WIP in WIP, post your level screenshots!

    Pretty awesome, sock. I love the overall shape as well as the details you've got going on (is that perspective playing tricks or did you actually rotate all the nuts slightly differently?). The research really seemed to help. If I was to nitpick anything it would be the presentation of your site. Having size options doesn't seem to matter too much in current day internets, and only one screen can be open at a time. Maybe I could also learn to look at one screen, read a little bit and then look at the next screen

    Campaignjunkie, the scissor lift was originally made from patches and then converted to a misc model and rotated/scaled into place.

    Algor, I wondered if anyone would notice the nuts! I slightly rotated all of them by 5-15 degrees because it looked odd when they were straight. The different image sizes is for people that want to view the images on iphone/ipad devices that don't have huge bandwidth. Most pc users should choose the large images for the wide screen format.

    sock nice! The textures have a great variety, and feel balanced throughout. A little moodier lighting and it might be mistaken for Metro or Stalker.

    Here are some more shots of what I've been working on.

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    I'm not sure how I feel about the glowing tiles in this shot (they chime when you walk on them). Otherwise, I'm pleased.

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    Yeah but then the glow faces would need an edge trim and maybe even a texture

    @vulture - looks good but I can't really make out what's going on, the scenes composition is too messy. Break up the visuals into themes a bit stronger - I know it's a screenshot of a map, not a concept drawing but doing so will help in general. The key is to lead the eye to certain focus points, and provide a clear route to it, follow the path etc.

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    I always get that crit. Is that the goal of every pic you take of a map? Making that area I had two paths in mind: The trenches or by the sandbags, both to provide a good amount of cover, but walking by the sandbags you can return fire easier but obviously more in the open to enemy fire. Area of interest should be the huge dome in the back... I don't really understand your drawing either. I try to design the map like Crytek designed Crysis, not trying to make a CoD level. Also it kinda feels like Devs are trying to hold the player's hand all throughout the game nowadays. Is it so bad with a moment of actual thinking on your own - "Hm, where am I supposed to go now?"

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    Is it so bad with a moment of actual thinking on your own - "Hm, where am I supposed to go now?"

    Sort of What I think the guys did well in Crysis 1 was give the player the impression that they were in an open jungle environment which they had free roam of, but they added enough subtle visual clues to guide the player and ensure that they didn't get lost. It's not a case of adding massive arrows pointing to everything, but I think subtle guidance is important.

    You mention a large dome in the background? In the screenshot it kind of blends in and doesn't stand out, maybe it's just where you took the shot from. Also if this is some kind of base you'd expect a perimiter around it, the odd fence or two, sandbags, barriers etc. That kind of thing not only helps the player make sense of their surroundings, but helps lead them to certain entry points and means you can highlight the main routes in and out of the base. At the moment it seems like a bit of a random assortment of objects scattered about, like why are those sandbags just sitting by the road? Ground the area in realism a bit more and it might help. It doesn't mean you're telling the player where to go - as long as they can access the base from multiple angles they still have the choice, you're just helping them make sense of the area.

    Just my thoughts on it anyway, it's coming along nicely

    Adding some paths/roads is a good place to start. Crysis 1 level design was based off of a real location and reference, but it's far from being a copy of real life. Theres a ton of thought put into visual leading both for pleasing the eye and leading. The bigger a scene gets, the more thought you need to dedicate to this. This isn't a discussion about making games more accessible to the masses, it's a mixture of art direction and game design.

    You can do a simple test, show the image of the map to somebody for 2 seconds or so, then ask them what they remember/notice. If they say tree's and shadows you prob doing something wrong, unless that's your goal of course ;P When I take a quick glace at the screenshot, I see shadows, noise, trees and maybe a route to the right.

    I must stress, it's not that the scene is bad, it's very good but it's missing the visual clues and scene composition of a finished level

    Vulture: I wanted to say much the same things as the other guys, but couldn't put them into words so well (scene composition, heh). I didn't even see the dome when I looked at the screenshot. The trench looked more like a construction site to me than a defensive perimeter. A watchtower near the sandbags maybe?

    Makes me want to continue my Crysis map now, though.

    Quote from sock

    Campaignjunkie, the scissor lift was originally made from patches and then converted to a misc model and rotated/scaled into place. Algor, I wondered if anyone would notice the nuts! I slightly rotated all of them by 5-15 degrees because it looked odd when they were straight. The different image sizes is for people that want to view the images on iphone/ipad devices that don't have huge bandwidth. Most pc users should choose the large images for the wide screen format.

    Amazing stuff. I wonder how much brushwork is here and how much models did you used...?

    Quote from insta

    A map is taking form!!!! (sorry for the longness of the image )

    Screw length, where's the width!

    Looks cool none the less, I still love the Citadel/Combine architectural aesthetic.

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