having difficulty with the process of creating a level

[roadworx]

okay, SO. i'm having some real nasty issues with creating levels. like, very basic things. i know how to make a edit and stuff - using the tools for editing itself is fine. i can do all that just fine. the problem lies in the actual process of creating the level. this isn't really exclusive to just creating levels, this sorta shit happens whenever i try to do any sort of project, but i really wanna try to make at least one decent-ish level before my adhd decides it wants me to hyperfixate on something completely unrelated, like learning russian or something lmao

 

so, the first issue is creating the layout itself. i think that a part of this is that i just wing it and create it as i go along instead of planning it out, but creating a layout that satisfies my expectations is really, really hard. planning is something i've never really done when creating stuff; i pretty much always just improvise. but even when i do plan it out, the exact same thing happens. i create it, get like, a third of the way through, and then decide it's complete shit and start over. repeat that a bunch of times until i give up and you have a general idea of what me doing a personal project is like. i really don't know what to do about this lol

 

the second issue kinda ties into the first one. when i create a room, i have an overwhelming urge to, instead of just making the shapes of all the rooms and stuff, detail that one single room. as i stated previously, i start detailing, decide that it sucks, and then start over. again and again and again until my unrealistically high expectations are met, and it prevents me from creating the rest of the level in a timely fashion. it's really difficult for me not to do it and i really don't know why.

 

the third issue ties heavily into the second issue, and that's that i spend way, WAY too much time making sure the textures are all perfect. if the textures aren't absolutely perfect because of the shape of a room or the length of a linedef or something, i redesign the entire shape of the room just to make the textures work. and this makes it so that i can't really have anything other than blocky, shitty-looking levels designed solely around making textures look neat and tidy.

 

all of this is very very VERY irritating and i'd like it if all these issues would just kindly piss off. it's getting to the point where i don't even want to create a level out of fear of wasting my time on something i'll ultimately never come close to finishing. i seriously need advice on what to do because i can't think of any solutions other than ones that end up not working out.

 

tl;dr: i have overly high expectations and need everything to be absolutely perfect

Edited January 27, 2021 by roadworx
added a tl;dr

[Silhouette 03]

So, I may have some suggestions:

• To stop your adhd from getting in the way, I’d keep your mind focused on something else, that way you won’t be distracted so easily. When I map, I listen to music  to keep my mind focused.
•  Try making a rough outline of what you want your map to look like. What I do is I create an area, than begin scrapping what I don’t like, but keep my main idea of that area’s purpose in mind. Which brings me to my third point
• Have an idea and stick to it. What does this room add to the map? What is the purpose of this room? What visual theme should this room have? Nail down what you want and stick to it. Push those doubts away( I know it’s easier said than done) and stay focused on your vision of what this map means to you
• And, finally, Try to focus less on texturework and more on other systems in your map, such as combat and progression. A map that has good visuals is nice, but has no substance if its combat isn’t good. Try to keep a balance.

I’m still very much a novice( I’ve released two maps so far, one of which was mediocre, since it was the first map I created)  and am still fresh blood in the community, so take this all with a grain of salt. I still hope this helps you, friend. Happy mapping!

 

 

[Alper002]

Tackling your first problem first, when planning out a project it's useful to divide what you want into digestible chunks. What parts do you need to make and what do they entail? Give yourself a set of goals and it's usually much easier to keep going. If the goals are too big, divide further. Whenever you're not thoroughly planning, make sure you have some idea of how much you want there to be in the map, and what you want in it as well.

 

While detailing a room after you've made it is enticing, you could also try replacing the habit with, for example, filling the room with something else. It could be things, larger scale architecture/aesthetic choices, or interactive elements like switches. That, or you try to remind yourself not to do it if you catch yourself.

 

As you've said you have high expectations, but what have you released? Why should it be that you have such high standards for yourself when the first few things you release will probably not be the best thing you could possibly make anyway? You can only go up from an imperfect map.

 

For what it's worth, you could also try making a map in a limited timeframe, also known as speedmapping. When you have a limited amount of time to make a map you kinda start focusing on the important bits a little more, like having an exit. If this seems interesting to you, there is stuff to help with speedmaping hosted in a few corners of the doom community, whether it be the regular Abyssal Speedmapping Sessions, the not-so-regular Hellforge Speedmapping Sessions, or the monthly projects that bluepinapple72 hosts.

 

And yet, even with all of this, it can be difficult to make stuff sometimes. Do your best, but do also have patience with yourself.

[Gunrock]

What has usually worked for me all these years of mapping for Doom is that I look at other people's maps or other games in general for inspiration and ideas. I take that into account, build on that and alter the gameplay and esthetics around a bit to suit my taste.

[ReX]

 

20 hours ago, roadworx said:

tl;dr: i have overly high expectations and need everything to be absolutely perfect

There's nothing wrong with having high expectations and wanting perfection. I think the trick is to distinguish between wanting to excel, and being compulsive about perfection.

 

I'll expand on what others have said, and say this: Begin with modest ambitions. Set out to make a small- to medium-sized map. Decide on a theme. Think of clever ways to make the player progress, including non-linearity (back-tracking, looping, etc.) [Refer to @Doom_Dude's points in this discussion thread.] Forget about texturing and decorating; focus on the map's design, and create only shapes. During this process, weave in the gameplay (which, often, might dictate the shapes). Once you're satisfied with the semi-final product, go back and concern yourself with texturing, detailing, and decorating. Your semi-final product might look ugly to you, but it will have allowed you to complete a map with good design and gameplay - arguably, the elements in DooM that trump appearance.