that is very similar to the situation I'm in with Drake, except that I haven't lost enthusiasm for the remaining maps entirely, it's just that I'm always working on too many maps at once (I tend to work on episodes rather than maps, delaying my output). I was actually going to try to figure out a way to recruit some part-time contributors and have a thread (perhaps on here if it doesn't interfere too much) dedicated to making one last push to finish Drake. Like your map it is close, but it feels further than that.

Way back during making OUM, we had mappers block, so I ended up switching maps with Tyrann, which worked out pretty well (especially for me, heh). I actually think swapping maps would be a good idea just to see what someone else does with it; a new perspective on a map might help. Anyway, some initial thoughts. Going to play the jam2 maps now. Good thread topic, thanks. 

lets switch maps. 

Might actually be a cool idea. 

Or join another mapper that has some too and release an unfinished pack with a start map. It could work to encourage the mapper to work on it based on the comments, and if not, at least the map isn't lost forever. 

http://celephais.net/board/view_thread.php?id=22668 

I had an unfinished map that was kindly picked up by Ericw and he did a bunch of work. After he'd done a bunch of work he got tired of it and after seeing everything he'd done I was reinvigurated again. Might be worth doing a collab with someone? 

Chainmapping is the the best solution. 

i find the easiest way to break a block of any kind of to just go out and see a bunch of content similar to what i'm trying to do. 

on an asteroid fifth? Cool.. 

wait, you mean its possible to actually *finish* a map?
dammit, I wish I'd gone into mapping instead of coding. 

than: I believe the any project, not just levels, have their parts you hate but must do. You just have to find the will to power through them and make it happen. I love the early experimental parts of making a map, but tend to hate the fiddly 'make everything perfect' parts where I'm not creating new things, just making stuff work.

So my advice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxGRhd_iWuE 

wait, you mean its possible to actually *finish* a map?
dammit, I wish I'd gone into mapping instead of coding.

I rarely feel like I'm finished a map. Every map I've release felt like I could do more. At some point though, you gotta just call it quits and accept if there are bugs or things you could have done better otherwise you won't release anything.

At least with coding you can release versions incrementally and it is useable. No one wants to replay a map because you added a new room or tweaked some textures. 

I block it out, then come back and add +10 rooms to each subsection and a whole new feature set just because I can.

I need to learn compact mapping. 

I thinks that's the problem of big maps or map packs. The larger the map is, the more chance is that you will abandon it at some point.

For me there are two types of blockers: ones when you lose the clue of what the next part is gonna be like and when you finish the whole map but some part of it you need to tune or re-make.

In the first case you just need to take some rest from this project and then everything goes fine. While in the second case it may be really hard to make yourself to go back to that project, especially if the map is huge.

The solution I think is to make yourself an asskick and finish it. Or (it worked for me once) to make yourself a deadline and say it in public (here or other forum) like: "I'll release this map on NN/NN/NNNN". The deadline must be a few month from that moment of time if the project is almost finished.

That's my solution. 

One of the most important things you can learn about mapping is that it is an iterative process.

Behind the inspiration and techniques, it's important to remember that at any time during the process, you need to be prepared to throw any part of your map away if it is necessary.

The worst thing that can happen to your map is for you to become attached to a particular aspect of it. Then, when problems arise, you are constantly trying to fix them while trying to avoid touching that one part that you like so much.

You are scratching everywhere except where the itch is.

Delete it. See what happens. You could discover you can make an even better looking area than what was previously your 'favourite'. 

I believe the any project, not just levels, have their parts you hate but must do.

Certainly feels that way with TrenchBroom 2. 

speaking of that, in a perfect world all I would do is build architecture, and then give some very vague impression of what the lighting was supposed to be like, and maybe a couple gameplay setups intended by the architecture. lol. I'm probably not the only one who wishes that the entire aspect of mapping was just building, I'd build stuff way bigger, way more detailed, with way more sense of place details and thought-out secrets totally justified by the level concept, etc. I tend to lose patience with the later iterations of the iterative process, though I'm sure I've corrected for that at least some over the years (that and trying to incorporate feedback at least to a nonzero extent). 

I'm the opposite.

Just pure gameplay setup is what drives me to map.

All that artsy-fartsy fannying about with look and feel calls out the weaknesses in my skill set... 

hehe everyone should just make empty maps then send them to ijed to do the gameplay. the build is the fun stuff. 

"hehe everyone should just make empty maps then send them to ijed to do the gameplay."

Errrrrr......hmmmm..... 

If you eliminate the feeling that you need to finish it immediately, you eliminate the pain surrounding whether or not you finish it immediately. Whether you want to do it is vital to your wellbeing - whether you need to is simply a made-up sense of obligation.

That's not the best thing for the map, of course, but who gives a shit? It's the best thing for than. The only problem you'll have is a lot of people whining that you aren't going to provide them with a quality Q1SP in the near future, but they're only thinking of themselves, and whether they get to play a neat map or not, not of you. You solve that problem by just getting off func_msgboard. :) 

 

yeah, definitely depends on what kind of mapper's block we're talking about. 

It's not about this kind.