Mapping vs Real Life

[KILLA-COW]

I've got a similar problem at the moment,

I love my girlfriend and all my friends, but I also love mapping and mod work, I'm torn between the two, needless to say, friends and family come first. But, when I'm at home I'm on the computer coming on Lopers finding resources, making textures, mapping, anything I can to improve myself in those aspects.

I always try and mantain a sensible balance, on school nights I mostly stay in, then in weekends and holidays I go out and stuff. Mapping will always be a part of my life though, just not as big'a part as friends and family, my real life is > than my cyberlife?!?!?

[ShaDoW]

Meh...

Most have probably noticed I haven't been around a lot anymore since a few months ago... this is basically because when my PC broke down, I decided to try to live another way. I kept my Macintosh computer to work hard for school, had a few girlfriends, went out in the weekends and all that jazz... without a PC there was hardly no gaming and no mapping whatsoever.

Well, now I'm back. In a few weeks I'll be coming home with all the parts for a brand new complete PC. Case, components, screen... new everything. Real life bores the crap out of me. :P

One thing I have learned during this time... (and no, its not some fancy lesson of life of how to bring balance into your social environment...)

I learned how to texture using Photoshop!

[zombie@computer]

I think its mostly the loading times i hate; cba to start hammer if i have to wait for a few minutes till it loaded up the map, then having to wait very long till all textures in the texture browser or models in the modelbrowser to appear. Not even talking about compile times and the times it takes for hl2.exe to load the map. It just takes the fun out of mapping for me.

My hammer never took that long to load. Usually it was liking loading PSP or any other program that took about 5-10 seconds to start up. Something might be wrong with your hammer.

im not talking about loading hammer, but about loading the map. I dont make fy maps with less than 1000 brushes and entities, and that takes some time to load (like a muinute or so)

[Biological-Bum]

Well, I don't really have much to do in my current state except do important things to keep myself alive, do home work, do house work, things that involve gaming or computers, and studying things that intrest me (government corruption and conspiracies, etc.). I don't really have friend that live close by that are intrested in what I am interested. The ones that live close usually walk around randomly and cause trouble. My other friends live on the other side of town. So gaming doesn't really affect my social life. Gaming doesn't really affect my grades in school either. I have one B in my report card and the rest are A's. The most gaming will affect is what I do the majority of the day. If I'm not doing something important, I'm usually in front of my computer.

[Sageowl]

True happiness occurs when your significant other is a better mapper than you are, but constantly bugs you to skin her props.

[Addicted to Morphine]

It's been hard for me to strike a balance, and so I oftentimes swing between being very involved in computers and not spending any time on them at all.

I used to waste a lot of time playing videogames, and I really look back on all that time as just a pure waste. I have nothing to show for those hours of play. I would be lying if I said I wish I could go back in time and make the decision not to start playing CounterStrike, Day of Defeat, or World of Warcraft.

Mapping is different for me... I feel like I'm actually being creative and improving and learning a skill/hobby that I enjoy. Most importantly, mapping doesn't consume me the way videogames can. I can't map for very long in one go, so it's better for me than videogames. Mapping is almost self limiting.

The times when I feel the happiest are when I can order my life in this way:
1. Family
2. College
3. Friends
4. Swimming
5. Computers

They all have a part in my daily life, and when I prioritize them like that, I tend to lead a healthier happier lifestyle.

[DarkMortar]

I got serious issues. When I map I get depressed! When I play games I get bored and have a need to map to satisfy myself. Either way, I NEVER win. Mapping to me is wanting to finish. The actual process of mapping is not that enjoyable to me. But I get a high off getting the power to create a world in some way. The feeling of "finishing" a map gives me the biggest high, and then releaseing it to see the responses. The time I enjoy of my map is something called "beta testing." Because you get to move in the "hopefully" fun and functonal world and enjoy yourself. And then when you compile I get a high off it, and I get restless as I see the numbers get closer to 10. Then you zip it... send it off to a site. Nothing make me feel better! I mean nothing! It's horrible! The stress of mapping makes me feel great when its done but for a short time. I keep getting this need to make a "legendary" map, so I can figure I can just not have to map(or make big levels) ever again. My ultimate goal is to make the "ultimate map" that is PERFECT to my standards and one the is fun and good looking. Once I feel I did that I say I can stop.. and just release newer version of older not perfect maps. Nothing beats the feeling of entering a server that is playing your map full of people. But unforumatly I never got this expericence often and if I did I would enter it and the map changed! Proably because they lagged out or had no fun!! Bah.

[BaRRaKID]

True happiness occurs when your significant other is a better mapper than you are, but constantly bugs you to skin her props.

maybe i should teach my gf how to map lo0l

I'm really enjoying some of the answers, specially because that's exactlly whow i feel.
The thing is i always give priority to my personal/social life (family, firends, girlfriend, work, etc) but what i really wanted to do is to map.. i managed to map one hour last night, cause it was raining and every1 was at home, my gf was sick, and i didn't had driving class in the morning.. it's like all the planets need to be perfectlly aligned for me to have one hour to work on a map.
Besides that i have so many projects that it's almost impossible to balance it all, design section, nightfall, cs-maps.org, my personal site, reviewing mods for a portuguese site... i think i need a clone that stays at home all day and does all this stuff for me while i'm at work!

[moconnor]

It depends how you see mapping. If its just a hobby then well obviously its going to be a bit down on the list.

Myself I don't just use hammer, If I get bored with one I either go to PS or 3DMAX. Also i'm contantly inspired by absolutly everything around me, I'm always looking at details around me and how they could be incorporated into my work. And the fact that I have the freedom to create anything I want is also a boost. Then theres the fact that I just love cramming everything and anything I can into my brain, I just love learning new techniques and ways to improve my work.

But then again like darkmortar said, sometimes you just have to see some finished work to get you motivated again, working constantly in editors can piss you off and you can lose interest very quickly. But when i can't seem to do anything right atol, I just take a break for like a week, go back refreshed
For me I'd nearly prioritiize working on the comp over my social life I just love creating and designing.

[Terminator]

Nice little red X.

[YokaI]

I actualy dont map much because of this, hope to see some ideas of how to do both 0.0

[otihome2469]

when HL2 came out i was a full time mapper but now it wore off on me im into animations and i have been into animations for many years more then mapping so i think im more of a film person then a mapper. i just hang around this forum because you guys are cool and i love your work.

[Jest@]

my policy is to take it in few-week stages - work lots and see lots for ppl for a few weeks, then spend a week or two chained to 3dsmax. Still getting out and seeing people, but generally focusing on modelling texturing etc. However, that never really works, cos I keep getting bogged down in Uni work, so i never get time for anything, either social life or modelling I just nip onto loper's in 10-min bursts during breaks to see how y'all are doing, and keep my interest alive

[Blink]

I also view mapping as a hobby, but I have a powerful and almost physical connection to my computer. The inadequacies of Windows pisses me off a lot, and I already have plans for my own operating system/A.I. to fix all those problems. However, I am a prodigious industrial drafter/CAD wizard, having already failed at programming; so I hold out the job for my few friends.

As for a social life, I have none whatsoever when I am at college. I have no girlfriend at home either, and no job as of yet to occupy my time. I am too preoccupied to fiddle with such things, and have simply erased all human instincts for social contact and female companionship. I treat all with equal indifference upon first contact. As a result, I stick out like a sore thumb from my peers, and they constantly target me for whatever nasty thing that coagulates in their puny and limited brains.

I am mellow, and nothing anyone can say affects me negatively; however, the moment someone physically lashes out against me, that farce vaporizes instantly. I am constantly primed to attack with lethal force if necessary. As a result, it is virtually impossible to catch me off-guard. Whatever does not kill me makes me stronger. As of yet, I have not had to use such force.

I have explored my inner self and know exactly who and what I am. I have never bowed to "peer pressure", and am actually confused as to why this imperceptable force affects so many others so strongly. My bond is to bushido, machines, and the enlightenment of my friends and myself, and absolutely nothing is powerful enough to change me from my course. I see my future as clearly as each of you see yourselves in the mirror, and I have latched onto that glorious vision with all my willpower.

My parents were, at first, dismayed by the time I spent on the computer. But now they view it as a way to get some peace and quiet, while I hibernate in my room to play games and design new machines and robots.

A friend introduced me to Half-Life mapping several years ago, when Worldcraft 3.3 was the latest thing. I still use Worldcraft 3.3 for Half-Life 1 mapping, and am quite adept with the entire game, having quickly overtaken my friend in mapping skill and knowledge. He is now unable to map for Half-Life 2, and has never seen any update for the game, as he currently has no internet connection. Needless to say, when I showed him HDR lighting and the new CSS maps Nuke and Docks last Christmas (as well as FEAR, Starship Troopers, and Quake 4), he was most impressed. He was wondering if I could somehow transfer the CSS updates to his computer, and without derailing the topic, perhaps some of you could PM me an answer...

Please tell me that was an attempt at an ironic joke...

I fit in everything quite easily I suppose, it depends how much you want to do things. I manage a job, girlfriend, social life, band, this site, level design and various games.

If I don't fancy opening Hammer I won't, there is no point desinging if you feel de-motivated. But if I make a new area I sometimes get really stoked on it and go on to make loads.

If you really want to do something you will make time for it.

[dudetor]

BaRRaKID's first post

ditto...