Is it a good idea to restart on a wad

[CrocketRocket]

Looking back at my first 2 maps for my wad. I noticed they're kind of a bunch of jumbled mess. As in too many details and flow is all over the place. 

 

Plus I haven't really gotten down to actually planning it out.

 

I sorta wanna know is it best to just delete and start all over?

[spineapple tea]

I would say so if just for the experience.

[boris]

There really isn't an answer to that question, you have to decide it on your own.

 

Self-reflection is a good trait to have, because it allows to improve yourself. However, you have to be careful to not drift into a cycle of perfectionism. At some point you have to say that your map is good enough, otherwise you'll never finish.

As for deleting the maps you already made - I'd never do that. If you think they are not good enough to be released into the wild that's fine, then don't release them. But still keep them. That way you can later look at them and see how much you improved. I wish I still had my early works from the mid-90s (even though they sucked), but they are gone forever

[Aurelius]

I agree with Boris; never delete your old works. This can't be emphasized enough, because the way you can see your progression as a mapper helps motivate you at times when you think nothing has changed. Besides, maps take hardly any space on modern storage devices.

 

All mapping is good mapping. Repetition has been (and always will be) the main ingredient to improvement and learning; the difference between people who have the same hours in mapping come from how optimal they are with their strategies to that repetition. The key thing is to get out of your comfort zone and actively try to make things differently from what you're used to. And whether you release your work or not, you will always learn something new. However, releasing a project opens you up to community feedback, and often the outside observers can see things you've become blinded to while working by yourself.

 

But while I say don't delete your old works for the sake of reminiscence, definitely be ready to delete parts of your map that just don't work the way you want them to. There have been countless of situations where I've stuck with some part of a map that just felt off but I was sure had to be there. And every time I deleted that part and started over, I created something even better. I've never succumbed to regret and gone back to an earlier design; it's always been something new. So don't be scared to "kill your darlings" every once in a while.

[Doomkid]

Just want to echo what boris and Aurelius are saying. Even though my first maps were shit, I wish I still had them. The first 3 years of my experiences with mapping are gone and I'd really enjoy looking back at them.

 

If anything, it may be a good idea to post them, not so much as a proper release for people to enjoy, but maybe doing it explicitly for the sake of feedback and learning. The community is really friendly, if you're ever sitting there looking at your work thinking "Man, this is crappy, but I can't exactly pinpoint why..." feel free to post it here and ask for help, you'll definitely get some amazing tips.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Doomkid

[Dubbag]

Yes. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and look at where your at in your piece and if you're struggling to get it finished or finding a way to make it up to your liking it might just be time to start anew. You can spend hours and hours trying to make something that is bad good, and it might never come out right because, well, maybe it's just bad to begin with. It's fine because that's when you know it's just time to start over, the unfinished map is now a learning experience of what you don't want to do and you can try again. Sometimes, I map myself into a corner and can't figure out what to do next and it really frustrates me and then I look back and realize, "Somewhere along the way this clearly went south without my realizing it and that's why we're here" lol. Happens man, better to start over and make something that you think is "good" rather than continue going on making something "bad" (opinions are subjective). Sometimes you must clean the slate to start over and improve. The Earth itself knows that all too well.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Dubbagdarrel