Team Fortress 2 Design Theory
Team Fortress 2 is a highly diversified multiplayer game, and well-designed maps that accommodate all of the player classes equally are critically important to it. Unfortunately while understanding how the game plays is one thing, creating a quality map that compliments its mechanics is quite another.
- Your map needs to be fast and fun to play on. The best maps can run on a 24/7 server without getting boring even after the second or third reload.
- Your map needs to accommodate every class. If a class isn't useful, players who prefer it will simply disconnect when your work comes up in a server's rotation.
- Your map should be designed, not simply constructed. If all you are doing is re-creating the surface appearance of another map, you're highly unlikely to create something worth playing in its own right.
The first step in creating a TF2 map is choosing a gametype. TF2 supports three:
CTF - Capture The Flag
In CTF, each team has a "flag", an intelligence briefcase, and a capture point. Players need to take the enemy's intelligence back 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.
CTF tends to be the easiest style of gameplay to design maps for, as its maps are generally small and symmetrical in layout. ctf_2fort is the classic example of this: it consists of two bases directly opposite one another, each with the same layout. The only difference between them is 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.
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. 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 roughly the same amount of time and effort for either team to defend or to capture.
Having to make a long journey to and from the enemy flag can make a map very boring very quickly, so 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 and time-consuming to balance.
- With a symmetric design, any changes you make to the layout of one side have to be duplicated on the other side.
CP - Control Point(s)
Control Point maps require players to capture at least one instance of their namesake from the enemy team. The precise mechanic that leads to a team's victory is up to you, but it usually involves one team capturing all of the CPs on a map, with the last one being the closest to the enemy's spawn.
There are two ways of handling this:
Assault
Assault maps cast one team as the attacker (in Valve's maps, always Blue) and the other as the defender. Once a control point in an assault map is captured it is locked to prevent the defenders from pushing back, and the attackers win the match by capturing all of them.
cp_dustbowl and cp_gravelpit are the prime examples of this map type. There is no symmetry in these maps, and most points are designed to be easier for one team to control than the other - normally so that the attackers have a harder time as they push further in. For example the control point areas in Dustbowl get larger and the paths between them get narrower as the game progresses.
Control points and their surroundings are best designed to give each one a different flavor during play. Provide opportunities for each class to achieve something the others can't: sentry spots for Engineers, open windows for Demos, high-up platforms for Soldier/Demos, less-travelled alternative routes for Spies, a series of high pillars for a Scout to jump between, and so on. The interplay of these elements defines each area's character.
An assault map can (and if it's long enough should) be split into rounds. This simply means creating several distinct areas, and once the CPs in one have been captured resetting everyone and starting a new round in the next. It's a good idea to overlap the start and end of each area to give a sense of continuity: note how Valve always give attackers the defenders' last spawn room for their own.
- Advantages
- More variety
- Sense of progress
- Better control of pacing
- Disadvantages
- Much more work
- Much harder to balance
Symmetric
Symmetric maps allow either team to attack or defend as they please, and are won when one or the other holds all every point. cp_well and cp_granary are the best examples. In them, both teams begin with the two points on their side of the map and start by fighting over the neutral middle point. Since the maps are symmetrical, whichever team holds the middle point is generally winning the game.
Traditionally, only two points are ever unlocked in symmetric maps. This focuses the fight in one area and allows players to concentrate on the matter at hand, without worrying that a pesky scout has slipped past them and is going to take an undefended point far behind their lines.
- Advantages
- Symmetry effectively halves your work
- Disadvantages
- Only really popular in competitive play
TC - Territorial Control
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
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:
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:
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
- 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
- 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 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. There's 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
- 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 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 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 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
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.