How would you describe your mapping philosophy?

[NiGHTS108]

What would you say your Doom mapping philosophy is? As in at large how would you describe your style? I was having this conversation in a server, and I'm always interested in what mappers tend to think of their own creations, so I figured I'd get a broader range of answers here. 

 

For me, I like to think of my maps as very arcade-ish with a high emphasis on movement and spatial awareness with rather vibrant visuals, more in touch with Doom's inspirations themselves (i.e F-Zero or Super Mario Bros. 3) than what came in its wake (Quake or Duke Nukem). Some of my most prominent non-Doom inspirations would probably be Katamari Damacy, Crazy Taxi, Super Monkey Ball 2, Space Invaders Extreme or Pac-Man Championship Edition.

 

Also, ideally I wouldn't mind some serious answers here. Go in as much honest detail as you want, as I said, mappers' ideas about their own creations are always very fascinating to me. :)

[dashiefrickintyan]

 purple

[8088mph]

 

[Karnasis]

Focus on making it look good, worry about the gameplay flow for the next 5 hours straight, delete half of the map and try again.

That cycle repeats itself until I say: "Fuck it, I am done."

 

[stochastic]

I tend to avoid heavy realism/Doomcute and go for more abstract architecture and geometry. I really try to create fantastical or dreamlike worlds that evoke a tangible atmosphere, starting with that "big picture" idea and filling in the details later. As for combat, my maps are pretty trap-heavy because I don't really enjoy more passive, incidental combat.

 

Overall, I haven't been mapping for long, so I'm still shaping my style. All I really know is that Doom is cool, and making maps is even cooler.

Edited May 20 by stochastic

[bofu]

There are enough "glowing altered palette OTEX structures suspended in voids" maps out there and I'm not going to somehow do it better, so do something else, instead.

 

Also, blend realism with the surreal. They can blend very well in the right circumstances.

[ALilGrayBoi]

Still a beginner but I try to avoid making annoying death traps like plutonia. 

[Plerb]

I guess my maps tend to be very colorful and disjointed with texture choices. I also place windows everywhere I can fit them to make the map feel more interconnected, and as a result of that, I abuse the hell out of the ambush flag.

[WASFDDDDD]

43 minutes ago, Karnasis said:

Focus on making it look good, worry about the gameplay flow for the next 5 hours straight, delete half of the map and try again.

That cycle repeats itself until I say: "Fuck it, I am done."

 

If you find yourself more focused on the appearance of your maps, why not incorporate that into your workflow? You could make a detailed floor plan of your entire map first, making sure it's laid out like a believable military base, suburbs, forest, etc. You might even consider carving out little nooks where snipers or smth will go. Then, once that's done, place enemies in strategic positions throughout the map you've just made. It's important that you don't touch the layout once you start placing monsters, except in extremely small ways, like adding a window or moving a door

 

I don't personally use this method, and it would certainly require a lot of planning and skill to pull off, but I think it could work better for you. You'd do well to learn ACS so you can spawn in monsters to help guide the player, if you choose this method

[fai1025]

Step 1: Draw a square room

Step 2: plan out how the fight should go

Step 3: building the combat

Step 4: add bunch of decorations around the room

Step 5: somehow add height variation

Step 6: somehow make the room not square

Step 7: Shading

Step 8: Fiddle with the vertex and texture to be absolutely perfectly aligned because I have OCD

Step 9: move on

Step 10: repeat

[LoatharMDPhD]

1" player 1 start and exit/s

2" Fuck the player

3" Not too hard, but still, Fuck the Player

4" Ironic Title and killer soundtrack

5" Playtest for catastrophic errors and don't forget to kill the player...

666" Evil

7" Rinse, Repeat...

8" Poorly Worded ReadMe File

9" Upload to B.B.S and keep a copy on a floppy for yourself in the bottom of your rare earth magnet collection drawer...

10" there is no # 10...

[rita remton]

current: maps with few dead-ends and have branching looping layouts that guide the player to its objectives, and not the automap.

[RataUnderground]

Less is more. Architecture and space design is king. Evoque feelings and experimenting over making things by the book.

[Astar]

I strive to give my maps a touch of horror and atmosphere.

 

For me, mapping, just like creating music, is a way of creative self-expression and an attempt to transfer my emotions, feelings and experiences into the game.

And sometimes I randomly get the urge to do the craziest thing in the world.

 

And, well, I make all my maps with the expectation that this is a contribution to my future dream game, because each map is a new unique experience and skills.

[Jayextee]

My mapping philosophy is that I make the kind of maps I could stick onto a stack of floppy disks, time travel somehow back to 1996, and release; thus enjoying all the era's acclaim and praise for myself, muahahahahahaaaah.

[CactusChowder]

I'm new to mapping, but I've really enjoyed environmental storytelling. Doomcute is really fun. In the map I'm working on now, I used a cage texture to make a ladder leaning against a wall. I'd be interested to also make maps that are visually appealing mazes with no particular narratives, but that's what I've been focusing on for the moment.

[Egregor]

I used to approach mapping with a much heavier emphasis on a "big picture" and "top down" approach. This is where I would rough out the entire map's outline all at once to ensure there was plenty of interconnection, and then move through the entire map in phases until it was complete.

 

This approach resulted in massive, sprawling maps that lacked "arena combat" focus. I found it hard to carve out enough space for combat design once I spent all the time to shape, texture, and shade the level. This resulted in larger, more monotonous levels that focused less on large combat encounters and more on level flow with too many hallways and small, disconnected rooms.

 

More recently I've moved toward a  "one arena at a time" approach. This is where I come up with a central area theme first, then design either one large room/area, or several interconnected rooms, around this theme. I will usually place an "inaccessible" area into this design (like an area above, or an area separated by impassible mid-textures or windows) that the player then returns to later to achive interconnection.

 

I have found the "one arena at a time" approach allows combat to take on a more prominent role and my arenas don't feel as cramped or crowded anymore. Now I will complete entire arenas before deciding how to connect them. This approach also allows the ratio of (boring) hallways to come way down in my maps, which is also positive. If connecting two arena's together doesn't fit smoothly they can now be rotated or flipped before being connected to compliment level flow; something I couldn't do with the "everything at once" approach.

Edited May 20 by Egregor

[NecrumWarrior]

I'm a fan of absurdism.

[valkiriforce]

Non-existent...or at least hardly there. I think bushwhacking is the most fun way to make maps, outside of listing possible titles or coming up with structures for maps out of sketches. I try not to put too much philosophy behind it so I don't get bogged down by all the do's and don't of wad-making. Come to think of it, I guess I do have a mapping philosophy - it's making sure everything is done out of fun. Had fun making it? I'm pretty sure that's gonna show itself in some way playing the maps.

[DoomGappy]

My philosophy is making fun maps, but my definition of fun may be different than others. I follow some loose guidelines.

- Make maps hard but not too hard
- Quality of combat over quantity of enemies (less is more)
- Craft each encounter with care and tweak if needed
- Create a little "storyline" or "narrative" inside the map that the player can feel without too much exposure, otherwise it feels too boring
- Always pay attention to texture usage, alignment, certify to have a transition between different types of texture, etc
- Make the most out of the limitation of no room over room (which is my favorite limitation of the game), that is, make levels as 3D as possible with lots of ups and downs
- Most important of all: Have fun

Edited May 20 by DoomGappy

[LegendaryEevee]

@NiGHTS108 Althought my skill is not in creating maps but playtesting and creating walkthrough guides for them.  These are the main criteria I look for in any created map.

 

1.  I cannot stand linearity.  If you're going to have all 3 keys at least let them be obtained in roughly any order you choose.

2.  No unobtainable lockout secrets.

3.  I love interesting uses of crushers I don't feel they're used enough to aid in combat situations.  

4.  I want whatever the level is supposed to depict to as accurately as possible depict it for example if the level is called.  Hell's Ice Cream Factory.  I want to be lost in a factory where Ice Cream is made or was at one point.  I want to get lost in the map that's created.  No leading around the map instead let me explore it and give time to enjoy the work that went into it.

 

These are the 4 main things I care most about in any Map or created WAD.

[Matt Eldrydge]

Mine is "Just keep throwing lines until the map looks interesting". I find myself drawn to making the absolute most out of negative space between large sectors, but most of the time I also don't like making claustrophobic places either so that's fun. Combat isn't really my strong suit but I do like making each encounter its own little challenge as much as I like tossing a bunch of monsters at the player and seeing what happens.

[Treehouseminis]

I think my main philosophy is atmosphere and contrast.  Coming from a semi tradiontal art in Miniature painting it makes sense lol.

 

 I use sector lighting a lot and I try to find textures that work well together.  I often make a "pallete" of textures to start.  Though it eventually evolves as I get geometry in place.  Most of my maps have color schemes/themes.  I try to not use a ton of different textures.  As it's stressful enough flinding ones I want to use.  Also try to he more abstract at time.  I find it a little easier than trying to do something more grounded.

 

Also I know it's not everyone's thing but combat puzzle lock in fights.  Designing combat is incredibly fun for me.  I saw someone skip a fight in the first ever map I made and I said never again! ;) 

Edited May 20 by Treehouseminis

[DankMetal]

The nearest i have to a mapping phillosophy is "if i have fun making the map, then everything's good". I don't like to gravitate towards a specific style, i like puzzle maps, dungeon crawlers, run n' gun, linear, open ended, and so on and so forth, but if i'm not having fun making the map, then what's the point?

Another thing i like to do is adding gimmicks like if it was a super mario level: first on a safe enviroment, and then expand on the idea and adding some optional challenge for those who are brave enough and understood the gimmick well.

[Zesiir]

My design philosphy is 'Realistic Environments, but fun gameplay'. It's basically what it says. Make the map look either like an environment based on

reality, or a place that could exist somewhere. In context with the setting, of course. And factor in the fun gameplay that Doom has, make the

player enjoy themselves.

 

Of course there are exceptions to all things, so in some cases I try to get more fantastical when dealing with Hell themes. But working in realistic

environments in those themes can work really good as well, to add a surreal feel to a map.

 

Most of all I try to stick to a basic, Vanilla Doom feel with textures and architecture.

[Zopawa]

My maps now are very abstract, as in there's a wide variety of textures being used. I also like to make my maps have alot of variety in floor and ceiling heights, so that nothing is flat. Because flat usually looks boring. I also like to put hordes of imps in rooms cuz they're fun to fight, if the room's big. Which I don't usually make big rooms.

[Astro X]

I try to make the next map overall better than the previous one. At least don't make the same mistake again.

[stephyesterday]

I map with a fairly broad stroke when it comes to genres and archetypes, so it was a little tough to nail down what I consider my main mapping philosophy, but over all I lean heavily towards claustrophobic/cramped combat and map design that forces a lot of space management to succeed. I often feel like that's one of the most effective and easy ways to make combat require heavy consideration and thought, but it also works well for the aesthetics that I often like to employ, as I enjoy making dungeon or prison-esque environments that make the player feel trapped or stuck in a place they have to slowly climb out of.

 

Even in maps with no combat (I've made a few that are unreleased) I make platforming tight around corners and corridors to make the danger of falling or being shot at always a threat even when there's a wall to lean on. Generally I just enjoy making the player feel unsafe, even in situations where they otherwise might feel like they aren't in danger. Eventually I'll release more work that gets into this in more detail later but until then just pretend you can see what i'm talking about :)

Edited May 20 by stephyesterday
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[Laocoön]

Abstract, but somewhat rooted in reality.

[Patrick_Plays_Doom]

-The Patrick_Plays_Doom Mapping Ruleset/Timeloop-

Step 1: Think of an general idea

Step 2: Think about the layout of that idea

Step 3: Build first room

Step 4: Think of how to expand to room

Step 5: Expand on that room
Step 6: Think of how to expand on EACH room, in an interconnecting way

Step 7: expand on each room In an interconnecting way
Step 8: Repeat until map finished

Step 9: Place monsters and add difficulty
Step 10: Make 3 more maps with the same ruleset and then scrap the whole wad for it not meeting your expectations

Step 11: Take break from mapping for few days

Step 12: repeat

Secret Step: DAMN REPEAT THIS SO MANY TIMES SO THAT YOU HAVE NOT MADE AN SINGLE MAP IN 6 FUCKING MONTHS!

Edited May 20 by Patrick_Plays_Doom