I've read many explanations about the map directions LEFT/RIGHT/STRAIGHT, and still can't figure it out from the pictures.
Does it mean the direction the player is facing as he first spawns... or does it mean the direction the entry doorway is facing... or does it mean the whole screen area, examining the overall starting room's opening
The direction of the starting block when you enter the area is your base for the straight facing vector, you base left and right on that.
It's the whole screen area, so you can identify the ROTATION of the map. The direction of the door/stairs/entrance or the direction the player is facing make no difference at all. Then you follow the pattern you see on tutorials based on this rotation.
Look at this image from Nightfallx tutorial: http://nightfallx2.wixsite.com/d2speedruns/map-layouts https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8322a9_c86006a163a14c84b071ef6e0a5a031a.jpg/v1/fill/w_478,h_358,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/8322a9_c86006a163a14c84b071ef6e0a5a031a.webp
Analysing it, we can see that the first tile, the whole purple box, is on Southwest of the map, and (probably) the map extends to Northeast, so that's the direction you should try going, because that's the pattern for Underground Passage. The exit is always going straight, BASED ON THE ROTATION OF THE MAP, or the first tile, as they say.
Of course we can see some odd maps where the exit is "behind" the entrance, but the rule is still valid,,, If you turn 4 times to the right, you'll going the same direction as you started, right? Or when the exit is 'to the left' ( of the relative rotation =] ), if you turn 3 times to the right, it 'becomes' a left, right? ;)
Let me know if this helps you. =]
Ryuquezecotl made a video series on navigating the maps in D2, though it is quite lengthy - but worth the time investment if you want to get serious about speedrunning this game. it is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2dGlY1s3gk0hIvD0bOvGYmIATAtsXo9A
But in general , like Alan has described, most tiles in maps face a certain direction (the direction you exit that tile out of) - that's the direction that is referred to as STRAIGHT and can change from map to map. The first couple episodes of that video series focus on the Den of Evil and the Underground passage, and you can clearly see that certain tiles will always face certain ways and you can navigate through the randomized maps using this knowledge, to an extent
http://pf-mail.wixsite.com/d2maps/rules i think this should help a lot more cuz it shows all possibilities of left / right / straight
