dm_fusion_reactor_beta

[leadphalanx]

Well, I have most of this map completely finished, but i'm out of ideas, so I'm releasing a beta. Also, the name might change, i don't really like it.

All the costom textures should be embedded in the bsp.

If you have any ideas, or find any bugs, please tell me.

the d/l: http://rapidshare.de/files/22495794/dm_fusion_reactor.rar.html

 

[UltraProAnti]

looks like a quake3 map...

 

[leadphalanx]

^ does it really look that bad? ^

Well, I've added a bit more to the map so it isn't as empty as it was. Its still not great, but I upgraded the texturing a bit. The lighting will be alightly darker in most parts too in the end.

well, here are some new craptastic screens:

well, is it atleast a little better?

 

[63]

Doesn't look very sourceish

 

[leadphalanx]

That's the whole point. I try to make maps that are completely un-source like and un hl2-like. I try my hardest to create original maps, If I ever made a map that looked like all the rest, i'd die. But, I always go for my own idea in my head, even though my style is sometimes a bit....... unconventional

btw, if you are refering to the textures being un-source like, it's because I made them myself.

 

[63]

That's the whole point. I try to make maps that are completely un-source like and un hl2-like. I try my hardest to create original maps, If I ever made a map that looked like all the rest, i'd die. But, I always go for my own idea in my head, even though my style is sometimes a bit....... unconventional

btw, if you are refering to the textures being un-source like, it's because I made them myself.

I hear ya. And no, I wasn't taking a shot at your textures. Anybody that takes the time to make their own assets is +10 in my eyes.

 

[Asknoone]

I think it looks fun \o/.

 

[Spire]

[Edit: I see now that you just haven't built your cubemaps yet for the 2nd set of screenshots. So, nevermind.]

 

[Limpet]

The textures seem a little off somehow. I guess it's just the brightness/reflectivity of them, doesn't seem to fit the look of metal you'd see near a reactor. Too clean maybe.

Anywho, I like it. Pretty bright for the lack of sources of light, but it is a beta afterall. Good job so far.

 

[Spire]

The textures seem a little off somehow. I guess it's just the brightness/reflectivity of them, doesn't seem to fit the look of metal you'd see near a reactor. Too clean maybe.

He just needs to re-build his cubemaps.. right now all of those surfaces are reflecting a bright skybox, instead of the local area of the map, making it look strange and washed-out.

 

[giant384]

the textures dont look industrial to me it looks more alienish

 

[bbson john]

That is a cool map. Surely unlike a source map. I really want to play in.

 

[huntingbear]

yeah I was gonna say..."why do the textures look like shit?" but if you made them urself...congrats! i don't care about the look of them now, awesomeness for making ur own.

 

[Crispy]

Okay, you've provided enough screens for a fair bit of constructive criticism. Maybe it will come across harsh, but it's better to say something and let you decide if it's relevant or not than say nothing at all because I don't want to hurt your feelings. So here it goes:

Lighting
You need to work on your lighting imo. It's great that you made your own textures, but as they stand they're not detailed enough to stand up to bright white light when pasted across large surfaces. More varied lighting with the brightness turned down a couple of notches would work better in areas where you've used one texture on a large surface. Try to avoid using few strong light entities to provide the lighting and instead use a greater number that shed less light individually but combine to give you a good tonal range. The other thing is that you don't seem to have any light fixtures (in a futuristic, alien style or not). Try to incorporate these into your design to bring the original stye you have in your brushwork and improved lighting together in one foul swoop.

Texturing (N.B. Not textures)
This isn't a slur on your custom textures, in fact it's commendable that you've taken the time to learn to texture -it's something that allows you to go that little bit further in terms of ownership, originality and personality- but it's the choice of textures and their placement that you need to work on.
- Often you don't use the most suitable texture, like in this pic where the walkway trim uses a sort of steel metal sheet texture, which is normally used on large surfaces. The indentation pattern is there to make the surface less slippy, which makes sense if you're walking on it, but makes little sense when, as in your map, you use it for the side of a staircase. If you're determined to use your own custom textures for the whole map, I'd recommend investing some time in creating some basic trim textures (have a look through the Half-Life 1 WAD for ideas on simple styles).
- In this pic you have a texture with a warning sign up where nobody can reach it. Warning signs are usually at eye-level, so unless your industrial map is designed for workers who can fly, you need to design it in a similar way we would design things for human use.
- The same texture works reasonably well to cover the whole floor in the same pic, but it's the details that let it down. You have an industrial feature in the centre of the room that extends from floor to ceiling, implying that it probably travels further, but your texture shows no sign of how this would have been installed. The floor and ceiling textures simply mould themselves around it, creating a flat and unconvincing lego effect as if the machinery simply sits between the floor and ceiling in isolation. Think about how you would install a window into a wall of your house. First you put in the frame, then you put in the window pane itself. If you think about adding the same sort of trims into the features of your level you'll get a much more polished result. This could make so much of a difference to features like the cutaway in this pic and the bottom of this border wall that stops you falling into the pit in this pic. In the same way, pipes appear from and disappear into walls with no signs of any aperture for them to pass through. Fix examples like these and the general visual quality of the map will inprove twofold.
- The trims can also be included in the textures themselves if you want to save on brushwork. There's an obvious difference between the 'aesthetic plausibility' (whether you'll believe what you see to be realistic within the game context) of this pic (using textures with no trims) and this pic (note the trim at the bottom of the walls).

Physics
Think about realistic physics in your designs. How does the suspended platform in this pic stay up? It doesn't look like it will support any significant weight at the moment. Adding supports to areas that are implausible will have the player questioning the visual design less and able to concentrate more fully on the game at hand. When maps cause numerous problems on an aesthetic level for the player they are on the whole rejected regardless of the quality of gameplay.

You obviously have some original ideas and architectural concepts, but you need to do justice to them by amending the little niggling problems like trim textures, lighting and functional plausibility to make the most out of what is a very promising start. Hope that helps.

 

[Pax]

Okay, you've provided enough screens for a fair bit of constructive criticism. Maybe it will come across harsh, but it's better to say something and let you decide if it's relevant or not than say nothing at all because I don't want to hurt your feelings. So here it goes:

Lighting
You need to work on your lighting imo. It's great that you made your own textures, but as they stand they're not detailed enough to stand up to bright white light when pasted across large surfaces. More varied lighting with the brightness turned down a couple of notches would work better in areas where you've used one texture on a large surface. Try to avoid using few strong light entities to provide the lighting and instead use a greater number that shed less light individually but combine to give you a good tonal range. The other thing is that you don't seem to have any light fixtures (in a futuristic, alien style or not). Try to incorporate these into your design to bring the original stye you have in your brushwork and improved lighting together in one foul swoop.

Texturing (N.B. Not textures)
This isn't a slur on your custom textures, in fact it's commendable that you've taken the time to learn to texture -it's something that allows you to go that little bit further in terms of ownership, originality and personality- but it's the choice of textures and their placement that you need to work on.
- Often you don't use the most suitable texture, like in this pic where the walkway trim uses a sort of steel metal sheet texture, which is normally used on large surfaces. The indentation pattern is there to make the surface less slippy, which makes sense if you're walking on it, but makes little sense when, as in your map, you use it for the side of a staircase. If you're determined to use your own custom textures for the whole map, I'd recommend investing some time in creating some basic trim textures (have a look through the Half-Life 1 WAD for ideas on simple styles).
- In this pic you have a texture with a warning sign up where nobody can reach it. Warning signs are usually at eye-level, so unless your industrial map is designed for workers who can fly, you need to design it in a similar way we would design things for human use.
- The same texture works reasonably well to cover the whole floor in the same pic, but it's the details that let it down. You have an industrial feature in the centre of the room that extends from floor to ceiling, implying that it probably travels further, but your texture shows no sign of how this would have been installed. The floor and ceiling textures simply mould themselves around it, creating a flat and unconvincing lego effect as if the machinery simply sits between the floor and ceiling in isolation. Think about how you would install a window into a wall of your house. First you put in the frame, then you put in the window pane itself. If you think about adding the same sort of trims into the features of your level you'll get a much more polished result. This could make so much of a difference to features like the cutaway in this pic and the bottom of this border wall that stops you falling into the pit in this pic. In the same way, pipes appear from and disappear into walls with no signs of any aperture for them to pass through. Fix examples like these and the general visual quality of the map will inprove twofold.
- The trims can also be included in the textures themselves if you want to save on brushwork. There's an obvious difference between the 'aesthetic plausibility' (whether you'll believe what you see to be realistic within the game context) of this pic (using textures with no trims) and this pic (note the trim at the bottom of the walls).

Physics
Think about realistic physics in your designs. How does the suspended platform in this pic stay up? It doesn't look like it will support any significant weight at the moment. Adding supports to areas that are implausible will have the player questioning the visual design less and able to concentrate more fully on the game at hand. When maps cause numerous problems on an aesthetic level for the player they are on the whole rejected regardless of the quality of gameplay.

You obviously have some original ideas and architectural concepts, but you need to do justice to them by amending the little niggling problems like trim textures, lighting and functional plausibility to make the most out of what is a very promising start. Hope that helps.

I didnt know that PR jocks are considerd to be mappers nowadays.

leadphalanx, you can do 2 things.

1) Buy Crispy's book on level design and mod PR (now for the amazingly low price of 99.99 at a major bookstore near you, order now for the free Crispy talking action doll with PR powah. Crispy talking action doll and Crispy's book on level design and mod PR are all registered trademarks of Crispy Ltd.).

OR

2) Go on with your work. It's nice that you try to build your own textures, adds some novelty to the regular slur of standard HL2 textures, but think about "what works in what area and does my texture render as I wanted it to render in the engine". Think about scaling textures a bit here and there. As well as balancing textures. Do not place greyish with greyish with greyish for it will get dull and "flat". Same with lighting. Atm I see you have placed some pure lights here and there, but you can balance it by using one light (perhaps reddish) besides a yellowish light. Remember; real light isnt white. Not even fluorescent light is white. So try to take the light down a tint from full white.

For the rest; practice. Look around at other maps already made by mod dev's. Or check around in games. Better yet; look around you. Lights are always balanced, the space between light and dark is also covered with a multitude of different shades.

And don't be worried about people complaining about your map, textures, lighting and whatnot. Adopt, Adapt and Improve.

Keep up the good work mate!

- Pax

 

[Crispy]

I didnt know that PR jocks are considerd to be mappers nowadays.

I started mapping DM maps with Worldcraft (since renamed to Valve Hammer Editor) for the Quake engine, then I moved on to maps for Counter-Strike and Natural Selection, and more recently I haven't mapped for the last two years while I've been concentrating on my studies (not being able to get Steam updates because it was blocked on the uni network made it pretty difficult to pick up mapping for the Source engine). Any regular from the NS mapping forums will attest to the fact that I always tried to give feedback where possible to veteran and newbie mappers alike. This included suggestions which lead to the final layout of Mendasp's co_sava, an official map for Natural Selection (specifically this involved the reworked vent layout and reverting a current experimental map layout to a previous version for balance reasons). I don't claim to be a professional, but I'll leave my two cents for mappers to take or leave. Your comments essentially went over the same things I commented on: texture balance (avoiding 'flat' visuals), lighting variation (providing a good tonal range, or what you refer to as a "multitude of different shades") and good work on leadphalanx creating his own textures, so I obviously couldn't have been that far off the mark. You don't have to be a dictionary on all things Hammer to make a good map, if they can get to grips with the basics of the editor, players with an understanding of what makes maps fun can make enjoyable and eye-pleasing maps, too.

 

[Asknoone]

Sorry Crispy, I forgot you were the walking vendor of knowledge.

1) Buy Crispy's book on level design and mod PR (now for the amazingly low price of 99.99 at a major bookstore near you, order now for the free Crispy talking action doll with PR powah. Crispy talking action doll and Crispy's book on level design and mod PR are all registered trademarks of Crispy Ltd.).

I'm sold.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

in one foul swoop

In one fell swoop, surely?

 

[Mutley]

Looks really fun and fast paced. Nice work.

 

[Asknoone]

In one fell swoop, surely?

This is most surely a blow to the PR swollen gut?

 

[Zeus]

Looks pretty neat, original. And kinda quakeish (not a bad thing)

 

[Pax]

Sorry Crispy, I forgot you were the walking vendor of knowledge.

Be sure to jump in on todays special! A pair of Crispy knickers for only 2.99!

While you're at it. Be sure to hop by the Crispy soda stall for an envigorating "splash" of ice cold Crispy pop. A joy for young and old alike! (Crispy knickers, Crispy soda stall and Crispy pop are trademarks of Crispy Ltd.)

I started mapping DM maps with Worldcraft (since renamed to Valve Hammer Editor) for the Quake engine, then I moved on to maps for Counter-Strike and Natural Selection, and more recently I haven't mapped for the last two years while I've been concentrating on my studies (not being able to get Steam updates because it was blocked on the uni network made it pretty difficult to pick up mapping for the Source engine). Any regular from the NS mapping forums will attest to the fact that I always tried to give feedback where possible to veteran and newbie mappers alike. This included suggestions which lead to the final layout of Mendasp's co_sava, an official map for Natural Selection (specifically this involved the reworked vent layout and reverting a current experimental map layout to a previous version for balance reasons). I don't claim to be a professional, but I'll leave my two cents for mappers to take or leave. Your comments essentially went over the same things I commented on: texture balance (avoiding 'flat' visuals), lighting variation (providing a good tonal range, or what you refer to as a "multitude of different shades") and good work on leadphalanx creating his own textures, so I obviously couldn't have been that far off the mark. You don't have to be a dictionary on all things Hammer to make a good map, if they can get to grips with the basics of the editor, players with an understanding of what makes maps fun can make enjoyable and eye-pleasing maps, too.

Anyway.

Dear Crispy. Old buddy old pal.

Our friend here, leadphalanx, wanted to show his map to us all. He didnt however ask for a 2000 word report on the current stage of world pollution and how you saved the world from communist north-korean zombie dogs from a different dimension.

Let me give you a tip. As one friend to another. People here don't like your 2000 word posts in which you try to help them with your majestic unfathomable archaic archives of knowledge and power (majestic unfathomable archaic archives of knowledge and power is trademarked by Crispy Ltd.). I don't know why you believe otherwise but your posts pretty much read as condescending, pretentious and laced with a hint of bigotry.

We don't care that your "suggestions" lead to the final layout of Mendasp's co_sava, we don't care you "give feedback where possible to veteran and newbie mappers alike" and basically we don't care about your past as a regular of the NS mapping forums.

If you don't want us (Yes, us.) to see you as a pretentious, elitist "git" then change your attitude. It doesnt suit this community. And it doesnt suit your role as a "Public Relations Manager".

Stick to your area of "expertise" and cull the masses for the greater good (greater good is trademarked by Crispy Ltd.).

Oh, and please lay off of the 's. People might think you are a DaveL clone.

Before I end let me give you a task for your next reply:

"For your next reply full of nonsense, PR and self hyping please be sure to use atleast 2000 words. Besides this you can get extra points for the following: using a , telling people you know everything, tell people about the theory of web based algorithms when they ask about how to use the <b></b> tag or writing a guide on anything slightly usefull for the mod community."

- Pax

 

[63]

How much is the crispy soda again?

 

[Asknoone]

Don't bother, it tastes pissy.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Pax, you're so mean.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Asknoone]

Pax, you are a god.

-Angry Lawyer

Fixed.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

It works either way.

Still - back on topic - I love the style.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Asknoone]

Yes, actually, I think the map definately has promise. Since it is a reactor, you coulf add some more crazy stuff - traps and the like.

 

[Sprafa]

imo, very nice thing you're going for, trying to go off the "Source look". However as others noted, give some crisp to those textures, and build that cubemap to get some sechs.

 

[bliink]

It reminds me of Duke Nukem 3D, something about the colours I think... its cool

 

[leadphalanx]

Thanks for all the C&C I've been needing it alot, (most other forums just say "texturZ sux!") but, All the detailed advice is VERY helpfull, as lighting and textures are my weakest points when it comes to mapping.

Btw, I don't know if you've played the (rather dull) beta, but how many of you figured out how to set off the reactor meltdown?

 

[Asknoone]

I missed the download link.

/Downloads.

 

[leadphalanx]

Just for the hell of it, I changed some of the lights to white lights, rather than red-ish. It gives it a different feel, but I prefer the red lighting more.

Anyways, I want some opinions on wich lighting looks better.
(note: the cubemaps aren't built in the pics)

Also, I've added a few things, such as supports for the catwalks.

 

[Crispy]

Good improvements

and the red lighting goes better with the colours of the textures you're working with. :thumbs:

 

[Asknoone]

I'm liking it!

And Crispy, thanks to you for the lack of biography in your post.

 

[63]

 

[TCfromBN]

lol... ^


Ok, anyways. Building your cubemaps can significantly change the feel of the map. I suggest you do it.

 

[leadphalanx]

I've been fixing up some of the lighting, and re-did a couple of textures from scratch. I started to add some of the smaller, yet important bits, like supports for the catwalks, etc.

Some new screenies:

Just had to show a pic of this texture.... it just looks cool.
^

 

[leadphalanx]

Sorry for the double post, but I'm wondering if anyone has noticed the new screens above ^

 

[TCfromBN]

The mapping forum seems like its been somewhat deserted for a while.