AP map guidelines
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 5:28 pm
Seems like a good idea to have a thread about the basic rules and must-have's in an AP map, maybe tips and tricks aswell but the main idea of the thread is setting rules any mapper should follow(to a certain extent).
Keep in mind that these are not RULES but rather guidelines we recommend you follow for a good map.
If you know any please post them(with maps as a good/bad example or guides/pictures preferably)
for mapping in general visit this link
Gameplay:
-Make corners out of one brush instead of 2 brushes, if the corner is made with 2 brushes you can't cut it(corner cutting is when you land infront of the corner and jump past it, important aspect in AP gameplay).
-Avoid terrain, terrain makes things more random than they should be, especially when OB is turned on.
if you can find a way to have terrain in your map without the running becoming random go ahead.
Also, having terrain purely for decoration is fine.
-Use checkpoints; especially when your map is long, its very annoying having to guess how well you're doing during a run.`
-Avoid stairs, no one likes them, they seem to make things random, but theyre fine for decoration.
If you want your slope to look like a staircase put a slope with clip texture over it.`
-Avoid spots that slow the speed considerably. This would mean drops down, too tight corners etc. For example map "alienbase" is awesome looking but gameplay is horrible because of the drops down.
-Make at least 3 route possibilities at some part of the map, more often the better.
-Avoid long slope up parts on OB maps, as they sometimes tend to "swallow" the player in and lose the speed.
-Don't put trim/support brushes in the wall after ramps.
-Don't make tiny brushes on the floor (i.e. jumppad edges are little higher than center). Lower than 32 units brushes are just pain in the ass. If you however decide it looks better, then clip the lower part to the same height with higher brushes.
-Smaller ramps are ok in the beginning, but having to ramp something small with 2000 ups and 40 seconds worth of running already, will be rather hard, and also very frustrating if you fail.
Keep in mind that these are not RULES but rather guidelines we recommend you follow for a good map.
If you know any please post them(with maps as a good/bad example or guides/pictures preferably)
for mapping in general visit this link
Gameplay:
-Make corners out of one brush instead of 2 brushes, if the corner is made with 2 brushes you can't cut it(corner cutting is when you land infront of the corner and jump past it, important aspect in AP gameplay).
-Avoid terrain, terrain makes things more random than they should be, especially when OB is turned on.
if you can find a way to have terrain in your map without the running becoming random go ahead.
Also, having terrain purely for decoration is fine.
-Use checkpoints; especially when your map is long, its very annoying having to guess how well you're doing during a run.`
-Avoid stairs, no one likes them, they seem to make things random, but theyre fine for decoration.
If you want your slope to look like a staircase put a slope with clip texture over it.`
-Avoid spots that slow the speed considerably. This would mean drops down, too tight corners etc. For example map "alienbase" is awesome looking but gameplay is horrible because of the drops down.
-Make at least 3 route possibilities at some part of the map, more often the better.
-Avoid long slope up parts on OB maps, as they sometimes tend to "swallow" the player in and lose the speed.
-Don't put trim/support brushes in the wall after ramps.
-Don't make tiny brushes on the floor (i.e. jumppad edges are little higher than center). Lower than 32 units brushes are just pain in the ass. If you however decide it looks better, then clip the lower part to the same height with higher brushes.
-Smaller ramps are ok in the beginning, but having to ramp something small with 2000 ups and 40 seconds worth of running already, will be rather hard, and also very frustrating if you fail.
