Become a mapper?

[Jenny]

How long does it take to become a quality mapper? (such as Lukin or Method), Is it difficult?

I was thinking about creating a map, so I loaded up editor, but it looked ten times more complicated than I thought it would, so I instantly quit :icon27:

Any quick start tutorials or something?

wrong forum, please move.

[Kat]

Although some do have raw talent (ideas beyond box maps) from the get go, pretty much most of that develops over time, without which talent doesn't mean anything. Hammer at the nail long enough and you're bound to hit it on the odd occasion!

[KungFuSquirrel]

Our basic guides for q4 can be found at http://www.iddevnet.com/quake4/, which is an ever-expanding list. There's also a ton of community resources I'm sure someone else here could link you to and most older quake 3 tutorials should still apply as far as basic construction.

Also, while it's sometimes intimidating at first, take advantage of the open .map file format - dive on into the pk4s and start opening stuff in the editor. Find stuff you like in levels and see how it's constructed, lit, or how entities play a role, etc.

No real good answer to how long it takes or how hard it is - that'll vary greatly per person. You'll have to see how you like it and how much effort you're willing to put into it.

good luck!

[Grudge]

Yeah, my best tip is also to look how others have done things before. Load up the .map files in the editor and check them out. Beyond the pure technical how-to-use-the-editor knowledge, that is, which is what tutorials are for.

Mapping does take quite a bit of time and dedication though. It's not for the impatient, if you've only got a 30 second attention span you'll never be able to finish a map.

[Dr4ch]

Look at me, some think im a mapping guru because of my fps maps. But if you look at my maps its obvious i still need more experience.I started my first steps as q3 came out, at that time i was experimenting around and nothing playable came out of it. took me 6 years of learning and reading and looking at other maps to understand everything. I like the doom3 engine really much because for me its 1000 times faster when working, in q3 i built 2-3 maps at once and had almost nothing done after a month. In q4 I work on 7 maps right now and they all have at least the basic layout or are already in closed beta-tests. So it really depends how you work, beside I see mapping as a really high and complex form of art.Getting good graphics and combine it with good gameplay without loosing much performance and not to forget the overall atmosphere.getting that right, especially the last one is dependent on yourself, i guess my maps will look slapped together for quite some time, but some beginners get it right in their first steps

[Fjoggs]

Well, I'd say you have it fully mastered in 6 months. It varys from person to person though, like kat said, some have talent, others dont.

I've mapped for 6/7 years now, and it's still fun.

[Oeloe]

I tried beginning once and got to the point where i felt reasonably comfortable with making and shaping brushwork and patches, but then i didn't have the time anymore to keep learning to map and to play as well. I'm afraid i'm too much of a quake freak let mapping come before playing. :x

I love custom maps though; i must have crossed the 800 mark some time ago (especially with all the Q4 maps coming out too now). :P

[obsidian]

Start small. Make lots of small simple test maps. Don't do what I did for my first map, which is make a huge map the first time around only to find out my construction techniques were pretty awful and I had to re-learn/rebuild.

Mapping takes lots of time, but it is fun. So as long as you are dedicated enough to keep 'hammering at the nail' you should do Okay. You'll find the mapping community is pretty friendly so you're sure to get lots of help as well.

[Ezekiel]

I've done some mapping in the past - nothing serious, but if you start by making little maps to learn the ropes it won't be long before you are able to suprise yourself with what you can do.

[spookmineer]

Like said above, make smaller test maps to try things out and how they work/don't work. It would be a let down to find out that something in this huge first map doesn't work and you have to start over...
I made test maps and learned the editor for 6 months before I felt I was ready to make a first real map.

[primaltheory]

I more or less dicked around for a long while, learned the hard way not to make all hallway or all room maps, and to use elvation, and what looks good and what doesn't and what plays good and what doesn't...check the lvl editing forum I ask lots of noob questions (for myself) but also for others to learn from.

[GODLIKE]

I've been mapping since Q2.. (And fundamentally, I still suck, in certain respects.) I think my D3 and Q4 maps are okay, and they are pretty popular at our LANs.. but it takes a LOT of time to really make a great map, and I think a certain degree of artistic talent and vision, as well...

But it's fun. Really fun. The editor is like lego on steriods and basically since you already own the game.. go hard. If you end up making a good map, put it on the net. If your maps kinda suck, I bet you can find a few people who will still have fun playing it, just because it's a new "place" to frag somebody.

Check: Doom3world.org .. http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=65

Download the monster long list of tutorial videos, crack open a beverage, and watch em. It's the easiest thing you can do to get the rough idea, IMNVHO.

[spookmineer]

Mapping is doing more things at once, you can technically be a great mapper but without the creativity, the maps won't be as nice.
You are the architect and the construction worker, the composer and the musician, but I agree with Godlike it is real fun!
Even after making your first box map, you can walk around and think "I made this!" the first few weeks I basically rebuilt everything from q3workshop3 and it was awesome.

[jester!]

I made a ra3 arena once, had a tele and everything, but playing is just to much fun and I dont have the time to play and map. :icon25:

[Lukin]

Since I'm mentioned here I should know the right answer. I don't. I can say you need few days or even weeks to learn the tools. But making the good looking and playable level is a different story. Some will make it after a month of playing with the editor, and some won't make anything decent after years of trying. Most of people needs few maps (it's more a number of levels than a question of time) to master the tools, find their style, etc. So don't give up even when you are not satisfied with your first efforts. And don't forget it's not another rat race but a fun :icon25:

[Lenard]

Looking at other people's maps and critiquing them for years helps out alot.

[pjw]

Start small.

Pay attention to that advice.

When you're first starting, it's really easy to feel overwhelmed and if you're working on a big map and you do something wrong, it will be wrong in 847 places. With a small map, damage-control is simpler and you won't throw the whole thing out in a rage as you're learning.

Help-->Command List on the top menu bar is helpful when you're first learning.

[Wolfhound]

go to http://www.doom3world.org for text tutorials and video tutorials