What custom map would you suggest?

[neal121]

Hello all. I decided to return to this calming game but since I have played most of the games original maps and DLC, I am looking for suggestions on the top custom maps.

Sure I could filter by most downloads and such but tought I would ask the public.

[CarThief]

Hm... I'm not one for shameless self-promotion, but if you want maps that are kinda like the original then mine are probably good for the job, plenty of detailing too i guess if you're looking for that in a map. About as close as it gets to the originals probably, though i do like to try a few small gimmicks here and there to keep things fresh. (The early ones may a bit on the rough end though, but i guess everyone starts somewhere... :P)

Though there's also A_Janitor's maps, a bit more messy (in terms of how they've been put together and detailing-wise) but they do have some wild and creative gimmicks that you don't find elsewhere.

I recall Cannonfodder also having some good ones, too, maybe?
Well, if all else fails, the screenshots are ussually a good indicator of how well put-together a map is, if you're worried about that.
Or checking for a 3 to 4+ star rating can do the trick too (though maps don't get rated very often, being a cleaning game after all, and thus being rather unpopular, so some may not have enough ratings to show any stars yet), haven't played incredibly many workshops maps myself, always been a bit of a detail-freak in maps, i guess... :P

Hm, i do remember a few good ones though, like that one with "horror" elements put into it, that one was pretty neat. Can't for the life of me remember the name, though...
Edit: Quickly checked, and seems it was called Desolate? The other maps the guy made weren't too bad either.

[cannonf0dder]

Yeah I agree with CarThief. If you're looking for highly detailed maps get one of his maps, if you want crazy constraptions and some oddd-ball stuff AJanitor makes all that stuff, I just try to make good maps, not as high quality as CarThief and not as crazy as AJanitors, but a bit in the middle.

Originally posted by CarThief:

I recall Cannonfodder also having some good ones, too, maybe?

Gasp... I sir am shocked...

My personal faves:
Carthief = Domestic Disaster
AJanitor = Moppington subway ( now Merged with one of my maps to "Train to Omnimart")
Mine = Either Morgue or Hi-Pings or Appartment slums, I dunno tbh
Frenzy = Desolate
Enex = Frostflow beacon

[A JANITOR]

only way to see which ones you like are to subscribe and play em:)
everyone has different taste in maps!

i find it hard to pick favorites=
(theres lots of good maps on workshop)
i find it hard to clean carTheifs levels although they have amazing detail they take forever to clean=too long for me but still amazing
carTheif does the vanilla theme
to me the same old incinerator gets boring
nice if his maps had more custom disposal methods:)
we all make great maps us creators are equal we share our ideas:)
check em out
i enjoy playing everyones levels
fodder makes some really good stuff too:)

a mix of all 3 of us is cool to see in a workshop map

as with the stuff i make=
your hands are the main tool in my levels
one can touch and use pretty much
everything so its a good idea to see if that door etc opens cuz usually it will open or even start up n go for a drive:)

if you enjoy playing any of the workshop maps press the like or even the favorite button=
it makes us map creators want to make more levels to play:)
all feedback is welcome even if it is
negative feedback=a map makers work never ends and it harder than it looks to squash all the bugs:)
seeing bugs explode is fun:)

i enjoy making stuff explode in vcd
custom dynamite is my sp:)
probly my favorite thing about making maps is pushing the game engine far beyond its boundaries to bring all janitors stuff that never been done in ue3 before=unique:)
the best fun is making new ways to
dispose of mess or to clean the mop
so then one wont need to use as many bins or buckets:)

creating new ways to die is also alot of fun to make=
dont put your hands in the paper shredders lol:)
sometimes using guns on security cameras is alot of fun in multiplayer:)

so grab a mat if ya sub to WaterWorks
or go and clean out the bank litterally
in the bank map
or slosh around in carThiefs underground research facillity
or perhaps do a crash course in being a mortition in cannonfodders
morge map:)

my current favorite is the train to omnimart
i had heaps of fun merging my train map with fodders supermarket
a train to nowhere now goes somewhere in style:)
the train is a parrody of sydneys unreliable allways late train services=sardines=make yourself fit or wait for the next train if it hasnt broken down lol:)
fodders apartment asylum probly next on my list followed by carThiefs mines map:)

my favorite objects
flushable toilets
tnt landmines and shopping trolleys
favorite body would be skelletons:)

the best part is mopping it up:)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1422852739
Linzombie666 is also vcd's best serial crate an barrel stacker=lots of neat stacking screenshots:)

[Linzombie666]

Personal Favorite:

CarThief
Map: Huge ~ Very Huge
Highly Detailed In Every Way
Each map contained one new game mechanic feature.
Recommand to play in multiplayer for massive cleanup!


Cannonf0dder
Map: Small ~ Huge, Mostly Medium
Very well made. If you want some simple cleanup, but got tired of main game's map, Cannonf0dder is your choice.
Caution: Stay out the asylum...


A_Janitor
Map: Small ~ Very Huge
Lots of Custom Game Mechanic (I believed that the first VCD portal was made by him.)
Fun to mess up with your friends.
"You know what they said: Play first. Work later!"

[neal121]

Thanks all for the replies. Already have a good chunk of the mentionables but helped me get some more.

I really enjoy any map with the office, or science envorionment. The rusty grungy maps I dont like as much. Not sure why but I certainly downloaded a bunch anyways.

Playing this again has reminded me of one thing why I dislike this game... the body parts from the machines gets very annoying. I had the bin machine give 2-3 body parts in a row (2-3 attempts at a bin) before giving me a bin. That made me angry. Same with the slosh, every other one was a body part. Even filled the bins I would keep next to the machines for this issue a few times.

Edit - I'd also love to design a map and I am sure UDK is similar to designing half-life map based on messing with it but I dont have it in me to go through all the details lol... used to design maps for mods on HL engine back in the day, and then in source. So some idea what to do but I would need the energy to get into a new tool.

Anyways, thanks all.

[cannonf0dder]

The dev guide has most everything you'll need to get going.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=323918819

There's always love for new creators adding to the already sizable workshop.
There's quite a difference from the Hammer editor, main example being in hammer you're using brushes, in UDK you'll be 90+% of the time using pre built meshes.
But it's very easy to pick up and once you get going, faster than hammer.

[A JANITOR]

the community content
forum also has info thats not in the level guide
ie
video tutorials
tips from the devs and other map creators
free code of sorts that i paste for others to use etc
ie
instant incinerator automatic setup etc

https://steamcommunity.com/app/246900/discussions/4/

making maps for this game is heaps of fun once ya get the hang of it
i have no idea how hammer works and i learned this engine (winged it before devs made the guide)
udk is like an endless 3d jigsaw puzzle
exept you decide where each peice fits
i call udk=the never ending story:)
i find that udk is easier to use than photoshop is:)
so if cannonfOdder says its easier than using hammer=thats a good thing:)

few editor tips to save you time minus the pain=

only use the save as option to save your map
never save any map package that isn't yours even on exit of editor
(less chance of breaking the game=less time spent fixing it if ya do accidently break it)

avoid using custom assets from other workshop maps=you dont want your map to become dependant on someone elses map
ie oil rig meshes postal meshes etc (if player not subbed to that and you used it thier game will crash as it search for the content one should not have used:)

turn on the realtime sound icon=it fixes engine audio bug that used to stop sound from working in the editor and on ya pc if its not enabled you hear a pop sound then all sound on pc stops working until ya exit editor(annoying if ya want to make sound events)

never press the emulate mobile features button next to the pie (play in editor) button
or editor crash n take 3 years to load (if that happens ill tell ya how to fix that)

disable the autosave checkbox in editor=a 38gb autosaves folder is not fun=save manually often:)
you will see plenty of editor crashes=it happens from time to time esp if do something the engine doesn't like!
most the time it wont crash but sometimes it does so save often:)
to make it easy when making your 1st map its a good idea to unsub from everything on workshop then you have a clean slate and wont get confused in what is custom vs vanilla content
resub to maps later after ya become familliar with what is vanilla and what is custom

maybe watch some of the tutorial videos in the community content thread too esp if feel like ya need to know all the basics of ue3
ie how to use its basic features/navigation/quick explanation of what each actor does n how to place it
that should help

content you can use=
main game assets
santas rampage assets
shadow warrior assets
custom stuff you make yourself or get permission to use
free for any use content (hard to find)
no DLC required to play your map

HOH DLC content in your map=HOH DLC is required to play your map:)

if you get stuck=theres allways someone here to help you:)

anyways loads of fun=most important thing is to have fun and let your imagination run wild:)
map can be anything it not have to be in space:)

map idea=half life inspired level using vcd content?

after learning this engine its easy to make say a goat simulator map for that game
or anything in any ue3 game that has workshop support
can also use those skills in ue4 games that have workshop support too:)

VCD's workshop maps contain heaps of kismet=level coding/visual scripting oh so fun to use=study it if ya open someone elses map in the editor=monkey see monkey do
just dont save that map while checking out the good stuff or if ya decide to copy stuff from it etc:)
small example of kismet in one of my maps=
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=497891582
for me it gets alot bigger than that as i like to make stuff that is not in the level guide:)
looking at that stuff and seeing what does what or what make that thing do something will make it easy for other map creators to learn kismet very fast:)
that an old screenshot esp since i merged my train map into cannonfOdders Mall map:)
now known as The Train to OmniMart map!

the most basic of vcd maps only require the incinerator to be setup in kismet and maybe a few doors=so it not as scary as the kismet pic above lol:)

at the end of the day its pretty easy to make a VCD map only thing required is patience and testing it to make sure it works etc:)

it would be great to see some new map creators here=more maps to play:)

What custom map would I suggest?
pretty much all of em=why everyone has different taste in maps and workshop caters for lots of different taste in level design as well as gameplay:)