Staredit Network

Yeah I'll add that.  I was thinking of adding a few more.  Just this cursed downtime has been a pain...

ADDITION:
Added these.
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[center]How to Finish My Map[/center]

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You know how it is. You see great maps in production in the UMS Production thread. You see the systems it says it's going to use, and all the awesome stuff it's going to have.

And it never gets finished.

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Unfinished maps are a problem to say the least. I’ve finished very few maps, and it leads me to believe my process is flawed. So I took into account what I do when I make a map, and what makes me stop. I wanted to point this out, and try to help other map makers who can’t seem to get some awesome projects finished:

• Choose a map you like
      You're way more likely to finish a map you like and that you think is fun. Don’t make a map you yourself won’t like.  Unless you're getting paid or forced to do it.
  
• Don’t worry about what anyone else expects of the map
      If you want feedback or suggestions on your map, that’s fine. But don’t ever make the map about what other people wanted to see in it. It should be your idea, that you have a passion of seeing made into a map. Don’t let anyone put your map down no matter how junky it is, but strive to work hard and shut them up with one of the best maps anyone’s ever seen.
  
• Stay on task
      If you need to take a break from the map fine, but if you plan on finishing it, don't spend much time away from it. The longer you spend not working on it, the longer it takes to get done, the harder it will be to get back on track, and, ultimately, the less you will want to work on it.
  
• Don't waste energy on something you won't finish
      It's up to you if you want to do your maps out of spontaneity or by a careful plan, but you should always be prepared to follow through on the task you set for yourself.  Blind hope just isn't enough to get maps finished reliably.
  
• Testing is your friend
      Testing is good. Not only because it helps your balance and weed out bugs in a map, but it gives you a look at what you’re making. When testing is far enough along, it gets fun, because your map is almost done and you should have a good time playing it.
  
• Don't do 'fun' parts first
    In fact, as a guideline, you usually do the 'fun' stuff last (some exceptions, of course). Stuff like text overlaps, sound effects, terrain prettying/doodads, etc. That doesn't mean you can't plan ahead for it, of course.  If you can't complete your map past just the 'fun' stuff, then you probably shouldn't bother with it at all.
  
• Make the map one step at a time
      Plan to avoid having to multitask as much as possible.  Is your map going to have an ammo system? Implement the system, test it, then move on to the next one, say a drop ship inventory kind of thing. One system at a time is like building with legos: One piece at a time.
  
• Don't show off the unfinished map more than you need to
    ...or at least not for kudos reasons.  Really, you should only be trying to impress people with the finished or near-finished product only.  Anything short of that is not doing a service to your map.
  
• Avoid preemptive hype
      The other thing is to not hype up your map before you have a product (or only a partially complete one). It sets yourself up to have to meet the expectations of others instead of yourself, for one (as mentioned above). It also sets yourself up with a preconceived notion of what your map ought to be, hindering further creativity.
  
• Backup religiously
      There are few project killers that can compete with lost, deleted, or corrupt maps.  Making backups is more than just a tip: It's a life saver.  Especially between major new developments, editor switches, and especially if you plan on protecting or compressing it.
  

How to Troubleshoot:

• Stuck?  Find something else to do.
      Sometimes... no, USUALLY, you will end up stuck somewhere in your map.  Unless it's some critical part obstructing progress of everything else, it can sometimes be best to turn your attention to another aspect of the map.  Often the answers won't come to you right away, but giving yourself the time to think about it as well as retaining your pace of progress will ensure you're less likely to get thrown off course completely.
  
• Still stuck?  Try getting help.
      Don't be afraid to ask for help.  Forums are usually the best place for general help, though for more specific stuff you may need to get someone specific to help you.  Remember though: The help you'll get will only be as good as the information you provide.  Be sure to define your problem as best you can.
  
• If all else fails, time for drastic measures!
      Usually, you only hit this point if you've made a huge mess out of your map.  In which case, you sometimes have to face the reality that you may need to hit the drawing board again.  If you've made backups, try backtracking to an earlier version and clean things up.  You may be surprised how easy it is to redo things you've already done, so don't be afraid.  In the worst case though, you may even need to restart the map from scratch.  You might be able to use tools such as SCMDraft or Starforge to import your terrain or other parts from the old map, but usually it's best to restart with as clean a slate as you can if you're going to go that far anyway.
  

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By following these tips, I am confident that you can finish a map.

Thanks:
Excalibur for originaly having this idea.
Tuxedo_Templar for editing, organizing, pinning, and general help.
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Well this whole post is helping me with my map thank you for posting it.Also I like how you said dont let others distact you that is true even I need to work on that.
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