Only cuz every one wanted me to do this.

LAYOUT DESIGN BASICS:

The best way to understand layout design is by studing. Forehense the artist in the 13 - 15 centuries studied from the great, so as you will want to study in the same way. Understanding why things are included in a map is important.

First before you study such maps a metl2, 3, 4 or nmp9 or vallhalla, or curvedm, or etc. there is a basic understanding you must have. maps are layed out ahead of time working with large details such as place, time, movement(the way the map will flow:explained later), and layout.

Place and time are easily difined as the period in which and the location of which this map is to potray. Many maps have very generalize location, such as face capture an astroyed in the sky. Or more pacific as venice or battle of the nile. Point being that the place and time will render all of your details, for example having a computer station in the middle of a medevial style map would be illogical.

Movement includes the following factors: type of map, number of estamated ppl on map, type of play styles(explained later).

At the begining of a map you must understand the mode at which you are gearing this map for(capture, ctf:regular and insta; deathmatch: ffa, insta, teaminsta, effiency, etc). This is important because if you are making a ctf map you need to make sides balenced, or if your making a capture map you need modules, or any other game type has its particular features (shown later).

Next you need to decide how many ppl should be playing the game. For example you should not have a 2v2 ctf on valhalla, it is way to big, or have a 15v15 on face capture. The point being the more open space the more ppl you want to estamate for.

Lastly the play styles of people need to be taken in account. Many maps on quad exclude to include this very useful varible in the ideas of there map, which hurts the flow or rhythm of there map. I will outline some basic play styles you should account for:

The sniper, you need both camping spots and high buildings/ location were ppl can see large portion of the map; Note: making these to portion of the map too large will over power the sniper, and lead to spawn killing (killing someone just as they have reentered the game from being dead) or will stop ppl for being able to cross the map (CTF Only).

The camper, mostly in CTF this play style and is seen as noobish, but it is when a player sits in a location to gaurd a location or the flag killing ppl as they cross there scope. Example: boxes and barrel in the cave that goes through the middle between the 2 ships, or the small indentation by the flag on emplorium.

The runner, also a noob playstyle, in which a player runs to the flag and back to there flag with very minumial thought for there own safty. This is only in CTF play styles.

The assassin, a person who is really good 1v1 and is good at sneaking up on ppl, but lacks the ablity to dodge very well or stands still when they shoot. This style uses object on maps to trick the player into a bad position and the takes an easy shot.

The soldier, a person who is good a dodging and shooting, most of the time, good on open maps more then on closed maps with lots of objects.

Now you can get to layout. This is the combaniation of all of the factors above. You must include all of these elements in your map. Example Face capture:

Sniper: to of the base.
Camper: by the flag.
Runner: One way in and many ways out, fast pace running and simple fast way.
Assassin: inside bases many teleports and object very crowed by object.
Soldier: the middle very open.

This is your basic layout factors. Now to show how these factors work for particular game modes.

CTF: in a CTF map the more ways to get to the flag = more ppl it can hold. The general rule is that a map should have at least 2 defined ways to the flag, an easy (by speed or not having to do trick jumps or persition jumping) and a hard (by speed or trick jumping). There are exception to this rule, example Face_Capture. Also there are 2 balenced sides, this is extremely important, ppl need the map to be balenced, but not perfectly symetrical, example valhalla. The idea is the should have the same basic structures but it does not have to look the same, but the more detial = more symitry. Remember to make defencive and offensive spots for both sides.

Capture: in Capture mods you should modulize the maps, meaning that you should have different area (either by rooms or distance or platforms) Example astroyes: there are 6 bases each is either on a different level or room. Astroids: on its own rock. Grenade cpt (capture point) is displaced from the rifle cpt and the shotgun cpt by elevation, or the stairs. The chaingun and the rifle and shotgun cpts are separated by rooms. The idea is to chain cpts on eachother, example: the rockets (on the astroids), the genade, and shotgun are all chained, to take over the shotgun or grenade you must avoid or take over the rockets cpts. This forces a movement around the map. The other chain on this map is the indside: rifle, chain, genades. The placement of all cpt weaponds have a rhythm to them as well. The rockets are allways above something but create a blind shot or are across from a rifle round (so a sniper can kill them). The genades are in there own enclosed room or share an area with an other cpt so they can shoot them down hill at a cpt. the chain gun is normally in an open area, shot gun is normally in a small room with many small inclosures or to conter the chain gun.

DeathMatch: This is realy the most fluid type of gameplay, normally it is one of two types, either a lare square circle or other convex shape (a shape were all points are were the points exdent from the basic shape, rather than indent) around a middle, with a few out cropings: douze, ot, academy, aard3c. The other style is that of many rooms or areas(nmp3, orion) connected in some kind of path that reflects a square or basic convex shape. Example metl2 3 4.

Lastly when working with a structure, landscape, or building, work outside in. This will help define your theme better. What makes a maps theme is not what you can get to but what you cannot (map torture).

This is basic layout.
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