Valve, we need more maps! (But do we?)

TF2 doesn’t have enough maps, it appears. At least in talks about future updates there’s always somebody expressing wishes for new Valve maps.
Quite understandably, since Valve maps are for the most part well designed and well balanced. [1]
But one has to admit that after a while even good maps lose their shine a bit and graves for something new.

But while we are waiting for Valve to drop a new map on us – and I hope that during one of the future updates they give us a PLR map which lives up to the potential of this mode – we should give the topic a closer inspection.
Because while there are only 32 official maps (23 by Valve, 9 adopted community maps - if I counted correctly) [2] there exist hundreds of maps created by community mapmakers. Granted, a large portion of those are probably crap or uninteresting. But I’m sure there are some real jewels hidden inside that heap of custom maps.
So why don’t we see more of those maps on the servers? Why do we know so little about custom maps in the first place? And why are people so reluctant to try out custom maps?

cp_castle

Of course there are sites dedicated to custom maps.
FPS Banana comes to mind [3]. Also TF2Maps is an excellent source for Community Maps. (I will add those and similar sites to the link section)
But I’m sure a lot of TF2 players won’t know these sites. You will only stumble upon these sites by chance, either by a link or name posted on a forum or website, or by actively searching via a search engine.
Makes you wonder why Valve doesn’t offer more support for making custom maps better known? Why not a blog entry about custom map sites? Why not a link section on the TF2-site? Sure, problem is that once Valve starts offering links to community sites everybody will want their site listed there, too.
I doubt that Valve will get involved in this (still: shame on them), so in the end it will lie with the community sites to cover that topic. Which presents the question: Do those general community sites comment on custom maps? Do they at least link to custom maps sites?

cp_labor

More publicity would be a good thing. But the interested visitor would also need some guidance to tell the good from the bad. There should be ranking-systems for maps, just like you find it on so many other spots (be it Firefox Addons or Shareware/Freeware-sites). If people have to playtest each map on the off-chance to find a good one it’s no wonder players lose their interest on custom maps. Make that ranking prominent. Tell me which maps are the most promising (or interesting, or astounding). Playing 5 good custom maps will keep me interested in finding more. Let my waste my time on 5 crappy ones and I’m out of here. Of course a ranking is only worth something if an expressive number of people have ranked the map (and preferably giving it more than a fleeting thought). Still, this could be complemented with map reviews and an additional evaluation.
Also, motivate map makers. Hold contests [4]. Let people vote for 5 favourite custom maps, get somebody to run a server with those maps in rotation for a week or two and then elect a winner.
Not only would it offer publicity to mapmakers, but it would also motivate them to work harder on their maps.

cp_studio

But all this is utterly pointless unless the community is interested in custom maps and is willing to give those a thorough chance. And I suspect this is a much larger problem than people realize or care to admit.

This starts with players not willing to wait if a map comes up which has to be downloaded from the server [5]. Yes, depending on the connection and the capability of the server it can take a couple of minutes, but it might be worth the wait. [6]
But a bigger problem are the people who bail out almost automatically the moment a map comes up they don’t know. I understand the impulse. A map always requires a learning curve (basic layout, routes, ammo/health placement etc.), and not all mapmakers manage to design their maps in ways which keep this learning curve small [7]. So naturally one has to invest some time into getting a hang of a new map. And even if the map is not as easy to navigate as one would wish doesn’t mean it can’t be a good map after all once one have familiarized with the layout.
Bailing out presents another problem: If a server had a good game going and with the switch to a custom map half the players leave it kills all the momentum the game so far had and might have carried over to this unfamiliar map, making the playing experience better than it will be for half the number of players.

tc_meridian

But even if the map has taken that obstacle it’s still a bumpy road even for a good map.
Play a big map with too few people and the experience will be unsatisfying without any fault of the map [8]. As mentioned before, a confusing layout might discourage players while gameplay could potentially be good once people have familiarized themselves with the map.
And in general I suspect people tend to judge on a map very quickly (read: prematurely) even they haven’t invested enough time into learning the map or having played it only under suboptimal circumstances. They play a round and make up their mind. For some maps that might be valid, but others would deserve a bit more attention, time and analysis.

pl_cashworks

Of course one problem with custom maps is that it’s very difficult to balance a map properly, and asymmetrical maps (like PL maps or Attack/Defense maps) are even harder to balance than a symmetrical 5-CP-map. A mapmaker will draw from his abilities and experience, but that will never be perfect. A good map needs extensive playtesting to correct errors and finetune the balance (even such simple things as ammo/health placement). Not every mapmaker has the chance to get people playtesting his map over an extensive period of time and offering feedback on the various versions (especially if he doesn’t have a fixed core of playtesters which can compare the different versions to judge if changes have improved the map).
Eventually a mapmaker will publish his work though he might not have had the opportunity to finetune it perfectly. And some flaws might only become fully apparent when the map is played “in the wild” by a larger and more diverse number of people.

Playing a custom map players should keep that in mind, not judge a custom map by the standards of a Valve map [9] and perhaps not disqualify the map because of some (hopefully minor) issues.
I’d expect a good mapmaker would be happy and thankful for every piece of constructive criticism and even be willing to revise a map to address some issues which might have come up.
And even if he was not willing to revisit that project [10] he might still appreciate those comments and criticism for future projects (leading to a better map next time).

pl_great_heights

You get what you pay for!
And that means that you sometimes have to invest to get something. So if you want new and good maps it’s probably not asked to much to invest some time and effort into checking out some of the myriads of custom maps which already exist (and more released each week).
But if you are too lazy to even do that don’t complain about Valve not releasing more maps [11]

pl_swift

Sadly there is still another problem
To play a custom map you need a server featuring it in the first place. Many admins don’t touch custom maps with a ten-feet-pole. Some because they only run a standard map rotation and simply don’t care. Others exactly because a custom map has the potential to clear a server.
So we end up in a negative feedback loop with admins not running custom maps because people don’t want to play them which effectively prevents players ever to get used to custom maps and may open up to them.
I blame the players more, but since they don’t have any input into the map rotations (besides map votes) this cycle can only be broken by server admins (either the hard way by running custom maps, or the soft way by offering them in map votes). Especially sites or clans running more than one server could consider to experiment with custom maps on one of those servers.
Just an idea ...

In closing: I’m sure there a many maps out there which don’t deserve your time or attention. But I’m also convinced that there must be some jewels as good as Valve maps or at least good enough to be played as the occasional change of scenery.
But those maps have to been found first, then made public and then helped to find their way into the map cycles of servers.
If you want more good maps to play TF2 that’s the way ...

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PS: The custom maps shown here are NOT a selection of great custom maps (though that might be a good idea for a future update). Some are good, but others are examples that good looks don’t necessarily equal good gameplay. Those I abused for eye candy.