Well alot of us build levels, some are better then others. Now i know i have done this, but here is a good question. How many of us draw out our levels before making them in ZED?
For one level i was working on i had 5 or 6 sheets filled. Of course they were the pages of a waitress guest check pad (i work at a resturant, it was all i had available). 3 pages were the level overview (1 sheet per floor) and the other 3 were details of the other pages, I.E designing the hallways and rooms.

So how many people draw out their design first? And how much detail do you tend to put?

Odd yes? But fun no?

Just once, for the level I was working on for the last SP level contest.

Never.

I build the level as I go, just randomly doing things until it looks cool. Dead Cell just happened to be an odd twist that turned out to play well. I add details as I build the levels too.

I'm a really unorganized mapper.

Depends on the map and what I'm doing. They're generally just very rough sketches to get a sense of scale and positioning. Details I do on the fly.

Not really, no. Once I made drawings of my own levels before I came across JED. Thinking of realizing these drawings some time, but not sure how the different rooms were connected again, or if I have all the papers. Now a days I just build as I go.

/Edward

Build it in my head first.

It can be recalled almost as well as the map file.

Back when I spent a lot of my free time making levels (lolnerd) I would usually make some rough sketches (more often than not while I was supposed to be paying attention in class). However, as I was working on the actual level in JED or Worldcraft/Hammer, a lot of times I would come up with new ideas as I was sculpting the level, so that the finished product only vaguely represented the original sketch.

Definitely fine details were never sketched out in advance.

And the more I think about it, the more I think the only reason I sketched levels out to begin with was because it was the next best thing to actually being able to make levels, which for obvious reasons, I couldn't do during my high school/early college years courses.

I think about the map for a few weeks before I start working on it. I actually have several maps in my head & they're quite detailed. I was never much at drawing. I do however have a CTF map that I've messed around with for a few years where I'm just making it up as I go along.

I don't see the point of "drawing" it out. Concept sketches are good for themes and guidelines but it's all digital so if you don't like something you just delete it.

I still find drawings around my study at home.

I drew out my Magrucko series because I knew they were going to be very complex, with the player returning to the same area in each level like in Tomb Raider. I prefer this because it means the length of the level increases with no extra building time. I always used to draw out my levels, but for linear levels where the same areas aren't revisted the editor can just build and build until they run out of ideas.