Posts by Defrag

  • So What Did Rockstar Change To Get Manhunt 2 Released?

    Why am I not surprised than Manhunt 2 is now cleared for release when the original judgement made out that the content and concept was fundamentally 'wrong'? The way I understood the initial ban announcement was that, short of a fundamental redesign, the game would never be fit for release. Well, that's what they said, but I was always extremely sceptical that the game wouldn't be released. Nor was I under the illusion that the content would drastically change.

    Call me a cynic, but I'm in no way surprised that they've managed to turn it around while simultaneously gaining so much (free) publicity. It'll be interesting to compare the unreleased & released content. I'm betting that they've just toned down the violence a touch and that's about it.

  • why is this rendering?

    It's very hard to see from that single screenshot. Could be any number of things from 1 unit gaps, invalid brushes etc.

    Unrelated, but your vis will be nicer if you make those stairs a ramp and then func_detail the steps themselves (valve style -- look at the stairs at the t spawn on de_cbbl sdk map).

  • Portfolio site -- a few HTML/CSS questions (help please!)

    Firstly I should preface this by saying I've not touched a line of HTML in 4+ years and I've been picking up CSS as I go (i.e. I know very little). If I've done things in a dumb way, then let me know how to improve it and I will do so! This post is primarily about asking for advice on how to fix the IE problems, but if you have any comments on the layout etc. I will happily read those, too.

    http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~msimp2k2/portfolio/

    CSS & HTML Help

    I thought everything was grand when I was looking at it in Firefox, but then I opened it in IE and it was... a mess. Anyway, I managed to sort out many of the problems, but some remain, namely:

    1. There's a gap between the banner image and the navigation bar in IE. No idea why.

    2. The navigation bar has crappy padding in IE (there's too much space below the nav text which makes the bar too big)

    3. Text is a bit different (subtle but it's there). From what I gather, there's no way to fix this.

    4. Padding on the images. In IE they're really close together, whereas in firefox they're spaced as intended.

    5. Alignment of thumbs. In firefox they're nicely centered by using automatic left & right margins. In IE, they're left justified. Sucky.

    If anyone can help me by explaining why these problems are happening and how I can fix them, I would appreciate it.

    Content / Layout

    I'm still working on the content & layout, but I'd rather get the kinks worked out first before I refine the content. I'm still toying with the CV stuff etc. I might just move that to a separate page and leave a very brief summary at the top (or maybe make it collapsible so it's hidden to start with). I haven't uploaded any of the files or images to my website, either, so none of the content will open if you click the links. I've not really scrutinised the content to the nth degree, so I'll probably remove some of the weaker map shots, too ('samey' HL2 stuff and some of the HL stuff). I need to retake some of the screenshots with better AA & AF, anyway.

    I'll probably mess with the site a bit more depending on the jobs I apply for, too (i.e. place focus on different content depending on whether it's a programming or level design job -- currently I'm aiming at being a programmer so that's at the top). Once all that's done, I'll buy a domain & some hosting.

    Any help / comments / suggestions appreciated, cheers.

  • [HL²DM] dm_erayo

    Getting better.

    Mix in some coloured lighting. Right now everything is very pale and even. A simple and effective way to add some spice to the lighting is to have a cool & large/powerful light source (such as overhead fluorescent tubes) and then accent it with incandescent lighting such as orange-ish bulbs etc. Check out the picture curman posted and also look at the SDK maps to get some lighting ideas.

    It's easy to go overboard with coloured lighting so be wary of getting carried away

  • Level Designer - Some questions

    Quote from ^Slick

    Yay!

    To change subject a little, what do people think about becoming a alpha tester being a decent entrance into the industry? I'd prefer not to become a tester but if it really is such a easy way in, as long as you've got the skills to move up of course then I may consider it.

    Depends on the company and stuff. It can be a good way in (two of my friends who worked PT as testers got jobs programming for the same company) but it is in no way a guaranteed way of progressing. A lot of the testing team they worked with up to two years ago are still in the same job and going nowhere fast despite many of them have degrees etc. I think it's probably quite easy to fall into the daily work grind and then have no energy left to improve your skills & portfolio, so you end up stuck as a tester.

    If you've got a solid array of skills & a good portfolio but can't seem to get your foot in the door (for whatever reason) then it's probably a good bet.

  • How are you doing?

    Quote

    She then started by saying that I COULD stick with the two subjects, but only if I come into school everyday. Two lessons also means larger gaps of wait time, and possibly days without lessons, or only 1. I'm expected to stay in school for several hours until the day ends. It was like this the previous year which depressed me causing me to just go home during those free hours - much more convenient.

    I had a similar problem at school, Quakis. In my sixth year I had quite a few gaps in my schedule (not full days or anything, but quite a few double hour gaps) and I'd often either not bother turning up for registration (if the gaps were before my first class) or I'd go home during the breaks if no-one else was around. I ended up getting threatened with being kicked out of sixth year; talk about a pain in the neck!

    Is there no way to take more subjects or perhaps some lower subjects to flesh out your timetable? I ended up taking intermediate chemistry & games and sport as extras. I didn't actually give a shit about either of them (I possibly even failed them) but it gave me something to do instead of sitting around being bored. My main focus was CSYS computing which I did very well on. Actually, come to think of it, my whole sixth year was a waste of time other than CSYS computing...

  • Factory Docking Platform

    I agree with hessi. The actual level itself is fairly nondescript -- due to the lack of light I didn't even know it had a train in it until I looked at the unlit screenshots! In many screenshots the train carriage just looks like a slanted wall. Some of the pillar areas look quite nice, but it kinda looks a bit too clean, and some of the objects on the floor appear to be floating (no shadows doesn't help, but the floor is still really clean regardless). Maybe throw some decals around to add a bit of variety? I can't really get a good feel for what the area is meant to be, what it's used for, what kind of industry it plays host to etc.

    I'm not trying to be overly harsh btw! I just can't really deduce what's going on just by looking at the screens.

  • AH-1W Super Cobra Helicopter

    Thanks. Regarding the rotor: I just modelled it because I saw it in a photo and thought it looked quite intricate and challenging to get the shape & proportions to an accurate-ish level. I spent about 400 polys on it so it'd definitely be the first thing I chopped if I were to use this for a game.