I prefer big fat and complex funky start maps (even with tits), if they have some game in it, like traps, mystery, a few dogs and zombies to bang in the arse, and some puzzles to solve.

Good start maps are not for pussy grabbers. 

And why do you have to stick to old style ID soft boring start maps ? Make it a full level with 500 zombies and dogs, moving geometries and traps, and many "exits" (to other maps). 

injecting gameplay in a start map is that you'll have to replay it every single time you finish a map. 

Reprimanding Skacky for making a start map for a jam seems a little silly. I've always wondered why participants didn't use trigger_nextlevel in map Jams pointing to the next level. It falls on the admin of the jam to deal with I know... This a better alternative but long overdue. 

Is the start map name for linking i the trigger_changelevel? 

@Mugwump

well, that's the whole point ! Make the startmap gameplay such that it's never the same each time you replay the start map. Traps could reconfigure, puzzles could reset in new ways, and the monsters could be redistributed randomly.

The map geometry could even change (rotating plateforms and gears).

And more easily, the paths to each exit (i.e to other maps teleporter) isn't the same :

The first time you go to exit 1, you'll have to beat the zombies walking their dog. The next time you replay the startmap to go to map 2, you'll have to find another room, with a shambler waiting for your balls to snack. To find exit #3, you'll get to go down, trigger a button that launches a swarm of 600 scrags on your ass, etc.

Start maps are just in need of imagination ! 

The start map is simply start.bsp
The start map doesn't have any monsters. 

That would be a hell of triggers! Interesting idea, though I doubt it would be suitable in the context of a jam with a deadline. It would fit more within a story-driven episode. 

Scampie your horrible true colors are showing again, and they are all shades of GREEN.

Contract Revoked is a great example of a start map that sets the tone of the episode and gives the player something else to do than to simply find an exit. Chapters had an excellent start map, which cleverly showcased the possibilites of pre-release Quoth, looked amazing, and allowed for the mod to be a proper anthology episode with a start and an ending, different from all previous mapping competitions at the time.

This start map is a tribute to both of those, and to Kell's outstanding craftsmanship in general, given it's 15 years since Contract was released. You failing to recognise that reflects much more on you than it does on skacky's alleged dickwaving (nice projecting, btw).

menus fucking suck when you have to spend any amount of time navigating it trying to find the map you want to enter and it means people can accidentally miss maps.

But I remember you saying that Dapak was perfect in every single way? Which is it Sean?!?

Your complaining about generic copy pasted arches was very rich coming from you, given how your most popular release to date is a remake of E1M5 (wow, never seen that before), co-created with Lunaran (because you ran out of interest in the middle of making it - truly the mark of a passionate designer), and also featuring lots of arches (I'm sure they were all unique, and made from scratch, right?).

skacky's start map is a display of appreciation for Kell's work, drive and passion for mapping, and ability to map quickly, none of which are qualities that can be assigned to you.

Leave being a poisonous non-person to the jams I organise, Scampie.

PS We all know that if this was a sock map you would keep sucking his dick, like you're now immortalized for doing so. 

Start map is
+relaxation zone
+memorable (appreciation towards the kell)

Impatient users can type map name into the console, if that is so big deal. 

should be its own full map, seems like a waste of a cool layout for a start map. 

It was never conceived as a regular map. 

I like the look of that start map, it doesn't seem confusing to find portals, just big. Which makes sense since there's a lot of entries. 

I never thought that people would be up in arms over a start map being too big. 

so much ado about , you know

skacky, don't listen to anybody and just release your map 

of getting all up in arms about pretty much anything around here... 

Skacky can fill it with monsters as a separate release later if he really wants to. As it is, on with mapping.

I came up with a concept last night. Name is "Foucalt Vaults" (the player is like a pendulum going back and forth across a chasm-like tower/hall). Bsp name jam9_qmaster.

I have some custom textures that build on the knave set. Skacky, I can upload them here if you want to use them for any features around the entrance in the start map? The metal bits I'm using as a sort of foundation/drainage underneath the classic knave brick portion. 

FoucaUlt Vaults 

Like the concept Qmaster! 

Along with some Funeral Doom. Starts in fifteen minutes.

https://www.twitch.tv/ionous 

Sure, upload them. I'll see what I can do with them and they also may be useful to other people. 

@skacky my map will be called 'Delusions of Grandeur' and its file name - j9dbear.bsp That is assuming I can manage to finish it on time :)

Am I correct assuming that level exit should lead to start.bsp?

Some progress http://i.imgur.com/mBJMJsm.jpg 

Yes, all map exits should lead to start.bsp. Your map filename should also be jam9_yourname.bsp for convenience's sake. Organizers can rename it later but it's better if the map already has the correct filename. 

 

By convention, jam map names follow this template: jamX_mappername, so in this case yours should be jam9_dbear.