The map doesn't have to be completely linear, but make sure that it's not too complicated. If people get lost, the map will end up becoming a teamplay one when people give up finding the points of contention. The FA team strives to include quality maps with Firearms to provide the best gaming experience. However, there are some guidelines that must be followed for a map to be considered. Your map must have a specific theme and a great atmosphere.
Firearms is based around subjects such as the military and war.
Your map should look like a place where a large scale battle could happen in real life. One way for example to improve the atmosphere is to add sounds of battle like machinegun fire in the background. Also, try to make use of the textures included in the firearms.wad and other custom textures of your choosing. Using custom textures rather than the regular half-life ones can make a huge difference on the aesthetic quality of your map. Don't bore us all with a map that looks like it was made for regular Half-Life Deathmatch.