Seeking Mapping Committee Volunteers

[Chef-Killer]

This game has lots of maps. All the maps are a big part of the game and they're very important for it. But next to the better maps there're unfortunately many maps with fundamental bugs, misalignments, other problems or just unfinished ones. There're also many maps with less obvious things like "why do I look in front of a wall after respawn" or "why does my team has worse items". This can be fixed for better balanced maps, too. All in all it's very important to improve the current maps/maplists. Jitspoe accepted to establish a mapping committee for that, because it needs a lot of work. The mapping committee will mainly improve the current maps.

Maybe, with time, we can fill the server rotations with solid, fun, good-looking, accessible maps that will keep new players coming back for more.

Some examples of things the committee may have to work on:
- enforcing some hard standards for (match) maps
- selecting the maps that meet the new standards and creating maplists
- creating files for each map (ent, mapinfo, mapshot, etc.)
- fixing up popular maps that doesn't meet the new standards and gradually replace the old maps
- improving and finishing eternal beta maps with much potential

So if you're interested in helping out on the mapping committee, please respond to the following questions. BSP experiences would be helpful.


How much time per week would you be willing to spend for improving the current maps?

How long have you played, how long have you mapped (if applicable) and how many maps do you know?

On a scale from 1 to 10, how experienced would you say you are with BSP or other mapping tools? (1 being you know what bsp is. 10 being you can do everything with BSP.)

On a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the current maps? (1 being no maps are of good standard. 10 being all of the maps are perfect.)

On a scale from 1 to 10, what's more important for you? A big choice/possibility of maps (1) or only a few maps, but with a very high quality (10)?

How would you deal with a total bugmap you really like?

Would you be willing to support/improve maps you don't like?

How much time would you say is necessary for each map (on average)?

What do you think about beta maps on pub/match server?

Why do you feel you would be a good member of the mapping committee?


EDIT: Thanks for the help ViciouZ, my english isn't the best

[ViciouZ]

I've altered the questions a bit because the wording was a bit awkward for some of them, hopefully you don't mind

How much time per week would you be willing to spend for improving the current maps?
2 or 3 hours, I am quite busy with schoolwork.

How long have you played, how long have you mapped (if applicable) and how many maps do you know?
Played 06-08 mainly, mapped 07-present, I'm familiar with pretty much all the classic match and pub maps and most newer ones.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how experienced would you say you are with BSP? (1 being you know what bsp is. 10 being you can do everything with BSP.)
8 - I understand and have used almost all of the features of BSP, just not repeatedly.

(Also, maybe you could open this up beyond BSP - QuArK and Worldcraft have been used to great effect as well.)

On a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the current maps? (1 being no maps are of good standard. 10 being all of the maps are perfect.)
7 - Many are great for gameplay, but have minor issues or aesthetic problems.

On a scale from 1 to 10, what's more important for you? A big choice/possibility of maps (1) or only a few maps, but with a very high quality (10)?
5 - We definitely have more than enough variety at the moment, but many of them are of bad quality and so are never played. A balance of quality and quantity is required rather than favouring one or the other.

How would you decide on a total bugmap you really like?
Again, not entirely sure how this is meant to be answered. I guess if there was a very broken map that I liked I'd try and fix it up.

Would you be willing to support/improve maps you don't like?
Yes. Especially if the changes would fix the reason the map wasn't liked, without changing the original feel.

How much time would you say is necessary for each map (on average)?
It really depends on each case.

What do you think about beta maps on pub/match server?
If both teams agree, sure.

Why do you feel you would be a good member of the mapping committee?
After I stopped playing the game, mapping has kept me involved with the community. While I'm bad at making new maps from scratch, I think I could help improve other maps on the committee or just provide more manpower.

[Chef-Killer]

On a scale from 1 to 10, how important would you say is the high selection/quality of maps. 1 being different kinds of maps is everything. 10 being each map should be 101% perfect.
7 - Not exactly sure what this question is asking, but I don't think it's necessary for something to be completely perfect to be released, 75% polished or so is enough.

What's more important for you? A big choice/possibility of maps (1) or only a few maps, but with a very high quality (10)?
Is this question easier to understand?

[ViciouZ]

What's more important for you? A big choice of maps (1) or only a few maps, but with a very high quality (10)?
Is this question easier to understand?

Yes, thanks, I'll change my post

[Rocky]

lol mapping commitee what next ?

[Myles]

Is bad fps on some maps caused by using the wrong brushes/overlapping?

If so , would this committee fix some of the maps?

[Chef-Killer]

Bad mapping can result in bad fps, yes.

Yes again, it's too much work to remake all maps, but of course it's scheduled to fix problems / rebuild as many maps as possible (especially the popular maps).

[Cameron]

Bad mapping can result in bad fps, yes.

Yes again, it's too much work to remake all maps, but of course it's scheduled to fix problems / rebuild as many maps as possible (especially the popular maps).

In my opinion screw the popular maps.  I got so bored of pubbing I just gave up, because its always the same maps.  Rebuild/remake/rewhatever or just in general, complete maps that have a feel and good gameplay.  Get some good maps out there, and reduce/remove the overplayed ones.  There's only been a few maps, like literally a few maps that have made it into the 'popular' category in the last couple of years, or maybe even more.

But do something about this.  Its the best map I've ever seen, and I want it out in the pubs .

http://dplogin.com/forums/index.php?topic=6172.0

[T3RR0R15T]

Yes, that map is really nice. But its not the right topic to discuss about it here

[Chef-Killer]

Let's do step by step. It needs a lot of time and work and there're not many volunteers atm Maybe some more people are interested when they see and know how the mapping committee works.

[T3RR0R15T]

I think the most users don't believe that this is an official committee searching. Maybe jitspoe should write some words here.

[Justinph5]

I believe it's because a mapping committee would only work if server admins followed it. Since most server admins won't care, I don't think a mapping committee could help at all until there was a solid base of players for server admins to care about the community. :/

I believe we need an advertisement committee, or a 'let's get people interested in this game' committee first, to get a solid base, so that people who support the game financially would show more interest. Either that or a create development TEAM, to expedite major updates to the game...

Not trying to kill a map committee, just trying to create ideas to help the game faster and better.

[T3RR0R15T]

How much time per week would you be willing to spend for improving the current maps?
Around 7 hours, maybe more.

How long have you played, how long have you mapped (if applicable) and how many maps do you know?
I play since 2004, have mapped around two hours and know almost all maps from our ftp.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how experienced would you say you are with BSP or other mapping tools? (1 being you know what bsp is. 10 being you can do everything with BSP.)
3, i know what bsp is, can change easy things and know a good tutorial

On a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the current maps? (1 being no maps are of good standard. 10 being all of the maps are perfect.)
5, there are some really nice (old and new) maps, but in the last time we have more and more maps with always the same bugs which will never gone in the whole beta stage.

On a scale from 1 to 10, what's more important for you? A big choice/possibility of maps (1) or only a few maps, but with a very high quality (10)?
10, we have already a big choice/possibility of maps. Now its time to make perfect ones.

How would you decide on a total bugmap you really like?
Delete it.

Would you be willing to support/improve maps you don't like?
If its possible to make it much more better an acceptable amount of time, yes.

How much time would you say is necessary for each map (on average)?
Its hard to say. There are different maps with many kinds of bugs, so maybe one a month or two (including internal gameplay tests).

What do you think about beta maps on pub/match server?
On pub servers ok, if they are good enough and doesn't have gameplay related bugs. On match servers not. They should only have finished maps.

Why do you feel you would be a good member of the mapping committee?
I like it so search bugs and i'm able to enforce the new standards on all of our servers.

[Cameron]

I believe it's because a mapping committee would only work if server admins followed it.

Quite true.  It'll never work otherwise.  Also, current maps that are popular and still in beta, such as twilight (i think it is) and the such, we can't just go round editing maps and completing them, or fixing them without mappers permission either.  I honestly wouldn't want someone decompiling one of my maps.

I wouldn't mind helping, but with the amount of time on my hands I'll have once school's back, I'd never be round.  Also I don't know how to use BSP to large extents, I just know the basics .

[Chef-Killer]

There're already a few ideas how can it work without the server admins.

[pvtjimmy]

I think the main problem is that it won't be easy to find volunteers to clean up the mess others started... :X

Although I consider it a good idea to finally release some popular beta maps, I fear the few good mappers we have around would rather start own projects than finish others' sloppy seconds

[Cameron]

I think the main problem is that it won't be easy to find volunteers to clean up the mess others started... :X

A way to clean that would be to add another sub-board, like how there is completed maps, but add a Beta Maps or something section, to keep the beta release maps away from questions and the sort, and just gradually move them in there, etc.  Gives people an opportunity to download these maps as well, without having to fish through countless help me threads that can be answered by looking at stickies.  From what I can think of, both a committee and the public would advantage from this.

[Chef-Killer]

It's important that people will improve and finish their own maps by them self imo. Most of them are first beta forever or people ignore feedback, because the map is playable on servers anyway.

There is enough work for the committee to improve the current maps. Working on beta maps shouldn't be the main part we'll do at first.

[Cameron]

Why work on the current released maps?  Yeah, they may have faults, but they aren't new.  A committee should be focusing on controlling is what is about to be released as a final as a main priority, not what already has been released as a final.  You can focus on whats released after, or during the mean time, because isn't it better to have more maps coming in that are completed, than focusing on perfecting the overplayed maps while the junk still piles in?

I know that there are some horrible maps out there mapping wise, but if people aren't complaining, leave em, and focus on the new stuff.  Make sure it doesn't turn out like the stuff that's already there.

[jitspoe]

People are complaining, though, or worse, they play the game for the first time, and all they see are poorly constructed maps, and never play again.