Note: How much you stick to this tutorial is up to you. Where I say square, and you feel that a star works, go for it! It's just simpler when working from the same examples.
In this section, we will be covering the basics from drawing out the lines for your map.
Go to mode -> linedefs, or alternatively, press L on your keyboard.
Now to start drawing, either [Right Click] or press [Insert] on your keyboard. You place a new vertex everytime you left click. Draw a square that is 640 x 640. Finish your drawing by joining your last side with where you started.
Your process should look like the one on the left, and finish like the one on the right.
Hmm, one room, that seems a little boring. Go ahead and add a little corridor and another room.
In order to start drawing from another sector, press insert on your keyboard where you want to split the line. Don't be afraid to overlap your lines! Doom Builder automatically interprets your input and adjusts the map accordingly. This is what I ended up with. Made a mistake? Don't worry, you can undo anything you don't like, or hit backspace when you're drawing to head back to a previous point.
When you highlight a line with your mouse, Doom Builder informs you of the properties of your line at the bottom of the screen. Included information includes the texture you're using, the length of the line, and the linedef action.
As a little review, go ahead and count the vertices/linedefs/sidedefs within this example.
The tally is as follows: 16 vertices | 18 linedefs | 20 sidedefs | 3 sectors.
And this wraps up the basics of drawing out maps. From newbies to professionals, all maps start with a basic outline like this. The next section will introduce 3D Visual mode and changing floor/ceiling heights.
Summary:
- Mode -> linedefs, or press L on the keyboard.
- Right click or press insert to start drawing
- You can draw over sectors and Doom Builder will automatically join them.