What do you focus on first?

What do you start laying out first when your startup tasks are complete.

Option	Distribution	Votes
Splats	0%
Trees	0%
Splines	22%
randomly select	11%
Work a little areas until it is complete, then start a new area	33%
Buildings	11%
Water if applicable	22%
Snow if applicable	0%

Total votes: 9

VOTE!

ABSTAIN

Posts: 39

Hello,

I started making maps a few months ago. I have spent considerable time on all 4 I have made. The shortest span being 3 weeks. I was curious of what the more senior map makers focus on first AFTER setting up the map with points, territory, bases, ect. Do you lay out all of your trees? Do you start with buildings? Do you work little areas throughout the map to completion then move on to another? Do you randomly select things and say oh that looks cool, let me make terrain for this? <---- this is what I do...... sadly.

Basically I want to know what you think the most productive way to create a map is?
I like to be artistic, but I find myself saying "Oh hell I just want to finish this thing and play it!"

Posts: 618

I work on areas until they are complete, and then move on to the next, which most of the time is right next to the area I just completed. I just start somewhere in the map and complete it from there.

Posts: 70

My approach is a bit of a planned chaos.
1. Start with an idea/theme. Place objects splines and splats I plan to use (industrial / urban / nature) in a corner of the map.
2. Sculpt the map for mountains, rivers, lakes
3. Place some of the large objects on the map to get a feel for the pathing and how it will flow.
4. Place the victory, fuel, and munitions points
5. Start detailing areas in small chunks in the order of objects, then splines, then splats
6. After I have a good portion of those small chunks completed I'll place the remaining 10 strategic points.
7. Last details. This is mostly splats and small objects for detail to make the world appear more unique.
8. Drawing territories.

I don't plan my maps very well and I think they suffer because of it.

Posts: 2742

Because this is a game first, I usually design where I want the cover, garrisons, territory points, and cutoffs will be, along with sight/shot blocking objects.

I usually use an odd colored tileset and draw where I want the flow of units and combat to be, as well as draw the borders of the bases and territory sectors.

Once I create these blueprints of sorts, I build up the map, usually starting with the largest features first: the buildings, cliffs, roads, groves, etc, and get more and more detailed. I will often use placeholder objects to remind myself to keep a certain area of green cover, or a sight blocking tree, for example.

(Then, if you're me, the map goes dormant for a few months.)

I then proceed to work bit by bit and update the map, add details, and slowly refine the map as a whole. No map is perfect at first, and I usually playtest the map numerous times with AIs to see if there are any glitches, pathing issues, or flying/floating objects.