Does anyone ever finish their first payload map, though?
I sketched out a pretty nifty jungle forest PL map only a year or two into my mapping career, experimenting with the 'limits' of vertical gameplay. I never ever started the VMF.
Though, my 'technically first' PL map was one I adopted from someone else, abandoned after a few versions, tried to recreate, went back to the original design after a few versions, then abandoned again. But my point still stands-- nobody ever finishes their first PL map.