Where to get your ideas and inspiration so you can start mapping again.
As a mapper, I all to often face the daunting challenge of confronting my mappers block. As soon as I open up hammer it seems, mapper's block assumes it's position, and I sit staring at the screen, trying hard to come up with a decent idea. But, after a couple minutes, I close hammer and open up Team Fortress 2, telling myself I'll get back it to it. Which I never do.
And, I'm sure, this has happened at least once to all the mappers in the community. You've faced this problem before, and it may have taken you awhile to get a decent idea to start with. In this article, I'll show you some of the things I do to treat my mappers block. Hopefully the insight I offer you will help you out in some way so you can make the next best map to put out there.
One of the best places I get my ideas is in the real world. A good way to get ideas and inspiration is to take photographs or make sketches while on car trips etc. of your surroundings. Once you get an idea, you can replicate that scene in Hammer. Or, if you don't have the time to do that, do an image search on google of what you might want to map about, be it a city, forest etc. Usually an image search on google turns up many good results you could use as references or your inspiration.
I always keep a notebook by my computer desk for when I get an idea. Keeping a notebook is good for jotting down your ideas, and keeping them for future reference. My notebook is designated solely to concept art and sketches. When I think I have a good idea for a map, I open up my notebook and jot down a functional layout. This is a great way to work out the schematics of the map before you even open up hammer. This way, you already have the idea down, and all you need to do is map it out. No need to make the map's layout as you go. Keeping a notebook can increase your productivity.
If you are really stuck, ask a friend of yours for ideas. Ask them what they think would be a good idea for a map, or maybe tell them ideas you already have, and let them give you some feedback. You could also ask community members, like here on FPSB, for ideas. That way, you could get multiple feedback on your ideas.
Is there a map from another game that you like to play? Try recreating elements from it. Incorporate things from that map into your map to make it interesting. Or, make a project and try to recreate a map from another game. Get a notebook, like previously stated, and jot all the details down. Once that's completed, give it a shot.
Look at some examples