Maps

TagPro is played almost entirely on community-made maps. Maps are created by the community and added to game roughly once a month. Usually when one map is added to rotation another will be removed. The process to have a map accepted into rotation involves a peer review by a committee of map judges called the Map Testing Comittee (MTC). The majority of maps are not in rotation, but are available to play in private groups. Information about maps in rotation can be found on the TagPro Maps page. All maps that have been in rotation are listed on the TagPro Analytics website.

# Map Creation

Maps are made up of two files:

* A PNG file, which handles the map layout (each pixel corresponds to one tile)
* A JSON file, which handles the map logic (such as defining what buttons do and where portals go)

To create a map, you can either use a map editor to generate those files for you, or you can create those files by hand.

## The Map Making Community

Most mapmakers and the MapTest Committee can be reached through the official TagPro Discord in the mapmaking section (#maps-general). There is also a specific TagPro MapMaking Discord and subreddit.

## Using A Map Editor

The easiest way to create a map is to use a map editor:

* From fortunate-maps. The most up-to-date map editor available, all web based and maintained by a TagPro Future Group Developer.
* You can submit your maps, as well as view other mapmakers' creations, on fortunatemaps.herokuapp.com. To upload your map to the map database, go to the editor and use the Export button > Fortunate Maps.
* For a complete tutorial including screenshots, check out the #make-my-own-maps channel in the How Do I...? section on the general TagPro Discord.

## Creating A Map By Hand

If you want to make a map without using a map editor (not very recommended), this page goes through a lot of details of how to do that along with examples. To upload your map to the fortunate-maps editor database, use "Import" and drag and drop your PNG and JSON files into the upload areas.

## Testing

Three servers are available for map testing. To test a map, you can simply enter the fortunate maps ID or upload your PNG and JSON files to any of the three servers listed below. Note that the size of the PNG currently cannot be greater than 3600 pixels.

 Oceanic Maptest Server | Sydney, Australia

If after testing, you would like to edit your map, you can open it in the fortunate-maps editor again. To open a map, use "Import" and enter the Fortunate Maps ID or drag and drop your PNG and JSON files into the upload areas. If you want to see a tagpro.eu preview of a map, you can also upload the PNG and JSON file in the form at the bottom of the TagPro Analytics raw data page.

# Map Design

## Technical Map Designing, and guides

Below are some guides and tips and tricks for how to make maps suitable for general rotation in TagPro. These guidelines are not absolute, but can provide a nice baseline especially for new people getting into mapmaking. Note: most of these guides are a few years old and might be from a time where maps were generally bigger and when regrab was not a common play. They can still provide good insight into the basics of making a good map however.

## Tutorials

* Mapmaking Guidelines by Liquid
* Experience and Tips from David Stern
* Map Flow by sexytiger/Espeluznante
* Why New Maps Suck by DaEvil1
* What Makes Maps Popular or Not by ...
* How to Get Your Map in Rotation by Renegade/Map Test Committee
* Video Tutorial on designing a basic, balanced map by DaEvil1
* Mapmaking Theory - Spikes = Portals: A Handoff Analysis by Moosen
* Mapmaking for Scrubs by Tumblewood