How to layout a map
by Egir Helgrimson

      Ok, you've just made most of a map. Now you want to start all over again because something is wrong. What is wrong is that the map is unplayable.... An unplayable map is a bad map... So what are we gonna do about it?

Make it playable

      Instead of thinking, how do I get this to look like a container ship (or whatever you are mapping) you should start think, what should the gameflow be like, and then map the gameflow. Keep in mind that you can allways add details later.

     This containership map is a bomb/defuse map. That means that the gameplay is very basic the same as a Clan War strategy for any de_map.

Clan war

     The 5on5 Clan Wars are what Im going to optimize my gameplay for, therefore I'll just summarize which strategy Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists uses when playing a normal de_map, such as de_aztec or de_dust2.

Counter-Terrorists

      Counter-Terrorists splits up into two squards. The one squard rushes to bombsite A, and the other rushes to bombsite B. Here they stay and camp untill they are shure that the Terrorists are not attacking this bombsite. When the Terrorists do attack, the Counter-Terrorists call for backup, so the teammates from the other bombsite can reinforce.

Mapping for the Counter-Terrorists' gameflow

     We need to map two bombsites (A and B). One of them should be very close the Counter-Terrorists spawn (A) the other should be not far away (B).

     We have to connect these three sites (Counter-Terrorists spawn, Bombsite A and B). There is no reason that gamers should have to walk a day march every round, because that is very boring. So connect bombsite A with bombsite B. And connect the spawn to either bombsites.

      Use wide and short hallways. (wide because then a whole team can get through, short because we want this to go fast.

     Basically we just connect the three sites like this

      You don't actually have to be more creative than the above drawing. Its fast and the gameplay works.

     Since this is Counter-Terrorist area, we only need to provide cover for basecampers. Though you probably hate basecampers, every good map should atleast give players a choise of choosing dignity or basecamp. Speaking of dignity, use something that fits your environment for cover, not crates (unless crates fits the environment ofcourse ;)

Terrorists

     We got the bomb. Now what are we gonna do about it. Well it should be planted at a bombsite. So we run to that bombsite. (note that the Terrorists are not going on sightseeing, nor are they gonna hold this possition). When Terrorists get to the bombsite entrance (chokepoint) they have to get into the bombsite. Since Counter-Terrorists are defending each bombsite, Terrorists will oftenly try to blind Counter-Terrorists with flash bangs. Or perhaps do a litle damage with grenades.

     Terrorists has got atleast two entrances to each bombsite so that a Counter-Terrorist with an AWP can't take out the intire Terrorist team unless the gamers are not equally skilled atall.

     If the Terrorists sucessfully rushes a bombsite and get the bomb planted They will need to covor it. Terrorists mainly has to cover the path to the other bombsite and the Counter-Terrorist spawn.

     Just before the bomb goes off, terrorists will leave the bombsite to avoid getting killed (they win anyway). And the round is over.

Mapping for the Terrorists' gameflow

     Connect the Terrorist bombsite to Bombsite A and B. Make the connection a little longer than the corrosponding connection from the Counter-Terrorist spawn.

     The Counter-Terrorists need the choise to basecamp, so do the Terrorists. Give them some cover.

     Damn its easy to be T ;) This is how it looks (note that I have combined the route between the two bombsites and the route from Terrorist spawn to Bombsite A. A good way to combine the three meeting routes is to make a room that provides additonal cower.)

      The route connecting the two bombsites works as a second entrance to bombsite B. To balance the upper Bombsite B route I added a connection between that and the connection between the two bombsites.

     Like this. It is a secondarry route, so there is no reason to make it wide (but two players should ofcourse be able to pass eachother.)

     Adding some rooms where there is an unfilled red line on the drawing below adds some cover, without using crates... whee.

     Now there is this funny thing you might have notised. The above map layout fits on allmost every official bomb/defuse map, if the map is mirrored we got something that looks like de_dust.

We got ourselves a gameflow

      Now the big deal is to make this look nice and fite the theme you chose (eg. a container ship). This layout that I've created above can be twisted in nummoures ways.

     There are some physical borders that you have to stay within with most maps. Making a container ship, would mean that the layout should fit into a ship. It doesn't have to be just like a real containership, since this is a game that people play to have fun, but not to see what a ship looks like. I would then have to make the layout from above a little less wide, but longer.

     Furthermore I have levels to work with on a Container ship. In that way routes can pass eachother horizonal, giving me enough room to work with even if the map should be only 1024 units wide.

     Now add some details and make that funky chokepoint youve been dooing on all your maps.

Some other tips

     Make shure that the players can find their way around in your map. Oftenly this is done by adding a road texture from spawn to the bombsites. If all mappers did this, and all players knew this, there would be no such thing as a player lost in a new defuse map.

     As DaveJ says, you should make any entrance visible. So when the player is entering a room, he will know where the other door out is. This can be done with lightening or even signs.

     Don't make two spots in your map that looks simular. Gamers are like tourrists and they need landmarks to find their way around (I think that was DaveJ who said that too)

     If you are wondering who DaveJ is, go check out de_dust, de_dust2 and de_cbble because he mapped all of them...

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