[Article: How to make a Good CTF Map]
First off, this is all my opinion. All of it. This is not a strict map making
guideline; it's what I think makes a good map.
Let 'em walk
Any person should be able to walk from their flag to the other flag. They should not need
to jump, grapple, etc. to get from flag one to flag two. Am I saying that there should be
no grappling or jumping? No! McKinley Revival, for example, requires you use the grapple
to get a good defensive posture, and to get the adrenaline, you have to jump, but you can
walk to and from each flag. You should make the grapple a nessesary to get powerups and
powerful weapons, but not make it so that you can't to the base.
Keep it simple, stupid!
Don't make your map a super complicated maze. I'm not saying don't have nooks and crannies
for people to duck around in. Those what make a map fun. But don't try to put everything
you know about mapping into one map. If you want a to show off you mapping skill, release
a map pak. Don't stuff your entire resume into one map.
Put it over there!
Item placement can make or break a map. You should have some good weapons (Rocket
Launcher, Chaingun) in base, but keep some really powerful weapons (BFG10K) in the
crossroads. The BFG should never be in a base. NEVER! Also, don't put a quad two feet
from and invul and a power shield. When you put a weapon somewhere, put a box of ammo
right by it. One on each side looks good, by the way. And when putting a power shield
somewhere, put some cells by it. But don't cluster all the goodies near each other. You
can make hotspots where you can find a lot of ammo and a quad or something, because it'll
make some interesting fights.
Stick to your theme
Ever see a map that has higly technological bases, but the perimeter is out of the middle
ages? Dont do that!! When you pick a theme, stick to it. Don't make your simple
simplicity bases be surrounded by overly-complex perimeters. The
base-built-into-the-side-of-a-mountain theme is popular, and be pretty good if used
correctly, but suck if used badly. The middle-age's-castle theme I like a lot, because you
can make it more fun. You can make more hiding places and stuff.
Broken Mirrors
Symetery gaurentees fairness, but not always fun. A good non-symetrical map can be so much
more fun then the same old mirror map. But make sure you make them fair. Making three
hard to guard enterances to the red base and then one enterance to the blue base that can
be defended by a guy with a rocket launcher is completely unfair. Make the same amount of
entrances and exits to and from a base. Make sure there's at least two. Balance is
crucial with every aspect of Quake2, and map making is no different.
Where'd you go?
Make lots of hiding spots and obstuctions. If McKinley Revival didn't have creates in the
base, the BFG's power would increase. Make you map around what weapons are on it, and make
it so people can dodge projectiles, hide from BFGs, and not get gunned down. But don't
make it so that weapons are useless. You have to find the correct balance for each map.
Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...
Test your map. Get a bunch of friends with different computers to test out your map. Make
saure everything works, and fix anything wrong with it before you release it. The DTeam
does this, and know what? They have some of the highest quality CTF maps out there. They
test each other's maps on different resolutions, in different video modes.