Detail Or Layout?

Once_Only · November 2004

<div class="IPBDescription">Which do you take care of first?</div> I find that when I do maps I try to do my best to pretty up a room before moving on to the next, how do you go about doing your maps? do you get a layout done with generic wall and floor textures, or do you detail each room as you go? I find that if I cant think of a way to detail an area, I get stuck, and end up going back and chaning rooms six or seven times.

Ron2K · November 2004

What I do is partially detail an area, then I go and work on the next area. When I get mappers block, I go and finish off the detailing.

HanzGrub3r · November 2004

Anyone want to hear me rant about this again? lol

If you ask me - i'd go one step further and add this to the equation.

Back story -> Design -> Layout -> Detail

But that's just me. *lifts up his shield to block the flaming arrows*

Barathrum · November 2004

I agree with Hanz, though it usually turns out to be like this for me:

design/detail -> layout -> backstory

carioca · November 2004

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' />
layout>backstory>detail/design of the first room and go to the next

BobTheJanitor · November 2004

Always basic layout before detail work. You never know when you'll have to chop up rooms and move them around to fit. It's so much easier to shrink a room to half size when it's made up of 10 brushes instead of 100. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' />

Enceladus · November 2004

idea for the map first. location, story, very basic layout first with minimalistic details, then playtest for balancing, change layout for rebalancing, add more details, playtest again, more details, repeat till final stage detail has been reached.
Very time consuming but the result will be a better gameplay, because changing balancing when the map is already fully detailed.. uh oh..

Once_Only · November 2004

I suppose it would be best to do layout first, alot easier to fix, problems with balance that way. But really, how detialed do you go? do you get the basic shape of a room, or just have a bunch of rectangles that fit the general layout.

Crispy · November 2004

Well gameplay's gonna affect a map's popularity far more than looks. Compare ns_altair and ns_<i>centrally located MS</i> that never made it in for gameplay reasons.

<span style='font-size:6pt;line-height:100%'>Slap me if I'm talking jibberish</span>

I doing it pretty much like Bob but I'm leaving the Hive rooms until last because you can make changes to buff or nerf them depending on how near the closest RT is or how far they are from MS/Hive2,3/ChokePoints/SiegeLocations.

Mouse · November 2004

Theme -> Prelim Layout -> Design -> Texturing -> Lighting -> Layout

Bear in mind that the prelim layout is just the rough positions of the hives and MS.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Well gameplay's gonna affect a map's popularity far more than looks. Compare ns_altair and ns_centrally located MS that never made it in for gameplay reasons.</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
I do believe the size of the map was more of an issue than the location of the marine start. That said, I only reccomend masochists put their marine starts in the middle.

HanzGrub3r · November 2004

*slaps kobayashi*

Purple Monkey Dishwashers

ssjyoda · November 2004

rough layout ->develop an idea whats goin on, not a full story like hanz says ->then one room at a time

Crispy · November 2004

Thanks Hanz I had a feeling I was talking complete and utter... <i>jibberish</i>!

Mido · November 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (BobTheJanitor @ Nov 10 2004, 08:48 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Always basic layout before detail work. You never know when you'll have to chop up rooms and move them around to fit. It's so much easier to shrink a room to half size when it's made up of 10 brushes instead of 100. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' />  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
I had to do that today.
Was so glad I made sure the scale was right etc before adding layers upon layers of detail.

Layout is a lifesaver.

Mouse · November 2004

What's really fun is when you make a huge elaborate corridor and then realise it's just slightly larger than a player; which isn't all that good, considering you intended it to be a tram tunnel...

Soul_Rider · November 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Mouse @ Nov 13 2004, 10:50 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> What's really fun is when you make a huge elaborate corridor and then realise it's just slightly larger than a player; which isn't all that good, considering you intended it to be a tram tunnel...  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
How about putting and info_player_start next in any corridoor/room you are building to get an idea of relative size?

Mouse · November 2004

Yeah, that's how I noticed. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' />

I haven't done it since though, I tend to pay more attention to what sizes I'm working with now.

Mendasp · November 2004

Rough idea of layout/scheme -> Architecture -> Lighting -> More Lighting

Backstories are useless, so none of this.

Detail Or Layout?

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