Speed Mapping - Anyone up for that

  • If you're asking a question make sure to set the thread type to be a question!

Time

  • 3 Hours with 1 day of detailing

    Votes: 8 36.4%
  • 4 Hours with no extra time

    Votes: 14 63.6%

  • Total voters
    22

Vincent

&#128296 Grandmaster Lizard Wizard Jedi &#128296
aa
Sep 5, 2009
912
684
In short-
Basically it's going to be an Iron Mapper.

Asking the chat it seems a few of you could potentially be interested? A few people suggest I ask the forums. If we get a good amount of people willing to commit to their 'matches' I'll totally be willing to setup a contest.

Sadly I don't have the kinda funds or neat items to offer prizes, I would be grateful if someone (or someones) would be willing to pitch in for that. That is, if we have a mini Iron Mapper contest. This is also the case for judges, although I'm probably just gonna make a voting thread and let the community pick the map they like best.

So anyone up for it?

For a sake of setting some example rules-
  • I'd probably set up the matches in 3-4 hours sittings (most likely three).
  • Contestants will decide on a date they can both devote for their match.
  • I'll probably put up a poll to decide between koth/arena/medieval/ctf. For easy judging I believe we should stick to one gametype choice.
  • Recording your map session would be neat for a video. I use Camtasia ver5 for timelapses, although if anyone has a better program let me know. Although it's up to you guys if you feel like recording.
  • The maps need to be basically full textured and detailed to your best ability, while also being fully playable in just three hours.
  • After the three hours are up you aren't allowed to make any changes to your map other than fatal error fixes. (Like leaks, custom material packing, cubemaps, etc.)
 
Last edited:

sniprpenguin

L6: Sharp Member
Mar 14, 2008
266
258
Interesting. My big question is, does the 3 hours include compiling? Or is it that we have to compile right at the 3 hour mark?
 

Vincent

&#128296 Grandmaster Lizard Wizard Jedi &#128296
aa
Sep 5, 2009
912
684
Interesting. My big question is, does the 3 hours include compiling? Or is it that we have to compile right at the 3 hour mark?

I think it'd be fair to let you compile after the three hour mark. No sense in marking someone down just because their compile wasted 5-10 minutes of precious detailing/lighting/whatever.
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
aa
Mar 4, 2008
5,441
3,814
fully detailed in 3 hours? Lol, good luck with that.

Whilst blocking out a layout can reasonably be done within an hour for small maps like KoTH/Arena, sealing the map, compiling and checking gameplay/scale can be very time consuming, especially for those on lower end systems. Not to mention it takes a fairly experienced TF2 mapper to know where to find the appropriate models in the model viewer. Many people would struggle to detail effectively in an hour or two.

I'd say give people 3 hours to solidify their layout, have them submit the vmf's/bsp's after the 3 hours and then give them 24 hours/until midnight/midnight the next day to detail.
 
Last edited:

Fruity Snacks

Creator of blackholes & memes. Destroyer of forums
aa
Sep 5, 2010
6,394
5,571
I agree with Sword and grazr... Both have good points,but I think that detailing would need to be a part of it, the downside is if people could have then 3 hrs + 24 hrs to detail.

I do also like the idea of not detailing and focusing on gameplay.

You could do the 3 hr thing, then have people detail over a week. not being allowed to adjust the layout.
 

Seba

DR. BIG FUCKER, PHD
aa
Jun 9, 2009
2,364
2,728
Sword: IIRC Iron Mapper was about making a complete map as quickly as possible; meaning it had to be fully detailed and playable. If we removed the detailing rule then it might as well not be called Iron Mapper and just Three Hour Mapping Contest.

I'll have to go with Grazr on this one, 3 hours to block then 24 to detail seems fair.
 

Vincent

&#128296 Grandmaster Lizard Wizard Jedi &#128296
aa
Sep 5, 2009
912
684
fully detailed in 3 hours? Lol, good luck with that.

Whilst blocking out a layout can reasonably be done within an hour for small maps like KoTH/Arena, sealing the map, compiling and checking gameplay/scale can be very time consuming, especially for those on lower end systems. Not to mention it takes a fairly experienced TF2 mapper to know where to find the appropriate models in the model viewer. Many people would struggle to detail effectively in an hour or two.

I'd say give people 3 hours to solidify their layout, have them submit the vmf's/bsp's after the 3 hours and then give them 24 hours/until midnight/midnight the next day to detail.

I agree with you completely on this one, but the challenge is to complete a map in just 3 hours (I prefer 4 but some people don't have 4 hours to devote). If you personally can't put out a ton of detail in ~1 hour then you just won't be able to. I have sympathy for people with lower end computers but I think it's perfectly fine if we let people fix critical errors after the 3 hours. Such as leaks, etc.

The general workflow for most people will (assumingly) be
  • Layout
  • Texturing
  • Pickups
  • Lighting
  • Details
  • Sealing
Entity setup for spawns and objective will most likely be setup in a .vmf that everyone starts with.

Now if everyone just wants to focus on gameplay then do just detail for 1 day I personally have no problem with that, but that defeats the whole "Iron Mapper" aspect of this as Seba pointed out. Up to you guys.
 
Last edited:
Feb 14, 2008
1,051
931
Here's something I wrote for myself

ALPHA CREATION PROCESS
1. Block out form with dev 70 [grid 64]
2. Block out general layout with dev 20 [grid 16]
3. Expand on layout with gameplay elements (cover, windows)
4. Recreate layout with good brushing, clipping, lighting and thematic details [grid 8]
5. Add gameplay entities
6. Add gameplay hints such as signs, health packs
7. Repeat process for each area
8. Release, and refactor as necessary from playtesting feedback

ALPHA CREATION STANDARDS
During blocking
- Large height differences 256/320
- Keep optimization in mind

During recreation
- Wall thickness 8
- Using Casali doors and windows
- Good brushing: displacement grids, nodrawing, optimization compliable

BETA CREATION PROCESS
1. Use tablet to conceptualize theme over screenshots
2. Re-configure map for major conceptual elements
3. Optimise the layout using hints and areaportals
4. Perform a texturing pass
5. Perform an architectural pass
- This shapes the buildings and natural structures of the map
- Refactor collisions after this
6. Perform a detail pass
- Top-down, area by area, room by room
- Props, lighting, overlays, architectural details
- After detailing a room/area, adjust prop fades and collisions
7. Perform a detail polish pass
- Go through map noting areas that could be improved
- Improve these areas
- Make sure there is thematic consistency
8. Add soundscapes
9. Perform a general polishing pass
- Check major gameplay systems function
- Check clipping
- Optimise compile time (func details etc)
- Fix weird displacements
- Any weird soundscape issues
- Note any areas of low performance
10. Release and refactor from playtesting feedback

This isn't exactly speed mapping, but it's made me a lot faster. A great way of speeding up layout making is to just do it with large blocks and make a very very rough "form" and then build interiors, doors, bridgesand stairs into that.