Posts by Defrag

I got half an Intuos3 for christmas, so I've been fiddling around with it.

Started trying to make a wood texture for a stock (I just blocked in the shape, it's not from a model, just for a bit of quick practice) and this is as far as I've got. I don't know how to sort out the yellowish highlight (which I don't like) or build upon the texture. I want to make it look a bit more grainy and make some decent scratches / grooves. Anyone got any ideas / suggestions?

[Blocked Image: http://img483.imageshack.us/img483/8155/wood4jo.jpg]

Do they even test these updates? I've lost count of the number of times a Steam update has wrecked my Source SDK, causing me to reset/reinstall it. It's a real hassle.

I start a new map, or just start messing around with a new idea. Sometimes I discover new architecture I like, or texture combinations that look nice (etc) and they can help me freshen up the part of the map I was having trouble with.

Best of luck!

Great stuff. Nothing to add other than a huge thumbs up

Valve's profit this year was apparently $55 million. I'm sure they can spare a few beans

Congrats

Brilliant.

Looks cool. The one thing I'd say is that you should fix your fog colour so it matches the skybox fairly well. At the moment you've got scenery disappearing into a blue mist set against a yellow sky.

Check out the mist next time you're out and about -- it generally matches the colour of the sky

I agree. The moment you start giving 'membership' status to established people, you risk damaging egos, starting cliques (moreso than usual) and all of that kind of stuff. It's a nice idea in terms of the thought, but I don't think it's practical / don't see the problem with the current way things are done.

Firstly: Deckaux, that is some amazing stuff. Wow.

Secondly: A couple of new FF pics:

Bases secret corridor (should be familiar to TFCers, though not QWTFers/Q3Fers ):

[Blocked Image: http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/1045/ffbases0op.th.jpg]

Spirit flag room floor:

[Blocked Image: http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6198/ffspiritsgdispenser1ic.th.jpg]

Spirit has too much of the light beams and particles going on, and a few other things, but I just knocked it up for a media release after not touching it for a few months (it's not a release map, and probably won't even get released for several months after FF is complete, as we're trying to keep the maplist at a decent size so new players don't get overwhelmed by 20 maps or similar).

Yup. If you want to know how a rotation on a given axis will affect your selection, just imagine the axis is a pencil you just jabbed into the selection, then you're spinning the pencil around.

The guy is called Curtis, what do you expect?

They should call the game: "Curtis!"

[Blocked Image: http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2005/242/928453_20050831_screen008.jpg]

Fiddy battles the evil pelvis-stealing gang.

gmax is basically a cut back version of 3ds max with zero support from anybody. It's totally useless from what I gleaned The only way to get your stuff into the majority of games violates the EULA.

Quote from RD

You dont have to be THAT careful with source do you?

I optimise aggressively -- world rendering is one of the slowest things about source, so you can never optimise too much

GLView is your friend.

Quote from killertomato

Lacking something:Like a 3dskybox (wich will be added later btw)? Or more details on the buildings?

The fog:

What colour should it be? Now it's set to grey.

I tend to set it to be the ~rough colour of the horizon of the skybox. Also, you can set the fog variables in the skybox, too. I think that just affects 3d geometry in the skybox, though.

You really need to overhaul your image branding -- it makes things look a little amateurish. Large, bright orange text is rather gaudy I know it shouldn't matter much, but it does detract from your screenshots.

Edit -- We got the dudes we were looking for, so ignore this now.

Another recruiting post, yay.

about:

Fortress Forever is a Team Fortress mod for Half-life 2's Source Engine. Our independent team is creating this mod entirely from scratch.

Fortress Forever should please those who have stuck with or been a part Half-life: TFC over the years while at the same time doing more for new players than any prior Fortress attempt. This is not a strict remake of TFC, but it will incorporate the features we have come to know and love. It will also add a feast of new features to enrich the playability as well as make the MOD more accessible without compromising gameplay.

Team:

Our team has a fair amount of talent, and we're looking for another couple of good recruits. All applicants must be friendly, dedicated and, most importantly, able to work as part of a team and respond to constructive criticism. No big-time Charlies with huge egos, please. If you apply for a position, you MUST INCLUDE SAMPLE WORK. Images / URLs are perfect. Failure to include sample work will result in us deleting the application (you'd be amazed at just how many people send in an application and totally ignore this requirement).

We need to fill the following positions:

Prop Artist:

Applicants for this position must be able to model, uv map, texture and compile props for the Source engine to a specification provided by level designers. The packages used to create the content aren't important, as long as the applicant is able to export their work for use with the Source engine. In addition to working to a specification, successful applicants will be able to suggest their own ideas when working with a specific map theme. There's a lot of variety in the fortress world; artists will have the chance to work on a multitude of subjects -- from cornfield stalks to industrial machinery.

Applicants must be proficient in all of the above areas as we're looking for self-sufficient prop-makers who require little (technical) assistance from others when creating assets. We're looking for strong team players who welcome constructive criticism.

Level Designer:

You will be required to create new maps as well as recreate old favourites for the mod. Obviously there is a balance to strike, but the initial phase of the mod is concerned with giving classic TF maps a new spin. There will be plenty of time for creative license once this phase is finished. We're looking for mappers that can really thrive with a Fortress theme. Those that love to get creative and start to dribble when thinking of superfluous architecture would be well at home. There's plenty of scope for varied themes and creative license, too.

Mappers with mod experience, or with many released maps and a proven track record will obviously have a better chance. Also, since the mod is TF-based, TF mapping experience is an undeniable plus for any applicant, since it takes quite a lot of know-how to make a playable map due to the class balance and such. This is somewhat negated by the fact that we'll be putting quite a bit of focus on Attack and Defend maps, though. Those are less complicated to make, but just as compelling (if not more) to play.

As you might expect, we're looking for applicants with a solid grasp of source mapping, as we don't really have much time for people to get acquainted with the editor & the game's resources before they get crackin' on the mappin'.

If you're interested, email an application to FortressForever [a t] gmail.com with the position you're applying for in the subject line. Also, when you attach sample work, please put your name or handle in the filename (it just makes it easier for us to track & filter potential recruits).

Also: We're always happy to take a look at applications relating to any field regardless of whether we're actively recruiting in those areas, particularly people with texture skills (Map texturing and/or Model skinning).

If you have smoothing groups applied pre-weld, you'll need to redo them to account for the seam.