What does your guy's mapping process look like?

[StankyTree]

I'm curious how do you all make your maps, like do you guys just create a layout for the map without any texture work so its all brown? Or do you all go into full detail right from the start?

I'm honestly just asking cause I find mapping a little boring since I focus mostly on modding rather than only making maps, and if possibly I could find a way to make the process less boring.

[schkorpio]

I always like to start with pen/pencil and paper. My drawing skills are child like but I find that's the quickest way to realise an idea. A rough sketch means I'm not distracted by scale, grid units, or textures etc. You get to see the whole room or entire map layout within a few minutes and then you can start to make sense of it as a whole and see problems and solutions. Redrawing is fast. You went catch everything, but you get a sense of whether or not the idea will work.

Plus, there's something nice about drawing - the feel of paper and the sound a pencil or pen makes. Gives my eyes a break from the screen too. And you can do it anywhere that you can lay paper down flat

I'll usually go room by room doing a very low detail entire map just to get the scale right. Walking thru and pretend to shoot monsters to help with scale. I choose textures that are easy to see the size, tiles columns that kind of thing. I find full greyboxing too uninspiring, but also hard to judge distances and ceiling heights etc. Also I do put the occasional dormant monster in for scale as well.

I'll do a high detail textures and decorations pass once in happy with the layout. Then a switches and doors pass and functionality pass. Monsters, then, items.

Sometimes I will just play in the editor to try a style though, and skip the paper.

I've only just learned to map for zdoom, but have done extensive mapping and level stuff for half life / quake back in the day. And the doom builder is awesome, by far way easier and quicker due to how it culls and combines the sectors automatically for the most part. I'm hooked on it!

[StankyTree]

Awesome, the one thing i generally lack in my process is the drawing part. It would probably help me a lot.

[22alpha22]

For me personally, I've never really understood the whole pencil and paper thing. I visualize what I want to create in my head and then go do my best to recreate it in the editor. This does of course mean that because I haven't carefully pre-planned a map's layout, sometimes I run into impossible geometry problems, often not enough space to create a room or construct. I have to come up with creative solutions or make changes to room's layout entirely. I construct my maps in the order in which the player will progress through them. I do full detail, puzzle mechanics if any, and traps and monsters, right after finishing the geometry of an area rather than moving on and making the next area. My OCD simply won't allow me to leave an area unfinished and start on another one. This process probably slows the mapping down quite a bit but it allows me to quickly begin play testing the map and make iterative gameplay adjustments as I go along.

[ramon.dexter]

Well, I visualize my maps in my mind. I often try to mimick real places, that means I map more from photos or real maps than from some abstract map prepared on paper. Also need to note that I dont do a lot of classic doom maps, so I really dont know the right workflow used for making a doom map. Maps in my projects are often recreations of real ppaces or locations from other games, so thats it. But I cannot give any real advice, since my mapping process is mostly chaotic - I have an idea, so I make a map. I usually change my mind, so the map layout changes a lot and the final design is usually pretty different from the first concept. I also utilize lots of plane portals, which allows me to make real architecture, but it also raises the complexity of mapping.

[Allan]

The approach to making maps can vary. Some start with a basic layout and add textures later, while others dive into full detail from the beginning. It really depends on personal preference and the specific project. Finding ways to make the process more engaging, like experimenting with different techniques or collaborating with others, can help combat the boredom.
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