CS_DOCKS2 - The Dockening...er...est

Still working on Kerk, but I needed to play around with something completely different so I didn't go batty, and thought it was a good time to go back and play with Docks seeing as Brew was nice enough to entrust it to Mojo, Mike, and Me (and Joesmoe, but he isn't aruond and his named didn't match the alliteration I had going there).

So I'm calling this Docks 2 because it's Docks but it isn't. I really wanted to stay as faithful as possible to the original level, but Docks had some flaws when it came to the realm of logic (I mean, come on, it was a river with no exit). Also, because of Half-Life/CS's persistent issues with water and gameplay, I had to make sure people weren't going to go muck around in the water, so that meant one of the main routes had to changed. Additionally, the sewer route has been scrapped and replaced with some modified layout bits that should help rebalance it. Overall, the main layout is left alone, but the surrounding architecture gets a major facelift. (the famous, how to make a vis blocking hallway is now a street). But since I changed some significant layout things, and because I'd feel like a prick calling this thing cs_docks, it's being called cs_docks2.

These are shots from what I'm considering the first alpha. It's technically playable, but there are some lighting, clipping, and other rendering bugs that persist (including Source's pissy water).

[Blocked Image: http://www.mapcore.net/fletch/maps/cs_docks_a11.jpg]

The new "back route" that used to be the water route. You now run behind some warehouses to get to the dock area. It leaves you vulnerable to sniper fire, but you can duck and avoid it to a degree.

[Blocked Image: http://www.mapcore.net/fletch/maps/cs_docks_a12.jpg]

The CT spawn. I saw a picture of these building fronts in a magazine and liked them enough to put them in. Need to finish connecting the bridge in the background to the skybox.

[Blocked Image: http://www.mapcore.net/fletch/maps/cs_docks_a13.jpg]

func_dustmotes is cool

[Blocked Image: http://www.mapcore.net/fletch/maps/cs_docks_a14.jpg]

Standing between the two T buildings.

[Blocked Image: http://www.mapcore.net/fletch/maps/cs_docks_a15.jpg]

Upstairs in one of the T buildings. Used to be crates and radios.

[Blocked Image: http://www.mapcore.net/fletch/maps/cs_docks_a16.jpg]

T warehouse. Still tweaking those lights to get the ambient level correct.

[Blocked Image: http://www.mapcore.net/fletch/maps/cs_docks_a17.jpg]

CT vantage point of the route from the first shot. skybox on that side needs to be redone. Valve made shitty skybox models.

Still tweaking those env_lightglows since Valve seems incapable of allowing for settings to make it look correct. So if you've got suggestions, let me hear them. And if somebody want's to make an impassioned defense of why there needs to be a sewer route, feel free to make it. I'm not completely dismissive of the idea.

I really should start turning net_graph off for these things.

The warehouse interior is supposed to be much brighter. I've been having a really wierd issue where the lights in there work fine in my test map, but then fuck up when i compile the full map. it's flip flopped back and forth 2 or 3 times now and it's making me insane. The rest of the areas I've tried to divide into playable and nonplayable zones. The playable zones get nice overhead lighting while the others don't, hopefully ending up with the illusion of a dark night without makign people crank gamma. My overall feeling is that in this day and age if you're willing to put down $400 on a new graphics card, but can't pony up for a new monitor to replace those dim CRTs, you need to stop playing games.

As for bluish tint lighting: no. I hate bluish tint lighting. It is not blue outside at night. I can prove this. Go outside at night. See, it's not blue. It's not that I want to piss on tradition, but blue "night" lighting is just on of those HL conventions I want to die.

I tell you what, i'll do a test map tonight to see if CSS hostages like to play with ladders better than CS hostages did. If so, there might be a chance for a sewer path.

Quote from MJ

some people just dont like dark maps...

Some people don't like CS_ maps.... doesn't stop me from making them. as I've said, the playable areas will be bright enough to play in. The non-playable areas will be shadowy to help trick the eye into thinking things are darker than they are. Plus, I've been fairly vigilant about going back to the original Docks and keeping the overall gamma level similar. In many areas, this is actually brighter.

As for the ramps, they'd have to be less than 40 degrees for players to run up them at a good speed, so they would end up being pretty long. I'm somewhat confident that the CS:S hostages are smart enough to get up ladders now, so we might be in business here. And the current wy I have it plotted leaves for 3 manholes (near CT spawn, main combat corridor, near one group of hostages) similar to the 3 entrances that were in the original docks. Plus it would be fun to play with volumetric fog down there (i love killing frames). I just need to look into what props/textures I have available.

Well the CS:S hostages use the bot navigation mesh, which has special commands to say when to jump down things and when the climb things, so there is hope (I'll just have to figure out if I can get them to shoot out grates correctly, which will probably be the bigger headache). The bots can climb the ladders in cobble, so that is a good sign.