Designing an AoS map:
Designing a map is pretty hard work. It requires mappers to plan out a lot of what they do(which can be easy or hard depending on the person) and how the players will react to their designs. Since players can destroy everything, your designing of the map might even be useless! But most high quality maps have some time put into the design of the maps so today we are going to give you some tips and show you how to make a well designed map.
Look at icecraft(by Lostmotel) to the left. It is a very well designed map! Each spawn is mostly symmetrical with a igloo, some hills, and a few forests of trees. But it is the three "lanes" of the map where the design really shows.
Look at icecraft(by Lostmotel) to the left. It is a very well designed map! Each spawn is mostly symmetrical with a igloo, some hills, and a few forests of trees. But it is the three "lanes" of the map where the design really shows.
Every map has lanes, we are going to examine icecraft's lanes from the image above. The first lane we are going to look at is the top lane. In the middle of the lane is a giant mountain soaring around 60 blocks at its peak. Due to the height it is a very good sniper post; if you can get on it you can snipe almost anyone. The mountain also has a cavern under it which allows for easy sneaking and tunneling. Near the mountains are two forests leading to each spawn.
The next lane is the middle lane or mid for short. It is most bland with the middle area being extremely flat and low while the area near the spawns creates a 2x2 wall for wall popping. There are also two satues which provide a small amount of cover and make the map feel lively.
Finally is the bottom lane. This is my favorite lane in icecraft as it has the best oppurtunity for sneaking. In the middle is again another high sniping position, this time as a snowman. It provides large amounts of cover and makes the map look visually pleasing. That isn't what makes the lane so special though.
The next lane is the middle lane or mid for short. It is most bland with the middle area being extremely flat and low while the area near the spawns creates a 2x2 wall for wall popping. There are also two satues which provide a small amount of cover and make the map feel lively.
Finally is the bottom lane. This is my favorite lane in icecraft as it has the best oppurtunity for sneaking. In the middle is again another high sniping position, this time as a snowman. It provides large amounts of cover and makes the map look visually pleasing. That isn't what makes the lane so special though.
Look at those curves! There are so many corners where you can wait to sneak up on your enemy or you can just hide in the forest. You could also hide in the snow man too! The huge amount of choice and risk/reward that the design of the map has made is incredible; even it is most likely just Lostmotel messing around, but that too is amazing. A fluke can really make or break a map so don't be afraid to experiment just save often.
In conclusion, your maps design needs to have lots of hiding places to allow for multiple types of gameplay as well as be visually pleasing. You need to provide multiple routes to the target areas so that players can't simply camp(or make it easier if you like) the other team. Also, don't be afraid to try new things! When I(Jdrew) make a map I have roughly 10-15 versions of the map because I save so often and make mistakes. Now you don't have to do that just remember to save after important parts in case you mess up.