Project: Foshes Map Design Guide
by foshes
*not a graphic designer– bare with me
Last edit: (1/29/22)
Prerequisites:
- Strong understanding of Foshes’ Universe characters (playable characters in Project: Foshes).
- Complete understanding of Project: Foshes mechanics and capabilities. For example, know that the Murderer can throw and stab with their knife, whereas the Sheriff can only shoot their gun.
- Complete understanding of ROBLOX characters– their jump power, walk speed, etc.
- You play games. Your preferences are important. If there are aspects of maps you hate in other games, make sure you don’t include them in your map. If there’s an aspect of a map that you love, emphasize it in your map.
What is Project: Foshes?
Project: Foshes is a Murder Mystery game that plays exactly like a remastered version of the classic ‘The Mad Murderer’ by Mad Studio. In addition, it will combine elements from both ‘Murder Mystery 2’ and ‘Assassin!’. From Murder Mystery 2, the player-based economy, and Assassin!, a more enhanced competitive element of the game (clans, leaderboards).
In the future, Project: Foshes will feature ranked duels, allowing players to competitively play against each other to fight for spots on a leaderboard. In addition, players that participate will be rewarded with special cosmetics (of course, based on ranking) that are only obtainable during that competitive season.
If you’d like to follow the project:
What is a map design?
A map design is not just a map– it is a complete thought. It should tell a story and players should be interested, but also curious about the map. Some example thoughts you could potentially want a player feeling while they play your map:
- “What does this symbol mean?”
- “Oh my gosh– that same symbol is over here too.”
- “I found this secret high-tech lab in a medieval house… What could this mean?”
Not only that, players should feel at home when playing the map. Take into account the game you’re making a map for and adjust.
A final note about what map design is is that while making a graphically pleasing map is the goal, a map that plays and feels amazing is always superior. A phenomenal example is ‘Nuketown’ from COD. It is not the most graphically appealing– super simple, but it feels amazing and players will agree that it’s a fan favorite.
How should I go about creating a map design?
Loleris mentions this in his Map design guidebook, and I think that rather than reinventing the wheel, I will quote him on this: The workflow cycle.
I will start testing your map submissions on stream, so if you ever want to give your map a shot or want to see how it plays, submit it (on Discord – #map-submissions) and we’ll play it live. You’ll receive not just my feedback, but also the viewer’s and player’s.
What are the Project: Foshes game modes and their map specifications?
Traditional (1/29/22): The Traditional game mode plays like a classic Murder Mystery game. There is one murderer, one sheriff, and the remaining players are innocent. The murderer is tasked with killing all players, the sheriff must find and eliminate the murderer, and innocents must hide from the murderer. If the sheriff dies, the innocent players must pick the gun up from off the body and avenge the sheriff by killing the murderer.
Map specifications:
- 150x150 - 225x225 size
Murder Madness (1/29/22): The Murder Madness game mode plays like a Murderer FFA. In this game mode, everybody is a murderer and it is a fight to the death. The person that comes out on top– the one that doesn’t die wins.
Map specifications:
- 175x175 - 250x250 size
Your map will only be used for one game mode, most of the time. For this reason, you must have one game mode in mind as you work on your map.
It’s at this point where your understanding of the game comes into play. If you were to create a Murder Madness map, understand that the game mode is free for all and players are capable of throwing and stabbing others with their knife. Create places to seek cover, lanes for knife throwing, and places for individual 1v1s. The map should be compact enough that the game mode forces players to fight, but is also big enough that every player has an equal footing in the fight.
Final notes:
Hey– I’m going to break the fourth wall here. Thank you so much for taking the time to read. This post isn’t meant to scare you off, but hopefully to drive quality and a solid thought process as you work on your map. You’re amazing and keep grinding. Hard work pays off– take my word for it. Just under two years ago, I couldn’t even grasp a while loop and now here I am, making my first official game. You’re going to take Ls and hate doing this stuff, but if you persevere, I promise it will feel so satisfying. If you have any questions, whether it be about maps or anything, feel free to message me. Take care of yourself. - foshes
I plan to continually edit this as time goes on. As questions are asked and I have more conversations, my opinion on how maps should be built will evolve. I will update the date at the very top of the page to indicate the most recent change.