The Sunday N
by Alex Kurcharski,
featuring Tanner Rogalsky
and Matt Blaylock
Archive:
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#2
#3
#4
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#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
#21
#22
#23
#24
#25
#26
#27
#28
#29
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
#35
#36
#37
#38
#39
#40
#41
The
Daily
Rundown
July 1st to July 7th
July 1st
A fitting name, considering my relationship with the authors as mapmakers.
July 2nd
For some reason, this felt like a blast from the past.
July 4th
Rad map for a rad album.
Opening section = brilliant.
July 5th
I think you guys dig it by now. I like maps with mines in them.
His first good map in a long while.
One amazing collaboration.
July 6th
I am particularly satisfied with this one.
Pretty fuckin' good job.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck, mother fuck mother fuck, mother mother fuck fuck.
Maps of the Week
- maestro - Capitalism
- rocket_thumped - The Earth is Not A Cold Dead Place
- lord_day and Sept - First Love
- Templex - Cove
- Bunniesandsheep - The Pizza Parlour
- Evil_Bob and max_ride - Prod
- McFizzle - easy/hard jumper
- Green_Ghost - 67
- Magicorange25 - Dashing. Dirk Dashing.
- mc_george - He was ten.
News
Level Packs
TS, dogs. 1457. Hit it.
The Songs I Listened To, As I Wrote This
Planet X - Moonbabies, from the 2002 album MoonBabies
Planet X - The Noble
Savage, from the 2002 album MoonBabies
Planet X - Ataraxia, from the
2002 album MoonBabies
Planet X - 70 Vir,
from the 2002 album MoonBabies
Planet X - Space Foam, from the 2007 album Quantum
Planet X - Poland, from the 2007 album Quantum
Artist Commentary of the Third Kind
Number somethin' good on my favourite NUMA Authors, AMLT!
Moonlight Shining Through: This is
one of the first maps I've made in a while that hasn't been based upon
anyone elses. It started off as a flowwy box map, but after I'd
finished making the tileset I just had to make it longer.
Kiwi Fruit: After
using a rather sexy one-way concept in 'Cone Shaped Paradox', I just
had to expand on it.
Everyone Loves A Drama: This
started the ninja right at the top, and the exit where the ninja is
now. It was something I made to test out my jumping skills. When I
accidently clicked edit instead of reset, I moved the exit, and decided
to play it backwards (the way it is now). After adding a few more
objects I was very impressed by it.
Nadia: A 5
minute masterpiece. This map is so simple, yet so fun.
Girl In The Shadows: Originally
made for the Best Small Race Competition, I really loved this. Once you
get the flow, you can really appreciate this map, especially for its
size.
The Full Ordeal: I really
hate making DDAs, but I had quite a lot of fun with this one, it pretty
much made itself. I didn't really like the tileset at the time, but I
thought it'd make a pretty nice DDA, and with that in mind, I made one.
Throwback Boulevarde: This was
the first map I submitted as AMomentLikeThis (after making my last
MasterJmd map). It really is all about the tileset for me.
The Girl I'll Never Meet: Originally
designed as the last map I'd ever make, The Girl I'll Never Meet was
made whilst feeling many mixed emotions. The tileset is also what
really makes this for me, it was the 'in thing' of the time to use 2
and 3 tiles to make 'thorn' style maps. I took that one step further by
using 6 and 7 tiles. Alltogether the map took me more than 2 hours to
make, constantly tweaking the object and tile placement until I felt
everything was perfect. An all gold on this would be amazing.
I Will Not Be Scared By Your Thoughtless Scheming: This one took
me a while to make. Before I'd made it, it was the kind of tileset I'd
always wanted to make but could never quite get it right. When I'd
finally finished it, I was very impressed.
Tile 7: The 'Tile' series of mine was what initially put me in
the spotlight. I made one, and people seemed to like it, by that I mean
someone gave it a 5, (which was extremely high compared with my
previous standards). Tile 7, although really basic, is in my view the
best one from the series.
Tune in next week for someone! It's becoming harder and harder for me
to find people for this, considering I spend most of my time on the
IRC. If there's anyone reading this who thinks I'd like to give them a
shot, leave me a comment in the comments section.
Nterviewed
By Tanner Rogalsky
I really doubt if lord_day needs an introduction. If you don't know who lord_day is, scroll up. See those pretty numbered links with the pound sign at the beginning at the top of the page? Click on pretty much any one of those and you'll find a map by this guy. There's some important stuff in this interview. It's pretty rock. Outside.
Tanner: You make a lot of maps and participate in
an almost unparalleled number of map packs. Do you ever worry that
you'll simply run out of ideas someday?
lord_day: Sometimes I get that fear, but not too
often. There are so many unexplored ideas for levels, and so when I do
run out of ideas I just make maps that are interesting in some way or
another, be it a new look or a new object combination. Also, playing
through large numbers of maps helps me think. Sometimes I will see
what an author hasn't done in a map, and make my map out of what is
missing in their map.
Tanner: You've been in nine map packs so far. Which
has been your favourite map pack from the ones you've participated in?
lord_day: Oh boy, that is a tough question. I think
my favourite map to participate in was Session 4, which was just me and
rocket_thumped, trading maps and working real close together. We were
a real team, and the time spent making that pack was awesome. However,
my pack with which I am most pleased with is my solo pack, the completed column.
Making 50 levels by yourself is extremely satisfying, and I explored
many different aspects of map making in that pack. I really evolved as
a map maker through it.
Tanner: When you make a map, do you just sit down and
say, "I'm going to make a map." or does there have to be inspiration?
lord_day: When I sit down to make a map, I always have
something planned out in my head, I don't like to stumble blindly into
NED and just see what comes out. Perhaps that's why my ten minute maps
aren't great. However the degree I have it planned out to depends.
Sometimes I have the whole map in my mind, and sometimes I just have a
little area planned out, and it evolves from there. I also think that's
why I'm not very good at using pre-made tilesets. I like to place my
objects and tiles together, so that I have full control of how it all
works.
Tanner: Do you ever completely abandon maps?
lord_day: I do abandon quite a lot of maps, but it's
rare for me to abandon a map that I finish. Usually if I am going to
abandon it, I can tell before it is half complete.
Tanner: What are three things you always keep in the
back of your mind while you are mapping?
lord_day: I'd say number one, is that it's enjoyable
to play. I think most map makers keep that in mind, however some
people sometimes are so concerned with making aesthetically pleasing
maps it clouds this idea.
Number two would be that I need keep thinking critically about my
maps. I ask myself 'Is that idea really cool?' or 'Is that actually
fun to play?' It's easy to fool yourself into thinking that your map
is really good, when it's not. I've play tested a lot of maps, and
most of the time the bit I think is the worst is what the author thinks
is the best bit of their map, and I always feel that they are pulling
the wool over their own eyes.
Numberthree is that it looks good. This may seem like it's contradicted number one, but it's not. A map can be fun to play, and look beautiful; there is nothing better than playing a fun, good looking map. A good looking map subconsciously signals to the player that the author knows what he is doing, and it makes them feel that they are in safer hands.
Tanner: What real-world skills does it take to be
a good map maker?
lord_day: I think there are two obvious things that
help. Firstly, as I said before, being able to think critically about
your work is important. Looking down as a third person can really help
you in real life as well as NED. I also think that if you want to get
your name on the map, you need perseverance. You will not become known
as a good map maker over night,and I'm sure many map makers had to
just keep on trucking through NUMA until they were recognised.