Notes: Originally written as a post by DG in 2004, later edited, paraphrased, and updated by Ifurita
[i]I was bored and thought I’d scribble a couple of things down that might help mappers and modders to pimp their map around, just relatively small things they can do to help players quickly see the appeal of the map, so they go download and give it a try. Of course I’m no modder or mapper, so excuse the ignorance, just putting down a few things I’ve noticed as both player and a newsposter. I thought most of these things are practically common sense, but many mappers fail to do ANY of them. BTW I am assuming you have already read things like the mappers’ bible thread on the Splashdamage forums
Additions, edits & comments are, of course, more than welcome.
- DG[/i]
Overview
What are your expectations when you download a new map? If you’re like most people, you want a bug-free map, with interesting gameplay, that plays well on your computer. If you’re a server admin, you’re looking at the map and deciding whether it’s good enough to replace one of the existing maps in the rotation.
So, now that you understand what your customers are looking for, here are a few tips to help you communicate that your new masterpiece is exactly the map they’ve been looking for.
1. Tell the reader what your map is about:
Provide a quick, concise overview
As a player, it’s difficult to know whether something is worth any consideration unless you can get some info about it. As a news poster, it’s next to impossible to have anything to say about it, or even if it’s worth saying anything about it, unless there is enough info available to make the decision. 90% of the time, lack of info is all the info you need to decide a map isn’t worthy of interest. README files are all very well, but only have very limited info and anyway usually you need to have already downloaded the map in order to read it. Most of the time, the newsposter hasn’t download the map, at least likely not before he’s decided whether or not it’s worth posting about.
A basic web page can help solve these problems. Using free webspace (e.g. from ISP) would be absolutely fine. Give a general overview of the map, making special note of anything particularly of interest, unusual or unique. Totally basic pages are just as good as complicated and clever ones, possibly even better because basic ones are quick and simple for people to get to the info.
You don’t need masses of info, only “enough”. Babbling on and on just means people skip through it, or get confused and you’re back to square one. Give an indication to gameplay and a basic idea of what players are to do. Bullet-point listing of objectives does not count, because the reader has no idea whatsoever as to what you’re talking about, unless there are annotated screenshots or diagrams to turn data into information. I like to provide a scenario overview, a list of attacker objectives organized by phase, and supplement it with a marked up command map for a graphical walkthrough to help players understand where the objectives are and how the map flows.
Here’s my example from Vengeance_TE
Axis Objectives
Phase I
- Gain access to base by breaching the Main Gate
- Gain access to Bunker #2 in the Ammo Depot
Phase II
- Transport control codes to Radar Station
Phase III
- Destroy V2 Rocket in the North Ramp hanger
Secondary
- Capture Ammo Depot spawn (flag goes perm-Axis when bunker door is blown)
- Construct CP Spawn
For server admins, it’s helpful to give some indication of the size (area) of the map, what gametype and how many players it would be suited for. If your map is double objective and designed for 40+ players, this draws a different interest group than a fast 6 v 6 map designed for Stopwatch play. This is essential basic information. If you don’t really know for whom your map was designed, then you need to read the comments about testing anyway.
Acknowledge those who helped test your map
Included a note of thanks about testing, because it tells readers that it actually has been tested. If your map is intended for competition play, then thanking clans or teams who helped test the map helps indicate the map was actually tested under scrim conditions. If it actually hasn’t been tested, it isn’t worth releasing unless it’s an alpha or beta and the purpose of current release is for the testing.
State clearly if the map is an early concept or test versions
First impressions last. Bad first impressions can be the death of any future releases. Be crystal clear about which version of the map being released. Also important is providing a change log explaining what has changed from prior versions, so people who have played earlier version know what’s changed. Don’t try to pretend it’s been better tested or is a non-beta just to avoid discouraging people, all this will do is annoy people and create a negative first impression for this map and possibly your future releases.
If the map is non-final, provide some method for feedback and suggestions, even if it’s just a link to the map’s thread on the Splashdamage forum, otherwise preferably some easy method that doesn’t involve signing up to some obscure forum.
Use appropriate, well-selected screenshots
Screenshots are what really grab attention. They’re highly noticeable and the right screenshot is sure to catch the readers’ eyes. Be careful with your choice of screenshots though – each screenshot should be there for a particular reason.
There should be a mix of a) “eye candy” screens to capture attention and emphasize the quality of the map, b) screens that highlight layout and gameplay get people excited to play the map, and c) overview screens, like command maps or high overhead shots, to help the reader put everything in context. When I post news about maps/mods, I tend to look to use a “prettyâ€? or showoff screen to grab the readers’ interest; then gameplay screens to hold it; and thirdly a command map type screen to ensure my reader has an overall perspective on how the map will run.
What else should you include in your screenies? What do you notice about the official ET pre-release screenshots given out? How many games have you bought that has only empty screens on the back of it?
What’s with the apparent view that no screenshot should ever include people playing? Include one or two shots of some nice carnage going on, it shows people gasp testing and enjoying the map! People will be thinking “that guy could be me having fun there”. If they are clans testing it, and those clans liked the map, all the better. If your FPS stays high throughout your map, turn the FPS meter on. It lets the reader know that low FPS won’t be an issue, especially with lots of action going on. If your map suffers from poor FPS, then turn the meter off. Typically, I try not to show FPS any lower than 76, since that is where a lot of people cap their framerates.
Too many screens are as bad as too little. If you absolutely have to include a lot of screenshots, then use smallish thumbnails so it’s easy for viewer to pick and choose the interesting ones - this is at least as much about minimizing info overload as having a page that doesn’t take all day to load (BTW, MS Paint is actually really good for decent .jpg at low file size). I’d say optimally have between two and four of the best screenshots in the “introduction” type area, using large thumbnails (250 to 400 pixels wide) so players can see what’s in them but can also get lots of detail by enlarging them. These should be the 2-4 shots you’re hoping will be added to newsposts etc,. Clever screenshots imply a clever mapper, shots that show off gameplay areas suggests this mapper knows about gameplay. You are pimping the map, show off its genius.
Be mindful of your reader. Screenshots larger than 800 x 600 tend to not display fully on a lot of forums or people’s displays. Nothing is worse than clicking on a link and finding yourself staring at a 1600 x 1200 screenshot, because the poster couldn’t be bothered to resize them.
Another good image to use is the command map type image (see the discussion in section 1), overlaid with annotations so the player can quickly get an overview of the map’s gameplay. This further boosts interest in the map and gives people a head start to learn the map. You know all the ins-and-outs of your map, everyone else is running around thinking “WTF?”. A bit out of context, but this let me know exactly what to do when I first loaded up the map, which meant I never had a second of thought along the lines of “this is confusing, therefore a crap map”.
Don’t think it is cheating in any way to use images enhanced in Photoshop or some other graphic program. People expect marketing to use the best possible screenshots for pimping games, this applies to maps too, plus jaggies and what not are more noticed on screenshots than in game anyway. Go into your video card control panel and hit up FSAA, Aniso, texture quality, mipmap, etc. Use a high graphics configuration using default “nice” settings or even one from a fragmovie site. Ugly, jaggy shots give the impression the mapper couldn’t be bothered with pimping, and likely couldn’t be bothered much with anything else to do with the map. It’s only cheating if you start going mental with Photoshop.
2. Let people know about your map
a Spread the news
You probably want to hit 3 types of sites to post news:
Splashdamage
Most crucial is to post on the Splashdamage forum, mostly because they made ET and many mappers, most newsposters and a fair chunk of players will find out about you map there. Give links to the web page, download links, and one or two teaser images.
News Sites
Don’t be afraid to email relevant news sites, many have a “submit news” or similar email link for just that purpose. I’d probably only bother with this for final versions or another release of an already popular map though. Be sure to include something for newsposter to talk about, even if it’s just very quick info and link to the info page that has something to quote. A nice touch is to add a direct download link, which will help the newsposter mirror the file - if you don’t want this link to be given out just say so and it wont be. If you like, give them a direct link, request it not to be given publicly and say you’ll take it down in 2/3 days. Keep in mind that the easier you make it for a newsposter to post about your map, the more likely you will get the desired publicity. This means attention to detail for screenshot selection, spelling, and clarity in your write up.
Community Sites
You can also hit the community sites relevant to your map. If you’re making a competition map, then ETNation, Jolt, X-Fire, and ET-Center are good places to start. If it’s a pub map, then find a couple of gaming communities that are friendly to new pub maps and post there. As a mapper, it also helps to focus on a couple of key server communities where the server admin/community is willing to help beta test and run your map in the rotation.
Places to submit maps/map news:
www.jolt.co.uk (news)
www.planetwolfenstein.com (news)
www.rtcwfiles.com (maps)
www.enemy-territory.com (news)
www.pcgamemods (maps)
www.etmaps.de (maps)
www.etnation.co.uk (news)
www.xfire.be (news)
www.gamesarena.com (news)
3. Spend a little Extra time jazzing up your news release
Some nice extras you can do include having a demo exploring the map, highlighting gameplay and what players are to do. You can do similar with a video, also including bits of some action that went on during testing - which again shows some proper testing actually took place, and that the architect appreciates gameplay. Spending some time putting together a good walk thru can help out too. Hiroshima volunteered to help me write a ‘comic book-like’ walk thru for Rommel, complete with annotated command map and numbered screenshots.
Don’t go over the top with these things though, and try to keep size down - few will bother with a 100 mb vid for a 10 mb map. I’m unsure whether to bother including the demo in the map’s .zip or only include link on info web page, up to you - though certainly don’t if it adds more than say 1 mb to the .zip.
4. Conclusion
You spent a hell of a lot of time making the map, and even more learning your mapping skills. It’s worth spending a couple of extra minutes to help people realize they want to play it.
