It's Story Telling

[MERMITE]

Map Making is TOUGH:
Most here have had a go at sometime, some good
but most bad.
Map making is STORY TELLING, just like a kid in school you are expected to 'write a
simple story'
1 You "BRAVO" start (in-fil)
2 Minor conflict of some kind
3 As You close on the objective, action ramps up
4 Target Acheived
5 Leave, end of story (x-fil)
Sounds simple, but using the cantoments of Novalogic, and the limits of what 'Bravo'
can actually do in this 'world' it is very difficult.
With practice you do get better, in fact some on this site are Masters with a whole bunch
of tricks they can achive their objectives in the most remarkable ways.
As an example, go to the maps section of this site
and under DFX single player search for OPERATION : ROCKET RAGE by Dave61.
Dave61 has made several maps, my first encounter with Daves work was experiencing a
squadron of Chinooks, overflying my position in an earlier map,
perhaps that was coincidental, for me it was breath taking, but back to Rocket Rage, here
Dave has had to make many decisions, everything from how the .pcx will look to how
'you' will leave the map, and every decision no matter HOW SMALL has a direct bearing
on the outcome of your story.
As a map maker will you will not please everybody
you will not 'improve' your skill if told you are good
everytime you submit a map knowing 'you' arn't happy with it.
the truth is.'IT IS NEVER FINISHED', and it is the constant tampering that can even undo
a masters work, read up Rembrandt or Picasso.
In closing this rant, rather making 1 big muddled map, try 2 or 3 small maps first
get the engineering done then the art work
but above all, have it all planned out before you are at the PC

Happy Waypointing
mermite

ps it's only a game

[skinny killer]

so stop complaining about it. I agree with you but for the most part this post seems to be a difrent page of you compared to the comments left on some of our maps.

[Hellfighter]

i would love to move this thread, but i can't make up my mind were it should go? Matt would have better luck on this then me lol

[dave61]

Mermite, Thanks for the complement!

I always aim to please anyone who might play my maps, and try to make my maps as interesting and challenging as possible.

[Xx_jet_xX]

"get the engineering done then the art work
but above all, have it all planned out before you are at the PC"

I actualy do the "engineering" as the last step in making a map, if "engineering" you meant to say events an goals. I make the map first then populate it. then decide on the mission's. I do not advocate planning the map prior to starting it. mapping a good coop is an art form.

[skinny killer]

I get come up with my storyline then set up my layout and decorations, then I start adding events and BOTs. I pretty much make up the layout as I go along.

[.Simon.]

Each to their own I suppose. It's like art, some people like to plan their work before they start, some let it develop as they paint/draw/etc.