Lesson 2: Flow Theory Part 1

What is probably more essential than a visually stunning map, is one that flows and plays well. I wouldn't say it's of more importance, but fun maps usually get played more than pretty ones that put you to sleep. By now, you should have some aspirations about what it is you want to build whether it is a factory, space station or whatever your little noodles has thought of. The one thing that will make or break your map in the fun category, is flow theory.

Note: I may make note of certain stipulations such as singleplayer vs. multiplayer by using (SP) or (MP) respectively.

PICK YOUR WEAPONS CAREFULLY
(SP MP)

This was one of the toughest things for me to get used to, but an old friend told me the value of this tip very well. As inclined as we are, some maps do not necessarily need every weapon to spawn within it. Some weapons are not practical for every map! For example, it's probably not a good idea to put a sniper rifle in a map with small confined areas. Common sense obscured by the drive to "have it all". Remember, the more weapons you have in a map, the more ammo boxes you have to put in a map (in most cases) to support the weapons and the more cluttered your map will get--which can have a serious impact on your framerate (performance).

BALANCING

(MP)

I know most gamers are pretty good at recognizing when 1 area of the map has all the good items and everyone seems to go there and play. As a designer you want everyone to see and play in the map you work diligently to create. Nicer items like the rocket launcher and big armor should be in extremely vulnerable areas, while weapons of lesser value in less hostile areas, or passages to larger arenas. You might consider big power-up items in areas that don't get a lot of traffic to lure players into those areas (big items being large health or other temporary modifiers). Keep this in mind for DEAD ENDs in Lesson 3. A good example of item balance is pictured below. The circled item in the middle is the large body armor. The arrows pointing to the armor represent areas where potential threats can be coming from, two of which aren't viewable from this shot. Getting that armor is a high-risk maneuver, making it impossible to hold down. Also take note that this area has 5 WAY OUT's (2 which you cannot see), and some OVER AND UNDER gameplay elements, which you will read about in these lessons.

ITEM FORCE FLOW
(Primarily MP)

When general balancing isn't working out, try to accomplish what I've termed "Item force flow". This is my way of forcing or "luring" players to other regions of the map. It is a pretty easy concept really. For example, if I pick up a gun, I won't put ammo for it right next the weapon itself; however, off in visible distance, i can see some ammo and a health kit, which is probably a worthwhile investment. When I get there, I can see some armor and a power-up in the distance from that point of view, creating a kind of circuit around the map. Don't be too obvious about it of course, otherwise every player will take the same course around your map. Throw in a branch or two to make the player decide the best course of action based on their ammo, weapon, armor, etc. This idea will keep players from pooling up in one area of the map, which can be fun in its own right, but limits the potential that your map could be.

We will continue this discussion on flow theory at another time. Next time we will discuss dead ends, novelties (or gimmicks), over and under, and other "need to realize"flow issues.