Team Fortress 2 Mapping Tutorial and Reference

This tutorial or reference will show you how to make a great map. I will first talk
about the layout of the map, later about the TF2 style and how to finish your map with
some details that dont affect gameplay but the player that runs trough your map will feel
that it has something extra.
So, lets get started than Take some chips, put some music on and read on. I hope I can
help you with how I think you should make fantastic maps.
1. Overview of game types.
So, in Team Fortress there are ! game types" cp, ctf and tc. I hope you ha#e
played the original #al#e maps and you should know what stands for what. $ecide what
game type you want and be aware that e#ery game type has a different approach.
%ust a &uick o#er#iew of how I think e#ery game type should be like"
'. cp ( control point.
These maps can be &uite )big* in my opinion. +ut dont make them too big
so people get tired running from their base to another control point when the
engineers are too la,y to make teleporters. Think of that.
-reat #al#e maps for example" cp.dustbowl and cp.gra#elpit.
2. ctf ( capture the flag
$ont /0/1 make ctf maps big. 2ou ha#e to run back to your base when
you ha#e captured the intelligence. -ood example is ctf.2fort. 3 #ery small map
actually but with great connection to the intelligence it looks bigger.
!. tc ( total control
If you want to make a tc map, you make ! maps or more in ' 4I ignore
cp.dustbowl here atm5. The #al#e map, tc.hydro, changes the layout of the map
after each capture so you cant predict what map youre going to play.
6ade a decision7 -reat 8ets mo#e on to the next step. The most important one.
2. Map layout
2es indeed $ont start hammer first, but instead take a paper and pencil 4or start
photoshop5 and draw the layout of your map. This is already #ery important, because
this will be your base you rely on after this phase has passed. 6ake more than ' sketch,
9ust draw cra,y designs and e#entually think of a setting that will fit the layout of your
map. 1emember the si,e of your map. 2ou dont want people complaining that its too
big right7
$efinitely, you are going to come up with a superb drawing that looks like it will work in
TF2. It doesnt ha#e to be final, I change sometimes stuff to, make places smaller, add
corridors etc. 3lso, if you ha#e an idea suddenly when you were daydreaming about your
map and you come up with something great, write it down so you cant forget it
:ow, Ill gi#e an example of how I made the drawing of my map Im working on.
I scanned the original drawing and later I made some changes in photoshop and cleaned
it up, and I added some notes to it too.
This is from my de.bioshock le#el that I ne#er finished, and I ha#ent scanned in my TF2
map drawing yet, sorry for that.
3lso you could make some ;artwork of your map if you ha#e it in mind and try to make a
picture of it. Imagine, draw, and hammer it later. Thats how I like to do it.
I 9ust want to point to the most played le#el in the world< and that is counterstrike its
de.dust2. This would not work in TF2 but if you know the map try to analy,e the map
why it is so good in counterstrike and think of things that can make your map as good as
de.dust2 but remember TF2, its style and classes.
=hen you are this far, we can start hammer, but first I want you to read this.
3. TF2 Tetures and style
If you ha#ent noticed, TF2 is not realistic. Its not >ounterstrike or ?alf@8ife. It is
TF2. I cant explain more than here in this #ideo" http"AAwww.youtube.comAwatch7
#BsIikw$bCT>I
This #ideo is a 6DST for e#ery TF2 mapper< Im not going to explain all this again.
Ene thing Id like to point you at is the textures. 0al#e didnt use any reference when
they were making their textures. They started photoshop 4yes they use it too5 and
painted their textures from scratch without looking at real materials. =hats so important
about all this7 This is how #al#e remained the o#erall style of the game. Ill write down
what I#e notated when I was at the -$> in 8yon 2FFG.
R!" T!#M$ %arm colours& natural materials& angular geometry.
'()! T!#M$ *old colours& industrial& orthogonal geometry.
Tetures$ +mpressionistic& ,ut the material is clear.
(ights$ -!.!R too dark& always an am,ient light.
This is SE I6HE1T3:T that you ha#e to read this ! times. This is what TF2 is all about.
I think I made it clear to you now that youre not going to make a >ounterstrike map.
Im going to stop talking about this topic now, I hope you get it. 8ets do some more
boring work +ut lets start hammer.
3. 'lock your map out
This step is important, like any step actually, but basically its this"
In hammer, place blocks for the basic layout of your map. 6ake a floor, walls and maybe
a roof. This is to get the dimensions right, so you dont see surprises when you run
trough it about proportions that are not right 4doorposts too low etcI5
Dse the player start entity as reference. There are some good dimensions about stairs,
slopes and doorposts on the net or download the decompiled original #al#e maps.
Some rules you ha#e to follow"
Dse 2 textures, the orange wall texture for all 0/1TI>38 surfaces, the gray floor texture
for hori,ontal surfaces, floors and ceilings. 2es, only 2, no Im not cra,y "5
:ET/" These are the famous texture maps you see in counterstrike 4aim.ag.texture 2
for example5. This is the prototype of your map. Too bad some people already make
these for TF2 too.
3dd some simple lights so you can see where you run and how some shadows fall from
your en#.light and test, test, test.
/. Testing for the first time.
?ow I tested my block prototype of my map" had to keep in mind some things. 4Im
making a cp. map with setup time5
'. JF seconds, how fast can an engineer reach the control point, set up sentry guns
and upgrade them to step 2 or e#en !, dispensers and teleporters7 >an a hea#y
reach the spot in time7 >an a demoman place stickys in time7
2. 1ocket9umps. 2ou know what this is right7 Keep in mind that players can reach
places you ne#er thought of being able to reach. >ertainly with the pipe9ump of
the demoman, if he shoots 2 sticky bombs and launches himself you can get 0/12
high. 4In cp.well you can look out o#er the map with this 9umpI I think #al#e
didnt think of that5
2ou can sol#e this with some player clip brushes that block the player. +ut do it
subtle so players dont bash their heads in in#isible walls and so on.
!. Test with some mates, the more the better. 8ook what works and what doesnt
work, is there co#er enough, is it fun, and has e#ery class as much ad#antage as
the other class7 $oes the map ha#e a good flow 4do players know where they
ha#e to go directly57 3 good map is where players fight with the players, not with
the map.
So, you could say if you ha#e done this, your map is finished 2ou made a map that plays
great, e#erybody en9oys it, its balanced, exciting and ne#er is 2 times the same.
+ut, it looks ugly of course. Enly 2 textures, lets change that
0.Teturing the ,locks.
3hh, finally, we can add some colour, area by area, do this with patience and
dont rush this. >hoose your textures wisely, read step 2 again and again until you are
bored of it "5 Its 1ed #s. +lue and not green and yellow and black or something. 2
colours dominate the en#ironment. 3 player should feel in what part of the map he is by
the textures. If hes home or in enemy territory.
3nd, dont use ?alf@8ife 2 Textures. I know they are in the texture pack 4I ha#e :E idea
why #al#e did this5 but only use TF2 textures. 2ou should be able to see the difference. If
not, stop mapping you dont get the point than <5
Ef course add some more blocks too for details some things to make it more
natural, add some props here and there 4dont place them random They should blend in
the background when you pass them, but they are there, you feel it, it gi#es something
extra to the map remember75
6ake displacements for the ground to gi#e it a more natural look, and the rocks 4because
rocks are not flat "5
:ET/" $isplacements are #ery hard. 2ou are going to ha#e to put some time in this, its
boring work and they are hard to paint how you want them, it takes practice and
patience, but when you get them right you will be happy you#e gone trough this.
1. "etails
If you are going to upload your map later to a website you will ha#e to post
screenshots. 3nd from what people see on the screenshots makes them interested in
downloading the map and play it. :o details B boring map B no players B wasted time.
Its simple. +ut why dont ha#e a lot of maps it7 Its not e#en hard to do. %ust think twice
when you pass a room and ask yourself" what if I cut a little bit out here and add a fence
with 9unk behind it7 There are many more possibilities to make something more
interesting.
8ook at these screenshots that illustrate all this.
2.3" 3ky,o
3 !$ skybox is needed for this" >reate the illusion the player is running in a bigger world
than 9ust the skybox he is running in. ?ow7 >reate a fence instead of a wall and add
trees behind them4in the skybox5 and there are so much more examples. 8ook at #al#e
maps. $ont make your map claustrophobic. It has to breathe, feel open. /#en indoor
locations 4windowsI5
4.5oing '!T#.
Finally Eh finally you can release your map 6ake sure e#erything custom you
made 4models, textures,I5 is bsp,ipped before you distribute the map. Dpload the map
to, for example, fpsbanana.com and wait the reactions. Ef course, if you ha#e done
e#erything right, your map should be hitting the TF2 community as a bomb. So admins
ha#e your beta on their ser#er, people en9oy it, yell best map e#er, something fresh,
new, and thanI they find glitches, gi#e recommendations and ha#e re&uestsI
6.5oing final.
8isten to what your public tells you, but dont do e#erything they ask. Fix the
glitches, grant some re&uests 4mo#e that a bit more to the left, mo#e this to there, make
some /aster eggs o.E 4dont do that, its silly "p 5 5.
>ompile for the last time. 2ou are probably thinking" )Im ne#er going to map again* but
first, release your final. 3nd look how the people en9oy your map. Isnt it a fantastic
feeling7 /#ery person has the piece of art you made on their hard disk, e#ery ser#er has
it in their rotation and here and there are some 2LAG ser#ers of your map.
Thats why you ha#e done it. That feeling "5
:ow how long ha#e you been busy7 Hrobably a few months. -ood maps are not build in
weeks, but in years. It depends on how many hours you map off course. Some days go
better than other days and sometimes you need a rest. +ut thats it. 2ou finished it.
The !nd.
I hope I#e learned you something. Im not the best mapper in the world but I#e
spent a lot of hours in hammer, and made a few maps. The way of building up your map
step by step is how #al#e does it and how e#ery le#el designer does it. Some things in
this document are personal opinion but most of it is a fact.
Reference.
?ere are some good links that can help you with your mapping skills.
#,out me.
6y name is %eroen $essaux, I li#e in +elgium and I study $igital 3rts and
/ntertainment 4Kortri9k, +elgium5. I hope that one day I can be a le#el designerAconcept
artistAen#ironment artist for a game de#eloper and I can help to create great games and
maps for it. 3t the moment TF2 is the game that Im interested in, before that it was
counterstrike" source. Too bad I dont ha#e much time left to play the game itself
actually
Hortfolio !$A>oncept 3rtA6aps @ http"AA9eroendessaux.be
>ontact me ( snipergenMhotmail.com
:ote" Hlease dont send me &uestions about how to make a brush in hammer or make
custom models and textures. There are enough tutorials out there already.
Thanks for reading,
%eroen $essaux