
Thou shalt ALWAYS match the vertex points of thy brushes and NEVER use grid sizes lower than 8.

Not to mention that it will look a lot cleaner too.Ħ.
Open arena 0.8 manual#
Manual modification of brushes is a far better option, as well as it being slightly better for optimization purposes. Thou shalt ALWAYS use the brush clipper and vertex editing tools instead of CSG Subtract and CSG Hollow.ĬSG Subtract and CSG Hollow are lazy tools which create more problems than necessary. The only brushes which must be kept marked as Structural are those which seal the map from the void and those which are meant to block VIS. Thou shalt NOT make a map composed by over 90% of structural brushesīad use of structural brushes adds compilation time and screws up VIS, making the game to render what it isn't supposed to render. If the "model" is complicated and cannot be easily created via brushes then use models. Thou shalt ALWAYS mapmodel thy complex decorative brushes if ye need to use them a lot Also, you should use Bevels instead of Endcaps or Cylinders. Also, patches get along well with Hint brushes. If you want to create smooth curves, patches are the most efficient way to go about this. The options Clipper tool uses caulk and Always use caulk on new brushes are your friends. It saves time by you only needing to texture the sides of the brush you want. Thou shalt ALWAYS use common/caulk for new brushes Nobody (except server trolls) wants to play a map which crashes the game.ġ. And most important of it all: THOU SHALT MAKE SURE YER MAP PLAYS AT ALL! Thou shalt NOT force your map to work with any gametypeīetter start with one main gametype and then add the gametypes it can support without problems.ġ0.

After all, "balance in a multiplayer map means symmetry in opportunities to win, not necessarily layout".ĩ. If a team has an advantageous feature then work a counterfeature so the other team can stand against their enemies. Give the same weaponry/itemry to both teams. Thou shalt NOT unbalance asymmetrical CTF maps Take your time to lit your map properly and adjust the map's lights until it looks reasonably well lit without looking too washed up.Ĩ. This, however, doesn't mean that your map also needs to be dark. Ambient lighting makes the map look washed up. Thou shalt NOT rely on global ambient lighting Bear in mind the limitations of the game (framerates, connectivity, etc) and be smart and conservative with them! Also, tons of transparent and stage-based shaders make your map's performance slow as hell.ħ. They hurt the flow of your map if handled in a careless way. Thou shalt NOT go overboard with (and abuse) dynamic features (traps, movable/triggered platforms/"trains", doors.) or shaders.

Better limit the weapons' powerfulness with the map itself.Ħ. Thou shalt NOT limit the powerfulness of overpowered items by modifying the item's properties.ĭoing so messes with the player's natural timing of the items. The players should work hard in order to get that sweet BFG of mass destruction! Also refrain from placing ammo near their respective weapons or too many powerful items at near-distance.ĥ. The powerfulness of the weapons should match how riskful is to get them. Thou shalt ALWAYS handle weapon/item placement with care. And speaking of botplay, refrain from sealing areas of your map for specific gametypes, as they may confuse the bots!Ĥ.

Maps should be navigable by both humans and bots. Try to get scale right before sitting down and doing things. Thou shalt NOT make trickjumping mandatory in order to navigate the map. Key game objectives should be available to everyone on equal foot, regardless of skill level, PERIOD.ģ. It creates unnecessary imbalance giving unfair advantages to humans, especially if they involve trickjumping. Thou shalt NOT place KEY GAME OBJECTIVES (flags, obelisks, control points) in areas only reachable throughout trickjumping. Remember to also bear in mind the limitations of the game you're mapping to (physics, weaponry, etc).Ģ. Thou shalt ALWAYS plan your map before opening the editor.
