Base design

[Nigelbland]

Spent along time, populating a map over the weekend, and I sat back and it just looked like I'd put everything I possibly could in one base and didn't feel ... er.. proper.

Whats everyones takes on designing, well anything.

Do you have a point of reference? i.e. a picture
Just play around till you get the idea?
Throw everything you can at it?
Design the base around a road, or visa versa?

It's all of course relative to the map but just wondered what peoples working points were.

[Lagomorph]

I've been placing just buildings/large structures at first, and imagining the details I will put in later. (Trees, roads, and all that.) I am not working with any real "map" for the level, and while I'm not following my own advice, I would suggest that most would be mappers at least spend some time with your eyes closed evisioning your level, or even just wandering around other levels for inspiration on how to use game resources.

Unfortunately, since I am trying to do an urban map I keep finding myself "painted" into a corner, or just generally out of ideas or new buildings for one area. It can be frustrating and difficult working without much more than a general notion of how I want the gameplay to be, but it is just the way I have always created things. Throw some stuff down, play with it, find what you like and then forever rearrange/redesign.