Cleanup is going to take awhile, so the site is back up but editing has been disabled.

From HalfLife 2 Knowledge Base

by Dag

This article basically describes a bit of mapping theory - if you're not sure what constitutes a good map and what doesn't, it may be worth a read. On the other hand, I'll warn you right now that if you've got any mapping experience, it's doubtful you'll learn anything from this. This is (if I've done it right) a good read for those who are eager to get into mapping but have no idea what a good map should be like. That said...

The principles of mapping are largely debatable and I won't pretend to be an expert on them, but there are certainly a few key points I can mention.

First and foremost, pick a definitive theme for your map. We all know that video games are hardly realistic - even those that make an attempt to be - but people like things to make sense in some context. Before you even think about starting a map, ask yourself - what's this map about? What's the scenario? Granted, people won't be thinking about such things when they're playing a map, but one is much less likely to come back to a map if he or she is left wondering what the hell it was supposed to be. Picking a theme for a map will also help you coordinate visual styles, which means things will make more sense. If you don't know what your map is supposed to be and you're throwing textures and rooms together randomly, nobody will like it, even if the map ends up being visually appealing (which is unlikely.) This is especially important for real-world-based games like Counter-Strike.

Second, and this one is optional, I'd recommend planning out your map before you bother opening Hammer. If you're artistic, you may get the urge to wing it and basically design the map as you go - this works for some people, but laying out your map before you get started is beneficial for several reasons. For one thing, it'll be a great benefit to you - if you know what you need to do next, you'll be able to design things in a manner that will make it easier to add things on later. By spending 10 minutes laying out your map beforehand, you could save yourself hours of fixing things later when you realize they just don't work. Furthermore - and this isn't always true - maps that are planned ahead of time generally end up having better gameplay. One reason for this is that when you're in Hammer doing the actually design, you'll probably be focused on the artistic element more than gameplay, whereas if you're just jotting down a "blueprint" on a piece of paper you'll be able to think about what would work well in terms of gameplay.

Whether or not planning beforehand will benefit you really depends on how your brain works, but I'd recommend it to everyone.

Third, lighting. NOBODY IN HIS RIGHT MIND will play a fullbright map, nor do people want to play a map that's so dark you need to use a flashlight at all times. Your lighting doesn't have to be super-elaborate (although fancy lighting is always a good thing), just make sure it provides atmosphere without inhibiting gameplay.

Next: textures. A map is a work of art, treat it as such. What's the point of an artwork if it simply doesn't look good? Textures should be varied, but they should follow a theme within each room. I know that concrete texture can be used for the floor, walls and ceiling, but nobody wants to look at a room with only one texture - it's just ugly. Conversely, if you make a room with a concrete floor, combine-metal walls and a brick ceiling, you'll leave the player wondering what the hell kind of a room it's supposed to be, and no, that's not a good thing. It’s also important to make sure that textures are scaled and aligned properly. Don't let your textures be too big; they'll appear pixelated and ugly. Don't make them too small, either - it'll be very obvious that they form a pattern, and this is bad because very few visual elements of the real world form patterns. Once you've got your textures down, ask yourself two things. Does it look good? Does it make sense? If you answered no to either of those questions, you've got some work to do. If you answered yes to both of them, keep working! A well-textured room complete with props can still look bland and unappealing if you don't take the time to add a few decals or overlays. They vastly improve the appearance of a room because they add detail and combat the pattern effect I mentioned above, and they're extremely cheap in terms of performance. If you're working with a displacement surface, consider using a blendable texture (don't go overboard, though - a wall literally covered in explosion marks won't look great.)

Following the idea of maps being works of art, geometric detail is important as well. Look around you - is anything a perfect square? No! Don't let your rooms be either. It's bland and uninteresting, and doesn't create a good impression on players. Take a look at your rooms - could you add rafters? Round corners? Metal walkways? Support posts? Windows? Lighting fixtures? The more detail a room or area has in it, the better (within reason, of course.)

Finally, don't forget about props. Valve has been kind enough to provide us with every single model used in Half-Life 2 for use in our maps, so what are you waiting for? Props are great for adding detail to rooms. They take very little time to create, and can make your map much more interesting. Room look boring? Add a few vents, pipes, or maybe some machinery. Also keep in mind that if you're mapping for HL2DM, physics props are an important part of gameplay. Even if you hate people who whore the physgun, Half-Life 2 doesn't have the greatest selection of weapons, nor are they perfectly balanced for multiplayer, but adding physics props helps correct this.

Conversely, it's very important that you do not go overboard with props. Don't cover the walls in models with no relevance to the map, room or area, and don't drop tons of junk just for the heck of it. Props are costly in terms of hardware, and too many physics props will make a multiplayer game extremely laggy. It's also very important that you know the differences between prop_physics, prop_physics_clientside, prop_physics_multiplayer, and prop_physics_override and when you should use each of them.

If you're considering releasing a map but don't want the scorn of your peers (and a simple search will reveal how quick HL2World members are to flame those who try to show off their fullbright cube maps - with good reason), get a couple of friends online and play your map together for a bit. Pretend someone else created the map and ask yourself if it's the kind of map you could play for hours on end. Ask your friends what they think of your map. If the response isn't positive, it's probably better to keep the map private, or simply keep working on it.

So, those are my reccomendations. I don't always agree with the statement, but when it comes to mapping, it's definitely true that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. Being able to shape a world with your mind and some digital tools is a pretty cool prospect, and I think everyone's proud of their first creation with Hammer, if only because of the "wow, I made this" effect. Try to evaluate your map practically, though - players expect immersing, detailed 3D worlds. Until you're able to live up to that, you can probably expect some pretty harsh criticism.

Dont forget to make the player be immersed into the world by:

3dskybox:

            Make the player feel as if there is a whole world out there  in a city make buildings placed everywhere
            or on a island with a jungle forest put a mountain in the middle ande etc.

Scripted Scenes:

            Try learning the scipted scenes entity and immerse the player really into map
            example would be if the map is a base with windows where you could look out and see a enemy gunship
            attacking or make the friendly character talk to you and report on the situation if it there is a fierce
            combat scene going on between the 2 factions and etc.

try using other techniques to make the player really feel that the world is big and not a few single rooms