How often do you tweak the design of your maps?

[dookiebot]

Most here seem to have more mapping experience than I do, but I find after I draw out and pre-determine base room measurements for my map I am constantly going back and tweaking dimensions/layouts in Hammer.

To me that seems the best way to prevents a handful of major corrections once you beta, but how many feel they have a good hand on just going in a mapping what they want and it turns out pretty much what you expected the first time through?

Right now I have hit a design block because of a major change in a layout needed so I won't cripple performance on lower end machines and it has got me wondering if I am overly cautious? :p

[Youme]

You should get all layout stuff done in alpha, way before detailing. Then once you've detailed the map and you hit beta you're only making minor changes here and there

[Spike]

For what i see almost all mappers make a big blocky alpha first, and they tweak it later by adding stuff etc. i like making my map step by step tweaking at every moment, well... I never make alphas so I go directly for the beta.

[MangyCarface]

My gameplay influences my aesthetics and vice versa too much to have things ironed out in alpha, to my dismay : /

So I'd say they both change a lot