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MFL

Member

Joined: 2015-04-02

Posts: 68

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

1. When you are making a map, what are the steps you go through in the process?

MFL's Guide to Heading a Collaboration Map

This will be written for the general public, but it will be given from the perspective of someone with saving/uploading tools and a sizable collaboration team.

Pre-Production

Let's say you've gotten a general theme, be it artistic (Fall of Zeal) or design conception (Illusion). The first thing you do is consider your resources. Saving? Check. Uploading? Check. Enough Talent? Check. Design an outline for the map that describes the path, difficulty, theme, and other guidelines for the contributing members. You can find some such outlines above in MIHB's post, or consider this one:

(Click to Enlarge)

As far as sketches go, this is a two month old outline for our second map Fall of Zeal, which, after crashing 2 hours into production at a time before we had save capability, had only been just re-created as our last map.

Once the outline has been distributed, depending on the type of map, begin pre-production. This occurs in various forms: for art intensive maps, begin to "box" off key landmarks and mimic the sketch given. Compare the Fall of Zeal sketch to the minimap on the bottom right. For room intensive maps, start creating and testing rooms over the span of days in order to ensure they meet all the standards of room creation (you can read more about that here.).

Then pick a day for go-time.

Mapmaking Day

Start by uploading a basic outline that carries over all that was created in pre-production. Then start to divy up sections, giving the pre-outlined boxes and some difficulty/concept guidelines for room creation to certain collaborators, and letting the creative heads continue to work on outlining/pathing/aesthetic works that need to be in place prior to any level creation.

You can glean from the Fall of Zeal outline that any creative project has to have a limit on the individuals with creative control, otherwise things will fall apart very quickly through bickering or failed map integration. The role I played was especially critical during the map creation phase; namely, the central hub with which all contributing members would confer. There needs to be at least one head, preferably just one, that can keep every variable in mind, integrating the individual contributors and their contributions alike. He needs to know his collaborators strengths, their times available, and the extent to which they can be left to their own devices. Collaborator A will need a few boxes with entrances and exits predesigned and a lot of instruction/room testing, while Collaborator B can be left to design their own aesthetic as well as rooms with little micromanagement.

Most importantly, you and your co-heads must be ruthless and exacting judges of character. You are handing your work out to strangers with only their word as sole offering of collateral. In all my time of collaboration work, and even giving codes out in maps, I've had zero incidents with map destruction. It could be said to be luck, but those with excellent insight will know with whom they can work. If you can't tell if someone can be trusted, you aren't capable as head of a collaboration effort. Taking chances with your hours of work is not advisable.

The map proceeds to grow with more and more of the outline filled up by rooms and artwork, with saves are generally made every thirty minutes. Have your contributors invite your testers to try their work so you don't have to. It is granted that you gave these people the position of tester, not because they aren't good builders, but because you trust their judgment with regards to evaluating level creativity and difficulty in your stead. Let the testers work it out with the member who created the area, this is important for both saving your time and allowing your collaborators to perform their tasks with a sense of independent ownership and self-efficacy.

Finishing and Releasing

Finally, when the map is ready for your finishing touches, save it and bring it offline. Slap on your logo, your tinychat, any other aesthetic bells and whistles you'd like to add, then prep it for a Beta test. You can either upload it in private again under a random name and just let your members test it out in full, or you can send it right out for the public to play through. Watch for bottlenecks; that is to say, clump ups of players in a room that doesn't warrant such difficulty for its location, and nerf the room (make it easier) accordingly. Have your collaborators keep a close eye on player progress and various locations, fixing exploits or making changes when necessary.

Make a final save with a version you are happy with, and, FINALLY, have a go at the map yourself!

Other Questions

3. How do you go about creating maps offline?

Aslai's Animator

7. Will the animator be released to the public?

That's Aslai's business, we have no idea.

8. Where do your original ideas come from? (Obstacles and such.)

http://eeforumify.com/viewtopic.php?id=273

Sandyoso

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

and nothing of value was lost.

smileyex

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Mike, it has been a great honor to have been working with you since the first tower of babel. You, Mustang, MFL and EX Crew has changed my prospect of Everybody Edits and made the game more enjoyable. This has been a fantastic few months. EX Crew was the best hands down and you all have made that happen. It's a shame that EX Crew has to be gone now.

"What goes up, must come down."

EE won't be the same anymore...

15Master1

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Goodbye.

Sykodeus

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Damn guys... as other people have already said, we have known you for little time. But this little moment has been intense. I was definetly bored of EE, and i saw the Ice Level. It was amazement at first sight. This map was totally different from the other one. I never spent so much time into finishing a map.

But today, it is over ? I mean, seriously ? My girlfriend just broke with me. My sports team is underestimating me. And as if i needed more, EX Crew is disbanding ? EX was the mapmaking at its highest point, nobody can reach so much perfection. I saw some kind of cool maps, but none had EX Level. Maps as good as EX ones cant be made, without your saving program, MIHB. Please give it to EE population, to keep the hope of experiencing more good maps.

But even with good maps, they will never be the same, 'cause they wont be made by you, the 3 of you, that I consider as my virtual friends ='( This is the end of a great adventure. Farewell.

EX TINYCHAT WILL NEVER DIE ! They didnt listen to us and set up a password. So, as a remember of the Egg Crew joke, I declare the new tinychat for all of us is tinychat/egg1 .

And thank you anyway for all these really interesting articles on map and room making. You totally changed my view of EE mapmaking.

Last edited by Sykodeus (Aug 19 2010 5:56:07 am)

evilmuffin

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

I hate the fact that ex crew has been decimated:(        I am a accepte to ec clan let it be the new ex crew!!!

CookieMonster

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

I'll miss you guys!! T_T

MIHB

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Right back at you, smiley.   Take care of yourself and watch out for crocodiles and angry kangaroos.

glidergirl12

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

What happened to the chat?   It's still there, but it's password protected! WHY??!!!:o

mustang

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

What happened to the chat?   It's still there, but it's password protected! WHY??!!!:o

The chat has been closed, possibly for good. It's to prevent anyone from hijacking it and pretending to be the EX Crew.

Should it ever reopen, that would mean we have either reposted our old maps or made a new one, but as I have stressed in other posts that is highly unlikely to happen.

Thanks for all of the kind words in this thread, and I hope everyone here takes the advice to heart found in this thread so you can go out and make the best map you possibly can.

glidergirl12

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

What happened to the chat??   IT is still up, but it has a password.   PLZ tell me what happened

glidergirl12

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Sorry didn't read what u said disregard the question

DBF

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

MFL do you mind if I import that guide to EE wiki? I'll give credit

mustang

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

MFL do you mind if I import that guide to EE wiki? I'll give credit

MFL will not be able to answer you since he has completely dropped out of communication. I will give you permission in his place, I'm sure he would be fine with it.

Jamd

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

What so hes dead now? wow.... i thought he was a asleep or got a girlfriend/job but wow....

Alex

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Bro, check the date that was posted.

TheGreenTroll

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

Farewell, you've done incredible maps!

Last edited by TheGreenTroll (Feb 5 2011 7:02:47 pm)

Different55

Forum Admin

Joined: 2015-02-07

Posts: 16,574

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Is still missed, and will be missed forever.

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"Sometimes failing a leap of faith is better than inching forward"
- ShinsukeIto

Doom moose

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

We will ALL be mourning your loss. *goes and starts crying in a corner for the rest of the day* Farewell, ExCrew.

MIHB

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Uh, we came back, like, several months ago.

Doom moose

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

oh lol whooops! XD XD i am going to go lol now.

Cyclopsicle

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

Lol... Hi MIHB when you gonna finish the EE animator thingy =/

isuper

Guest

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

y ;_; Y WOULD U STOP CREATING MAPS THEIR AMAZING AND FUN PLZ PLZ DONT QIUTE MAKING MAPS

Tako

Member

From: Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Joined: 2015-08-10

Posts: 6,663

Website

Re: Farewell from EX Crew and map-making clinic

y ;_; Y WOULD U STOP CREATING MAPS THEIR AMAZING AND FUN PLZ PLZ DONT QIUTE MAKING MAPS

That would be a warning for grave-digging.

Might be a record. One year and two days.

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Yeah, well, you know that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.