starting with a map

[Bunny]

When you start what do you make first? The houses? the ground? roads?
Please i dont know how to start

Bunny

[General_DisArray]

i once read from a wise mapper, that you should always start with sketches of your map 1st. get everything on paper for the layout. that way when you are hours/days/weeks into your map you won't hit that wall. when your creative juices are running lower than usual.

once you have your "rough draft" of your map and all your ideas on a hard copy, start on your map. and honestly it doesn't really matter where you start your map in my opinion.

but, if i would have to make a guess or a suggestion, maybe the terrain.

[tltrude]

To test your map you need a skybox player spawns and light. You can always fliter out the sky, if it gets in the way later.

[jv_map]

Making a sketch indeed is a very good idea.

I personally like to do structural brushes first, then details. Terrain is also detail and I used to add it latest, to fill in the gaps

[omniscient]

always use a hand drawsn view. i always start on the left and build right. its just easier. however if the objective is north, and u spawn south, i would build bottom to top.

[bobzilla]

1. I always try to select my textures first that i like for the map. You can lay them out for easy picking later..and also gather any customs needed.
2. Lighting is important in a map, and i experiment with the lighting and lights till i get the ambience i want.
3. I usually work map entirely out of my head..after many hours of thought, and I work from the middle out. (You never know how big your map might get.)
4. I build in small sections, house or buildings and rooms, then some terrain, and test compile to check look and also for any problems like leaks, or duplicates planes..etc. I seldom build all chalk first as I find it hinders my perception of the map. (I do go back later..and chalk/no-draw as necessary.)
5. I always backup (that means make a duplicate) of my map before I, do many things as radient is quite unstable on somethings..like rotates, load prefabs, cgsubtract.

Just my .05 worth, I'm sure each builder has his/her own preferences.

bobzilla - www.gamersmansion.com

[omniscient]

its caulk, not chalk, hehe. what u may want to do is build one building at a time. for example make a house, set it as a seprate map, and look around. also for lod terrain, this is waht i do. if you arent going to use a photo editor make is it sections of 512, then merge them. dont merge before each section is built. save after every section, and make some sweet terrain. also if you check out texture first, like he said, it saves a lot fo work later. id suggest the search box at the top left. type in somehting basic, like roof and get some roof stuff. i would HIGHLY recommed makeing the whole map, or each section, entirely in caulk, and texture it when it's all build. that way theres no question you didnt miss-texture a face.