[HL2_Odyssey] Mansion

    [Blocked Image: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/1974268012…D4973C5CF027DE/]

    Mansion

    Game: Half-Life 2

    Map name: HL2_Odyssey_M13_Mansion

    Context: Part of the HL2 Odyssey Project

    Time spent developing: Week 4 of 8 (at 50% work hours)

    Estimated playtime: 10 min

    [/list] Description & Background

    This is a level made for The Game Assembly's HL2 Odyssey Project. I and 12 other level designers are making a campaign together in 8 weeks at half time. My map takes place right after the player has gotten out of the city and through the mountain outpost. After that you find yourself in a small valley with a big farmhouse and a barn.

    Role in the campaign

    This is the last level of the campaign. It is supposed to first slow the pacing down while you search for the secret and also make you watch your step around zombie ambushes and a few barnacles. This will work as contrast to the ending fight which will hopefully feel like some kind of crescendo to finish off the campaign.

    Alpha build

    This is the first build of the level. There’s a lot to be done and I’d be grateful if you would take a look and tell me what you think!

    Download the map here!

    Alpha Screenshots:

    [Blocked Image: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/1974268012…E4C1FC51D93A6A/] Making your way across the grounds while ducking sniper fire.

    [Blocked Image: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/1974268012…A07E0410FF273B/] The main hall. Made to be recognizable and give you a sense of direction.

    [Blocked Image: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/1974264876…5C4EC438072080/]Sneaking up on a secret operation.

    Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay.

    Nice start you got here; the level has a good progression and it makes one curious to further progress and explore. Good job.

    I liked the nicely laid cover in the start to help the player make their way amid heavy, and I emphasize heavy, sniper fire. The bridge crossing was tense.

    Showing the player the initially-inaccessible escape route early on was a nice touch to help give them a goal throughout the level

    The fast zombies were aptly added to increase the tension as you could hear them screaming and catch a glimpse of them from across the rooms or from the barn on the other side.

    Some issue to note:

    The level was in fullbright which kills any atmosphere or mood in the map; it's better to have a rudimentary lighting setup that you can tweak or change later instead of flat fullbright.

    At the level start area, the fps was dropping in major chunks and this is something to keep in mind as the map is basically empty now and as more and more details will be added, the frame rate will further plummet.

    Keep it up :)

    Thanks for taking your time to review mine and all the other's levels! :) I am glad you liked the level. I will try to further reward players who explore in future versions! I've mostly been doing lighting since this version was uploaded so I hope the map will be as atmospheric as I imagine it. I guess my last weak will go towards optimizing the level so that it runs smoothly for everyone. I have not noticed any framedrops myself so thanks for telling me. I'll check it out!

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