If you were drawing a map of all the traps and stuff over The Most Dangerous Game how would i want to draw the map?

Answer 1

There are many things you have to consider when drawing a map such as the one you're thinking of creating:

Firstly I would take the time to think about the map itself, forget about the traps and other objects contained within the map for now, they aren't important at this stage. The main focus should firstly be the shape of the map, the map shape can be as simple or as complex as you want. A map shaped like a simple box can become more complex and interesting as you add more items and traps in. Look at different Maps of your favourite difficult game levels and compare them, once you have some sort of feel for what you want you can begin to design your map.

Once you have the base layer down in terms of the shape of your map you can begin to think about the different aspects of a map's content. If you're working on a Graphics program such as Photoshop you may find it easier to create new layers for each different aspect (such as items, enemy placements etc), that way you can hide and un-hide particular layers as you need them. If you're working on paper you may find it easier using layers of tracing paper or acetate paper for each aspect of your map.

As you begin to work into your map you can begin to create your traps, using a simplistic key and shape (like an 'X' or Skull with a cross through it to insinuate death) for traps will help you to be able to place them through your map whilst maintaining the same shapes, the key will allow viewers of the map to more easily navigate the different objects of your map. If you wish to work on your trap idea in more depth then it's easier to do so on a separate sheet of paper where you can sketch or describe the main mechanics of your traps - How they work and how they effect the player. Doodles of the trap may also help you in your designing.

Other aspects of a game level map you may wish to consider in terms of their placement on the map are:

Items - such as HP, money, weapons and any other special items.

Enemies - Their placements, their line of view (how far you need to be before they spot you and attack) and their patrol line (if the enemy moves around on the map how do they do so?) It can be easier to highlight each of these points in more detail on a different piece of paper especially if there are different monsters on the map with different behaviours.

NPCs - 'Non-playable Characters', these are the characters that are put into the level to give the player new information/items or to guide them to new places. Their placement on the map is also a key aspect.

Save Points/ Spawning points - Self explanatory, another key aspect of maps.

The list goes on and on depending on what exactly you want your map to include.

The main thing to remember when creating game level maps is to keep the map interesting for the player - Imagine yourself playing through the map and what you would want to encounter and when you would want to rest/refuel. Try not to make the map too busy or cramped with mass amounts of enemies and traps as this would probably only serve to frustrate the player into not enjoying the game.