To all map makers a simple question.

What is it that you do in premap stages do you draw it out ,put down just key spots or just go at throwing things where they might land or is there more to what you do?

I tend to design the map around itself (I start with one simple idea for the start and then expand the map as I go along). It's probably best to have a good plot base first though, such as where events will happen such as in a town. Then you might decide where that town will be, (NW, SE, Etc...). I prefer to design little bits at a time, fully triggering each section of my levels instead of designing all the terrain first. It depends what you prefer.

depends on the kind of map:

TD/AoS-like - I draw the ways on a paper OR or in my mind and get a basic idea WHY i wanna make this map and WHY it would be special and why people would love it compared to the other crappy shit out. Tower/Heroes.. sometimes i got ideas, but most come while editing spells and creating the heroes / while making the tower tech-tree

RPG - Get an idea, a clue of the story, then start and expand it more and more

You could be like me..

Get fed up with the majority of the bad maps out there of any certain type (WW3 and things like that for me) and build your own that is based off of all the things you've thought about while playing those bad maps.