Zandronum

I would like to announce that if there is anyone who needs any kind of help with learning modding, making new maps/monsters/weapons/items, simply anything, feel free to ask me here on Zandronum forum by Private Message or on Zandronum IRC. I hang on the Zandronum IRC under the name "madcat".
I can't promise I know all the things you would like to learn but even if it is something I do not know, I can always try or redirect you to someone who might know more than me.

I can teach how to make:
Maps ( only original doom2 map format, but I know people who might help you with modern formats ).
Monsters ( my speciality, see https://zandronum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=4445 for monsters I made myself)
Weapons ( I have some good knowledge of both doomish and medieval-style weapons )
Items ( I know many things there )

I know:
DECORATE ( I consider myself expert there, sorry for the lack of modesty )
SPRITING ( I have made thousands of my own sprites, mostly by mixing already-existing sprites together )
ACS ( This is something I have very limited knowledge about. But feel free to ask me, there is always a chance that I would know the answer, plus I know people who are experienced in ACS )
Then I know some miscellanous stuff such as KEYCONF, SNDINFO, SBARINFO etc.

So if there is anyone who would like to have someone who would teach him/her how to do modding/maps/monsters, simply anything, Im offering you what I learned since I started modding in 2006.

PS: Please do not consider this thread a joke, do not consider it a place for jokes.

How do you make good aow maps

jdagenet wrote:How do you make good aow maps

Before you start, make it clear for yourself whether is your map going to include Mechs or not.
Then, think of everything you intend to put in the map, keep asking yourself whether could something you want to make be used as a source of trolling or unfair playing and avoid making it.
( I have seen a map with both bases having a teleport that lead into a X-shaped arena. These "base teleports" were one-way only, it was impossbile to get into any base from there. Then there were another two teleports that lead into the center of the map, but these two teleports were two-way.
So if someone teleported into there and used sandbags/proxy mines for blocking some of the teleports (or all of them) it could ruin the whole game).

And once you are sure none of these things is going to be included in your map, start mapping. Remember to:

1. - Make the map symmetrical (simply make one half with only one team base and then copy it for the other team)
Its difficult to balance non-symmetrical maps and even the best (take Infect for example) will remain being a target of doubts forever.

1. - Avoid making the obelisk too strong or too weak ( an obelisk that can cover half the map is overpowered and an obelisk that cant see more than 1 building, or is easy to get to is weak ).

2. - Avoid enabling the utility guys to cover the whole map with long-ranged turrets. The first team that would do such a thing would also be the first one to get a huge advantage. ( In Renegade there are tall crates where you can put your turrets to...but there are smaller crates too, which the other team can use for cover, plus there are side-corridors that can be used in order to get close to the turrets )

3. - Avoid making the bases easy target for stealths, or impossible to get into as stealth if the utils can block every single base entrance with proxy mines.
Some maps are making this possible, but they usually have some counterbalance included.

4. - Do not make the tiberium field impossible to enter if there is an enemy inside.

5. - If your map is going to include mechs, do not make it possible for the mechs to shoot into buildings from the home base.

6. - Do not do anything that could result in certain player classes overpowered (a maze-like map would be a paradise for SSGs)

7. - Do not make it too easy for players to be killed by cheap means (a map full of deadly ravines could end up in players falling down whenever they
encounter any kind of explosion

8. - Test the map for any possible bugs many times before you actually release it. This is something many mappers/modders keep forgetting about.

9. - Do not put the Tiberium field too close to base. Being a Harvester has to mean something.

10. - If you enable Mechs, avoid any easy ways how to kill an obelisk ( or any other building ) without having to expose your mech to the obelisk
( In Barrens map there is a small hole that allos Wolverines to shoot at it without any danger ).

Well thats all I can think of at the moment.

EDIT: Neh screw the memeing

My advise is not go too overboard on sloping terrain, the few times i played AoW that thing got me assassinated by a Mech many times.