Recommendation list and examples for map makers?

[isj4]

I couldn't find any post regarding designing good maps / avoiding bad maps.
Would it be useful to compile a list of do's/dont's, possibly with map examples?

My preliminary list below. While recommendations can be ignored they should only be ignored if it improves the gameplay.

Dos:

• Put totems on the map so the player can upgrade
• Make differences in terrain
• Make multiple spots where the command nodes can land

Donts:

• Don't place an enemy so it is out of range of nullifiers
• Don't put digitalis everywhere
• Don't make the map symmetrical. It makes the gameplay a bit dull.
• Don't put a larger cluster of enemies together in a spot easy to reach. That leads to a cluster of powerzones/PZ and can make the rst of the map dull
• Don't force a single path / playing style. A map should have at least two ways to beat it and should accommodate both "turtles" and "speed runners"
• Don't let all spore towers have the same build time / fire interval
• Don't use custom backgrounds/images with strong contrasting combinations (can be hard on the eyes)

[warren]

Just like with any other creative profession, each and every artist will have their own list of rules, and add to them over time. Some of your rules are common wisdom, with modifications:

Put totems on the map only holds if the map would be a slog: ie. not small or lots of creeper.
Differences in terrain is fundamental for vanilla maps, but special note should be given to choosing a terrain theme, so not everything is the same shade of brown.

Symmetrical maps are only a problem if you are fighting out of the middle, and there is no inhibitor in the corner.
Having maps with more than one solution is a design goal that differentiates strategy games from puzzle games not a guideline and is a good idea in general.

The other rules of yours I have not heard.

Here are some more guidelines:

• Do not make marbled ground: random noise in terrain height that must be terped flat before use.
• Do not CRPL enemies or nature that destroys ground. People do not like to lose what they built.
• Do not surprise your audience with forge and tech limits and changes to build costs. Put that in the description.
• Advertise any artifacts of odin that are already in the player's inventory.
• Avoid hard starts. A map tester will naturally become practised in the start.
• Avoid the temptation to rain creeper over the battlefield.
• Do not build player units yourself when not going for the "ruins" theme. Even then, avoid a thorough infrastructure.
• If you build CRPL, build a tutorial. To no one is your own creation more intuitive than you.
• It is fun to snipe Inhibitors, but at least make it challenging: Widen the AOO exclusion area, make sure creeper makes it to the area in under a minute.
• [meta]Every idea in the world has a supporter and a detractor.
• [meta]Do not listen directly to your audience as most people do not say what they mean nor want what they think they want: Read between the lines: Translate from subjective experience to root causes, translate from the world of audience experience to the world of designer planning.

[isj4]

I think that totems are useful even on small maps. It offers a choice to the player.

...same shade of brown

That gave me an idea for a MS Zune themed map :-)

Overall, yes most guidelines are common sense, but looking at the colonial space maps common sense is not common.

[warren]

Yes, but the rule still does not apply to non-slogs.

[Grayzzur]

Your "large cluster of enemies" thing depends. If it's a hard-won section of the map, that makes a nice reward to speed up the rest of the map.

Avoid describing the difficulty of the map or the amount of time it will take to complete a map in your description. We have some really good players, and I see a lot of new map makers put up "hard" maps that "take an hour or so" with 10-minute completion times.

Don't be afraid to post an early version of your map in the forums instead of through colonial space to get some playtester feedback.

Here's something on my personal list: Don't stack units. When a spore tower and an emitter are on top of each other, you can't read the popup text and tell what strength you're dealing with. Keep enough separation in the units so the popup text is legible.

The only hard and fast rule is: Name the map and fill in the author slot! We don't want to see "UNSET by <blank>"! :)

[planetfall]

Also, no achievement maps.

And if you find a bug in a script while playtesting, don't just put "sorry there is a bug" in the description; actually go back and fix it.

[Grayzzur]

And if you find a bug in a script while playtesting, don't just put "sorry there is a bug" in the description; actually go back and fix it.

If you can't figure out how to fix it, post your map in the CRPL Corner section and ask for help. Lots of programmer/player types lurking in the forums willing to help, especially if your map looks fun to play!

[warren]

When I say common wisdom I mean common knowledge not common sense. Nothing is obvious.

[isj4]

Yes, stacking units is usually a bad idea.

Overlapping units is not a good idea either. Eg. 9 emitters placed so they overlap. When you nullify them you get 9 PZ but can only use one. That is a bit unfair.

I have seen stacked totems used to good effect (a surprise), so when I got "it" connected it was actually 10 totems and it drained my power.

[Asbestos]

I doubt most of the people that need this information will visit the forums for anything besides commenting on their own map threads.