The most idolized maps have a balance between theme and gameplay. Theme is broken into two parts details, ideal theme (place, time, history, back-story, etc). The details of a map are important and overdoing the details is hard. To have details over done you would have to have some many cubes that the computer lags cause of it. Details many times make the difference between a good map and a noob looking map.
Ideal theme, or time, place, so on, is important to the atmosphere this would include texturing, placement of detail, or mmodels (map models). This is more of a generalized theme stuff that is more closely tied to the gameplay or flow of a map. The best way to describe this would be: the details of a map are like the pieces, separate from the map, and the ideal theme would be like the putting of these pieces together to create realism and flow. For example you can have a wheelbarrow, this would be a detail, and where you decide to place this wheel barrow on the map will tell us about what the story, place, time, and so on of the map. Detail is most important because when people kill they want to spill blood on the wall; it makes them feel like they are killing and distroying at the same time :)
Game play should be throughout before you do your ideal theme but after you have your details. Of course you will not have all of your pieces but the general ones should be persistent in a grave yard (a pile of separate pieces). As you create the bass map, wall hills bases so on; you will start placing these details to enhance your map.
The commutation of the details plus the layout that is predefined will conclude to a solution in which you have both a well detailed map with good game play. If you do one before the other you will over power one of these aspects and the misbalances you map, and it loses its ideal form (essence of being). Details are pivotal to a good map and as such should be handled with the most respectable standards. Over detailing is near impossible, and extremely improbable. The only problem with too much detail is time, the amount of time over the given amount you want to spend.
Details must fit the mood and flow of the map. In a proper map the map has detail that fit the theme, and do not prevent the player from playing the game. Detials should be realistic (correctly porportioned to other things in the map). For example, a door way in cube being 26 in across 7 feet in height is unrealistic for cube, but if you are to creat a door, keep in mind that all the pmodels are about 5 foot. If you proportion everything this way than a giant door way will look good.
The cubes are just fine and dandy but you need some more geometric shapes, say maybe a circle or a sphere or maybe even a slated cube. In cube one it was ok to make levels that contain many cubes and had very little detail because a lot of this detail was impossible (if you don’t understand do some research). Now in cube 2 we have to hold a higher standard on the maps that are produced. You need to work on the detail of your map, find a place to create, and create it.
The world is not a square it a circle, and most thing are not sharp cornered cubes. Therefore dont create thing that are perfect squares. The simplist minipulation to the cube will create a differing effect and therefore make your cube look good :)
Mapping off of realistic places is the easiest thing to do, because you dont have to worry about proportion or you dont have to think of thing to fill the map with. I would suggest starting with something realistic so that you can get the proportion of real-life into your creative maps.
Lighting is one of the most important, least important thinig. What i mean is the lighting changes the mood of the map completely; combined with the fog and the other minor function (ambient shadowmapambient skylight etc). Lighting completely makes or breaks a map, with out good lighting your map will look bad. You need to completely understand what effect you are tring to give to the user. What is the maps theme?; this directly affects your lighting choices. Pick a mood and use the light to create it. Look at any zombie game. The lights are dark, lots of shadows, red light, tight corrers heavy fog. This is mood, this is what makes you jump out of your chair when a zombie comes out of no were and kills you. The pure fact that humans are afraid of the dark creapy small spaces.
Of course see the packaging guide :) but some things that most of the sucessful maps have:
A good screenshot: most people judge your map on your screenshot; firt looks, lasting impressions.
WPT file: people like testing your map, so this is helpful :)
Readme: Im not sure why but all good maps ive seen has one :) simply state your name, the map name and a basic storyline of the map.
Your Lovable Jerk
chasester
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