http://rickyt23.com/assets/images/e2m1rq_cocksize.jpg 

zomggg so many good stuff....

I WANT THEN! 

I think you might reach a bigger audience with smaller more accessible maps. I know I haven't played Arcanum etc because I can't be bothered with the custom engines and that. But this is just my theory though. And of course there are big masterpiece maps as well...

Of course you can argue "evolve or die", but I already liked Quake the way it was. 

if this was the aim then people wouldn't be choosing quake in the first place ;)

people will make what they like. i tend to prefer large sprawling epics so will naturally lean that way when it comes to mapping. i enjoy smaller ones too but generally if i've put hundreds of hours into something i'd rather it at least offer a decent playtime & memorable challenge in return.. small maps i generally tend to play once and forget about (with the exception of oldies that have nostalgia attached to them) 

i think it'd be more accurate to say that smaller maps would be more beneficial for the community because a larger number of releases would likely inspire other people (who may not be mappers yet) to get started on something.
large epics create an artificial barrier to mapping because it makes them feel like this is some kind of requirement or thing to aspire to which it totally isn't. 

I prefer a smaller map pack, like mini-episode. And those are all definitely memorable, instead of one huge sprawing map where you have to cut things out to get it to compile. Not to mention the hassle of it. From a mapping perspective, I always found it much more enjoyable making 2-3 small maps instead of struggling with a big one. 

I like getting lost in massive worlds. 

check out the very nice looking screens in this upcoming episode (you will need to scroll down the page):

http://www.tfuture.org/phobos/ 

look impressive 

those d3 shots look fantastic! 

might just have to reinstall d3 when that is released! 

Can't have too much doom3. 

It depends.

Basically, rj is right - people will make what they like. If you have the detail to make a huge map look interesting, and the engine to run it, and these days we have both, so - why not.

Small maps are still easier to detail though. And it's easier to keep the action up in small maps because people don't have to walk far from hotspot to hotspot. And those 65k vertices are a hard limit. For now.

I don't think that big is automatically better, but most people seem generally more impressed when something is physically big. *g*

The downside to huge maps is that you'll have a lot of running around just to get from A to B, which is sort of boring, so you're tempted to put 500 monsters in to keep the action up. And that's a downward spiral...

Plus shamblers look puny in front of some mega-architecture. 

Plus shamblers look puny in front of some mega-architecture.

actually, i love that. when the architecture dwarfs everything. 

simple solution, make bigger shamblers. Fuckin n00bs. 

hmmmmmm...

actually, i think a starving shambler that can't shoot lightning and charges you like a maniac would be wild. 

That's large alright, although from that angle it doesn't look THAT extreme. It's probably hiding a good chunk of the map considering you once posted a shot showing a 400+ monstercount. Or excessively detailed?

Ricky, is that the same e2m1rmx I've played a couple of months ago? That was huge already. Considering rj's maps as well, is your E2 aiming at one hour playtime per map or something? 

Yet!!!! No seriously though - it's quite a fast map to play, there are lots of low-level enemies to kill and lots of exploring. I had filled with with shamblers and vores, but I've just replaced them all with grunts and enforcers, and the map is better for it. It's the first map of an episode, so I couldn't make it too hard. 

for that Doom 3 episode, six complete to beta-ish stage according to the site. 

...Those D3 shots are gorgeous! Some of them are kinda overtextured (in variety) though...

And, for the Quake part, in my book episodes rule over spawling maps.

But, if someone fells like coming up with an episode of sprawling maps, I won't back down. 

Another mod with ridiculously high goals and ambitions which is not even 1/3 of the way done after 2 years. Unless they're huge, 6 maps isn't much for an entire team, so even though they're only planning on 2 more (instead of another 18) I wouldn't hold high hopes of it ever being released. Looks pretty awesome though nonetheless. 

But the eye candy is here.

Speaking of mods scope, yesterday I replayed Zerstorer, and after some 12 years it's still one of the very best efforts made for Quake. It certainly was ambitious fot its time, but man, did they hit the spot!

Not trying to make a point pro ambitious mod plans, just rambling freely... 

Monster count in mine is inflated partially by having a bunch of arena fights, where an area is quite small but involves 50 odd monsters (on hard anyway).

Also the centre of the map is very compact so hard to see all the rooms :E 

..are whole fuck black !
I can see nothing in them.. Brightness.. an amazing invention :) 

Your monitor is just dark ;D