Why Your Map Isn't Engaging (Setup and Payoff) | osu! Mapping

If nobody plays your map, nobody can enjoy your map. Set up your map with a sense of intrigue- "how will the mapper develop these ideas further". Don't reveal your entire hand all at once. Introduce the basic ideas, themes, or motifs early in your map that you plan to use later in the map. The song itself does this, so your map should too. I might do a dedicated video on this concept specifically later, if there's interest. Alternatively, you can introduce an idea that is contrasted later with another idea. This contrast is very engaging and makes the player want to see what happens next. A final option is to constantly be developing and progressing the map, introducing new ideas slowly but regularly. This is a good method if the song is relatively static or constant without the same degree of sectional contrast: think DnB, metal, etc. Finally, you can do some combination of this. ---- Maps shown: https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/1684100#osu/3441065 https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2303740#osu/4924275 https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/1947889#osu/4031234 ---- My osu! profile: https://osu.ppy.sh/users/16276548