Show your concept art for maps and locations.

[The Dark Elf]

We've all seen the concept art for weapons and characters. Some are great, some are fantastic. But one thing I've noticed is lacking.. Concept art for locations in your mods. Now, unless your planning to build your maps as you think of them (bad idea) You should be already thinking up designs for your locations, be they WWII mods, or futuristic mods or fantasy mods, whatever kind they are you should have some kind of style guide and concept work for locations.. I know of one mod, the one IchI was/is involved with. They have location art.

So. I'm curious if any other mods out there have been thinking of this very important area. Great weapons are one thing, but boring maps that haven't been planned out to the smallest detail just wont cut it these days. So, post your concepts for your maps and lets all see what your upto

 

[Stitch]

I agree everything begins on paper, or digi-paper. I'd be interested as well with what everyone is producing for their little projects.

 

[The Dark Elf]

I agree everything begins on paper, or digi-paper. I'd be interested as well with what everyone is producing for their little projects.

Yep. I'm hoping a lot of them can provide something in this thread, though I've got a bad feeling there wont be much to look at ;(

I just started to realise lately, there's almost a complete abscence of the map concepts, apart from the mentioned mod IchI is involved in, and perhaps another.

It's pretty worrying, we'll have great weapons, but terrible maps to use them in. Objects placed for the sake of it rather than for a reason.. I don't think I've seen anyone looking to hire level designers like that either.

Really hoping lots of mod teams make me look foolish and are able to prove me very wrong on this, for the sake of their mods I hope they can

 

[The Dark Elf]

Although I agree very strongly that mods should have terrain/environment concept art, I also think there's some legitimacy to not having much. Although concept art can always be done, and should, by all means, be done, mapping is one of the areas the SDK is for, so I can understand less of that--after all, weapon/model/player concept art can be utilized right away, and terrain concepts don't have an immediate purpose. I still think they should be used, but nonetheless, I think there is a reason for its absence.

I don't.. They don't need the SDK to come up with maps and plans to eventually work from. Many of the hired concept artists have hinted at not having much to do right now, design possible locations. Even if they don't get used, they make for nice eye candy, and like all concept art, even the unused stuff can be used somewhere eventually eg: the old classic where much of the designs for the recent Star Wars films was created from unused concepts back when A New Hope was in production. Cleaned up and edited a little but still the same designs.

Granted some mods will find less of a use for them, but others, such as the horror mods or futuristic ones could really make use of such things.

 

[The Dark Elf]

I suppose you have a point, in fact, it's an excellent one. I was more presenting what I would think might be the perspective of the mod teams, which although I understand, I disagree with.

Reading the second idea of your post (concept art can always be used) inspired another thought. Wouldn't it be cool if discarded concept art from mods (i.e. art that wasn't used) were collected in a repository of concept art that all mods could draw from if they credited the artists responsible? Every piece would, of course, be tagged with the artist's name (and perhaps the mod it was originally for), and everyone would benefit--artists could get their names out and would get credits in many mods, mods would benefit by getting the art. Artists with a wandering style could contribute single pieces on whatever topic they wanted, giving them the mod contribution credits, but allowing them to do whatever they wanted. Any thoughts on that?

If planned out carefully, the concept repository could be a great idea. Artists submitting work basically agree that work becomes public domain (for use in anything other than commercial work) kinda like the stock object sites dotted about the net. You could come along, get idea's, mix parts together

I think its a great idea *wonders if Munro would want to do it on here*

 

[Shinobi]

Well I have designs for the maps I'll be making for JM when HL2 comes out

I never considered releaseing them because they aren't good looking or anything,,

it's a series of birdseye view maps, legends and explanations of game flow

 

[Stitch]

Exactly what we want to see. We want to see how your mind operates.

 

[Shinobi]

I'd be happy (and honored) to co-ordinate/administrate it, perhaps a resource division of .dev--it could be a repository for any kind of models, like a Half Life 2-specific version of the Gamasutra Exchange. There's a lot of potential here--anyone could contribute their own work. It could also be a great resource for new artists/mappers/coders--they could look at the work of others who are more experienced and work from it.


I'm especially interested in those (back on-topic now ), as I always like to see how another mind looks at design and game flow. Post 'em!

well I dunno if I want to make the work public domain yet... but I have a couple maps I decided not to make, I can post the plans from them if people are interested, I believe there's a scanner at my school

 

[The Dark Elf]

I'm just curious to see how other people think about design.

yep, same here.

 

[Shinobi]

k ,, I'll scan them up

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Meh,

Some of my maps I've sketched out (mainly ones with important/significant features). A lot of the specifics are absent though. I tend to start off with the set-pieces and play it by ear from there. I don't think I've ever made a map/model that ends up exactly like my original concepts.

 

[Brian Damage]

Well, if I can somehow scan mine (Scanner's on the other computer now, so I'll have to burn the files onto a CD), I'll post them here.