Abandon Map Disease

[shadowmancer471]

O.K, so I was making a short mod for Half Life 2 called 'Attrition'.
However, lately I just can't seem to be able to continue with it. I load the map up. Look at it and then am physically unable to continue.
It's not that there's anything wrong with the map, I'd just finished making a tunnel I'm really proud of.
It's not that I've run out of inspiration, I've got loads of plans for the next areas.
It's not that I just can't be arsed, I really want to finish it and everyone to play it.

Has anybody got any tips on how to beat abandon map disease and get me working on the mod again?

[LordDz]

Go outside, sleep, have fun with friends.
That'll get you the feeling "I have to do this10101011!"

And take breaks, it helps.

[shadowmancer471]

I've not worked on it for a good two months now...plenty of time to do all of those things.
Hasn't helped D:

[LordDz]

Then open it up and try to make something, get some music on while doing it (this helps a LOT).

[source-maps]

wait until you get a mappers block, god I love those

[Ark11]

The only way to combat map block is to just force yourself to map, then when you finally do something significant in that map the map block will be gone.

[source-maps]

The only way to combat map block is to just force yourself to map, then when you finally do something significant in that map the map block will be gone.

lol that's like the dumbest thing you can do imo
you don't force creativity.. it will usually give you a shit result

[cz_squishy]

Go outside, sleep, have fun with friends.
That'll get you the feeling "I have to do this10101011!"

And take breaks, it helps.

This, step away from the screen, any screen

[marks]

The only way to combat map block is to just force yourself to map, then when you finally do something significant in that map the map block will be gone.

lol that's like the dumbest thing you can do imo
you don't force creativity.. it will usually give you a shit result

Inspiration is for amateurs. There's nothing quite like the pressure of having to turn up to work and be creative on-demand to make you churn good shit out.

[DonPunch]

Its a tough one to beat, but it does have a fix.

Just start promoting the shit out of it, on multiple forums and design sites, then wait for positive feedback. That is what fuels most of us.

Getting that "That looks sick" comment or a variation of that can really push you along. Start play testing it on a live server with people can also get you some feed back too.

As for your comment source-maps, I disagree, working through 'creativity blocks' are how great things are accomplished. Lack of motivation doesn't make a persons skill any lower, just the speed at which they work.

[source-maps]

I understand what you're saying, and I'm sure you're right if you rely on it to pay your bills
but for mapping it can be pretty tedious if made you a layout according to plan, decided to change an area you're unhappy with.. but you're stuck there

sure I've had cases where I just kept on trying and ultimately hit something nice, but it can be frustration to force your self to come up with something

[joe_rogers_11155]

I started a mod in December 2009 and mapped on it for about 3 months. I fully completed Map 1 of 2 and then directly after starting the map file for Map 2, I lost all motivation to continue on it. I just did not want to bother working on Map 2 because I knew that it was going to be just as difficult and harrowing of a journey. So I let it sit. I let it sit for nearly 1.5 years.

I oftentimes used Map 1 as a reference for building sizes and/or nighttime lighting standards, since I did a very good job of those things in Map 1. As a result, I oftentimes resolved to continue on the project. But every time I opened up that nearly blank Map 2 file, it's like I was hitting a wall of dread. Some unclear dread of having to make another tedious, overdone, non-optimized-----

...non-optimized. That was my problem. See, I started Map 1 back in December of 2009, which was only 6 months after I really started mapping for the Source engine. I didn't understand much about opitmization back then. So building the map was such a hassle for me because it got to a point where Hammer was sluggish and my computer was having trouble keeping up with everything I was adding to it. Not to mention I was building inside a giant hollow cube of tools/skybox. So sure, it really WAS a harrowing process to build.

But nowadays I know better. I know how to make big maps work, and how and when to apply area portals to buildings and stuff. So have I finally gotten around to building Map 2? Yes and no, I have actually started making some Hammer mock-ups and I have tons of sketches, as usual. But more importantly, I am rebuilding Map 1. It has been an eye-opening experience because I am able to plan the level so much better, having already built it once. The new Map 1 is pretty much perfect now in my mind and I have only a third of the level left to build after a few weeks of work on a new file. After that, I can confidently move on to Map 2 because I have gotten myself into the swing of things by rebuilding Map 1 and maintaining a quality standard across the maps.

The big take-away for the OP is that I see nothing wrong with walking away from a map for a few months, or even a few years (sounds crazy to a professional, I bet...but I am strictly a hobbyist with Source so I have no deadlines). But never delete anything because you never know when inspiration will come knocking on your door. Hell, in a year you may have learned some handy new tricks and abilities in Source that will make the project easier or simpler and clear up the "abandon map" blues.

[BubbleQ]

Talk to people, but not necessary your friends!
For me I can allways get back on track if I talk to my mother or my mate about level design, especially my mother.. Because she does not play games and I really want to show her that I do very cool stuff on the computer, thankfully she allways listen.. So during the time I talk to her, I generate alot of ideas and things that allways felt missing in the map pops up! The thing is to se/thnk of your work in diffrent angles. As I can't talk to my mother the way I talk to my mate about games, I have to be understanding.
This strategy has also helped me some in school and I know that it does it for many else, when they try to learn a mate a specific math problem.

Hope this helped a bit, so many other good answers in this thread

[shadowmancer471]

Thanks for the help guys.
I picked up the map again today and made one fully detailed hallway with a single combine soldier set up

Let's see if I can continue it throughout the map

[Major Banter]

Marks is bang on the nail on this - just do it. As a writer, I sometimes crank out a ton of rubbish that I know I'm going to delete later. So what? It gives me progress and means that I just have to replace the crap later. As long as you give yourself nice, big, vague guidelines so you're not working in too-tight a literal/metaphorical space you can make it work.

Otherwise, the most important thing on the planet is to PLAN. I don't care if you have mapper's block or writer's block, you can still plan. Planning removes the hassle of 'having to think' and makes your improvisation more efficient and your workflow more effective.