What do you start with?

[XxShadyxX]

Just a few questions for clean map making

1.) What do you first do when you start making a map
2.) What do you do next and so on?
3.) What method do you use to keep your triggers clean and organized?
4.) Do you make a "Floorplan" of your map first?
5.) How long has it taken you to make your largest map? In hours

Please only post answers to the questions NOTHING else no conversations ok? (Doing this to prevent off topic conversation and arguments)
I might have more but if i do i wil edit this post

 

[XxShadyxX]

Well this post has disapeared!! Sorry people for the dubble post! Just looking for some answers so I can get started on my map

 

[Zerox]

I personally try to do terraining first just because it gets it all layed out for me. I of course think of abilities and how the game will work in advance though.

 

[Batman]

Just a few questions for clean map making

1.) What do you first do when you start making a map
2.) What do you do next and so on?
3.) What method do you use to keep your triggers clean and organized?
4.) Do you make a "Floorplan" of your map first?
5.) How long has it taken you to make your largest map? In hours

1. I use to do the units first. But during the later perioids before I quitted mapping, I worked on the terrain first. If the terrain is good, it inspires me to carry on and not quit half way.

2. Triggers, units go in if they are needed for the triggers. Units after that.

3. Clean and precise variable names so I can recognise what they are and what they should do. Comment lines also help in separating certain trigger functions from others.

4. No

5. Don't know. I never look at the time when I make maps.

 

[XxShadyxX]

ok so basically terrain is the major first part correct? ty
any more opinions?

 

[MoonSlinger]

Just a few questions for clean map making
1.) What do you first do when you start making a map
2.) What do you do next and so on?
3.) What method do you use to keep your triggers clean and organized?
4.) Do you make a "Floorplan" of your map first?
5.) How long has it taken you to make your largest map? In hours

1. Write on paper what you want to make. Make a checklist and task you need to accomplish. With that, even after 2 weeks away from that particular map, you know what you completed, and what needs to be done.... as long as you still have the piece of paper.

Without a plan, you would most likely change your concept of the map every time a new idea spurs and finally, the project will be abandon due to conflicting ideas or differs much from the original one.

Example:

Spoiler

- Make Hero 1 (Ice Based)
- - Trigger Spell 1.1 (some Ice spell)
- - Trigger Spell 1.2 (some Ice Aura)
- - Trigger Spell 1.3 (no ideas yet)
- Make Hero 2 (no ideas yet)
- Make Hero 3 (no ideas yet)

- Terrain (Icy Plain style)
- If possible draw a minimap on paper with
- - Player Locations
- - Shop Locations
- - Creep Locations
- - Pathing where units will run (eg. TD)

Its alright to have (no ideas yet) just make sure to fill them up later when the ideas come

2. With a mini-map ready, usually I would work with the terrain first. Get a rough sketch out, you can beautify it later. Most of the triggers that affect your map will require regions or points, without terrain, your regions will not be clear.

Otherwise, just pick something from your compiled list and work on it.


3.
For GUI... Folders and well named variables
For Jass, it depends on your coding style some people just love confusing codes that only themselves can read. Others like to doodle the whole script with comments


4. Read Part 1


5. I am different, I spent months on a map, working about an hour per day.
It is a hobby of mine, and only people who play it are sadistic critics.

It totally depends on the map you are making.
The latest map I am working on is pass 100 hours, because I trigger every damage dealt and over 2000 lines of code. The previous one only took about 20 hours to complete. (numbers are estimates assuming 1 hour a day)

 

[TheDamien]

I think it largely depends on the ideas you have when you start the map. If you think "I'm going to make an AoS with these awesome triggers/abilities/terrain" then you will probably start by working on the triggers/abilities/terrain.

 

[XxShadyxX]

so basically its best to start terrain before any other part of map making? Ok and so then Units? And last triggers? I think this might be best to see what ideas you already have down and work from there when doing the triggers? lol im confusing myself XD
also ty people who are posting this really helps!

 

[Linkoln]

Sup...

1) Always with extremely basic terrain. Deciding where bases and zones will go and molding the earth around them.:shades:
2) After basic terrain forming its more advanced terrain, then a toss up for whatever i feel like doing, may it be ridiculously advanced terrain or triggering.
3)If it includes more then 3 triggers, it gets in own folder, otherwise it goes into a general folder. Usually in my "Life" section (extra features that make the environment stand out) i have about 20 triggers.
4) I always have a General idea of what i want, The Big Picture. During the game's triggering and terrain designing i often think about cool additional features and attempt to add them into the game as soon as possible. This makes the game take alot longer to make if your as creative as i am.
5) :nutsartially fused with infinity...:nuts:

 

[DiDdY]

Eek! I accidentely clicked Triggers instead of Terrain. Ignore my vote on Triggers and transfer it to Terrain.

1.) What do you first do when you start making a map
Write my idea on Word or Paper, and draw out a map layout in Paint or on paper.
2.) What do you do next and so on?
Start putting the terrain in, and when I'm not on the computer I think of units and write them down.
3.) What method do you use to keep your triggers clean and organized?
Folders, comments proper names, proper variable names and good folder headers.
4.) Do you make a "Floorplan" of your map first?
Yes.
5.) How long has it taken you to make your largest map? In hours
Well the one I'm working on with another member of the Warcraft community has taken me over 140 hours or so to get from version 0.7 to 0.8 and it's not even finished, so quite a while.

 

[Delgado]

i think triggers should always come first to plan out on the story based line ou will have on your map then develop terrain on your story depending what goes on it!

 

[Delgado]

sorry the ou was ment to say on * :S

 

[UndeadDragon]

Delgado, please just edit your posts.

As for me, I always start with triggers because I like to see if my map is possible before I worry about making it look nice. Plus I enjoy doing triggers more than I enjoy doing terrain and more than I hate doing units

 

[xAnaMorphine]

Delgado, please just edit your posts.

As for me, I always start with triggers because I like to see if my map is possible before I worry about making it look nice. Plus I enjoy doing triggers more than I enjoy doing terrain and more than I hate doing units

Same for me

Just make Triggers first, if they don't work and so on, don't bother to terrain :X

 

[XxShadyxX]

Okay so what I have figured out for myself that is going to be the best for me is to first import everything i need then create the terrain and then units and then triggers

btw im making a Orpg and I am going to make it the best there is!

 

[UndeadDragon]

Actually, according the the poll, it's triggers, then terrain, then units.

 

[xAnaMorphine]

Okay so what I have figured out for myself that is going to be the best for me is to first import everything i need then create the terrain and then units and then triggers

btw im making a Orpg and I am going to make it the best there is!

No wai, I do.

Actually, according the the poll, it's triggers, then terrain, then units.

True that.

 

[XxShadyxX]

nope! its terrain remeber 1 guy accedentilly pushed triggers instead of terrain
lol

 

[Kazuga]

I always start with the terrain first. I don't make it 100% but I want a start area when I test my triggers if they work or not.

 

[Crusher]

I always do the Terraining first,then all other jobs!:thup: