Alpine/desert/snow: Which is hardest?

Numerous

L4: Comfortable Member
Oct 14, 2009
150
72
No, this is not one of those threads where the thread answers the question the title asks.

So anyone wanna talk about the pros/cons? Seeing as how I haven't done any of either (still working in alpha on my first map here), I don't have a clue. For simplicity's sake, ignore weather effects though, I don't think they're necessary anyways.

Also, which would you recommend someone who hasn't mapped before would use? (No I'm not talking about myself, I know a bit)
 

TMP

Ancient Pyro Main
aa
Aug 11, 2008
947
560
Well, the themes generally don't have major strides forcing you to do stuff, but generally, to make a desert map look good, it has to look GOOD. To make an alpine map look good, it has to look relatively pleasant. To make a snow map look good, you need to have nice looking displacements.

Really, I could go into depth about why one is specifically easier, but in the end, I would end up saying just go with whatever fits the map the best.

EDIT: Just don't do night theme. That requires subtle light usage and blatant light usage, and lots of light control and whatnot.
 

Numerous

L4: Comfortable Member
Oct 14, 2009
150
72
Well, the themes generally don't have major strides forcing you to do stuff, but generally, to make a desert map look good, it has to look GOOD. To make an alpine map look good, it has to look relatively pleasant. To make a snow map look good, you need to have nice looking displacements.

Really, I could go into depth about why one is specifically easier, but in the end, I would end up saying just go with whatever fits the map the best.

EDIT: Just don't do night theme. That requires subtle light usage and blatant light usage, and lots of light control and whatnot.

Yea, Night theme as a first map would be hilariously horrible, although you'd probably die a little inside when you saw it (depending on who makes it).

On an unrelated note, what happened to your blog? You said you'd be posting daily on the blog as self-motivation to do a KOTH map, but after the first post there you stopped. That was on the 17th of August, LAST YEAR.
No pressure though. :p
 

Dr. ROCKZO

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Jul 25, 2009
580
159
Well, the desert theme has been done a lot so it's easier to imagine and create a generic desert looking map (Put rocks there, cliffs there) plus there's quite a lot of focus on outdoors and displacements, which means you can play around with flat slabs of ground brush quite easily. Snow is similar, just less common and Alpine, I'd say, has more focus on being inside buildings, so if you're good at indoors, Alpine is probably easier. Unless you want to merge it with Sawmill which requires a bit more theming and decorating.
 

Numerous

L4: Comfortable Member
Oct 14, 2009
150
72
Last time i checked, sawmill = alpine.
And if that's true then merging sawmill with alpine = merging alpine with alpine.
Rephrase needed here.
 

Trotim

aa
Jul 14, 2009
1,195
1,045
Yeah, happy alpine and rainy alpine is a difference. =P

I'd say desert is easiest because you simply have a lot of reference maps already, probably the most props and a barren look is actually wanted so you can have large open spaces without too much trouble
 

McNuggetFiend

L3: Member
Jun 22, 2009
147
51
I would assume the desert theme is the hardest to do. It is hard to make it stand out from the other desert themed maps, many I see turn out to just look the same as the others.

Whenever I run one on my server that isn't CP_Egypt at least two people have to state "this looks just like Egypt."
 

lana

Currently On: ?????
aa
Sep 28, 2009
3,075
2,778
None of them are easier than any other. One may ask for another step that isn't as critical in the other themes, but they still have the same degree of difficulty.