How could anyone think that this is a terrible idea!? 1024 map size so that there is a good chance of completion, and limiting things to HL2 textures means that everyone is good to go.
There is still plenty of scope for some great looking, and playable maps.
When I tried to extract the map from the rar, I kept getting a file corruption message. Has anyone been able to play it?
Great stuff there Erratic. Looking forward to this. DOD:S is probably my favourite game at the moment, partly due to the high quality customs, that people love to play. More DOD maps are most welcome 
Is it layout complete? Any chance of an overview?
I'd say that the road needs a blend on it, since the texture repetition is quite noticeable. Also, some of the buildings look a bit samey in height and shape (like Hessi said). While I don't have a problem with clean maps, in fact I quite like them, fire, smoke, and a bit of damage is what most people like to see in DOD.
Makes me think of this
http://xbox.advancedmn.com/images/media/2646_33.jpg
Are you trying to model the whole roof, or just the attachments? A CZ map, called de_truth went about doing these types of roof, but it was just the corner bits that were modelled..
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What editor you choose to use is an easier question to answer than what one is superior. I would say that you should start using the editor that will allow you to produce the maps on games you would like to play. One of the key aspects of mapping is motivation, and nothing can motivate a level designer more than the prospect of making a map for a game s/he loves.
I have used Source a fair bit, but decided to learn the basics of UnrealEd a while ago. The things I really liked about Unreal that I missed in Hammer were the lighting preview, the in-editor model resizer, the multiple blends on terrain, and the extremely quick compile times. The subtraction method of making rooms, while a bit confusing at first, also means that it is very hard to get leaks.
I would also imagine that the overall build time of a map made using UnrealEd would be a lot quicker than a similarly sized and detailed Source map, since Unreal is so mesh based. Maps in Unreal would have the basic shape of the rooms made out of brushes, and the detailing would then consist of meshes. This is a lot speedier than the Hammer way of doing things which usually means a lot more brushwork, followed by meshes.
One thing that Unreal handles a lot better are open environments. With Source, a detailed open environment will lead to poor fps (unless fogged out). Unreal seems to be able to cope with detailed open environments with ease.
From a job perspective, a quick look at any game agency will indicate that UnrealEd knowledge is more sought after.
I want to try and properly learn Unreal, because I saw videos like this, and thought that making maps for it would be so much fun.
Great to see this coming to Source. The original was visually one of the best CS maps. I loved the clean style of the the 1.6 version, and the level of polish it had. Things are obviously very early, but I have no doubt that it will look excellent when finished.
Its nearly there Some minor issues I found.
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Gaps in the pipes, and one of them sorts through the other.
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Can't see some of the trees in the background
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And then they pop into view.
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Speaks for itself
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The model seems too dark - maybe info_lighting will help
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Could be good to add a grate here, with pipes underneath. Possibly break some of the tiles as well.
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Arch looks a bit squashed. Some more polys on it could benefit.
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Dark prop.
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Supports under stairs look a bit too thick. Maybe reduce the width by a few units.
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Can see the barbed wire
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then it disappears.
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Dark prop - info_lighting will help.
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Stretched overlay.
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Texture looks a little low res.
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Pipes go through fence.
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Leaves look a bit too big, and there is a strange lip peeping over the grass.
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Black trees in the background.
Kudos for the distinctive theme. It's great to see a map that feels as though it has been conceptualised as whole, rather than compartmentally. Everything focusing around the cable cars makes for a refreshing change over the stock maps.
I think things are at that really tough stage where you need to add the polish. Every wall, texture, stair, displacement etc should be scrutinised, and be made to look as good as possible. A final of this should look very good indeed.
I played this ages ago. I am not really a big fan of hostage maps, but for me, this plays extremely well. Its definitely worth a download I love the combination of inside and outside sections, and the closeness of the combat. It has a really nice feel to it as well.
I think an icy river could look good in the map, and reckon that the roofs should be blended with snow, rather than being completely covered in it.
Nice map so far It is quite different to most CS maps.
The problem with the fog in Source is that when you look to the left or the right of the crosshair, objects that were previously invisible when viewed head on, can become visible. So it is possible to be able to see someone if they are either side of you, but not if they are directly in front.
If the fogging distance was increased, I don't think the problem would be so obvious. Being shot by someone, and you can't see where they are, especially from such a close range might frustrate some players.
One side that is also worth considering is the financial aspect. I have a Politics degree, and a Masters. I thouroughly enjoyed every aspect of my course, and University life. In fact, if I had the money, I probably would have stayed on to do a PhD.
However, when I left, I was about £30, 000 in debt. Course fees, living expenses, student loans, a mini graduate loan, and a career development loan all meant that when I left University, I was faced with the prospect of paying back all that cash. In fact, I am still paying it off.
University is great for expanding your mind, meeting all sorts of people you might never meet, giving you options later on in life etc, but I do think that this needs to be weighed up against the financial burden you might run into.
A lot of people I knew at University had wealthy parents who payed for everything, and even gave them a weekly allowance for "social expenditure". If anyone is lucky enough to have their parents pay for it all, then I would say that it is an opportunity not to be missed.
A hands on. Eurogamer really seem to like it.
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=72636
"Is it actually going to be any good? Thankfully, the answer seems to be a resounding "yes". In fact, lets make that a "YES", with capital letters and everything. With only a month and change before release, it's looking really good".
Mint, you're lucky your missus understands your love of mappiing.
Some great stuff there. I love these map contests. Good to see the old school stuff brought back. Is there a poly limit here, or is it a case of just making something that will compile?
twiz - I know what you mean. I will look into this, and will certainly include the more hilly/mountain type of skybox in at least one of the areas. Some of this type of stuff would be nice as well.
http://www.beautifulvista.com/Recent_Ph ... afe_sm.jpg
http://www.2canadiansonbikes.com/photog ... ey0439.jpg
http://www.theargonauts.com/argonauts/d ... _large.jpg
http://www.dentalcarestl.com/navajophot ... 5large.jpg
http://nessus.gunslingers.org/2003-09%2 ... 20rock.jpg
http://www.istockpro.com/file_passthrou ... humb&id=12
generalvivi - thanks.
D3ads - I wish! I would need to 100% custom the map, which I do not have the time or the skill to do.
killertomato - cheers.
RA7 - It's been long enough, but it still has some embarassing areas. There will be a beta, but I don't know when.
voodoochopstiks - Streets do look a bit empty. Some good suggestions there about what to add. I already have benches and trash cans in the map, so adding them to more places could work well. I just don't want things in the way that will block the player as he is running around.
Spellbinder - I could never be accused of rushing
James - Great suggestion! I would love to put something like that in.
e-freak - Maybe I will look for a more Italian styled statue or something.
Dradz - This is why I want to eventually rid the map of the DOD props. I don't think there is a Mapcore server. In fact it can be quite difficult to get servers to test maps regularly.
Thanks for the comments
Sorry about all the lost images. My host changed. Here are some more, though they don't have HDR enabled. I was looking to get people's feedback on the 3d sky rocks. Do they look a bit too big or out of place?
I was going to go for mountains, using the displacement to 3dmax height map to terragen stuff (as suggested by PhilipK), but gave this style a go first. I have other parts in the 3dsky, such as a road for cars leading off into the distance, a rocky cliff/beach/water area, and a forest, which I will hopefully show soon.
I know that there are lots of issues and things that can be rebuilt or improved upon in the main part of the map, and the lighting and the shadows also needs more work. All the dod:s decals and props will be replaced with custom ones if I get the time.
Feedback on the big rocks in the sky appreciated.
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This is how I understood bounce:
"Set number of radiosity bounces.
This option sets the number of times light bounces in the radiosity pass. By the time the code gets to this point, all the data is precomputed, and extra bounces are very fast. It will make the shadows less harsh using more bounces, but can help light up dark areas much more naturally"
So when using a low number of bounces, the shadows would be more pronounced. In source, it doesn't seem to have the same effect. Maybe the batch compiler wll be worth trying.
Basically I have the light that I want. The sun is yellow, and the ambient is a dark blue. I would like to stick with this, since the non-shadowy areas look bright, which contrasts well with the darker areas. Also, the blue hue gets rid of the super brightness from the yellow light environment.
However, I would also like to make things darker, like in the old hammer where you could reduce the amount of bounce from the default (which was 8 bounces).
As a result, the map would keep the same colour and contrast between the light environment and the ambient light, except things would look considerably darker. I think bounce refers to how many time the light shines on each pixel or something.
I tried changing the ambient to really low numbers, but things look quite washed out.
Does anyone know how to make the shadows darker in a Source map, without adjusting the ambient lighting? I know that the old hammer allowed this to be done through the bounce command, but it doesn't seem to work with the Hammer compiler.
I have the light looking the way that I want it to, but I want to add completely black shadows.
Does anyone know if it is possible to make displacements in hammer, and port them into some kind of tool to make a height map?
I want to make elaborate mountains for the 3d skybox, port them into a height map maker, and then into terragen. From here I would create the texture so that the mountains have shadows on them, based on my light environment in Hammer.
