Theme

Feel free to add any themes you can think of here–I added this page because I was feeling a little blank, so I figured maybe I could help someone in the same situation.

Could be renamed to Map Theme, if there are objections with how generic this is...

Purpose

Most people plan a theme before they start building a level. Theme changes are of course possible, but difficult; maps should generally be built around a theme, rather than the other way around. However, though the layout should be designed to match the theme, a theme should in no way compromise the fun of a layout.

A theme is necessary to preserve the suspension of belief; without it, no one will play your map, so the theme must be well-carried-out. The most common themes are industrial and natural, and Egyptian and Futuristic/Space get boring quickly too unless you can put a twist on them.

Themes should be constructed with utmost attention to detail, because every little thing is what draws players deeper into your map. Obviously this is restricted by whatever skill you're at, but the best level designers know exactly what belongs in an environment and work to bring out cliches so that themes are recognizable. Remember that because games are not particularly realistic, certain things must be brought out more than they are in Real Life ™ emphasis is necessary on those objects that will stand out, because it's more important that an area looks realistic than that it actually turns out that way. As you construct your theme, keep this in mind and add lots of distinctiveness without hitting the player over the head.

Make Your Own

People get ideas for themes from all over the place–in dreams, from architecture, from a picture, from movies, books, games, news... all it takes is a little creativity and a nudge in your brain that goes, "hey, that'd make a great map!" It's a good idea to carry a notepad with you so you can write down ideas when you get them.

Graphik: I find it helpful to write a quick story, take a place from that story and map it. That way you're not grabbing miscellaneous unrelated details (usually cliche ones, too) that you could potentially throw into your map; everything has a purpose and makes sense.

On Originality

Originality is generally seen as a good thing. However, originality should be taking old ideas and twisting them, adding a new method or idea to old cliches rather than creating something completely new and unrecognizable. If you do this, you will probably lose your players, and while there will always be some people out there who absolutely love it, the point of originality is to make an old idea feel new rather than to create something entirely foreign. The best complement a mapper can receive (according to Hourences?) is to see a new cliche you've tried to create be copied; obviously, this should be a goal, but no one wants to copy something that's ugly. New cliches should have a familiar feeling, instead of dumping players over the cliff.

Once You've Chosen a Theme

Once you've decided on what theme to use, look it up on Google Images to see if you can get any more inspiration or ideas about what it should look like. When you feel like you have the right concept, you can begin working on your layout. Figure out in your mind how everything should look and feel, then write it down on paper. Then you can begin!

Themes

• Natural
  • Forest
    • Ancient and huge (Tokara)
    • Asian (small and twisted)
    • Lush and close (overgrown?)
  • Jungle
    • Overgrown structures
    • Rainforest
    • Watery
  • Valley
    • River (vegetation)
    • Sand/rocky
  • Desert
    • Dunes
    • "Wild West"
  • Plains
  • Icy
    • Thawing
    • Cavern
    • Outdoor arctic
  • Volcanic
    • Flowing Lava
    • Dead and regrowing
    • Dead and barren
    • Island created from Volcano (which is in the background)
  • Beach/Island
    • Deserted/Empty
    • Resort
    • Surrounded by cliffs (for a beach)
    • Chain of Islands
  • Aquatic
    • Underwater structure
    • Submarine
    • Sea floor
• Egyptian
  • New-looking
  • Old and crumbling
• Hell
  • Fiery
  • Icy
• Space
  • Asteroid
  • Planet
    • Gaseous
    • Earthlike
    • Rocky (think moon)
  • Satellite/observatory
  • Really tall building (think Phobos)
• Futuristic
  • Modernized (smooth curves, lots of gray, automation)
  • Super-futuristic (alien-ized–green and purple lights)
  • Ultramodern (perfect corners, natural tones)
  • Mechanized
  • Metallic
• Industrial (Blech)
  • Rusted
  • Rankin
  • Overgrown
• Tombs
  • Egyptian
  • Alien pods
  • Labyrinth
• Jail/"Correctional Facility"
• Meat factory
• Candy/Ice Cream factory
• House
  • City
    • Apartment
    • Brick house
  • Farmhouse
  • Log Cabin
  • Stone house
  • Igloo
  • Greek (open center)
  • Wigwam
• Library
• Mall
• Museum
• Greenhouse
  • Normal
  • Alien plants
• Wacky
  • Fairyland
  • Paint-world (Splashes of bright paints everywhere...)
  • Totally random
  • Various parts of other themes put together
• Dungeon
• Castle/towers
  • Grungy, crumbling and dark
  • Light and intact
• Graveyard
• Courtyard
• City
  • Slum
  • Upscale/Downtown
  • Apartment/Office
• Moving (Like AS-Convoy)
  • Convoy
  • Train
  • Plane
  • Boat
• Church
• Junkyard
• Warehouse
• Construction site
• Horror
• Underground/Caves
  • Ice
  • Dirt
  • Water
  • Plant-inhabited
  • Mine
• Hospital
• Treatment Plant
• Outpost/Military
• Retro/Virtual
• Asian
• European
• African
• Cushy (think blobs)
• Garden
  • American
  • Arboretum
  • Herbal
• Sewers
• Inside/around things
  • Trees
  • Kitchens (drains)
  • Computers
• Laboratory
  • Chemical
  • Laser research

Variations

• Mini-me
• Mega-me

Note: most maps will have an untouched, abandoned, or recently vacated feel.

Details

Time

• Midnight
• "Wee hours"
• Dawn
• Breaking day (between dawn and noon)
• Noon
• Afternoon
• Late Afternoon
• Sunset
• Dusk
• Darkness

Building

• Inside
  • Completely secluded
  • Windows and views to outside world
• Outside
  • Completely natural
  • Crumbling ruins
  • Ancient but intact buildings (enterable?)
  • New buildings (enterable?)
• Cave
  • Entrance aboveground
  • Total submersion
  • Structures
  • All-natural

Assault (Story) Themes

• Retrieve an object from a well-guarded base.
  • A weapon
  • (Stolen) plans
  • A vehicle
  • A person
  • An essential substance
  • A program
  • Fuel
• Destroy something.
  • A base
  • A weapon
  • A vehicle
  • Plans
  • A person
  • An essential substance
  • Fuel
  • An obstacle
  • An unsavory something (a Dam that's causing your homeland to dry up, etc.)
• Hack the mainframe computers.
• Scramble a signal to enemy troops.
• Take over a strategic position.

Twists

• You get in, but then realize something and have to fight your way out.
• You get in, but you destroy the generator and now the gates won't open.
• You take a base, but then realize your home base is being attacked.
• You destroy the computer mainframe, only to realize it had essential information.
• You realize that the vehicle you're trying to destroy was made with your own plans, and therefore it's indestructible.
• You rebel against your commanders.
• There is an unexpected wall that you must find your way around.
• Radio connection is lost, and you no longer have guidance other than what you were told before the mission began.

Discussion

IceCreamYou: I was reminded of this page today, so I expanded it and added more explanation.

Additional resource: http://forums.beyondunreal.com/showthread.php?t=184312