Team Fortress 2 Design Theory

What makes a good Team Fortress 2 map? What does it need? How should it work? Designing and producing a map is difficult, but designing a balanced, exciting TF2 map is even more challenging. This article is a brief overview of TF2 map design and covers some of the different design aspects and features a mapper should consider before attempting to create a TF2 map. None of these aspects are set in stone but they are based on the experiences of established mappers and will help you create enjoyable maps for yourself and your friends.

Related articles:

• Team Fortress 2
• What makes a good level?
• Optimization (level design)

How TF2 works

TF2 is a highly diversified multiplayer game. Part of TF2's extraordinary gameplay comes from its well designed maps which accommodate all of the player classes equally. Understanding the gameplay is easy but creating a high quality map takes some thorough planning and design. The main points you want to consider are:

• The map needs to be optimized, fast, and fun to play. The map should be able to run on a 24/7 server without it getting boring after the third time played.

• The map needs to accommodate all classes within TF2. Each class must have a purposeful use in the map.

• The map should be built around gameplay. The true beauty of a map lies not in minute details but in well-balanced play.

The first step in creating a TF2 map is choosing the style of gameplay you want. There are three styles of gameplay in TF2- Capture The Flag (CTF), Capture Points (CP), and Territorial Control (TC). Each style has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

CTF - Capture The Flag

2fort's Blue entrance.

2fort's Red entrance.

In CTF, each team has a "flag", represented by an intelligence briefcase, and a capture point. Players on each team must pick up the enemy's flag and return it to their own capture point. It is common for the flag points and capture points to be located in the same place but they don't have to be. Separating the flag and capture points can create interesting map designs where the teams have two areas to attack and defend. This creates many "jobs" for the players so, it's generally a good idea to use larger maps in this case. The easiest way to make a CTF map is to build the basic layout for half of your map, create a copy and rotate the copy 180 degrees and merge them face to face. Then you can customize and re-texture it to your liking.

CTF tends to be the easiest style of gameplay to design maps for. CTF maps are generally small and symmetrical in layout. ctf_2fort is a prime example of this. It consists of two bases directly opposite one another, each with the same internal layout. The only difference is the decor. The pictures on the right show how both sides look very different from one another even though their layouts are the same. Symmetrical maps are generally chosen to keep the sides even in a way that's easy for the map developer.

If you choose to make a non-symmetrical map, you have to make sure no unfair advantages is given to either team. It should take fairly the same amount of time and effort for either team to defend and capture. Having to make a long journey to and from the enemy flag can make a map very boring very quickly. It's recommended that you keep map sizes to a minimum and include lots of obstacles and alternate routes to keep it interesting.

Advantages

• Design is generally easier than the other two gameplay styles.
• Map design can be simplified using symmetry between the two sides.

Disadvantages

• Non-symmetric maps can be very difficult to balance. Maintaining evenness and avoiding giving one side an advantage can take a long time during the design process.
• With a symmetric design, any changes you make to the layout of one side have to be duplicated on the other side.

CP - Capture Point(s)

Maps featuring CP gameplay: cp_well, cp_dustbowl, cp_granary, cp_gravelpit

The outside area of the first CP.

The Inside of the CP, fenced in by walls, with few doors leading inside.

The Outside of CP2 within the same Round Area as the above image.

The inside of CP2, the above Image shown.

The Final CP, notice the way the Geometry shapes around it.

Middle CP in cp_granary.

CP style maps are much more difficult to make than CTF maps. They need to be larger to provide more room for gameplay. For that reason alone, not too many CP maps are well thought out.

CP maps tend to have two or more control points. Take cp_dustbowl for instance. It contains over 6 Points. The Blue team must fight their way through several maps to reach the last point which is a rocket launch pad on the Red side. On most CP maps, Red tends to be the defending side while Blu is on the offensive. That's optional though. Control points tend to have large areas around them to accommodate the capture point itself and plenty of offense and defense elements. The best design approach for CP maps is to combine good defense points with vulnerabilities that compliment the offensive classes of the enemy team. Include places around the capture points where classes like the Engineer can build sentries and create other areas where classes like the Demoman can take advantage. Likewise, you want to include places for Snipers and lots of alternate routes for Spies and Scouts.

The great thing about CP games is that they don't have to have symmetrical maps. They can even span accross several different maps. Because of this, there are two general types of maps for CP- "round" maps and "linear" maps.

Round Maps

Referenced: cp_dustbowl

"Round" maps are broken up into several "rounds" with each round taking place in a separate map. A good example would be cp_dustbowl. In the first round, the Blu team takes control of two points in the first map and the round ends. The next round begins in a different map which shares some of the same geometry as the first map. It's common for "round" maps to have inaccessible areas that share geometry with other maps to give the impression that these areas are adjacent to each other.

The first image on the right shows how the geometry around a control point effects the gameplay. It has many class specific features like the Scout being able to jump over the gap and the Soldier being able to rocket jump to certain areas around the control point.

In the Second Image, the first control point is contained in a small room. Not only is it harder to defend, its more cramped inside making rocket and grenade splash damage more effective.

The final capture point is very large and open. The area has much more room for defense and larger waves of players on the Blu team can attack. The control point areas in cp_dustbowl get larger and the paths between them get narrower as the game progresses.

Advantages of Round Maps

• Allows more detail in each map.
• Easier to optimize and more compact than linear maps.

Disadvantages

• Larger than most maps- around the same size as a TC map.
• Harder to layout.

Linear

Referenced Maps: cp_well, cp_granary

"Linear" CP maps differ from round CP maps in that the capture points are all in the same map and tend to be arrange in a straight line. cp_well is a great example for this type of map, as well as cp_granary. Both teams attack and defend rather than one or the other. Both teams being with two points while the middle point is neutral. Basically, whichever team gets the middle is winning the game. An interesting point about "linear" maps is that don't have to actually be linear at all. Height is a factor in these maps and this is another class specific design feature that aids in who can own the middle. Notice also that this map is symmetrical much like a CTF map.

With both of these map types in CP, you have many options, as well as the non-included, cp_gravelpit. This map is a bit of both and focuses on Red defending and Blue attacking.

TC - Territorial Control

A inner CP, currently occupied by Blue. Can also be occupied by Red at other points in the match.

A outer CP, raised up inside of a Radar dish. Height becomes an issue for capping and defending.

A Transition area from one point to the next.

Maps Featuring TC Gameplay: tc_hydro

TC is a new gameplay type in TF2 and is different from other gameplay types. Because of the difference in design philosophy, there hasn't been very many custom TC maps developed. TC is similar to CP in the sense that it is a round-based version of CP. Each team must try to get the opposite team's capture point and win the round. Once the round has been won, a new round begins with a new set of capture points. If no team captures the opposing team's point by the end of the round, a "sudden death" round is activated to break the stalemate. Once a team gets pushed back to it's last capture point, that team no longer has the option to attack and must defend. Sadly, the only good example of this type of gameplay is tc_hydro. Because the ownership of each capture point can vary throughout the game, TC maps tend to be mostly of neutral colors. Gray and White are usually predominate.

Something thats noticeable in any CP map is the height of a capture point. Raised areas tend to only be easily accessible for certain classes like the Scout, Demoman or Soldier. Lower areas are easily accessible by any class and can result in hard-to-defend sections. Use care when factoring in height with your map routes, as it can give an advantage to one team in a particular section.

Advantages

• Many users consider TC maps more fun due to the increased complexity over the relatively simple CP map design.
• There are barely any TC maps being made, so yours won't get drowned out in a sea of crappy maps :)

Disadvantages

• TC maps tend to be big in size. As a result, optimization can be tricky and and it can be difficult to manage a large map design.
• Areas are only distinctly colored at the opposite ends of each map. This limits texture selection and can make it difficult to design a visually distinctive map.

Getting Down a Layout

File:Ctf unknown schets.png

A Basic overhead layout of a map, from an Author on the VDC.

Once you decide what style of Gameplay you want, you need to layout the map. It's a good idea to hand draw a basic top-down sketch of your map on a large piece of graph paper. That will make it really easy to create in Hammer before you have to worry about all the little details. You might ask why you should draw a sketch? Well, a sketch will help you shape the basic geometry of your map with starting points, buildings, paths and other basic stuff. After this the details are much easier. Once you get a layout you like, whether it be in Hammer or on paper, start mapping!

Basic Elements of a TF2 Map

A map is built from basic geometric elements. Some tutorials cover the creation of these elements. If maps are the complex molecules, the elemets are the atoms. The covered topics include:

• Respawn Areas
• Resupply Areas
• Control Points

Other tutorials approach the explanations in a different way. The following tutorials are in-depth explanations of the creation of certain elements and goal systems:

• Spawnrooms
• Attack/Defense Gamemode
• Capture the Flag

Where To Go From Here

At this point, you might have a bit of your map created and some things laying around in it. Something you should now focus on is "Geometry in Steps".

Design Before Detail

Design Before Detail is a phrase often used to explain how a proper map, in any game, should be created. The mapper should look at the overall design of rooms, areas, and connecting hallways before adding detail. The problem with a lot of new mappers is that they have put so much detail into one part of the map, and then the rest is filler. A sign of a good, experienced mapper is the feel of great connectivity with controlled choke-points.

Maps should also have specific areas. Name an area in the map that players can immediately identify with: The red bridge, the red courtyard, the blue basement.

Factors

Certain factors effect gameplay by making it more or less difficult to defend or attack an area. A list of factors available to mappers are:

• Height
• Surrounding Geometry
• Class Specific features

Height is probably the most important factor in most maps. A good example would be the dish control Point in "cp_hydro". A good example of surrounding geometry would be the first control point in Dustbowl. While class specific features are hard to sum up, a good example wood be the top of the radar dish housing as only Demomen and Soldiers can reach it.

Note: All of the following can be done in any order.

Flags

A small flag point.

Flag points tend to be small, indoors and located in a wall or corner of a small room. Defense and offense is pretty straightforward. In most cases, Demomen and Engineers make the best flag defenders. However, locating the capture point on a ledge or in a pit or a room with an open window where it is in plain view of enemy Snipers but out of range of other classes will completely alter the gameplay.

Control Points

Notice how the doorways and the clutter of the control point area makes it hard to defend but easy to attack as grenades and rockets can do a lot of damage in here.

The factors of a CP map are different than the factors of a CTF map because of the differences in how the points work. Looking at a map like cp_dustbowl you can see how the factors increase as you progress. The first capture point is sheltered and there are only two entrances- one facing the Blu team and the other facing the Red team. Theres a balcony on the second story of the building so height is also a factor. Sentry placement is difficult for an engineer and players tend to place their sentries on the staircase overlooking the control point. This is why it's better to shape geometry around the goal.

Class Specific

It's always cool to have places that give each of the different classes an advantage but these places need to have their vulnerabilities as well.

Height

The Demoman and Soldier can reach the area, above Point B, in cp_gravelpit.

You can tell that no health or ammo spawns on the roof. That's the disadvantage.

Notice the shack on the left adds a height factor. Scouts can reach it.

Height is always an option for classes like the Scout, Demoman, and Soldier. Check this out to learn more about the height ratios.

In the images on the right, you can see how each area on the roof has a total overview of the area surrounding Point B in cp_gravelpit. The balance in this area is the fact that there are no ammo or health pickups. The player has to come back down to get them and they loose health for pipe jumping or rocket jumping back up there.

Elevated places give players a lot of choices. If there are many paths leading to a goal, elevated areas can be used for offense or defense. Sometimes spawnrooms are elevated so that only certain classes can return after they've left. In a map like cp_gravelpit, each point has elevated areas around it. It's mainly a height oriented map.

Surrounding Geometry

Surrounding geometry can make an area easy to attack or easy to defend, depending on how it is implemented. A good example of surrounding geometry is cp_dustbowl's final capture point. It's very wide and this gives the defenders plenty of room to fence in the attackers who are forced to approach along a vary narrow path. However, there are a couple of elevated places to the left and right of the point and there is a tunnel, often referred to as the sewer, that leads to the trench beneath the overpass in front of the control point. These places give the attacking team a much better chance of defeating the defending team.

Constructing the Gameplay Area

A Player Clip that prevents the player from getting stuck on props.

The gameplay area is the entire area of your map where players will be allowed to go. Although there might be a lot of different heights within your maps, things like Player clips, and such will keep players from going where they're not supposed to go. Because of the Soldier and Demoman's blast-jumping abilities, players can climb most structures in Team Fortress 2. There are a few instances where you may wish to prevent this.

You can deny players access to particular areas by creating a brush with the Player Clip texture to prevent players from entering areas where they should not be allowed. Any brush with the player clip texture will act as an invisible wall or barrier. Players will not be able to pass through it. You should use player clips to assist in creating the map's internal structure. No player will enjoy being denied access to an area they were expecting to be able to enter in a hasty retreat. In the default TF2 maps, clipping is commonly used to prevent the player from getting stuck on any prop or detail that might be in their way.

Placement Tip: Clipping works great in all areas, but be sure to use the right one! Player clips are useful for areas where players shouldn't be, and Clips are useful for areas where nothing, including physics props, should be placed or built.

One of the most important aspects of clipping is that it aides in smoothing out the gameplay. It can also control the players' movements in a way, though that tends to be far more complex and unnecessary. To elaborate, you might be wondering why player clips are necessary. What parts of your gameplay will they affect? Remember, they keep players from going into restricted or "off-limits" areas. They can create the boundaries for the map itself. Think of the map cp_dustbowl, for instance. The map has few areas where it would seem to a player as if they would be able to jump over a particular fence, or get on top of a certain roof. These areas are clipped off to disallow players to reach them. This is a prime example of controlling the areas of conflict in a particular map, and making sure that the conflict between players is well-contained. Of course, that does not mean whether or not clipping certain things is necessarily bad, but areas of clipping should be placed based on how players respond to certain environments and visual cues. One thing to consider is that there should be a clear focus to a goal within the area. For example, a player might look at hardly anything except the goal at times, and therefore would travel straight to it. However, the threats surrounding the goal, also do their job to affect the outcome. It's important to create streamlined areas in your map, and keep the focus on several particular goals, rather than having a player worry about ten different roofs at the same time.

Adding in Detail

While any mapper will tell you detail is great to have, it's not very useful in Multiplayer maps, and for a sole reason. That's not too say that it is bad to detail a map with props, etc, but instead things like this, can create obstacles, and believe it or not, can also detract from concentration to the players rather than the environment. However this is something more of a topic that's deeper than this tutorial, and has been discussed quite a lot of the Internet. However the basic premise is: Use objects, and visual hints to aid the player to their goal, rather then confuse them. In TF2, players tend to see many arrows, or signs pointing towards the proper direction. While most Multiplayer games don't have these things, the art style of TF2 allows for it, and although funny, its okay to point the player to the Goal, even if its right around the corner. Just of course don't have signs in every single turn! For now though, you should pretty much get into finishing up a map, or more or less working on it, also on a side note, clipping can very well be combined with detail, to control the gameplay, which is the best way to explain control overall. Next is finishing up a map and sending it out to servers.