I've been looking at the level dedication needed to be a success in making maps for games. With the vast education I have and the decades of experience, I've come to some conclusions.
The first levels I created were for Warcraft 2. I've made thousands of maps from RTS to FPS to Racing Sim tracks.
I'm not having a bitch here. I'm not complaining. I'm pointing out what criteria is needed to succeed. This is not everything, and there are exceptions to this structure. This is just the basic fundamentals of how success is accomplished.
1. The big winners are the First In Best Dressed.
You Snooze? You Lose.
If there are 3 custom maps in the entire world, maybe a day after the launch, then they have a huge chance of being played a lot.
If you make one of those maps rather decent, then it gets played continuously. Since everyone else is used to playing that, they get into the mode of playing what they are used too and not changing. They settle into a rhythm which is what they like adjust to. That in turn has everyone who comes along, seeing this map as the most popular so they want to check it out.
See I can not stand MSN. It's the most annoying IM I have ever seen. But I use it. Why? Because everyone else dose. I've got no choice. If I want to get in there and have fun with other people, I have to use what they are using. Even if it sucks.
Now there is also another element to this.
2. It's the Built In Fan Base.
Final Fantasy fans are going to flock to the Final Fantasy maps. WOW fanatics are going to make sure the Star Craft WOW has a huge following. Big Game Hunters fans are going to support new maps that are Big Game Hunters orientated. It's just the way it is. And it's not like I have done the most amazing job of Big Game Hunters that it's getting so many downloads. Hell anyone here with half a brain could have put together what I did with that map. It's just that I got in there within the first week of the release of Starcraft 2.
Now at that stage, I remember there being about 8000 maps on this site. Instantly I was WAY TOO LATE. Conclusion? Beta testers are Gods.
To get your map to be noticed in the First In Best Dressed department, you need to essentially be a beta tester.
There is more to this equation though.
3. You need to have a TEAM.
As a beta tester, you need have your entire map planned out in advance, have a team of friends who are also all beta testers and map makers, and together, within about 12 hours of the beta testing beginning, create a map which rocks and best suits the general community of gamers preferences.
See a team allows you to beta test your own maps. It also allows each person to specialize and do their part of the project. Without a team, your progress is exceptionally slow, and you can not get the best out of your project.
- You really need the following crew:
Project Manager: The head of the project. This person need massive clout, and a brilliant leadership and company running skills. They keep the project on track and moving forward. Without them, you can't have the team working together, and without the team, you fall behind and if you snooze, you lose.
Project Designer: This is the creative element of the project. With the help of the manager, the designer brainstorms ideas to come up with the project. Other may help in this brainstorming but ultimately, the designer has the last say.
Story Designer: This person is in charge of the story of how the project plays out. They basically write the story. If you have someone who knows story exceptionally well, you can incorporate that awesome entertainment structure into virtually any project. Even TD has a strong story line.
Engine Designer: This is the person who governs how the game play is done. They works strongly with the story designer to get the engine to do what the story designer wants it to do. With the Galaxy editor, this person would be the Data Editor. A supreme expert in Data editing.
Level Designer. This person is an artist. The worlds they create are visually stunning. They create the world in which the story will exist. And expert in level design will set your projects apart from many of the rest.
Game technician: Probably many other titles for this job but the point of this person is to use the engine, and the level design, and take the story and put it all together. In Starcraft 2 terms, The Trigger Editor. Someone who is a trigger genius will save months of work.
Animation Editor: This person is like the director of a movie. He tells the characters to go where they go and when to go there. He has the hand gestures and the movements look blisteringly real. This is what gives cinematics a who new level of beauty and it's a job title unto itself.
Dialogue Actors: Any great story needs great dialogue. Without awesome voice actors, your project will lack the luster that blizzard can produce.
Sound Editor: Sound is HUGE when it comes to projects. Movies are more about sound than visuals. Don't believe me? Check out "M Night Shyamalan's First Alien Movie" DVD extra on the movie "Signs"
Beta Testers: These need to be professionals. They are basically code crackers. They test every combination of events systematically exploring all possible ways to make the project fail. When they find failures, they document exactly what they did and how to recreate the fault. They then pass this on to the project manager who will get the information to the related personnel to fix the fault.
Marketing Personnel: These people are specialists in their field of marketing. For example 5 people to create games to spam the popularity system on battlenet. Forum marketer to get on forums and advertise the product. Youtube video producers, Screenshot editing masters, Graphic designers for poster like images. A big part of this is the Market Researcher who will looks at what the demand is in the market place and what makes projects successful.
4. The reality of a team.
So there you go. That's the basis of the jobs that must be executed well in order to compete.
Now this needs to be done in the beta testing of the level editor, stage. Because that will give you all the experience and the knowledge needed to compete down the track, and the head start on all the competition.
Feature films aren't made by one person. There is a huge team all working together to get the project made. It's a vast array of jobs and Game design or map creation is no different. The laws of the business are the same. It's a collaborative effort. It's preproduction, production, and post production, along with a marketing campaign. If you don't work within the model of how things are done, you are falling behind.
5. Me as an example and the reality for many map makers.
I for one didn't have the time or dedication to get myself a spot as a beta tester. Yes I could have spent $4000 to go to blizzard con and get one there or have a massive community of friends from decades of obsessive game play where one of them could have invited me, but I'm not that dedicated. I have a family. So that's the beta testing benefit gone.
I don't have a massive amount of friends who are mappers who I can get to help me make projects, so I have to do every single one of those jobs above myself. Some of which I'm not dedicated enough to do. Animations are just way too complicated for me to learn. Data editing is a whole new world and while I have done well, it's still a nightmare. I wish I could make chain lightning and stuff but with all the other stuff I have to think of, I just can't wrap my head around it.
I don't have beta testers. Do you know how hard it is to set up a computer next to you and to play on 2 computers at once?
And now that I have spent hundreds of hours perfecting the maps, I get 1 download a day. I seriously don't have the time or the dedication to spend 10 hours a day marketing the maps, all the while using my other systems to play the maps online to get it even semi popular.
The thing is, they are great maps. Well balanced, 5-10 minute games, escalating action, intriguing strategy and simple yet creative. I wouldn't spend 300 hours on something that I wouldn't enjoy playing. I'm not that dedicated.
It makes me wonder how many brilliant geniuses out there have talents above and beyond anything you can comprehend, who just can't succeed because they don't follow these criteria for success. And yet there are people who are fairly novice and pathetic when it comes to ability yet with them following this criteria, they succeed.
Again, I'm not having a bitch here. I'm not complaining. I'm pointing out what criteria is needed to succeed. And those who can get into this criteria and make it happen, are people who blow my mind. I could never spend that much of my life getting all this criteria together. And therefore, it's my choice to not succeed.
6. Where us small timers can see smile at our success.
Where I do succeed is in making maps that are serious fun for me to play, which I'm fairly sure others would love to play if they ever played them (which I don't care if they play them or not) and where I achieve something that very few people in the world would ever achieve. All my success is in my hands and in that, I have 100% succeeded in my goals.
I don't mind that Nexus Wars gets all the glory. All stand is awe of the Nexus Wars!
7. Conclusion
There are always exceptions to the rules, but these are rare. Often it needs an established fan base, an amazing concept to drag people in away from the most awesomely perfect stuff that's already out there, and exceptional execution to deliver on the concept promise. These are exceptionally hard to establish when there are 10,000 maps they have to choose from.
It all comes down to the fundamentals. How dedicated are you?
Very insightful post. Mapmaking as a one man show certainly is a hard thing to do. I've tried it before back in WC3. Many projects were abandoned because I either did not have the time, or I just ran out of ideas, or hit bottlenecks in my capabilities.
Its as you say, Having a team and someone to lead it is very important. As of now, If i ever attempt to make a map without help. Its just for my own leisure and would probably never hit an adequate quality to be released. If its teamwork, I really don't mind to dedicate so long as I can juice up time for it. But in general I prefer not to commit to things I know I will not have the time to complete.
Regarding number one, this does not accurately convey the entire situation. The reason why "first in" maps have an advantage isn't just the psychology of people. The more significant cause is BNET 2.0, i.e. the popularity system. The proof is in WC3, where some very successful maps came in late in the era. That isn't possible in SC2. It is just too hard to see, let alone fill, a map below top 20.
Regarding number two, this is an insignificant factor. The only map I've seen that can claim this is SotIS.
Regarding number three, you definitely need a team more than ever. I was able to be successful in WC3 with just a coder and a small community to generate ideas and give feedback on betas. This wouldn't be sufficient for SC2. The editor is much more complex and unwieldy now.
Regarding the conclusion, the number of maps out there isn't a factor. There were hundreds of thousands of maps for WC3, but the way the custom games list worked gave everyone a shot. You place too much emphasis on what should make a game successful. This isn't the case in SC2. Nexus Wars is actually an inferior version of Footman Frenzy from WC3, I mean it uses melee stats for everything. The truth is that the majority of the top maps are not anything special. There are no new concepts, and the execution is usually mediocre at best. Thus, there are no fundamentals to reaching the first page...aside from boosting and advertising everywhere.
Regarding number one, this does not accurately convey the entire situation. The reason why "first in" maps have an advantage isn't just the psychology of people. The more significant cause is BNET 2.0, i.e. the popularity system. The proof is in WC3, where some very successful maps came in late in the era. That isn't possible in SC2. It is just too hard to see, let alone fill, a map below top 20.
This would be completely true if Blizzard didn't reset the popularity list every five minutes. Obviously it's not completely untrue as you could say that people now play Nexus Wars because they recognize it from being on top before all the resets, but it isn't too black/white.
I've been looking at the level dedication needed to be a success in making maps for games. With the vast education I have and the decades of experience, I've come to some conclusions.
The first levels I created were for Warcraft 2. I've made thousands of maps from RTS to FPS to Racing Sim tracks.
I'm not having a bitch here. I'm not complaining. I'm pointing out what criteria is needed to succeed. This is not everything, and there are exceptions to this structure. This is just the basic fundamentals of how success is accomplished.
1. The big winners are the First In Best Dressed.
You Snooze? You Lose.
If there are 3 custom maps in the entire world, maybe a day after the launch, then they have a huge chance of being played a lot.
If you make one of those maps rather decent, then it gets played continuously. Since everyone else is used to playing that, they get into the mode of playing what they are used too and not changing. They settle into a rhythm which is what they like adjust to. That in turn has everyone who comes along, seeing this map as the most popular so they want to check it out.
See I can not stand MSN. It's the most annoying IM I have ever seen. But I use it. Why? Because everyone else dose. I've got no choice. If I want to get in there and have fun with other people, I have to use what they are using. Even if it sucks.
Now there is also another element to this.
2. It's the Built In Fan Base.
Final Fantasy fans are going to flock to the Final Fantasy maps. WOW fanatics are going to make sure the Star Craft WOW has a huge following. Big Game Hunters fans are going to support new maps that are Big Game Hunters orientated. It's just the way it is. And it's not like I have done the most amazing job of Big Game Hunters that it's getting so many downloads. Hell anyone here with half a brain could have put together what I did with that map. It's just that I got in there within the first week of the release of Starcraft 2.
Now at that stage, I remember there being about 8000 maps on this site. Instantly I was WAY TOO LATE. Conclusion? Beta testers are Gods.
To get your map to be noticed in the First In Best Dressed department, you need to essentially be a beta tester.
There is more to this equation though.
3. You need to have a TEAM.
As a beta tester, you need have your entire map planned out in advance, have a team of friends who are also all beta testers and map makers, and together, within about 12 hours of the beta testing beginning, create a map which rocks and best suits the general community of gamers preferences.
See a team allows you to beta test your own maps. It also allows each person to specialize and do their part of the project. Without a team, your progress is exceptionally slow, and you can not get the best out of your project.
- You really need the following crew:
Project Manager: The head of the project. This person need massive clout, and a brilliant leadership and company running skills. They keep the project on track and moving forward. Without them, you can't have the team working together, and without the team, you fall behind and if you snooze, you lose.
Project Designer: This is the creative element of the project. With the help of the manager, the designer brainstorms ideas to come up with the project. Other may help in this brainstorming but ultimately, the designer has the last say.
Story Designer: This person is in charge of the story of how the project plays out. They basically write the story. If you have someone who knows story exceptionally well, you can incorporate that awesome entertainment structure into virtually any project. Even TD has a strong story line.
Engine Designer: This is the person who governs how the game play is done. They works strongly with the story designer to get the engine to do what the story designer wants it to do. With the Galaxy editor, this person would be the Data Editor. A supreme expert in Data editing.
Level Designer. This person is an artist. The worlds they create are visually stunning. They create the world in which the story will exist. And expert in level design will set your projects apart from many of the rest.
Game technician: Probably many other titles for this job but the point of this person is to use the engine, and the level design, and take the story and put it all together. In Starcraft 2 terms, The Trigger Editor. Someone who is a trigger genius will save months of work.
Animation Editor: This person is like the director of a movie. He tells the characters to go where they go and when to go there. He has the hand gestures and the movements look blisteringly real. This is what gives cinematics a who new level of beauty and it's a job title unto itself.
Dialogue Actors: Any great story needs great dialogue. Without awesome voice actors, your project will lack the luster that blizzard can produce.
Sound Editor: Sound is HUGE when it comes to projects. Movies are more about sound than visuals. Don't believe me? Check out "M Night Shyamalan's First Alien Movie" DVD extra on the movie "Signs"
Beta Testers: These need to be professionals. They are basically code crackers. They test every combination of events systematically exploring all possible ways to make the project fail. When they find failures, they document exactly what they did and how to recreate the fault. They then pass this on to the project manager who will get the information to the related personnel to fix the fault.
Marketing Personnel: These people are specialists in their field of marketing. For example 5 people to create games to spam the popularity system on battlenet. Forum marketer to get on forums and advertise the product. Youtube video producers, Screenshot editing masters, Graphic designers for poster like images. A big part of this is the Market Researcher who will looks at what the demand is in the market place and what makes projects successful.
4. The reality of a team.
So there you go. That's the basis of the jobs that must be executed well in order to compete.
Now this needs to be done in the beta testing of the level editor, stage. Because that will give you all the experience and the knowledge needed to compete down the track, and the head start on all the competition.
Feature films aren't made by one person. There is a huge team all working together to get the project made. It's a vast array of jobs and Game design or map creation is no different. The laws of the business are the same. It's a collaborative effort. It's preproduction, production, and post production, along with a marketing campaign. If you don't work within the model of how things are done, you are falling behind.
5. Me as an example and the reality for many map makers.
I for one didn't have the time or dedication to get myself a spot as a beta tester. Yes I could have spent $4000 to go to blizzard con and get one there or have a massive community of friends from decades of obsessive game play where one of them could have invited me, but I'm not that dedicated. I have a family. So that's the beta testing benefit gone.
I don't have a massive amount of friends who are mappers who I can get to help me make projects, so I have to do every single one of those jobs above myself. Some of which I'm not dedicated enough to do. Animations are just way too complicated for me to learn. Data editing is a whole new world and while I have done well, it's still a nightmare. I wish I could make chain lightning and stuff but with all the other stuff I have to think of, I just can't wrap my head around it.
I don't have beta testers. Do you know how hard it is to set up a computer next to you and to play on 2 computers at once?
And now that I have spent hundreds of hours perfecting the maps, I get 1 download a day. I seriously don't have the time or the dedication to spend 10 hours a day marketing the maps, all the while using my other systems to play the maps online to get it even semi popular.
The thing is, they are great maps. Well balanced, 5-10 minute games, escalating action, intriguing strategy and simple yet creative. I wouldn't spend 300 hours on something that I wouldn't enjoy playing. I'm not that dedicated.
It makes me wonder how many brilliant geniuses out there have talents above and beyond anything you can comprehend, who just can't succeed because they don't follow these criteria for success. And yet there are people who are fairly novice and pathetic when it comes to ability yet with them following this criteria, they succeed.
Again, I'm not having a bitch here. I'm not complaining. I'm pointing out what criteria is needed to succeed. And those who can get into this criteria and make it happen, are people who blow my mind. I could never spend that much of my life getting all this criteria together. And therefore, it's my choice to not succeed.
6. Where us small timers can see smile at our success.
Where I do succeed is in making maps that are serious fun for me to play, which I'm fairly sure others would love to play if they ever played them (which I don't care if they play them or not) and where I achieve something that very few people in the world would ever achieve. All my success is in my hands and in that, I have 100% succeeded in my goals.
I don't mind that Nexus Wars gets all the glory. All stand is awe of the Nexus Wars!
7. Conclusion
There are always exceptions to the rules, but these are rare. Often it needs an established fan base, an amazing concept to drag people in away from the most awesomely perfect stuff that's already out there, and exceptional execution to deliver on the concept promise. These are exceptionally hard to establish when there are 10,000 maps they have to choose from.
It all comes down to the fundamentals. How dedicated are you?
Very insightful post. Mapmaking as a one man show certainly is a hard thing to do. I've tried it before back in WC3. Many projects were abandoned because I either did not have the time, or I just ran out of ideas, or hit bottlenecks in my capabilities.
Its as you say, Having a team and someone to lead it is very important. As of now, If i ever attempt to make a map without help. Its just for my own leisure and would probably never hit an adequate quality to be released. If its teamwork, I really don't mind to dedicate so long as I can juice up time for it. But in general I prefer not to commit to things I know I will not have the time to complete.
@stevehammon: Go
Regarding number one, this does not accurately convey the entire situation. The reason why "first in" maps have an advantage isn't just the psychology of people. The more significant cause is BNET 2.0, i.e. the popularity system. The proof is in WC3, where some very successful maps came in late in the era. That isn't possible in SC2. It is just too hard to see, let alone fill, a map below top 20.
Regarding number two, this is an insignificant factor. The only map I've seen that can claim this is SotIS.
Regarding number three, you definitely need a team more than ever. I was able to be successful in WC3 with just a coder and a small community to generate ideas and give feedback on betas. This wouldn't be sufficient for SC2. The editor is much more complex and unwieldy now.
Regarding the conclusion, the number of maps out there isn't a factor. There were hundreds of thousands of maps for WC3, but the way the custom games list worked gave everyone a shot. You place too much emphasis on what should make a game successful. This isn't the case in SC2. Nexus Wars is actually an inferior version of Footman Frenzy from WC3, I mean it uses melee stats for everything. The truth is that the majority of the top maps are not anything special. There are no new concepts, and the execution is usually mediocre at best. Thus, there are no fundamentals to reaching the first page...aside from boosting and advertising everywhere.
This would be completely true if Blizzard didn't reset the popularity list every five minutes. Obviously it's not completely untrue as you could say that people now play Nexus Wars because they recognize it from being on top before all the resets, but it isn't too black/white.
@Mozared: Go
I didn't say that was the only reason. I just said it was a major one. The combination of human psychology and an idiotic system equals tragedy.