I have limited mapping experience(only hq type maps for my clan), and I know a lot of you guys are excellent mappers. But how do you think the custom maps will compare to the official "powerhouses" that are being released when source goes live? I look at the level of detail in the videos and can only imagine the ammount of time and resources it takes to create such a map. It makes me wonder how different custom maps will be from the official maps. On the old engine, most of the custom maps looked better than the official ones, but now with the possibilities of the source engine, maps will take a LOT more time to create to their fullest potential. Are you up for it?

I think alot of the custom stuff will be as good or better then anything the dev team does. Keep in mind alot of the dod maps we currently play came from the custom mappers anyway. That being said expect to see some guy make a box, put a flag in it and call it dod_1337battle or something, and then release it and call himself a mapper.

I'll be happy if dod_dijon is actually playable seen as it's the project I learned mapping with. Even saying this is already presumptuous, as I'm sure professional mappers still have things to learn with the Source engine...

But on the other hand, I will never release a map I personally feel I can still improve. Especially now that it takes freakin ages to have anything that's half decent, rushing a bad map out of the way is the best way to kill the custom community by flooding it with piles and piles of crap.

Take your time, make multiple test runs, go back to the drawing board, and redo stuff if you have to. Because at the end of the day, your map will only reward you (pride, happiness and all those other great feelings) when you see someone else is also playing it and has fun on it.

At the moment DoD mappers are forced to draw all of their own textures or use HL2 ones.

I think, once mappers can access the gcf and get a hold of all the new textures and props, then in no time we'll see maps with an equivalent level of detail.

It's not really the textures. I think the amount of brushwork it's going to take to make an equivilent map will take a lot more time than people are used to. I'm not doubting anyones skills, I'm wondering if part-time people will be able to produce quality maps within a reasonable amount of time.

It shouldn't be that hard to create maps the same quality as those in the game. most of the buildings aren't any more detailed than in other games (the newer ones at least, like CoD or MoH). They're just brush walls with holes cut out for windows. All the detail is in props and overlays. The Suze building in donner doesn't look any more detailed than the one in dod 1.3 really, it just has props added for the arches and windowframes, displacements for the roof, higher quality textures etc. It's still not easy, but I don't think it's as hard as might look either.

Originally posted by Propaganda
I think alot of the custom stuff will be as good or better then anything the dev team does. Keep in mind alot of the dod maps we currently play came from the custom mappers anyway.

I have never found this to be the case. It depends on the type of gameplay you like of course (railroad, harrington come to mind...solid clan maps)...but IMO there will be limited custom maps released that are worth a darn outside of skdr, insta, and a few others who regularly post here. 95% of the custom maps we tested during the dod 1.X era just plain sucked...and since mapping in Source is harder than it's ever been you're probably going to get a few really nice customs and a ton of crap.

Look back here a year from now and see if I'm right or wrong.

Originally posted by FuzzDad
I have never found this to be the case. It depends on the type of gameplay you like of course (railroad, harrington come to mind...solid clan maps)...but IMO there will be limited custom maps released that are worth a darn outside of skdr, insta, and a few others who regularly post here. 95% of the custom maps we tested during the dod 1.X era just plain sucked...and since mapping in Source is harder than it's ever been you're probably going to get a few really nice customs and a ton of crap.

Look back here a year from now and see if I'm right or wrong.

I'm talking about the guys who are willing to work at it, the serious dedicated mappers. I expect to see some quality work from those people, granted, there will be alot of poor quality floating around, it's inevitable, but that stuff generally gets weeded out. I wouldn't say source mapping is any "harder", it is however without question far more time consuming.

Originally posted by FuzzDad

Look back here a year from now and see if I'm right or wrong.

See, that's kinda what I'm thinking. I wonder if it's going to be years before the community creates enough unique textures, models, prefabs, etc. for the custom mappers to be able to make quality maps without putting all their time into it.

Anymore it seems that mappers are teaming up with a group of modelers and texture artists to release maps...kinda like tiny mod teams...er...map team. But this is something that could easily make the custom process go faster with small dedicated teams like that.

Originally posted by totally_tonedef
Anymore it seems that mappers are teaming up with a group of modelers and texture artists to release maps...kinda like tiny mod teams...er...map team. But this is something that could easily make the custom process go faster with small dedicated teams like that.

Thats exactly what people are doing and its a damn good idea if you do wish to get something quality going and make a few friends in the mean time. Regardless, theres always the good, the bad, and the ugly, no matter what game or what community, etc etc.

Originally posted by totally_tonedef
Anymore it seems that mappers are teaming up with a group of modelers and texture artists to release maps...kinda like tiny mod teams...er...map team. But this is something that could easily make the custom process go faster with small dedicated teams like that.

I actually approached Tower just like that :D

Right now I am learning modeling...at a pretty fast rate too...but I don't think I will be of value to a mapper until I can atleast UV map...but it is hard! lol especially in XSI.

I am shocked there aren't more propmodel requests....though most of ya are prolly waiting til the release to see what is already made.

I personally would love to be part of a mapteam at somepoint soon.

I would call myself a map-maker/mapper, but I honestly don't think I'm one at heart. I myself am more of a "map idea creator"; I come up with pretty good ideas *for* maps, but when I actually try to apply my ideas, I start to get impatient when I do all the details, brushes and all that other stuff. If I were to join a "mapping team" I don't think I'll be a mapper, modeller, texturer or anything. I think I would be more of a "scenario-maker".

I would love to put in the time to make great-looking maps with the degree of detail exactly simulating real life, but I just don't have the patience. I come up with an idea, I want to see it immediately.

....

Now I don't remember why I said all of the above and how it relates to the current thread (If you find a relation, please let me know :) ).

I too agree that its going to take a team effort. I haven't asked for any help as of yet, partially because I'm waiting to see what comes out of the .gcf, and partially because I want to get far enough along that I have something to show my potential "team". I don't want to be that guy that comes in with nothing offering everyone the chance to make an "official map" with his name on it. :rolleyes:

I have 2 very good ideas in the works, but I need to flesh them out a bit more before I ask for input. I'm sure when the time comes I will need help with textures and with models.

i know aht you mean about the level of quality of these maps coming out. I think they will be the same scale as the dod maps were, some will eb boxes and some will be large campaigns. My friend and I are working on a dod map based on ramelle in saving private ryan. We are taking screenshots of the movie and he makes the textures while i map it. We havent gotten into modelling yet though. I feel that we have the same drive as before to make a quality map.