1. Layout
2. R_speeds
3. Texture usage
4. Lighting
5. Originality
6. Fun Factor
   
   

Here are some questions to ask yourself about your map's layout:

• Does one team have an unfair advantage in distance to goals or more coverage by terrain/walls?
• Are there multiple paths to travel?
• Are there places no one will go to (dead ends) ?
• Does the layout promote high-replay value? (Would you play this map more than an hour straight??)
  

"R_speeds" is a term that describes exactly how much crap (polys) is visible and how fast your computer can display it (fps). It is said that a good map's r_speeds range from 200-400. This however isn't so strict anymore. Computers have tripled in speed (MHz anyway) since this standard. I'd say decent r_speeds can be 200-500 in higher traffic areas of your map and 500-900 in areas in which millions of guys won't be fighting. you can go higher than 900-BUT avoid it IF you can. My de_walmart_final map has some very high r_speeds in some places, but there wasn't much I could do to prevent it, because of the natural layout of a Walmart store. I could of stuck a giant wall in the middle of the store as a VisBlocker (brushes put in the map to section of areas and minimizes visibilty, thus reducing r_speeds), however it wouldn't be a much of a Walmart then.

How do you access r_speeds?
While running the map, open your console and type in "r_speeds 1" to turn on, "r_speeds 0" to turn them off. Here's a pic below:

Note: You must have "sv_cheats" on for the r_speeds to stay visible when you close your console. Not a problem when you're running your map from WC.

What does it mean:

• "42fps" - I'm currently playing with 43 frames per seconds.
• "4 ms" - I have a lag of 4 milliseconds
• "476 wpoly" - There are 476 "wpoly"s visible at the moment. This is what is referred to as your r_speeds - the number of brush polys visible.
• "882 wpoly" - There are 882 "epoly"s visible at the moment. This is the number of polys visible made up of various things - models, player-models, weapons on the ground. 1 epoly is a face of a model object.

R_speed reducing techniques:

See the lines? See how the stairs touch and divide the wall? Not good. Creates unnessary brushes. Instead, shave off 1 unit from each side.

This box is floating 1 unit off the ground. No one can tell.

2. Use VisBlockers - Place walls in the way of other rooms; open areas, etc -but do it in a way that fits in your level. Extend your design to compensate for the r_speed factor-don't ruin your design by obvious quick-fixes.

3. Scale up textures that can be scaledwithout noticing, usually the ground can be scaled up to at least 2X (which makes 1/4 th the polys after compiled, since brushes are also split up by textures. Use the gl_wireframe command to see this in action.

Cs_office is a prime example of good texture usage. Variety please. Know when to reuse and when to use new textures. Who says a corridor has to be flat? Bring out the bumps in textures:

Use different colors, angles depending on the source. Experiment with shadows and lights. The same level of light everywhere.....sucks. This is pretty common sense I guess.

Exactly how many dust-italy-aztec clones are there? 9.3 trillion. What map would you go out of your way to download? de_dustathon99k? probly not.

Would you vote for your map? Some maps have the crappiest lighting, textures, etc, but they are still fun as hell (fy_iceworld? ^_^). Some maps have the opposite (not as often the case) but just plain not fun or original. Which one is gonna get played more? Interactivity really boosts the fun factor. Computers, buttons, sounds. This area can really be scientifically defined, so use your gut. Fun? Good. Not very exciting? Fix it.