dm_petrol

    Yeah, most of you have probably seen this one place or another, whether it was on the frontpage of RUST or at the SnarkPit, but nonetheless I'm posting a bit for it here too as to get the widest audience for commenting and improvment.

    http://rabidmonkey.bluewolf72.com/imagery/dm_petrol

    28 lovely screenshots for yah there. They're of a relatively small filesize for quicker loading, so don't be deterred, modem users.

    If you have any comments in any form, please post them.

    Cheers.

    Getting on the mapcore frontpage is a little harder than being pimped on "CRUST" or "Fartpit" (no offense )

    The map seems to be on a good way though, one of the best custom source maps I have seen so far, keep it up!

    Looks pretty good. The inside looks lacking compared to the outside, however. I'm not sure whether you went overboard with the vents or you just kept taking pictures of the same area, but there seem to be too many of them to justify.

    I think the lighting inside is whats killing you. It doesnt bring out your architecture and doesnt contrast at all..it appears to be all white lighting (except for the outside of course). The vents are really wierd looking and may have gone a bit overboard... Some parts in your level you have excellent brush work and other meh, but then again not every area can be WoWZeRS.

    As I was looking through ur pics i noticed that the outside area is surrounded by a brick wall or appears that way from the shots you took. If I am right, then that doesnt fly with source engine exspecially with buildings surrounding it. Some areas out side feel a bit empty but all around this map has some good work in it... but your theme is weak, industrial area/building with vents and a brick wall surrounding what ever it is surrounding..... Keep it up though

    Looks very detailed and lively, but I do think the lighting lets it down. That is, outdoor lighting could do with tweaking, but indoor lighting needs a rethink; as it is, the geometry is squandered by bland greys - add some contrasting reds, blues, greens etc. in supporting roles, put in sweeping spotlights to create unusual light patches (see Ravenholm in HL2), just be creative in general.

    It looks like a mess judging by the screenshots although it looks ok. It lacks consistency and a proper theme. It's also better to use a few screenshots that give a clear view of what the map is like instead of thirty something showing every little corner from different angles.

    An image of a wall isn't exactly very interesting, for example:

    http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/hugh/petro ... ol0051.jpg

    http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/hugh/petro ... ol0052.jpg

    http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/hugh/petro ... ol0043.jpg

    They have a negative impact on the viewer.

    In general the map feels like you've done some separate wild brushwork experiments and based your map around them, closed your map area with a brickwall and added a ton off buildings outside of it. It lacks purpose.

    Try to make the map feel more logical and natural. Otherwise it looks pretty good but the gameplay feels a tad flat by looking at the images.

    It's set in a downtown sort of refinery building - I've er, redone the indoors and created more of a refinery-ish setting, based off some refpics I've been using.

    The engine actually doesn't choke on this too much - The cityscape in the background is rendered with a 3d skybox, which is very cheap to render. The brick wall is there as I assumed it would be present in a real-life setting (some factory next to the highway and in relation to other buildings) - Would it be better to have just a chain-link fence and a view leading out to the streets, with a much more detailed skybox, showing a street-level view of the surrounding area? I'll experiment with that path when I get home from work.

    I completely agree on the lighting front - The indoor lighting will be a bit darker, possibly even with most of the ceiling lighting removed and some volumetric light coming through the overhead windows. There also will be some green/red lighting on the machinery, and I'll experiment around with some blue-ish lighting. Trying to work on architecture, at the moment, as to get a playable version done, so I'll be sure to work on perfecting the lighting later on.

    It probably seems random and illogical, at the moment - My nasty screenshot-frenzy accounts for that. The actual map file is er, less random. Maybe if I sketch a layout, that would help a bit? Or somehow get an overview of it?

    And yeah, my trainstation lamps look stupid as they don't cast any visible light, though the sprite is super-bright

    Anyways, thanks for the comments, all.

    Hey there mate Use "dev_overview 2" to get an overview of your map. You already know my opinions and concerns so I won't bother repeating them here.

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