Posts by Mr. Happy

  • Diablo 3

    I liked D2 alot so I played some of this game and it was fun and then I tried to keep playing with my brother but his level was too high so he made a new character and we had to do all the parts I had done over again and that was ok but by the time we got where I had left off it was bed time and then the next day I had stuff to do and so on and so forth.

    Someone should make a game like this that can be played with other people even if everyone can't devote a thousand hours a week.

  • Working remotely.

    Skype dingle at 3am on sunday sucks.

    Ehh I wouldn't really be suprised. I am, like, an adult that has had a couple jobs and gone to school and spent time with other human beings, even if I haven't been in a studio in this field.

    I said it's easier, more efficient, to communicate. The mesh exporting example is exactly what I mean. Ever needed to just point to something? "Let's make it like that thing over there except more like 'whoah'" makes sense but not in text or video chat.

    This entire thread would be a ten minute conversation 'irl', but it's weeks of back and forth and my point wasn't clear even though I tried to be but I could have written paragraphs to be more clear but who wants to read that?

    Anyway, it all sounds very nice to be in a studio. You wouldn't script an epic battle inside a closet meant for hidden items. You don't cook in the washroom. You segment the environment based on function and experience type.

  • [TF2] SD_Crashdown

    a5b version:

    This map has undergone alot fo revisions and two name changes since I last posted about it here.

    It now uses the "Special Delivery" game mode.

    The layout is nearly done, I have a few changes in mind but need it tested some more first.

    I need a new name of the map, since I decided not to have the rocket crash but rather to fly to the moon. I was thinking SD_Apollo but there is already a zf_Apollo so

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/WIPs…down_a5b001.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/WIPs…own_a5b0002.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/WIPs…own_a5b0003.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/WIPs…own_a5b0004.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/WIPs…own_a5b0005.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/WIPs…own_a5b0006.jpg]

    Poopy Joe will ride this rocket to the stars!

    http://forums.tf2maps.net/downloads.php?do=file&id=5190

  • Working remotely.

    I'm a little late to the party, but I'll throw my two cents in anyway. I'll try not to repeat anything that anyone else has said.

    I worked for eight months remotely doing level design (and other assorted things of course) for an indie startup.

    I had the opposite experience of many, the first couple months were great but the last six were a downward spiral into mental exhaustion and isolation.


    An important takeaway fromy my experience, is that communication was very inefficient even when it seemed direct.

    A shared environment make that easier, physical co-location (hand gestures etc.) make that even easier still.

    Even with things like screenshare or video chat, it still is far less efficient than talking to someone directly. You can't even make eye contact, the most basic thing.

    I still don't know what my coworkers are really like and I'm sure they don't know what I'm like either.

    Quote from Campaignjunkie

    freelancing from home is sadbut if you gotta do it remotely, I'd hang out with your local game dev friends or something, maybe get an office-share

    I would have imagined most freelancers live in a place where there are no other game dev's. But I guess most used to be in studios or something.

  • The random model thread!

    I reworked the weapon I made shaving several thousand triangles off of it, created additional LOD models, remapped the U/V and smoothing groups for greater efficiency and texel density, reworked the texture, eliminated the redundant styles, added a self-illum mask to the 'stickies,' modded the stock particle effects for it, and created two small little promo scenes in Source Film Maker, which I didn't know how to do before.

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/FINA…promo_sheet.png]

    Workshop page - please rate and comment.

    View in 3D at p3d.in

  • Mission Improbable WIP thread

    Played through it today, was saving for a good time. Really enjoyed alot. As with whoopservatory I really like the 'moments' and things you make, such as the

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    pigeon.

    There are many fun and unique setpieces and the art is fantastic, beautiful. I really liked the

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    moss covered caves

    a lot.

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    When I first played parts 1+2 I found the gunship and first hunter fight to be quite hard, but this time I beat it easily and walked away with full rockets which made the first hunter battle quite easy.

    Overall it was very easy, but then again I've played alot of HL2 mods so maybe that's why. There are alot of situations where good ammo management early on makes things easy later.

    The second hunter battle was frustrating, but I actually thought it was the most enjoyable combat scenario in the whole thing, up until the fourth or fifth death. That part had a lot of potential for a fun fight but felt like the least polished part of the entire thing. I took a ton of notes on that battle, the problems and how it could be better but fear posting them for looking like an ass by going on and on.

    If there is one thing wrong with this mod it is the collision. Playerclip is your friend. Smooth stuff out.

    I have no idea why the player went into

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    the combine base. I think the wheelchair guy said we were supposed to do something but the robovoice is hard to understand. I have no idea if there was an objective nor if the player accomplishes it...it doesn't feel like anything was accomplished.

    I took a few screenshots of my favorite parts while I was playing: http://imgur.com/a/v6CdG

  • Source Editing

    What game/engine version are you mapping for? Some versions are super-duper-broken right now. Learn to use instances early (they work best in Portal 2). (doh)

    Don't carve until you know why you shouldn't carve.

    Be careful of reshaping a brush with vertex manipulation too many times in too many ways, even if it still ends up square. The files don't technically store vertices so they can get messed up but still look fine. You probably won't run into this though.

    Biggest upside: the grids are white on black with high contrast major lines that are actually visible, something that most 3D programs can't get right (I'm looking at you Max).

    ---small tool things that are super useful----

    My favorite tip for new users is to turn on Vertex/Object nudging in the Tools->Options->(2D Views Tab). This lets you move things with the arrow keys. Holding ctrl moves the object 1 grid unit, shift clones. Also works in 3D view.

    Second is "Default to 15 degree rotations". You can still free-rotate by holding shift.

    X toggles the object selection handles in the 3D view.

    Customize your Autosave options in the "General" Tab. Manually saving reset the timer.

    Experiment with the "Stretch arches to fit original bounding rectangle" check box and decide how you want it.

    Be aware that it's possible to turn the grid off, and you shouldn't do it (sometimes is useful for placing model though).

    Be aware of the two square-symbol buttons next to the tl button, having them in the state you don't want can be frustrating if you don't realize it. Sometimes they are useful. (corner-handle selection and automatic selection)

    Visgroups can be nested by right-click dragging one onto the other.

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    Do not create a big hollow box because 'you will think of optimization later on' - build the skeleton properly from the start.

    This, but it's kind of like carve. Ironically the 'map in a box' is now sort of the thing to do in many cases, so long as you handle it right. See, for example, every Valve made TF2 map in the last couple years. That may be for jumpers though.

  • cp_proletariat

    Team coloring, signs, and the like are going to help tremendously. It helps a LOT!

    Why are people lost? I'll take a stab at that.

    I haven't played DoD in years and years, I don't know how to describe it to compare the two. TF2 has very structured battles revolving around moving the front between the CP's. Each class has a pretty defined role for each situation and doesn't really roam. Depending on the state of the map and the teams and your class you want to be in a very specific place and with specific other team members. Other games give you a wider range of options. (ex: DM map in which you can be anywhere and succeed.) Teams establish a defensive front around key points and offensive pushes with key classes to attack those points. If there are too many routes then the structure breaks down because there are no key points. DoD is similar but there are fewer classes and I'm sure major differences.

    TF2 has a different scale than all other source games. The TF2 player is taller, wider, and moves faster. The door and gate models look massive in Hammer but aren't in game. When the areas are small and stringy players see less of the area as they move through it and enter/exit it faster, which reduces the amount of 'visibility' the area has in their mind. There are also lots of turns. The more turns there are in a route the harder it is to know where you are and where the two places are in relation to each other. Using the 128unit square as a basis for the layout makes things constricted. Unfortunately using a 256unit-unit-area makes things bloated.

    Finally, TF2 has been out for years and at it's core is about simplicity. Everything in the game is simplified and abstracted. People are used to a certain kind of map, or at least certain design tropes. After four and a half years people play the game in a certain way, navigate in a certain way, etc. There is a mindset that you have to account for. People aren't used to seeing so many doors and stairs (especially stairs).

  • WIP in WIP, post your level screenshots!

    Sometimes taking that leap can really make a big difference. Sometimes it can even cut down on time. You might be reinvigorated by a new engine with new possibilities, and rewriting the code might not be as hard as you think. But I really don't know about Quake or how you feel. Your BSP is very nice, you would like Source. Though that there too is a dying engine, so I know how you feel.

    Art wise you could add some pieces to break up the line of the surround wall, like little pillars. Can you afford a couple more textures too? Something to break the repetitiveness of the ground?

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/WIPs/bloviation/sd_crashdown_a50002.jpg]

    Bloviation has undergone a ton of versions and changes since I last posted it here. The map was originally meant as an experiment to try and structure my workflow better and force me to work within time constraints. But now I'm working on getting it to play as fun as it can. I just did the first texturing pass, so I'll post more in the thread once I've lit it and whatnot, soon.

  • cp_proletariat

    This is one of the nuttier maps I've played. There's a lot of cool stuff and neat places to go, things to see, and a giant fan that's really cool. The ideas have potential.

    The ones telling you to start over say so because they aren't as skilled as you and wouldn't be able to improve it. Also because they play alot of custom maps and have made alot of maps, and do know things about the game. You do need to restructure it. As I tried to explain on chat, but I don't think could communicate well, I jut think you need to separate the map into logical areas. Each area would have a CP and the associated routes.

    Consider these diagrams, (which are organizational/flow not layout)

    [Blocked Image: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9300049/WIPs/prole_suggest.png]

    Imagine the boxes contain the cp areas and the first third of all connecting areas, and the black lines contain the middle third of each connecting area. If you can sort the areas so that there is a recognizable structure that is readable, that would help gameflow tremendously. Players need to be able to understand the areas, how they relate, predict where enemies are coming from, quickly identify where a route goes to and identify where the route they are in goes to. Players also need concrete, defined 'arenas' to defend and attack as well as recognizable locations for communicating their and enemies positions. As it is the playspace is incoherent but cool.

    There does need to be more of a custom maps community in TF2, makers and players...more testing options, servers. The big problem is building the community for a server, finding people that want to play custom maps and getting them to stick.

  • The random model thread!

    I will admit it could be better. Everything I do I look at the next day and say oh damn it could be better...but must ship submit it sometime.

    "Optimized" is relative. TF2 is known for having (or have had) weapons that are shall we say...excessive. The number of vertices per triangle is lower than several in-game weapons with fewer triangles. Of course triangle count is not the best measure. Split vertices are better measure. My understanding is that indices are best measure because that is an actual measure of the number of elements in the triangle lists sent to the renderer for all drawcalls associated with the model. There is also phong, so that is multiple fills and my understanding is that is where the higher number of the draw count comes from. Most verts in the model are overlapping in UV. My understanding is that these verts are batched. I do now know how that affects the counts displayed or actual in game performance. Of course all engines are different with slightly different terminology:

    The two numbers shown are taken from the TF2 model browser and are lower than comparable weapons. This has a 50% efficient LOD. There are weapons in the game that are comparable in their stats but with NO LOD. There are no weapons in the game with an LOD less than 50% efficiency.

    If my understanding is wrong please enlighten me.

    It could definitely be better and I may go back and optimize further. I would also like to darken the metal slightly.