Pointers for a new mapper

[WigglyStuf]

I've made a few maps, but I'm better at the coding side than the design side. Any tips for things you like to see in a map? I've gone around a lot and seen some good tips, but what are some things that are either more specific or you don't see many people talk about?

Thanks!

Edited June 13 by WigglyStuf

[WigglyStuf]

Here are some screenshots, in case you want to give feedback

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited June 13 by WigglyStuf
Putting images in a spoiler

[baja blast rd.]

45 minutes ago, WigglyStuf said:

Any tips for things you like to see in a map?

 

Good mapping is all about what you want to see in a map. Coming to a better understanding of that and just asking yourself "What do I want?" a bunch, whether about the map as a whole or individual areas in that map, can be pretty powerful. Play wads and pay attention to what you like. Other games can be good sources of inspiration too.

 

Be careful about tips like "inescapable pits are bad" or "platforming is bad" if you've ever come across those, because avoiding specific people's pet peeves is not a good way of improving at mapping, and a lot of good ideas intersect with people's pet peeves. People who rant are not worth appealing to either; there's better demographics to appeal to than angry dudes on the internet, like cute girls.

 

I don't know what stages of design these screenshots are taken or what exactly you're going for, but it seems like you have lighting in at least one of them, so maybe try playing up the lighting contrast more. Don't be shy about mixing darker (128 and below) and brighter (176+) in a room, with or without ramping up between dark and bright. You're in a wall in screenshot #4 -- I thought the sky was glitching out first. 

 

Those Doomguy hedges (?) are incredible. Guessing these areas are unfinished, but I like how some motifs seem to recur in different areas, like those 'pools' and storage areas. Having some design motifs that show up in various places, maybe with some variations between them, is pretty good for cohesion and sense of place.  

[Kappes Buur]

Looking at your screenshots I cannot help but think of a plain box. Some people may like the looks of maps like this but even the original DOOM maps are more interesting to look at.

 

A few years back somebody posted this screenshot

and asked what could be done to 'improve' the looks of it

 

I posted this screenshot in reply.

I do not remember how well it was received, but for me, making maps is always about to provide at least some variety in a map architecture. Even just using a new texture pack (OTEX, 2mbrown, avp2tex, Nightmare Texture Pack, etc) can make all the difference.

 

Variety is the spice of life.

 

You are mapping for GZDoom (Doom2 UDMF) where you have so many options to allow your imagination to soar. 

[Stabbey]

I could link John Romero's Design guidelines, but judging from the screenshots, I think you get those. So the biggest things I can point out are that the lighting is pretty high in almost all of them, when it should be mixed up more, and that some of them are a little bland and could use more decorative tweaks to architecture (the first screenshot in particular stands out for how uniformly brown it is).

 

The real test of maps, though, is how they play, and for that you'll need people to test them.

[WigglyStuf]

On 6/12/2024 at 10:14 PM, Kappes Buur said:

Looking at your screenshots I cannot help but think of a plain box. Some people may like the looks of maps like this but even the original DOOM maps are more interesting to look at.

 

A few years back somebody posted this screenshot

and asked what could be done to 'improve' the looks of it

 

I posted this screenshot in reply.

I do not remember how well it was received, but for me, making maps is always about to provide at least some variety in a map architecture. Even just using a new texture pack (OTEX, 2mbrown, avp2tex, Nightmare Texture Pack, etc) can make all the difference.

 

Variety is the spice of life.

 

You are mapping for GZDoom (Doom2 UDMF) where you have so many options to allow your imagination to soar. 

This is inspiring! What are some specific things you like doing to spice up rooms though?

[WigglyStuf]

On 6/12/2024 at 5:59 PM, baja blast rd. said:

Those Doomguy hedges (?) are incredible.

I didn't make those. I'd pull them up, but Realm667 is down I think. I do 90% of the code, but I'm terrible at spritework.

 

As for the rest of the post, I'll keep those tips in mind! Just the kind of tips I'm looking for.

[WigglyStuf]

On 6/13/2024 at 4:32 AM, Stabbey said:

I could link John Romero's Design guidelines, but judging from the screenshots, I think you get those. So the biggest things I can point out are that the lighting is pretty high in almost all of them, when it should be mixed up more, and that some of them are a little bland and could use more decorative tweaks to architecture (the first screenshot in particular stands out for how uniformly brown it is).

 

The real test of maps, though, is how they play, and for that you'll need people to test them.

I don't really know anyone who plays Doom that much, and I don't want to release unfinished material to doomworld.

[Shepardus]

2 minutes ago, WigglyStuf said:

I didn't make those. I'd pull them up, but Realm667 is down I think. I do 90% of the code, but I'm terrible at spritework.

 

As for the rest of the post, I'll keep those tips in mind! Just the kind of tips I'm looking for.

Looks like Realm667 is back online.

1 minute ago, WigglyStuf said:

I don't really know anyone who plays Doom that much, and I don't want to release unfinished material to doomworld.

You can find some playtesters on these threads and share your work with them privately if you don't want to release publicly yet:

 

[rita remton]

hi! i use this to spice up my basic mapping skills. good luck!

 

[WigglyStuf]

13 hours ago, rita remton said:

hi! i use this to spice up my basic mapping skills. good luck!

 

Danke, Kamerade!

Edited June 17 by WigglyStuf
bad german