The mapmaker’s job is to make the map. He is the one to make it almost spot-on. He is the one to iron out the things that are wrong. The role of the beta-tester is to play an almost perfect map, spot the minor errors and balance issues, and have the mapmaker make those final changes before he ships it off.
I’ve played my own map plenty of times in my own little alpha stages, being able to complete it. While it is slightly tough, when I can’t beat an area, I go back and change what is needed. Whether it be a bit of food needed here, or some spawners removed there, it all depends. I am now getting in the habit of, say, playing and balancing the first intersection, and saving the base I make at the second intersection as a schematic. Then I can use that schematic to re-establish my progress. But that doesn’t mean I take the lowest gear you could have, and take on the area. I have pretty much all the gear from the previous areas, minus whatever I have used, plus whatever I have farmed.
Taking the lowest gear you could have puts you at a real disadvantage. Even though I could maybe take on an area with the lowest gear there, I still would not make it, and it would not be representing of the map. Playing like that is pretty much the same as “I’ve got no gear, and I’m going on bare minimums. But I’m such a dummy I forgot to loot the loot chests all over the area I have died in 20 times.” A normal player would not have died 20 times, and lost all their gear because they weren’t quick enough. Players would also loot the loot chests I give out, so that they have more things in their arsenal just in case they do die. I have to make sure that the loot I give scales well as the map goes on. I continue to map in 1.5.2, just because I run much better in it than 1.6. But, does that mean I disregard the update? No. I’ve already placed plenty of food to counteract the saturation and health nerf. I’ve been making new armor, tools, and weapons, with ideas for mobs in mind, all of this with attributes in mind to add to them later. I’m ready to embrace, not only 1.6, but 1.7, with open arms to my map. While it will take lots of item revamping, it will be a tool of motivation for me. There’s also a seekret thing me and Skeeto decided to call something seekret, but she’ll sometimes remind me of that, and I will have the motivation to flesh my map out.
Testing is a big thing for maps. Testing is the way to figure out how the map actually plays. If you, the developer, cop out on actually playing the map, then you will get nowhere far. Just ask Skeeto. The first time I asked her about testing my map, I don’t think I even achieved the white wool. Either that or I hadn’t achieved the orange wool, and yet I had built about half the map. I was stupid in asking her then, as it was a pointless cause. I felt real bad, and she opened my eyes to it. Testing is absolutely necessary in making a map. Whether it is alpha, beta, gamma, or whatever Greek character name you want to use. Any and all stages of testing are needed in making a map.
The hills are gravel. Should I change it to something else? It looks good when you are far away from it, but just "meh" when closer. Grass doesn't look very good on the hills, so i don't want them to be grass btw.
With /light on
Normal
They are different angles too, if you couldn't tell... somehow...
I really think the hills of patched gravel look good. But that's my view on it, which seems to be drastically different compared to others. I really like. Add a bit of gravel/cobble in the walls, and it looks good in my eyes.
16 (wool) x 0.5 (i.e. 30 mins) = 8 hours of work updating areas for a 16-wool map. Not much you say? Make a map before you pass comments like this.
Along with the 8 hours of work updating blocks, items, and other things like that, you still have to test. That could take anywhere from 30mins (Most likely a minimap) to 20 hours (Very long full CTM). And some of these things you have to do. OVER. AND OVER. AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
So yeah, i just have to ask you guys this i guess.
Maybe some of you guys remember making your first map, or are in the process of doing so. I am trying to get up my first map, but while building and learning new techniques, I just want to go back to other areas and totally redo them. I have 9 areas done, and I feel like 5 of them should be totally revamped, and 2 of them could be done a bit better. So what should i do? Finish this map first and make it a "learning-to-map" map? Make it some test world? Or just start a fresh map, with lore, good aesthetics in the beginning, better loot distribution, stuff like that.
Aww guys, all this support is making me cry As Drago knows, I'll be in and out, and as I told Link, you won't get rid of me that easily *yet*. But when the time comes that I do have to leave entirely (it's pretty inevitable right now) I'll never forget you guys <3
And Sketch, honestly, those puns were so heartwarming. Thanks so much.
And to everyone else! <3!
Oh Skeeto. The thought of seeing you leave hurts me, and I know I'm late to the party, but you have a life outside of here, which means you won't be around much. I can understand that. I hope you have a great time with the rest of your life, because some random person across the world won't stop you from doing what you need to do in life. It was really heartwarming knowing you. You are a very nice person, and I hope we see each other someday online once more.
I'll miss you dearly. The entire CTM Community will miss you dearly. You were our shining light in a dark world.
Goodbye Skeeto.
~Witty~
(Okay. I know you'll be back, but you won't be around a lot. A bit too dramatic, but you get the point. :P)
I was not talking about using a different set up just expanding them and adding them up into basically the same thing. Like something along the lines of a review for each area added all together to make a giant review for the whole map. I would also add things like Personal enjoyment and maybe a few other things and if people do not like that here I will not post them here but I do not believe posting a review of any kind on this thread is ageist the rules you might not except it but I don't see any reason I can not post my own ways of seeing things.
You can make an area by area review, but it has to be spoilered, and have a simple summary out of spoilers. If at all you add anything or remove anything, like Skeeto has said, then we may unfortunately not accept it.
To post reviews here you must follow the rubric we provide. If you wish to make your own review thread then you may use your own, but it won't be accepted here.
I know like I am probably the only person here that gives almost nothing about aesthetics but when I start reviewing maps I am gonna make a special trip through each area after the map to look at just the aesthetics and even after all that I was gonna put a caption about how I am not an aesthetics person and do not completely trust my score in that category. Well I will see how I do when I finally finish UT3 and do my first review for that but before that I got to make a giant review rubric. Speaking of that, does anyone have a favorite CTM map reviewer that has a rubric of their own I can look at so I can tell that I am not forgetting something important?
Color Rankings
Dark Gray: 3-10
Golden Rod: 11-17
Green: 18-23
Teal: 24-30
Maps with multiple reviews will have their scores averaged and will be color-coded accordingly. The map name on the OP will be colored accordingly.
Please note, any reviews with an obvious bias will not be put up on the OP, and thus, not officially recognized. By obvious bias, we mean rating a map highly because you are close friends with the mapmakers, or rating a map low because you don't like the mapmaker or had a hard time with the map.
We ask that you use your best judgement as well. As admins, if it feels a bit subjective, we will discuss and decide if it is worthy or not to put up.
While that may not appeal to many, boy does it ever appeal to me. I like the simple colours and the simple block combinations. Good on my terms.
I do notice some brush strokes in picture one and picture two, but you can get that. I know it. Good work.
And this new "Reviews are biased" conversation is interesting. We'll let it roll out, but if it breaks out into an argument, well... you know.
Haha, but command blocks are lame. #spawners
Oh, and I use INGAME NBTEDIT don't worry. ;3
Command blocks are not lame. While to lots, they are not much, you can now do SO MANY things as a mapmaker. You could get a three-second speed buff when you break a spawner. You could get more saturation from eating certain foods, making some foods smarter to make and eat than others. There is now a world of possibility to customise maps and make them unique. But until I either 1. Get a better computer, or 2. Hope they optimise somehow the 50 000 lines of code they edited into a smoother running game, I don't see a future in mapping in 1.7. I will forever be stuck in 1.5.2. Which, for most, might think I'm crazy, but ever since 1.6, Minecraft now hates me up the wazoo. I don't have "optimal" frames like I should in 1.6. In 1.5.2, I'll get anywhere from 40-120 without loading chunks, with 20-40 while loading a couple chunks. With 1.6, I can get anywhere from 0-30. Now you see my issue.
1
0
So short, yet so sweet.
1
Good job! It's a really good map, and I am definitely a supporter of the idea. Keep going!
4
...
Well. Here comes another marathon of a post now.
The mapmaker’s job is to make the map. He is the one to make it almost spot-on. He is the one to iron out the things that are wrong. The role of the beta-tester is to play an almost perfect map, spot the minor errors and balance issues, and have the mapmaker make those final changes before he ships it off.
I’ve played my own map plenty of times in my own little alpha stages, being able to complete it. While it is slightly tough, when I can’t beat an area, I go back and change what is needed. Whether it be a bit of food needed here, or some spawners removed there, it all depends. I am now getting in the habit of, say, playing and balancing the first intersection, and saving the base I make at the second intersection as a schematic. Then I can use that schematic to re-establish my progress. But that doesn’t mean I take the lowest gear you could have, and take on the area. I have pretty much all the gear from the previous areas, minus whatever I have used, plus whatever I have farmed.
Taking the lowest gear you could have puts you at a real disadvantage. Even though I could maybe take on an area with the lowest gear there, I still would not make it, and it would not be representing of the map. Playing like that is pretty much the same as “I’ve got no gear, and I’m going on bare minimums. But I’m such a dummy I forgot to loot the loot chests all over the area I have died in 20 times.” A normal player would not have died 20 times, and lost all their gear because they weren’t quick enough. Players would also loot the loot chests I give out, so that they have more things in their arsenal just in case they do die. I have to make sure that the loot I give scales well as the map goes on. I continue to map in 1.5.2, just because I run much better in it than 1.6. But, does that mean I disregard the update? No. I’ve already placed plenty of food to counteract the saturation and health nerf. I’ve been making new armor, tools, and weapons, with ideas for mobs in mind, all of this with attributes in mind to add to them later. I’m ready to embrace, not only 1.6, but 1.7, with open arms to my map. While it will take lots of item revamping, it will be a tool of motivation for me. There’s also a seekret thing me and Skeeto decided to call something seekret, but she’ll sometimes remind me of that, and I will have the motivation to flesh my map out.
Testing is a big thing for maps. Testing is the way to figure out how the map actually plays. If you, the developer, cop out on actually playing the map, then you will get nowhere far. Just ask Skeeto. The first time I asked her about testing my map, I don’t think I even achieved the white wool. Either that or I hadn’t achieved the orange wool, and yet I had built about half the map. I was stupid in asking her then, as it was a pointless cause. I felt real bad, and she opened my eyes to it. Testing is absolutely necessary in making a map. Whether it is alpha, beta, gamma, or whatever Greek character name you want to use. Any and all stages of testing are needed in making a map.
Thank you for reading this essay.
Witty
0
I really think the hills of patched gravel look good. But that's my view on it, which seems to be drastically different compared to others. I really like. Add a bit of gravel/cobble in the walls, and it looks good in my eyes.
0
Along with the 8 hours of work updating blocks, items, and other things like that, you still have to test. That could take anywhere from 30mins (Most likely a minimap) to 20 hours (Very long full CTM). And some of these things you have to do. OVER. AND OVER. AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
2
0
My first map...
*shudders*
2
Oh Skeeto. The thought of seeing you leave hurts me, and I know I'm late to the party, but you have a life outside of here, which means you won't be around much. I can understand that. I hope you have a great time with the rest of your life, because some random person across the world won't stop you from doing what you need to do in life. It was really heartwarming knowing you. You are a very nice person, and I hope we see each other someday online once more.
I'll miss you dearly. The entire CTM Community will miss you dearly. You were our shining light in a dark world.
Goodbye Skeeto.
~Witty~
(Okay. I know you'll be back, but you won't be around a lot. A bit too dramatic, but you get the point. :P)
0
You can make an area by area review, but it has to be spoilered, and have a simple summary out of spoilers. If at all you add anything or remove anything, like Skeeto has said, then we may unfortunately not accept it.
2
One rubric to rule them all.
...
One rubric to find them.
0
-.-
Here's our rubric and structure.
-Name of map HERE (version reviewed in)
Difficulty: 1-10
Overall Enjoyment: 1-10
Comments:
SCORE
Aesthetics: 1-10
Creativity: 1-10
Gameplay: 1-10
TOTAL: 3-30
---
Color Rankings
Dark Gray: 3-10
Golden Rod: 11-17
Green: 18-23
Teal: 24-30
Maps with multiple reviews will have their scores averaged and will be color-coded accordingly. The map name on the OP will be colored accordingly.
Please note, any reviews with an obvious bias will not be put up on the OP, and thus, not officially recognized. By obvious bias, we mean rating a map highly because you are close friends with the mapmakers, or rating a map low because you don't like the mapmaker or had a hard time with the map.
0
While that may not appeal to many, boy does it ever appeal to me. I like the simple colours and the simple block combinations. Good on my terms.
I do notice some brush strokes in picture one and picture two, but you can get that. I know it.
And this new "Reviews are biased" conversation is interesting. We'll let it roll out, but if it breaks out into an argument, well... you know.
0
Command blocks are not lame. While to lots, they are not much, you can now do SO MANY things as a mapmaker. You could get a three-second speed buff when you break a spawner. You could get more saturation from eating certain foods, making some foods smarter to make and eat than others. There is now a world of possibility to customise maps and make them unique. But until I either 1. Get a better computer, or 2. Hope they optimise somehow the 50 000 lines of code they edited into a smoother running game, I don't see a future in mapping in 1.7. I will forever be stuck in 1.5.2. Which, for most, might think I'm crazy, but ever since 1.6, Minecraft now hates me up the wazoo. I don't have "optimal" frames like I should in 1.6. In 1.5.2, I'll get anywhere from 40-120 without loading chunks, with 20-40 while loading a couple chunks. With 1.6, I can get anywhere from 0-30. Now you see my issue.
So you didn't see all the scoreboard objectives. Such a shame. ):
0
At the rate I'm going, it won't be mine. ):