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I usually start designing a map by creating a layout. I do this by drawing a layout on paper first, using different colours to indicate different floors, and symbols to indicate where I plan to place game-related actors such as weapons, health pickups, and playerspawn locations. I work on the paper version of the layout until I like what I see, usually working out suggestions made by fellow mappers (I tend to ask second opinions, just in case I missed something, and to see whether the gameplay dynamics I had in mind are really expressed in the drawn layout.
Drawing layout consists of various stages, starting with a topdown overview, where I draw all the floors on top of each other using different colours, and then draw each floor separately. Usually, I use grid paper, where I use the grid as scale reference.

After drawing the layout in a topdown perspective, I start drawing the layout in 3d, using simple forms like cubes as rooms. I use the topdown layout as reference for drawing the 3d version, and the 3d version gives me an appropriate feel of how wide/big/small rooms and corridors are. Usually this goes paired with actually creating a 3d BSP version of my layout, without any theme or visual reference, but lit and with a playerstart (and even complete bot AI at times) to check my layout ingame. A lot of the work I do I send to other authors that I work with a lot to get 'objective' feedback and second opinions. Most of the time I end up with the layout I want after an amount of alpha versions, ranging from a few to 20. Once I get layout done, it's time for more interesting stuff.

DESIGN - General
General		Applied	Articles
	Inspiration
The basis of anything I do, I can find inspiration in most anything I come across, from other people's work to photographs to actual architecture to drawings and even sketches of my own (or doodles). Once I get an idea in my head, I usually start constructing a whole theme around it in my head. The actual map making process has no part in this, but often when I get inspired and create a theme I start making a map that can convey that theme. The first part of the map making process is creating a layout.
	Layout
I usually start designing a map by creating a layout. I do this by drawing a layout on paper first, using different colours to indicate different floors, and symbols to indicate where I plan to place game-related actors such as weapons, health pickups, and playerspawn locations. I work on the paper version of the layout until I like what I see, usually working out suggestions made by fellow mappers (I tend to ask second opinions, just in case I missed something, and to see whether the gameplay dynamics I had in mind are really expressed in the drawn layout. Drawing layout consists of various stages, starting with a topdown overview, where I draw all the floors on top of each other using different colours, and then draw each floor separately. Usually, I use grid paper, where I use the grid as scale reference. After drawing the layout in a topdown perspective, I start drawing the layout in 3d, using simple forms like cubes as rooms. I use the topdown layout as reference for drawing the 3d version, and the 3d version gives me an appropriate feel of how wide/big/small rooms and corridors are. Usually this goes paired with actually creating a 3d BSP version of my layout, without any theme or visual reference, but lit and with a playerstart (and even complete bot AI at times) to check my layout ingame. A lot of the work I do I send to other authors that I work with a lot to get 'objective' feedback and second opinions. Most of the time I end up with the layout I want after an amount of alpha versions, ranging from a few to 20. Once I get layout done, it's time for more interesting stuff.
	Decoration
Decorating a map to perfection is the most fun thing to do in the whole process. The start of the decoration process relieves some of the stress created by countless alpha layout versions. As I've written above here, I usually already have a particular style or theme to use in mind. Digging a little deeper and finding photographs or images that resemble my vision help a lot when creating something. At this stage I've become certain this map will make it to a final version. There's a lot of maps that don't get to the extensive decorating, and these kind of maps have so far never made it to a final version that's released to the public. As soon as the basic theme has been constructed, I go looking for possibilities to really add details. Loose bricks and tiles and shrubbery and dripping water may be clichés, but they work and I'm not afraid of using them. I always try and add a touch of my own so that it won't appear to be shameless copying if I base my theme on someone else's work. On top of the details I want to add, I want to create an environment that approaches realistic architecture, to make it seem that everything in the map CAN actually exist in coherence with the surroundings... that means no floating platforms or the like, or architecture that looks/feels out of place or impossible to achieve in real life. Even though that somewhat restricts my work, it never leaves me without options, and the final build of a map looks that much better with good looking architecture. Even more so, I want to make players believe that the buildings are actual buildings instead of a combination of BSP and meshes. An small but important thing I do when decorating/filling up the map with static meshes, light actors, ambient sounds, and other stuff like that, is that I group EVERYTHING. Every set of static meshes that is the same gets placed in a certain group, every set of light actors that have the same properties gets placed in a group. I do this for a number of reasons. Firstly, and I do this for static meshes mostly, is that I group because I can 'turn off' groups, so that my view doesn't get cluttered (try looking in at Aquatica in wireframe mode in the editor and you'll know exactly what I mean). Another important reason for me to use the grouping tool is that properties of the actors of a single group can be tweaked really fast, without having to select all single actors. Imagine you have 50 light actors with the same properties that need to be tweaked, wouldn't it be handier to group them and tweak them than to select every single one of them everytime you need to alter something?
	Optimization
Although I already take care of this during the creation of a layout (by making sure that not too much will be visible from a certain point in the map), it remains a vital part of the creation of maps later on in the development. Any level designer that wants to do the right thing wants to make sure that the player will be able to enjoy his/her work with the highest possible performance. As I mapped I learned various ways to optimize my maps, using zone portals, antiportals, zonefog, distance culling, semi-solids, simple collision, and otherwise effective and dosed use of resources. Gameplay is always of greater importance than the visual aspect of things (unless you really want your map to look good over being playable), and it's best to moderate use of static meshes, light actors, or any other type of actor that consumes resources. Try and keep those polycounts down!