lsudny's mapping tips v.3

- don't spam or clutter objects;
- one enemy can do the job of two (or more); putting 50 gausses in a small room is nonsense and just doesn't work;
- make sure your enemies aren't overwhelming or making the map painful to play;
- gold is usually placed for an extra challenge; in races it can help to find the flow; spread your gold out to make an additional challenge;
- work on the tileset, lines-only tilesets are bad; you can use  patterns and to make the tiles less random;
- the same goes to the objects - you can use patterns with slight progressive changes;
- it's good when the map isn't repetitive;
- there is no overall rule about what you should make first (tileset or objects) - the best way *for me* is to make some tiles, then add some objects, then add some more tiles, etc.;
- *always* playtest your map to make sure it's beatable;
- just keep mapping - you'll start to understand what makes a quality map;
- if you develop a style that works, stick with it if you want to;
- listen to advices from respectable authors;
- if you made a couple of maps, don't submit all of them, but rather choose the best one;
- look at other people's maps, get inspired, be original and innovative and try new ideas!

I also recommend checking out atob's Map Theory: http://www.nmaps.net/170549/comments?start=40&count=40#1009

have fun mapping!