I have always enjoyed map-making and find it easiest to start with a top-down sketch in order to create a fun and interesting "tour" for the player. I usually start with old-fashioned pencil and paper - for me it's still the fastest way to quickly create basic shapes and paths that set up the player's experience.
Dead space is obviously not very exciting, but I do think it can be a mistake not to employ some of it - because the possible result is an area that feels "overcooked" and inorganic. I personally try to visually designate zones that contain points of interest, but without filling up each and every square foot.
When it translates to the game, my goal is to offer the player a map that is memorable to explore. I don't want a player to feel lost or overwhelmed unless that's actually the intention/challenge that we're baking in to a specific map - which in my opinion, should be used very sparingly. So well-positioned points-of-interest help the player visually map out an area, enjoy/interact with it, and remember how to navigate it.
I also believe that a game benefits from having a mix of some sparse/simple areas, and then more intricate/full ones. It's a form of pacing that almost goes unnoticed unless you tune in - but it allows the player to transition mentally from "investigation" to "exploration" and also from "safety" to "danger" - which keeps things fresh.
In the example below, the overall goal was to create a rich but compact area (an abandoned lake village), where the player doesn't have a ton of space to navigate, but is surrounded by things to investigate in quick succession. The neighboring area will open things up a bit, to hopefully transition to conveying a greater sense of expanse and journey.
Dead space is obviously not very exciting, but I do think it can be a mistake not to employ some of it - because the possible result is an area that feels "overcooked" and inorganic. I personally try to visually designate zones that contain points of interest, but without filling up each and every square foot.
When it translates to the game, my goal is to offer the player a map that is memorable to explore. I don't want a player to feel lost or overwhelmed unless that's actually the intention/challenge that we're baking in to a specific map - which in my opinion, should be used very sparingly. So well-positioned points-of-interest help the player visually map out an area, enjoy/interact with it, and remember how to navigate it.
I also believe that a game benefits from having a mix of some sparse/simple areas, and then more intricate/full ones. It's a form of pacing that almost goes unnoticed unless you tune in - but it allows the player to transition mentally from "investigation" to "exploration" and also from "safety" to "danger" - which keeps things fresh.
In the example below, the overall goal was to create a rich but compact area (an abandoned lake village), where the player doesn't have a ton of space to navigate, but is surrounded by things to investigate in quick succession. The neighboring area will open things up a bit, to hopefully transition to conveying a greater sense of expanse and journey.
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