This page is in very slow development. :-) I have two other tutorials:
Maya 7 PLE and UnrealEd – how to stream-line
smesh development with this combination.
HOM hunting – how to ask HOM to vanish away.
These are more my own notes than a tutorial. :-) Article covers the map development process with mentioning the most important things. The topics are ordered in some logical sequence of stages, but I'm never stuck to one stage in my real life mapping. However it is up to you to adopt your own workflow.
Introduction
Procedures – overal process
Editor notes
Layout thoughts – gameplay basis
Pick-up placement – gameplay ground floor
Textures
Let there be light
Decoration and prettyfication
Bot pathing
Finalizing, zoning, optimization
Gameplay – always focus on the most important thing
Conclusion
I have no fixed mapping workflow, but I will try to give you an idea along with referencing some very good tutorials, because parts of them are also parts of my workflow. Not always, but they are. ;-) You can check my Links page. Links on this page will be used always in context, so if you want a raw list, go there and check Tutorails section.
Although I want to make nice map, I always try to create map with good gameplay (check also Sjosz's article about gameplay). You have to know much less about the Editor for a map with good gameplay than for a map with fantastic AVA (Atmosphere, Visuals, Aesthetics), but that is not the only reason of course. There are mappers out there creating map that are for walk-through watching around. They are nice, but they are not exactly for online playing. You always should have an idea about purpose of your map. My purpose is gameplay with better visuals with each another map. You can have other goals.
Starting with solid void, it's always about "first cube". I tried 2d shape editor in Getherto for a100 room, but in the end there are few cubes for basic shape of that room. Cubes with vertex editing can make miracles. And so we're in the process of layout creation. This is the most crucial part for me – and for gameplay. Good thing: it can be easily changed til it is not decoreated.
I try to test layout ASAP. I know people who can provide fantastic feedback. But for a serious layout test you also need to mix-up some pick-ups. Layout with pick-ups (with some basic texturing and temporary lightning) is good enough for first tests. You could, of course, want to test pure layout (TAM, LMS) – everything always depends on purpose. I'm currently focused on TDM, so power-up and weapon distribution is very important to me and my clients. ;-) And because I like pathing I always add some at least basic paths for bots. Basic means that it covers whole map but not necessarily all possible paths.
Free your mind and accept feedback. Don't rely on single one if you have more choices. Best thing is to have semi-stable group of testers you can trust, you understand them and they understand you. With such advisers you have no problem to omit even whole rooms when they think so. It simply works in 90 % of such cases. Forums work fine too – you just have to be more selective. Of course – in the end it's your map and you need to have also your own mind.
From this moment I simply continue in iterative steps and when I make some amount of changes I release another alpha version. Alpha versions are driven by layout changes – and these changes are still smaller and smaller. Every alpha also brings something new in visuals. I slowly apply textures fitting my theme. I decide lighting scheme and start to use it for a selected room. I see very soon if it works or not. Then I begin to work on first basic decorations. Light meshes goes along with the lighting, but there are also trims of all kind, brushes/smeshes for smaller architectonic features (beams, supports, struts) or curved out ceilings (if it suits the theme).
Again – release and listen. I could make map without forums and listening, but I rather rely on feedback a little, because it pays off so far. I may change layout, tweak lights, add some new decos and refine textures according my plan. I add some AVA features – sound or some nice emitter – although generally these are last things I do on the map. Then I adjust bot pathing if needed and release new version again. It's kinda forum driven development in my case. :-) However – with of without forums, I'm working in iterations and not in strict stages (texturing, lighting, decos). "Whatever works for you" is my credo.
I'm not talking too much about a theme. I always pick some and I'm trying to experiment with it – but hopefully not beyond the consistency treshold. Check another Sjosz's article – this one is called Theme, atmosphere, and construction. Also check Hourences' tutorial about Level Design (sound and atmosphere are mentioned near the end of the article). No need to mention that that particular tutorial can replace all this page. ;-)
In the end the map goes for shipping. ;-) This step requires some additional touches and then it is done. Now about specific concerns in detail, shall we? :-) (You may skip what you want, that's why it is written in sections. ;-))
OK, this is not an Editor tutorial, right? (Do you want some? Click 1 or 2.) I will not explain how to do something from the user-interface point of view. Because this article is notes for me, right? :-)))
First thing I do for the new map is changing its default gametype to whatever I need. Last Man Standing is not what I need. Deathmatch typically is. It does not matter in-game, but I want DM right when I hit that Playtest button. Or whatever else gametype... not LMS. ;-)
There are another topics that relates to the whole span of your development time. You may want to group actors in your map like Sjosz do (explained in his article). Another thing is, that I often use partial builds (geometry only, because they are so fast). It is quick when you want to check shape of your new ceiling, but from my experience, there are quite common HOMs on semi-solid brushes. No problem with this, I just don't care, because full build counts. You may also want to know that some problems may occure because of BSP optimization. Then you may want to omit this step (check end of this article by Hourences).
There can be written much more about Editor itself, but you should rather check out better tutorials about it (mentioned at the start of this section ;-)).
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When you check some standard level, you can find many things there, that are not so easy to learn – not at once. I decided to work step by step. I try to create gameplay-focused levels. I have people around, who understand gameplay, and with their feedback (+ forums of course), I can do pretty good levels. OK, currently there is only Getherto out there (slightly generously scaled level, but not that much). But there is another one with very promising gameplay in development (Taboo).
Now back to "many things" to learn – terrain, emitters, fluid surfaces (mainly their shaders are tricky), static meshes, textures (now I'm not talking about using them, but about creating them). You can always "borrow" emitter from other level (like I did with falling drops in a100 room on Getherto – from Rankin of course) and customize them. Customization is often needed in other environment, but it is also good, that you can actually work with some features although you don't know how to start from the scratch.
My first map (DoomRecall) wasn't good. I used generally white ligths and had no proper feeling for brightness/radius. Rooms were boxy (except splash tube ;-)) and I didn't know how to fix that. I focused on gameplay, but it was ruined by cramped corridors anyway (although we played many fun games on it). But I gained general UEd feeling and went thru few typical (non-logical) UEd problems at least. I learned zoning and pathing quite good and added fluid surface to it. For some reasons I used more brush clipping then vertex editing. In the end I played a little with emitters (fog outside of the level) and own bizare skybox. I was not happy with the level, but I knew that there is no perspective to do it better and I needed some fresh start.
Getherto(check The story of Getherto) was other case. I learned/observed (and something even copied) from Rankin and many other levels. Sizes, scales, etc. I stopped use special lit, because I found out, that I can achieve more with proper lighting (more lights with smaller radius). I created better shader for water there (still no environment map), started to use semi-solids, played a little with custom textures and what is most important – I crated interesting layout without boxy feeling with nice flow and good gameplay.
I started modelling for Taboo and also started with own textures (but it will be a long way to some good seamless one). My next plan is to grasp the terrain and environment maps (cube boxes). Anyway, my message is that you can focus on gameplay even when you know only basics. Getherto is nice example, that map can be good without terrain, original content, etc. Of course, you should start to create original content. There are also mappers, who prefer custom content and many of them don't make good maps in terms of gameplay. Gameplay must not be only about "serious pro map", important question is, if you focus on gameplay/fun factor or on the AVA (aesthetic, visuals, atmosphere) part of the map. I think that you should do the first.
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