Things I Learned as a Map Maker. Workflow tips

[thevoden]

I'm not the best map maker around but I'm certainly not the worst. I have been map making for over 5 years. On and off, I’ve never finished a single project. If this is one of your problem then this post might help you. Project Golemz is the 2nd map I've finished to completion.

I applied what I learned from relationships, sports and school to World Editor. I mean the principals allowed me to become the #1 ranked athlete in my state how much harder can the World Editor can be?

1) Plan
Spend time laying out the map in paper. During your lunch break or idle time in class start drawing out the layout of your map. Start writing down its features and such. What kind of triggers are you going to use and how are you going to make it? You must finish your map in paper before actually starting to build it in World Editor.

If you cannot articulate your thoughts and plan out your map in paper, how do you expect doing it in World Editor? Instead of spending your time with the efficient translating your notes into the World Editor, you will sit in front of the computer trying to think what to do with your map. And its unorganized too.

Project Golemz was already finished before I even touched the World Editor.


2) Baby Steps
Assuming that you have completely planned out your map in paper, you will have to take little steps building your map based on the blue print. When creating your map only focus on one specific part. Looking at the map as whole can intimidate you.

Project Golemz started out with just the terraining. I started adding some basic triggers that spawns a unit for every player. Then I added more advanced triggers from the basic triggers. I built up from there.

3) Goals
Have goals when creating your map. You can call if a deadline, but that sounds too harsh for the ears. When creating a deadline, you are expecting your map to be released within x week(s) for beta testing. You will have to strip your map out of its full potential if you do not finish. The most important thing is having a map that works.

For Project Golemz, I always said “for this hour I will finish the Spawning System”. I had a goal for every hour that I was working on my map. I wasn’t a mindless map maker thinking random things when creating a map. I had a structured system that I follow. Completing goals is rewarding itself.

4) Backup
Save every stable version of your map. This will be a time saver in the long run. When your map feels and looks like it doesn’t have any bugs, it is considered a stable version. By doing this, when you mess up in the future implementing a complicated system, you can go back to this stable version. This saves time from trying to figure out what you did with your new code trying to debug what was wrong.

There was this one time where I’ve literally spent 13 hours fixing my spawning system in Project Golemz only to realize that I cannot fix the bug. I decided to build the spawning system back from ground up, and that took only 30 minutes.


5) Improve
Learning how to work Integer A Loop variables and arrays was the most successful feeling I’ve ever felt. Strive to improve yourself day by day rather than comparing yourself to other map makers.

Let me tell you a story of my early beginnings at TheHelper. It was when Aceheart wrote me a spawning system for Project Golemz. When I received it I was shocked. At first I was discouraged by how good AceHeart’s triggering and jass skills were. I’m like “I don’t understand what he means” and I didn’t even understand what the trigger meant. I felt like quitting. I’ll never be as good as AceHeart. I worked too hard on my map to quit now. I got to finish what I started.

6) Ask Questions
Before attempting any trigger, ask questions (or use the search) on TheHelper.net. Chances, at least one person has asked / wondered how to make the trigger. Its very frustrating trying to create a trigger when you don’t even know the basics. Its like going to war without any armor protection and a gun. If you are not 100% sure you can do the trigger, you will not be able to create it. Not only will you waste hours trying to make the trigger work; you will be very frustrated in the end.

I ask a hell lot of questions in TH. You can pretty much say its TH that made my map.

7) Cool Off
There are times in the middle of the project that you will get pissed. If you are not in a regulated emotional state, then that means for you stop making a map and take a break. Even looking away from the monitor and drinking soda and going back to work is good enough. The key here is that making a map doesn't go well with emotions.
Questions or comments let me know!


Here is a template to give an example of how you managed to do you project: (please fill in)

project name:
hours spent:
time span:
day 1:
day 2:

project name: Golemz
hours spent: 110
time span: 1 week

day 1: open up map world editor. Basic spawn triggers. Basic terrain
day 2: debug, frustration and introduction of zones
day 3: addition of recipe system
day 4: fixing of spawning system and zone control bugs
day 5: finalizing of triggers etc..
day 6: alpha testing with bros at home LAN
day 7: BETA release TH!



How do you work efficiently?

 

[Arkan]

1. Save
2. Take a backup in another directory
3. Save
4. Take a backup on another physical drive
5. Save
6. Don't forget to save often. ^^

 

[Rabarber]

I can agree on the save every version tip; it's also very interesting to go back months later to check on how you did your triggers back then.

The "play your map" tip, however - you should get other people to do that for you, and by that I mean real people, not random internet strangers that could leak the map pre-release.

EDIT: However, your "little steps" tip sound great - I've been stuck in the infinite start map/add custom content/quit map/repeat circle for years.

 

[Kazuga]

The "play your map" tip, however - you should get other people to do that for you, and by that I mean real people, not random internet strangers that could leak the map pre-release.

I certenly agree with you on that one. When I was creating my hero arena I had to test it all the time to see if everything worked properly with other players. I did this with my classmates in school almost every day before it was finnished. Tested the last update today and we immedietly found a bugg that was new in the update so I had to fix that and update it once more.

Concise, test your map often with friends and family..

 

[thewrongvine]

This is how I make my maps:

1.) Think of a random idea from my own mind or from an inspiration. Doesn't have to make sense, it can be ANYTHING!

2.) See if it's possible to make it.

3.) If so, plan it out a month before I make it (LOL) with basic units, heroes, terraining, and more. I usually have a notebook where I put everything down and draw the map.

4.) Do the basic outline of the terrain in WC3 Editor. I like to start it first so I don't get bored doing it later.

5.) Get the basic units, heroes, and items ready. Start the neccesary triggers

6.) I don't really like the trees from WC3 so I get the basic models and redo the basic terraining. If there's a unit or effect I'm sure of using, I get those too. Of course, I'll put them on.

7.) Submit idea to THEHELPER!

8.) Finish at least 75% of the objects (meaning units, abilities, heroes, etc) and complete all the needed triggers for gameplay and adding a few extra ones.

9.) If people agree that it is a possible and fun map, I beta test it, just to make sure it works.

10.) Finish everything - terrain, objects (as before), triggers, and custom skins, models, effects, and icons. It won't be bugfree, but it will at least look nice.

ALSO, SAVE A LOT!

 

[Demi666]

1, make terrain
2, if you like the terrain make some trigger
3, if the triggers work out as you want follow the concept of the triggers
4, ask friends to test it and then fix map acording to their ideas

 

[Romek]

I think I make maps slightly differently to everyone else

1. Make everything that doesn't need planning (terrain?)
2. plan stuff (Towers, Creeps, etc)
3. Make some triggers which are needed
4. make some units
5. give to friend to test so far
   [*]make more units / triggers
   [*]give to friends again
   [*]repeat 6 and 7 until map finished
   

Basically, I test it quite a lot. Before it takes 3 hours to test the entire finished map.
So i can Make something, test it, fix it, and then leave it

 

[jonadrian619]

I've been a mapmaker for 4 years and I released (as of March 18 2008) 4 maps and none of them were bad. All of them are decent.

This is one of the 3 ways on how I make maps...and this is the most used workflow in my mapping experience...

1) Choose the Map Genre of the project I'll be making. Or think (and ponder) for an innovative concept or new type of genre.

2) Outline/Draw and Write the concepts in a separate notebook especially used for modding, outlining the basic terrain concept, the unit stats and more..

3) If I need a model and skin and icons and spells for heros for the map, then I'll download the needed resources in a Wc3 resources website (like the Hive) or simply create them.

4) Create the terrain layout and placing doodads and more..

5) Create the units for the map and carefully setting the attributes and much more unit-related stuff. Then I create abilities/buffs/upgrades. Then proceed with triggers, starting w/ Map Initialization, then Quests, then Dialogs, then anything...

6) Finally, the FIRST 'solo' test on the map begins. Tests are rare in my workflow but are also important. Tests help me check out bugs/flaws or any balancing issues.

7) Fix what issues I've found in step 6

8) Set up the Game Interface for my map and to photoshop the needed textures to import.

7) Add the so-called 'finishing touches', or if necessary add a new unit, or anything new so that it will be spiced up.

8) Start a test again and the same as step 6

9) Protect the map

10) Release the map if it has 70% or more progress and w/ it's features fully playable and is decent enough. (I have never released a beta version ever in my lyf!!)

11) After release, test the map again or add new stuff and create a new version which takes steps 9 and 10 again in every new map..

12) If necessary I'll do some pimpage for my maps and upload them to cool websites.

 

[crystalguard]

LOL I seem different then most other people in this thread.
What I usally do to start is start random things in the world editior, untill I start something that seems reasonable and fun. Then I take that alittle further, by asking friends if they think the idea would be fun, then I merge with others ideas. Like ask around in random channles if that kind of map would be good. Then I draw the map, plan the triggers / units / Heros / Etc. After all of that I resume my project, adding the hardest triggers first, working towards the easiest one. After this I start makeing the basic terrain and then lead into makeing the custom units and heros.

 

[MurderMode]

i think a good pointer is to start with the uglier stuff.

If triggering or hero creation isn't your thing, then start there and you will soon find out if you are capable or bothered to finish your project. And in the case that everything is going to plan and you like what you are doing, you can always take a break from the parts you dislike and do something you enjoy, like terraining.

There can be alot of wasted time and heartache if you go to all the effort to terrain a beautiful map or create awesome heroes, just to find that you cant trigger your game the way you wanted to.

I've made the mistake of doing the things I enjoy first on my current project, and it has set me back a bit. I loved my idea for a 'Marines" system and style of hero, and now I've completed that and need to finish an alien race (which is my least fav team) I find I can't sit steady on the project for even a quarter of the time I did with the marines.

so yeah, while the project is a fresh idea in your mind, I recommend doing the crap stuff first and leaving the fun bits till last.

 

[crystalguard]

i think a good pointer is to start with the uglier stuff.

If triggering or hero creation isn't your thing, then start there and you will soon find out if you are capable or bothered to finish your project. And in the case that everything is going to plan and you like what you are doing, you can always take a break from the parts you dislike and do something you enjoy, like terraining.

There can be alot of wasted time and heartache if you go to all the effort to terrain a beautiful map or create awesome heroes, just to find that you cant trigger your game the way you wanted to.

But you can always team up with a friend, and have them help you in the oarts where your having trouble.

 

[MurderMode]

yeah, I guess I was talking from a solo point of view. Just like anything in life, it's easier to stay focused when you are doing it with a friend

 

[Siretu]

1. I get a great idea and directly starts to think of how to make it.
2. I think a little more and realize it sucks.
3. I wait and get another great idea, this time it doesn't suck, so I go to a friend and ask him what he thinks of it.
4. He tells me it sucks.
5. I wait even more and get this PERFECT IDEA!
6. I realize I can't trigger it.
7. I wait and get another idea, it seems great and I can trigger it.
8. I starts thinking and this time(believe it or not) I dont quit it.
9. I do a basic terraining.
10. I make some basic units needed.
11. I make some basic triggers.
12. tests the map.
13. Somehow I just got 26 bugs from 5 units and 2 triggers.
14. I fix the bugs.
15. tests again and repeats step 14 until it works.
16. I repeat 9-15 but does it more advanced.
(notice: I haven't saved yet.)
17. My computer restarts!
18.
19. I repeat those steps again until I am were I was. Saving each time I do something.
20. Does the even more advanced triggers.
21. Add some functionality for players(Info messages, cinemas, colors, etc)
22. Protects the map(and I actually make a backup)
23. Fix hotkeys
24. Announce it at TH
25. Get a few responses and I quit working on it for like 1 month.
26. *1 month later* I Start working at it again
27. I get a new idea and start at step 1 again.

However, thanks for the guide it will hopefully make me realize how not to make it like that again.

 

[Psiblade94122]

1) get an idea
2) think of ways to get the idea done
3) use as many blizzard exploits to make the triggering easyer
4) use the exploits to your heart's content
5) make the base units and biuld your triggers around those
6) look at triggers
7) if it laggs go to 7a, if not then 7b
7a) Look for leaks, fix them
7b) find ways to revise your triggers to improve upon them (mostly for effecency of codeing)
8) terrain the map, if you suck at this ask a trustworth friend and whatever you have in mind
9) sleep
10) wait... do this before 9, announce it on TH
11) wake up and check if anyone responds
12) if you find that you are talking to yourself, then stop working on the map beacuse no responses means that noone cares about your work
13) sulk in depression from your ignored work
14) find another hobby

 

[AceHart]

Seems like you're all using some rather complicated "systems".

Hm...
http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showpost.php?p=678565&postcount=42

Well

 

[Sooda]

It was interesting to read, I found out that planning out your map before on paper or text file is really useful, otherwise you may get lost in endless new ideas and: "What I had to do next?" moments.
Ace no coding errors? Everything went fine at first try? I do errors all the time.

 

[AceHart]

> Ace, no coding errors?

Rarely.
I also test every single trigger as soon as it is ready.
Never ten triggers at once... too easy to forget something.

The development version ot the map is also extremely verbose.
With plenty of triggers with all kinds of events, that pretty much fill the screen with any info that might be of use.

 

[Siretu]

> Ace, no coding errors?

Rarely.
I also test every single trigger as soon as it is ready.
Never ten triggers at once... too easy to forget something.

Me too, I dont see the reason to wait, but sometimes when I use a bad computer, I test everything in bunches to reduce the testing time.

 

[Knight7770]

Shouldn't this be in the Tutorials and Resources sub-forum?