Tutorial: How to Make a Good Map

[chocolatepie33]

Before all of you say this is in the wrong subforum, lemme explain:

Right now, I'd like this to be a tutorial by the community, for the community. This will eventually be a tutorial, but right now, I'm asking all of our people out here to provide the best tips, tricks and ideas they have for the topic. I could've put this in either Tutorials OR the Support Section, but I wasn't sure which. That explains the placement of this topic.

Anyways, I already mentioned what I want: any and/or all ways you work to make a good map. This includes tips, tricks, ideas, workarounds, planning processes, workflows, you name it. If it's related to making a good map, I want it. Eventually, I'd like to have this tutorial, should it succeed, be placed on the wiki, where hopefully some uber-noobs may notice and regard it. Sound good? Good.

I thank anyone who answers this with their tips and such right now, in advance.

Starting off:

1) read eihrul (lee salzman)'s inclusion standards, found here viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3206&p=29442&. This explains a lot of good stuff.
2) use a lot of editing commands to your advantage. Lighting commands are especially nice to use.

EDIT: Complete list, will be added to.

Code: Select all

Chocolatepie33:

1) read eihrul (lee salzman)'s inclusion standards, found here http://forum.sandboxgamemaker.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3206&p=29442&. This explains a lot of good stuff.
2) use a lot of editing commands to your advantage. Lighting commands are especially nice to use.
3) ALWAYS remip your map after once in a while. With 2.7, remipping can dramatically increase fps. 
4) Follow Gridsize rules http://quadropolis.us/node/2328
5) Use copy and paste to your advantage, whether this means geometry or entities.
6) Watch your proportions. I can't make that any simpler.

jSoftApps:

1) Don't overuse materials such as lava or water. The animations cause the map to be slower. Only use them if you need to.
2) Too many mapmodels slows down sandbox. I would use less then 100 per map.
3) Make sure that your lightmap uses less than 100 textures. That is the recommended amount for lightmapping.

Runescapedj:

1) When you make lava, make some respawn material above it, otherwise you can stand in the lava when it's not too deep.
2) When using heighfieldmode, alwasy select the area you need to heighfield NEVER MORE this can ruin your entire map.
3) Make sure there's nothing under the area you want to heighfield, or this will get messed up.
4) NEVER use different gridsizes for the same area of heighfieldmode, because you can't fix (or it's really hard, and you might forget stuff by not seeing it) it afterwards, unless you don't save and reload the map (undo won't always work)
5) After adding lights, remember to quick-light first, you can simply do this by pressing F3 and then selecting quick-light.

java.x.beast:

1) Always texture before you use heightmap mode, unless you want it to be the default texture.
2) Never EVER use hightmap within 3 size 2 cubes of a wall or anything you don't want it to touch. 
3) ALWAYS use clip around the borders of the map. In the words of Hirato - "Cons - No clip around the border, people won't like it when they fall off your map". 
4) USE DIFFERENT TEXTURES! The roof and wall textures should almost ALWAYS be different form each other.

[jSoftApps]

Don't overuse materials such as lava or water. The animations cause the map to be slower. Only use them if you need to.
Too many mapmodels slows down sandbox. I would use less then 100 per map.
Make sure that your lightmap uses less than 100 textures. That is the recommended amount for lightmapping.

[Runescapedj]

When you make lava, make some respawn material above it, otherwise you can stand in the lava when it's not too deep

[java.x.beast]

Always texture before you use heightmap mode, unless you want it to be the default texture. Never EVER use hightmap within 3 size 2 cubes of a wall or anything you don't want it to touch. Believe me, I tried to make a hill right next to the wall and it curved my wall, so I just turned it into a tunnel/cave. ALWAYS use clip around the borders of the map. In the words of Hirato - "Cons - No clip around the border, people won't like it when they fall off your map". I agree. USE DIFFERENT TEXTURES! The roof and wall textures should almost ALWAYS be different form each other. That's it for now. Hope this helped!

-Java

[Runescapedj]

1. When using heighfieldmode, alwasy select the area you need to heighfield NEVER MORE this can ruin your entire map.
2. Make sure there's nothing under the area you want to heighfield, or this will get messed up.
3. NEVER use different gridsizes for the same area of heighfieldmode, because you can't fix (or it's really hard, and you might forget stuff by not seeing it) it afterwards, unless you don't save and reload the map (undo won't always work)

[Runescapedj]

After adding lights, remember to quick-light first, you can simply do this by pressing F3 and then selecting quick-light

[chocolatepie33]

thanks for the things so far guys, this is looking nice! Only if some other people *cough* Arc, KM, Leo, Hirato *cough* could help out.

@Rune: maybe edit, add all info to one post? You know not to double post.

Anyways, some more from me:

ALWAYS remip your map after once in a while. With 2.7, remipping can dramatically increase fps.
Follow Gridsize rules http://quadropolis.us/node/2328
Use copy and paste to your advantage, whether this means geometry or entities.
Watch your proportions. I can't make that any simpler.

Now, I'm gonna update me first post.

[chocolatepie33]

since this appears to be an epic failure of a topic idea, I'm hoping someone will go ahead and close it now. That is, unless somebody wants to add more to it.

[kid matthew]

Tips By Kid Matthew.
Use these commands to help you.
/vscale .50 // Scales the textures in half, substitute .50 for another #.
/vrotate 1 // Allows u to rotate selected textures, substitute 1 for # of rotations.
/vcolor .2 .3 .5 // Allows you to make textures different color. Red, Green, Blue.

Recommend spending a day on making assets for you map like, EX: Arches, Doors, Windows, Poles, columns ETC.
That allows work flow to be much faster and productive because you can copy and paste Assets to your Map.
Always try to keep making your assets better and better.
Try to use the least amount of map models as possible.
Don't Spam particles.
Check Height Map Geometry. TIP: Go under the Map and look up to see any errors in Height Map.
Some time when adding water to Height Map and removing the water will mess up the Height Map.
So add Water, Lava Last.
Calculate the map before you Upload/Release.
Make sure collision is on when u have Rain/Snow Particles or else you would have the particle coming through the buildings.
Make sure your Map is Scaled. TIP: Go into to 3rd person to see how the player model represents to the size of things in your map.
Try to remember how to make simple things like columns.
Lights need some kind of Visual Representative/Source.
SAVE OFTEN.
Don't rush you maps.
When taking a picture of you map Push Shift 4 to toggle HUD.
Do not use Uppercase Letters in your map or your Textures, Picture Extensions.
Give you map a Title.
Type /maptitle "Map Name by Author of Map."
If you want color u can type /maptitle "^f1Map Name by Author of Map."
If you wanted more then one colors you could type /maptitle "^f1Map Name by ^f2Author of Map."
You can substitute the # for any Number between 0-7.
MAKE SURE YOU SAVE AFTER YOU TYPE THE MAP TITLE!



Cheers,
Matthew

[Tony]

Nah CP, leave it open. This is a good idea, as most of your ideas seem to be.

the Kid just contributed a wealth of tips, that's the kind of stuff that we sorely lack in documentation.

Keep this thread running, and I too will synthesize these tips into a tutorial or organized sheet of references for everyone to use.

The best asset of "community", is sharing experiences and methods that will save time, increase production and quality of end-product.

Good stuff CP, good stuff, please leave it up for a while yet.

Thanks,
- Tony