Noobie Tip: Don't release your first maps

[SnaFuBAR]

Then stop posting your MP AI mods in here. Is that clear enough? They're not contradictions to the thread, they're just boring AI mods that have been done 1000x.

[Inferno]

Darn it, it was bumped down to 7.6

http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=3680

=D Another one.

Hurf! Looky har we gotz AI on a dangar canyun! Tharts sooo oreginal! Durf Hurf Durf!

[Polamee]

Ok. Sorry.

I would like to object on what this topic is about. If you were a beginner, and made a map, of course you would feel your map is worth uploading. When I created my first box map, I was super-happy, and even though it was just a simple box map made with a heightmap and displace. I was eager to share it with my Xfire buddies, and I uploaded it straight away.

What I'm meaning is, if you found/did something new, you would first want it online to share with friends (if you have any. If you don't, go create SP like me). You are forgetting the main purpose of Halo CE here: forget about map quality, or textures, or cool weapons. Halo Custom Edition isn not some huge contest to find out who is the best mapper. The main purpose would just be to have fun, and enjoy the gameplay.

Now you might point out that some noobies mught get discouraged when their maps get rated 4.0 or something, and quit map-making. That is in fact, untrue. When their first map comes out, and people rate it lowly, it will encourage him to make maps of better quality, as we mappers consider it fun to map (otherwise, why are you mapping in the first place? You obviously cannot get any money out of it).

Meaning if this noobie has created and managed to finish even a simple box map/mod, he should have worked hard for it, and followed many tuts and stuff. That proves that he thinks Halo Mapping is fun, and probrably will continue.

My 2 cent's worth.

[Sel]

Darn it, it was bumped down to 7.6

http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=3680

=D Another one.

Another shitty one.

[TeeKup]

Gameplay?

Most first maps are box maps. There is no gameplay.

[SnaFuBAR]

Ok. Sorry.

I would like to object on what this topic is about.

Bawww

If you were a beginner, and made a map, of course you would feel your map is worth uploading. When I created my first box map, I was super-happy, and even though it was just a simple box map made with a heightmap and displace. I was eager to share it with my Xfire buddies, and I uploaded it straight away.

Send it to them only, don't release it on halomaps, it sucks.

What I'm meaning is, if you found/did something new, you would first want it online to share with friends (if you have any. If you don't, go create SP like me).

You didn't do anything new. You did the 10,000th generic mp ai mod.

You are forgetting the main purpose of Halo CE here: forget about map quality, or textures, or cool weapons. Halo Custom Edition isn not some huge contest to find out who is the best mapper. The main purpose would just be to have fun, and enjoy the gameplay.

Your mods lack quality in map, textures, weapons, etc. Shittty ai encounters on a mp map is not gameplay.

Now you might point out that some noobies mught get discouraged when their maps get rated 4.0 or something, and quit map-making. That is in fact, untrue. When their first map comes out, and people rate it lowly, it will encourage him to make maps of better quality, as we mappers consider it fun to map (otherwise, why are you mapping in the first place? You obviously cannot get any money out of it).

Most kiddies in the Halo scene get discouraged when they're not given the upmost amount of praise, and the majority of them quit. "We" mappers? You are not a mapper, you are a modder, and all you do is place AI encounters in stock maps from what I've seen.

Meaning if this noobie has created and managed to finish even a simple box map/mod, he should have worked hard for it, and followed many tuts and stuff. That proves that he thinks Halo Mapping is fun, and probrably will continue.

BFD. He followed tuts and worked hard. Just because he worked hard to learn something doesn't make it worthy of release. Learning is part of this whole deal. So good for him, he thinks mapping is fun. Hopefully he does continue, but it doesn't mean he should release a box map with no gameplay, nor a generic, shitty AI mod.

My 2 cent's worth.

.

[Hunter]

IMO. When someone uploads to halomaps I think someone other than Dennis could test the maps, and see how well they play. If they play dont play well then delete them. I am sure it will encorage people to TRY and make good maps.

But the person testing the maps may not like it and others might, that is the only problem. And a lot of maps get uploaded.

[Gamerkd16]

Exactly. Where do you draw the line?

I think the line should be made at the point when a map is literally a box map. If the map has unfinished textures (missing shaders with white walls) or very basic shapes (ie: a box, a cylinder) it should be deleted. If something is labeled as a beta, it should be deleted. Betas or alphas are not releases. Keep the standards low...but have at least some point at which maps don't make the grade.

Getting rid of the lowest of the low.

E: Perhaps Dennis should make a guidebook. Requirements that mappers must have in their maps for them to be uploaded. That way there are no surprises if your map is deleted. And if you think your map doesn't have to follow a guideline, the mapper can explain a reason why. Maybe it is part of the gameplay. Because there should be exceptions to the rules as well for special maps.

[p0lar_bear]

IMO. When someone uploads to halomaps I think someone other than Dennis could test the maps, and see how well they play. If they play dont play well then delete them. I am sure it will encorage people to TRY and make good maps.

But the person testing the maps may not like it and others might, that is the only problem. And a lot of maps get uploaded.

Gameplay testing is entirely up to the creators. If they want to make a map and not test it for gameplay value, then they shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't get played.

Besides, what is a "good" map is entrirely subjective. While puristfags scoff at novelty maps, sometimes a little brainless mod is just what the doctor ordered (chaosgulch, for example. Yeah, nothing groundbreaking or new, but you had to admit, a chaingun firing rockets is damn fun).

Also, having Dennis retain all maps uploaded as long as they run is a good thing in a way. Dennis is essentially retaining all of CE's history; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Without him, there would be no history of this game.

But at any rate, new users should learn to keep first maps internal. Just a couple weeks ago, I made my first box map in Hammer for TF2. It's a box with some dim lights, two spawn points, two ammo and health boxes, and a couple cow cutouts. I was happy that I made my first "working" map in TF2... hell, the whole Source engine, but did I post it in the Source Releases forum? No. Why? It was a fucking test map. Despite the fact that it loads and runs in TF2, it's broken; there are no game rule entities in place, no resupply areas, objectives, anything.

Yeah, be psyched that you made your own first map. Keep your ego stroking to yourself or to your friends who probably know jack-shit about modding video games. Keep in mind that you're releasing to a large audience with a set of mixed expectations who probably know a thing or two about the engine, and not to a bunch of clueless newbies that cream themselves over the slightest hint of user-made content.

[Gamerkd16]

Then stop posting your MP AI mods in here. Is that clear enough? They're not contradictions to the thread, they're just boring AI mods that have been done 1000x.

And yeah....mods can be fun for like 30 minutes when you are just screwing around with AI bots, but unless you are using those bots in a single player map where there's a story line and, you know, actual fun, it's just target practice on a map you have played 100 times. Mods lack originality, most of the time. Not really fun. That's why I'm glad HaloMaps has their own section for the mods, so they you can filter out all the crap creations that people upload.