https://web.archive.org/web/20080603053 ... f=43&t=188
For those who don't know, this tutorial was the shit. Good thing archiving websites like this exist. And yes, it was posted 10 years ago.
deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved from ST forums
deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved from ST forums
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<Synert> fuck
<Synert> plugged in my memory stick and got a bsod-
Tiger
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RE: deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved f...
Uploader Remarks:
All credit goes to Deathz0r who originally created this article back in 13 January, 2004. This article was only published on the SkullTag forums, but the article is no longer available as the forum was been locked for several years. I am literally copying and pasting the article contents in this topic as I strongly believe that level designers should adhere to this great tutorial for making Deathmatch and team based competitive game modes.
Also checkout the Creating Competitive Maps article on the Zandronum Wiki.
Article Backup [1][2][3]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since I'd rather not spam on my 200th post, I have decided to write up this super-suave tutorial on how to not make a sucky map, whether it may be Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Skulltag, or anything else that is possible in that insane port of Carnevil's. Since I have pretty much experienced all of what I'm going to say (except making a Skulltag map, but don't give up hope on me not mapping one yet!) and have recieved comments from various people of their respected communities on each and every map I have created (not to mention reviewing a fair amount of maps as well, but I won't go into that), all you beginner mappers could learn a thing or two from deathz0r the Wise.
-= How to make a decent Deathmatch map =-
Ok, the first thing that I have to mention is that you should concentrate more on the gameplay factor, rather than detailing. If you concentrate more on detailing, you'll end up with a little something called GothicDM. This doesn't mean however that you cannot make a map entirely consisting of SILVER1, and expecting it to be an award winning map. Some beauty is usually required, but not an overload of it. For instance, it does not have to imitate some real life architecture.
These are two examples of how to not make a map. As you can see, they both lack two things:
1) Thought of detail (first screenshot)
2) Thought of gameplay (second screenshot)
These two maps should be avoided at all costs. However, this map I'm going to show you below is what I'd call decent. It has good gameplay, but it doesn't look like a pile of shit:
This is MAP01 from UDM2. I'm not saying that it's decent because I hold a biased opinion towards it, I'm saying that it's decent because other people have told me that they enjoyed playing it.
The second thing about making a decent map is the layout of the map. There are several parts to this, so this one will be a lot more detailed than the first important point.
* Interior design - This pretty much means what the map will look like on the automap. I'll start this off with a big and nasty DON'T: Do NOT make a map that is symmetrical! Symmetry should be used for Capture the Flag and Skulltag maps, not standard Deathmatch maps! 90% of symmetrical are very uninteresting, and usually have a very short replay span.
This in particular, is a really bad example of symmetry. Once again, avoid this map like maleria.
Although this has a symmetrical layout, this is one of the few that is actually bearable in standard Deathmatch. This is from Dwango5 MAP14, original source unknown.
This is Dwango6 MAP04. I don't exactly know where it originates from (I believe it comes from one the dweller WADs), but it's one hell of a good map. Try it out.
* Interconnectivity - This pretty much means how many routes there is to get to one area. It's usually recommended to make it easy for a player to get to a particular spot, but some powerups should be better left hard to reach.
This level is pathetic. There is only one route to go anywhere in the map. Like I've said with the rest of the crap maps, avoid this one.
These are great maps. As you can see, there is three possible ways to get to the big rooms in that first screenshot. The first map is also from UDM2, while the second is from UDM1.
* Accessbility - This means how quickly you can get to a particular area. While it is similar to Interconnectivity, this part pretty much means doors, lifts, stairs and teleporters, instead of how many routes there is to reach an area. I will only say this once: Do not use slow lifts or doors! They are the biggest pains in the ass in Deathmatch games, especially if there is an opponent around the corner, and you need to hide somewhere that has health, ammo or armour. Try to avoid using lifts as often as possible: create stairs instead, as they usually keep a rather consistent flow in Deathmatch. Teleporters are acceptable, but it really depends on where the desination is.
* Size - Oh man, this is my least favourite part about bad maps. Small areas mean small possibilities to circle strafe around your opponent, and very cramped situations for both players. Try to keep any room of importance medium to large in size. As somebody said, "The bigger it is, the better." This applies heavily to Deathmatch maps. I'll show you one example each of what size is good for Deathmatch, and what is pathetic for Deathmatch.
This is one of the focal areas in Gothic2 MAP02. As you can see, it's small and it sucks, just like the rest of the WAD.
This is Dwango6 MAP01. There's a fair amount of space to maneuver in. I also prefer this map over Dwango5 MAP01 anyday.
* Lighting - Lighting is not important. It does add atmosphere to certain areas, but it's not that neccessary. If you want to have super awesome lighting, go make a Single Player map. Keep that über-detailed lighting crap away from me.
And now, for the third most important thing in a map, Weapon Placement. This is a really touchy subject for serious Deathmatchers, as some of them don't like having to pickup a weapon that's in the middle of a hallway, or in another inappropiate place. Weapons should usually be near a wall or a pillar of some sorts, which comes in handy if you're playing a match in Doom2.exe (or any port that does not support preferred weapon order), you're in a middle of a SSG fight, and all the sudden you pickup a Chaingun. As you can see, it gets really annoying.
Dweller2 MAP11. God I hate this map, for more than one reason.
This is from Vexation. A great WAD made by a great doomer. Check it out sometime.
Ammo is another important factor about Deathmatch maps, especially if you're playing with Deathmatch 1.0 rules. You're dominating the map, kicking someone's ass heavily, but then you realize you're out of ammo. What do you do? The only option is to suicide. If you have to resort to that more than once, don't play the map at all. Chances are is that it sucks. Hopefully you won't need to suicide in some maps, or if you have moderate playing skills. It's also good to be able to kill people though, so remember to add ammo in your maps! Like weapons, they should be placed near walls, but anywhere that seems like a good place to have some is fine.
Although this isn't entirely important, but it should be mentioned that it must be hard to obtain some powerups. Slow lifts and hard to find teleporters are good examples of such.
-= How to create a decent Capture the Flag or Skulltag map =-
Everything that I said above also applies to these particular gamemodes, except that symmetry is a lot more important than in Deathmatch maps. However, there are a few cases of symmetry that are not recommended for Capture the Flag or Skulltag. doom2.wad MAP07 is a rather fine example of this. So is Gothic99 MAP07, but like I've said, all the Gothic maps suck anyway, so there's no point in making them Capture the Flag maps.
This layout is very good for Capture the Flag maps. Dagger has recently made a Capture the Flag version of this, check it out.
This is my only released CTF map, ctfz0r1. It's based on UDM1 MAP11, which was also created by me and Ralphis.
Having multiple routes to the flag/skull room is vital for the respected gamemodes. It gives the offending team (whether it's Red players storming the Blue base, or vice-versa) more than one oppurtunity to be able to snatch the flag/skull from their opposition. For Skulltag maps, I recommend no more than two routes to where you have to place the skull. This gives the defending team a chance to reclaim the skull from whoever obtained it.
Once again, ammo is an important factor. It's probably a good idea to have the correct ammo surrounding whatever weapon needs it. It gives players more of an oppurtunity to gun down the opponents.
Runes are not entirely necessary for these maps, but they give whoever possesses them a rather nice advantage, unless it's Prosperity. Runes that don't affect the gameplay much should be more easily obtainable than the more useful runes. By doing that, it makes players waste time trying to get the important runes, while they could be helping their teammates reclaim their flag/skull.
Anyway, I think this is a good enough tutorial for now. I might add more later.
EDIT:
[16:25] <Ralphis> deathz0r: you better credit me for udm2 map 1 on that post now
[16:26] <Ralphis> and all of my wads!!!!1111
There, shut up already.
All credit goes to Deathz0r who originally created this article back in 13 January, 2004. This article was only published on the SkullTag forums, but the article is no longer available as the forum was been locked for several years. I am literally copying and pasting the article contents in this topic as I strongly believe that level designers should adhere to this great tutorial for making Deathmatch and team based competitive game modes.
Also checkout the Creating Competitive Maps article on the Zandronum Wiki.
Article Backup [1][2][3]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since I'd rather not spam on my 200th post, I have decided to write up this super-suave tutorial on how to not make a sucky map, whether it may be Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Skulltag, or anything else that is possible in that insane port of Carnevil's. Since I have pretty much experienced all of what I'm going to say (except making a Skulltag map, but don't give up hope on me not mapping one yet!) and have recieved comments from various people of their respected communities on each and every map I have created (not to mention reviewing a fair amount of maps as well, but I won't go into that), all you beginner mappers could learn a thing or two from deathz0r the Wise.
-= How to make a decent Deathmatch map =-
Ok, the first thing that I have to mention is that you should concentrate more on the gameplay factor, rather than detailing. If you concentrate more on detailing, you'll end up with a little something called GothicDM. This doesn't mean however that you cannot make a map entirely consisting of SILVER1, and expecting it to be an award winning map. Some beauty is usually required, but not an overload of it. For instance, it does not have to imitate some real life architecture.
These are two examples of how to not make a map. As you can see, they both lack two things:
1) Thought of detail (first screenshot)
2) Thought of gameplay (second screenshot)
These two maps should be avoided at all costs. However, this map I'm going to show you below is what I'd call decent. It has good gameplay, but it doesn't look like a pile of shit:
This is MAP01 from UDM2. I'm not saying that it's decent because I hold a biased opinion towards it, I'm saying that it's decent because other people have told me that they enjoyed playing it.
The second thing about making a decent map is the layout of the map. There are several parts to this, so this one will be a lot more detailed than the first important point.
* Interior design - This pretty much means what the map will look like on the automap. I'll start this off with a big and nasty DON'T: Do NOT make a map that is symmetrical! Symmetry should be used for Capture the Flag and Skulltag maps, not standard Deathmatch maps! 90% of symmetrical are very uninteresting, and usually have a very short replay span.
This in particular, is a really bad example of symmetry. Once again, avoid this map like maleria.
Although this has a symmetrical layout, this is one of the few that is actually bearable in standard Deathmatch. This is from Dwango5 MAP14, original source unknown.
This is Dwango6 MAP04. I don't exactly know where it originates from (I believe it comes from one the dweller WADs), but it's one hell of a good map. Try it out.
* Interconnectivity - This pretty much means how many routes there is to get to one area. It's usually recommended to make it easy for a player to get to a particular spot, but some powerups should be better left hard to reach.
This level is pathetic. There is only one route to go anywhere in the map. Like I've said with the rest of the crap maps, avoid this one.
These are great maps. As you can see, there is three possible ways to get to the big rooms in that first screenshot. The first map is also from UDM2, while the second is from UDM1.
* Accessbility - This means how quickly you can get to a particular area. While it is similar to Interconnectivity, this part pretty much means doors, lifts, stairs and teleporters, instead of how many routes there is to reach an area. I will only say this once: Do not use slow lifts or doors! They are the biggest pains in the ass in Deathmatch games, especially if there is an opponent around the corner, and you need to hide somewhere that has health, ammo or armour. Try to avoid using lifts as often as possible: create stairs instead, as they usually keep a rather consistent flow in Deathmatch. Teleporters are acceptable, but it really depends on where the desination is.
* Size - Oh man, this is my least favourite part about bad maps. Small areas mean small possibilities to circle strafe around your opponent, and very cramped situations for both players. Try to keep any room of importance medium to large in size. As somebody said, "The bigger it is, the better." This applies heavily to Deathmatch maps. I'll show you one example each of what size is good for Deathmatch, and what is pathetic for Deathmatch.
This is one of the focal areas in Gothic2 MAP02. As you can see, it's small and it sucks, just like the rest of the WAD.
This is Dwango6 MAP01. There's a fair amount of space to maneuver in. I also prefer this map over Dwango5 MAP01 anyday.
* Lighting - Lighting is not important. It does add atmosphere to certain areas, but it's not that neccessary. If you want to have super awesome lighting, go make a Single Player map. Keep that über-detailed lighting crap away from me.
And now, for the third most important thing in a map, Weapon Placement. This is a really touchy subject for serious Deathmatchers, as some of them don't like having to pickup a weapon that's in the middle of a hallway, or in another inappropiate place. Weapons should usually be near a wall or a pillar of some sorts, which comes in handy if you're playing a match in Doom2.exe (or any port that does not support preferred weapon order), you're in a middle of a SSG fight, and all the sudden you pickup a Chaingun. As you can see, it gets really annoying.
Dweller2 MAP11. God I hate this map, for more than one reason.
This is from Vexation. A great WAD made by a great doomer. Check it out sometime.
Ammo is another important factor about Deathmatch maps, especially if you're playing with Deathmatch 1.0 rules. You're dominating the map, kicking someone's ass heavily, but then you realize you're out of ammo. What do you do? The only option is to suicide. If you have to resort to that more than once, don't play the map at all. Chances are is that it sucks. Hopefully you won't need to suicide in some maps, or if you have moderate playing skills. It's also good to be able to kill people though, so remember to add ammo in your maps! Like weapons, they should be placed near walls, but anywhere that seems like a good place to have some is fine.
Although this isn't entirely important, but it should be mentioned that it must be hard to obtain some powerups. Slow lifts and hard to find teleporters are good examples of such.
-= How to create a decent Capture the Flag or Skulltag map =-
Everything that I said above also applies to these particular gamemodes, except that symmetry is a lot more important than in Deathmatch maps. However, there are a few cases of symmetry that are not recommended for Capture the Flag or Skulltag. doom2.wad MAP07 is a rather fine example of this. So is Gothic99 MAP07, but like I've said, all the Gothic maps suck anyway, so there's no point in making them Capture the Flag maps.
This layout is very good for Capture the Flag maps. Dagger has recently made a Capture the Flag version of this, check it out.
This is my only released CTF map, ctfz0r1. It's based on UDM1 MAP11, which was also created by me and Ralphis.
Having multiple routes to the flag/skull room is vital for the respected gamemodes. It gives the offending team (whether it's Red players storming the Blue base, or vice-versa) more than one oppurtunity to be able to snatch the flag/skull from their opposition. For Skulltag maps, I recommend no more than two routes to where you have to place the skull. This gives the defending team a chance to reclaim the skull from whoever obtained it.
Once again, ammo is an important factor. It's probably a good idea to have the correct ammo surrounding whatever weapon needs it. It gives players more of an oppurtunity to gun down the opponents.
Runes are not entirely necessary for these maps, but they give whoever possesses them a rather nice advantage, unless it's Prosperity. Runes that don't affect the gameplay much should be more easily obtainable than the more useful runes. By doing that, it makes players waste time trying to get the important runes, while they could be helping their teammates reclaim their flag/skull.
Anyway, I think this is a good enough tutorial for now. I might add more later.
EDIT:
[16:25] <Ralphis> deathz0r: you better credit me for udm2 map 1 on that post now
[16:26] <Ralphis> and all of my wads!!!!1111
There, shut up already.
Last edited by Tiger on Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nicholas Gautier
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RE: deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved from ST forums
oh this is neat and very helpull.
RE: deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved from ST forums
I'm legitimately surprised people still regard this tutorial highly, considering how half-assed I had written it way back in the day. Then again, I don't believe it was ever unstickied on the ST forums so heh
OMG Weapons and Monsters! - The original randomizer mod, reborn
Endless Survival - An alternative to Invasion
Endless Survival - An alternative to Invasion
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TehRealSalt
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RE: deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved from ST forums
It still has good information and I haven't seen any tutorials that cover the same stuff but better and/or more, deathz0r.
RE: deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved from ST forums
Wow deathzor come back to the community or stop aliasing
RE: deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved from ST forums
tutorial, huh.. I've gone lurking skulltag forums having tears in my eyes, who cares about tutorial
RE: deathz0r's "How to create successful maps for online play" - Retrieved f...
thanks, it definitely needs a good rewrite though, yet another thing to put on my to-do listTehRealSalt wrote: It still has good information and I haven't seen any tutorials that cover the same stuff but better and/or more, deathz0r.
THE HYPE TRAIN NEVER ENDSDecay wrote: Actually the most important bit is basically how much weight you can throw around. You can make technically garbage maps, but if the right people like them, then you are set to go!
unfortunately IRL consumes too much of my time and timezone differences make it difficult for me to play often, but I'll be releasing the first public version of a WAD that's been gathering dust for about eight years very soonStrych6 wrote: Wow deathzor come back to the community or stop aliasing
I have no reason to alias though
OMG Weapons and Monsters! - The original randomizer mod, reborn
Endless Survival - An alternative to Invasion
Endless Survival - An alternative to Invasion