What do you believe makes a good map.

[fcdrifter13]

Hello everyone.

I am in the middle of the layout phase of my first map and would like some input that focuses more on the gameplay side of things. I am making a map of the area that I live (Canton South Dakota) and before i make it too far in what I expect will be a 3-5month process I was wondering what makes a map great to play for you all. I really like maps like Dusty Cove, Sussex Farm, and Oakfield Farm they all have a certain charm that is different to each map, and while they are very good i do not want to duplicate the same thing. The area I live in is a farming hub, massive grain stores, shops, railway hub, decent terrain that has some elevation changes but nothing serious and varying field sizes all which i think would lend itself well to FS17 but i dont know how to make that into something that is enjoyable for the majority of people.

I personally like maps that are more interactive with gates doors and the like for the more real feel to the map. Some people do not and i think the maps listed do a good job in keeping gameplay at the forefront while also having a nice backdrop to play in. Because of my inexperience in mapping i do not know where to start with these balances and there is not real guide on how to do so that I am aware of. I like the idea of having an area along the river/creek area for forestry, larger fields in the north west corner and smaller fields in the south where you start, with animal areas scattered between. A small town, downsized from real scale, in the center area that has shops and some sell points and also the grain and rail hub. Does this sound like it would be a decent layout?

TLDR: Just looking for opinions on making a better USA style map.

The images below are of the area which the town will be scaled down, I realized it was far too large in game after the first two structures.

[ClassicTractors]

What makes a map really good and outstanding for me is the landscape and details. I really enjoy maps with unique landscapes (IMO, easy to obtain when modeling a real life area) and I like the small details.

[VMB-TAN]

I like realistic looking maps such as Sosnovka. Cracks in the asphalt, weeds growing in between tiles and such.

[MountainFarmer]

Look at No Creek Farm, you can find it on www.americaneaglesmodding.com/. This is an american map that I think is really well done.

[Corstaad]

Maps that don't give you everything right off the bat. I don't like starting with end game equipment. Also I like creating fields out of unused land. Its a lot of fun for me to clear trees and make it useable land.

[FarmingRemasterd]

yeah, also the atention to detail can really go a long way. Stuff like interactive buildings and shops and little things all make the playthrough worthwhile.

[BenGerlach]

I like those that are almost a turn-key map for dairy farming. Also try adding in things like contour strips and drainage swales like in Autumn Oaks would be great ascetically and would allow for neat gameplay. The link is below
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6481138 ... a=!3m1!1e3

[hpmc13]

Great suggestions so far. I like the idea of starting small - small fields, small equipment - then growing into bigger fields and bigger equipment. Broxton is probably the best map I can think of for this. Nearly every field on the map can be combined with other fields, but there were borders with removable hedges and trees at the start that made the fields feel "right." You could stay small if you chose to. I owned 43 of the 50 fields, but had them combined into 12.

Speaking of Autumn Oaks: they used an alfalfa texture for grass that, as a Pennsylvanian, really sold it for me. It was still grass in the game, but it looked like alfalfa when it grew.

Large swaths of repeating textures on the ground always break a map for me. I also like farms that look used with older style buildings rather than brand-new metal outbuildings. Farms are dirty. Hills, bumps, streams, ponds, dirt roads, weeds, mud, trees - small details.

These are all personal preferences, of course. Create the map that YOU want to play.

[BenGerlach]

i guess. Autumn Oaks is based off of Wisconsin where i currently live so it hits home with me. It actually looks like our farm at first so it hits with me. I do like the idea of growing from small fields that you can expand. I will keep that in mind

[AgPro Farms]

For me, the "Home Base" or main farm is a big part of it. If I can't feel at home, so to speak, it's hard for me to get into it. I've never been able to leave GCV because I was actually able to customize it and make it my own in a way. I think a map, with a house, and a large yard (dirt, rock, etc) would be pretty cool and from that point you could add whatever placeables you want to make it your own. Some people don't like that because of the slot count, at least on consoles, but I personally have more than enough equipment to support a farm, dairy operation and keep the bio gas plant running without getting anywhere near the end of my slot count. That includes 5 placeables at my main farm. Just my 2 cents.

[niggle44]

With a new map I do like to see new buildings - not the generic cow/pig areas and farm buildings not in keeping with the area. No US map so far that I`ve seen is set up like a large feed-lot operation often seen in the US and like wise no maps have an actual milking parlour - robot milking parlours are not common anywhere (yet). Modern large scale farming does not always have pigs living outdoors in nice muddy paddocks (chickens a waste of space on FS).

[cmdrbyron]

Vehicle Accessibility (can suitable vehicles get to/from key points?) is a big stickler for me - nothing worse than mounting frustrations as you try to manoeuvre a mid-range tractor with a tipper/tool through improperly sized access routes.

Another key is flexibility - we all play differently, so I enjoy maps where I have a choice in what I would like to focus on, be it harvesting, animals, forestry, factories, etc.

I love the maps done by Stevie and BSM, all of their maps are fabulous and see significant playtime - but I find Stevie is overly generous with his starting equipment (yes, I know all about editing my savegame file) and really easy to make big money, whereas I have difficulty traversing parts of the BSM maps with modestly sized equipment, appropriate to the region/era.

I would use the work of those modders as a baseline for your own efforts.

[Gimli54]

I don’t do any logging basically and rarely get far with animals mostly because the farm I grew up around was only agricultural so that’s what I’ve alwasy done in fs I like trying to start with things bigger than three meters wide and smaller than six meters and building my operation from there until I’m using multiple workers with larger equipment so a map with square fields and turning room is nice I’m not saying all fields have to be that way but the big ones would make good use of having turn room one thing that I think Giants does well in their maps is that they try and make it balanced so that anyone can do almost anything with their maps but that’s where modding maps can be a major game changer cause you can now find a map that fits a specific area you wanna play like for a large farming operation just start a mustang valley where it’s nothing but fields basically or get a logging map filled with trees I recommend either trying to follow giants blueprint as go for balanced or pick an area of focus and make that the aim of the map it’s up to the creator how they wanna do it

[fcdrifter13]

I am trying to implement most of these designs into my newest map. Thank you all for the feedback!

[Guil]

I hope you will give credit to the forum members when it gets to modhub