hallway is not exciting. Well placed corners, ledges, columns, and interesting shooting lines can add a lot to a map in gameplay terms.
- And of course, get your map tested. Always listen to player complaints and ignore their solutions. They'll detect issues better than you, but once the issue is known you have a much wider view on what can be changed than they have.
I hope this helps mappers, as words help us securing concepts even if we've been using them for years.
Jal.
So I recently thought I should put together what is my personal phillosophy for getting a competitive map going, and try to help other mappers by getting more abstract concepts into words. And as they are abstract, they aren't for any specific gametype nor game. I would face a ctf, duel or Enemy Territory map the same regarding the following ideas:
- Watch the map rhythm: Maps have a rhythm when they are played. The player actions set it. It's nothing you can quantify, but feel, and the only way is running around the map, and watching players playing it. A good rythm is the difference between a good map and a played map.
This rhythm is not the same thing as the map flow. A map can have good flow and boring rhythm, as in, for example, monotonous. The rhythm is produced by all player actions and not only movement, and monotony is usually a bad rhythm quality. But it can't really be said a type of rhythm is bad, we can't only try to make our map to have a pleasant rhythm.
I think I could say as example that a rythm like this has good chances to be from a boring map:
move * move * move * fight * pick * move * move *move * pick
While this could belong to a more interesting one:
move * fight * move * move * fight * pick * move * fight * move
- Keep players in wise distance: Players need chances to hide, as they need chances to know where the oponents are. It's not good that players are all the time in contact as it isn't that they are too far away. Finding the right balance between these 2 cases is a must for getting an enjoyable map, and the road to reach a good playing rhythm.
- Use the architecture for improving player fights: All gameplay mapping papers I've seen blatantly ignore this and focus solely on a layout/routes point of view. Fighting in a square box hallway is not exciting. Well placed corners, ledges, columns, and interesting shooting lines can add a lot to a map in gameplay terms.
- And of course, get your map tested. Always listen to player complaints and ignore their solutions. They'll detect issues better than you, but once the issue is known you have a much wider view on what can be changed than they have.
I hope this helps mappers, as words help us securing concepts even if we've been using them for years.
Jal.
i agree with you, but also the included warsow maps aren't that
good. i think the best warsow map is the one of 36.
I don't find our duel maps satisfactory either. I hope this helps
our mappers pushing them up.
the cooles map ive ever played was dm_rankin, it never got booring
imo.
but i also like wdm1, dont know why most ppl dont like to play it...when i play with friends theres lots of fun and fights, but we dont play to win, no matter at what cost.
so we dont run away that much, maybe thats it(most likely it is)
but i also like wdm1, dont know why most ppl dont like to play it...when i play with friends theres lots of fun and fights, but we dont play to win, no matter at what cost.
so we dont run away that much, maybe thats it(most likely it is)
Nice guide, I have to agree with you on everything. Maybe some
warsowmappers could take this as a hint aswell; You've got the
potential, you are good mappers. But spend a little bit more time
on getting your maps tested by different players and editing
details. I think in the long end it would be worth so much more,
because many maps intend to die after some months..
callvote weaponrespawn 5
would also increase the action in warsow :>
it's too easy to keep control in warsow :/
would also increase the action in warsow :>
it's too easy to keep control in warsow :/
but when the dev team would change the default weaponrespawntime,
then i expect every cup would accept it.
atm is also the probelm, that we can't vote for other weaponrespawntimes, only admins are able to change it.
atm is also the probelm, that we can't vote for other weaponrespawntimes, only admins are able to change it.
jal | 2008-06-17 13:20 | comments (14) | 1337 hits
1337 hits for me !
1337 hits for me !
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