Posts by kinggambit

  • [CSGO] mg_battleplex (WiP)

    Quote from Z3LCIAH

    Ah I haven't played a mini game server in a long time. One thing I really dislike about MG maps is they're often very minimalistic and crudely done. If you spend the time detailing and polishing you'd have a mg map that stands out. Good luck with your project!


    Thanks! That's exactly the same sentiment that I have (and my goal for this map). It's a shame that there's a lot of mappers who know how to make fun creative levels but they neglect the aesthetic part of mapping.


    This map will be my homestead for the next 3-5 months.

  • [CSGO] mg_battleplex (WiP)

    This map is a space station in Earth's orbit which sends players into various arenas to fight (9 total). I have to finish rifles and pistols but here's what i have:


    Spawn:

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/Ao8XwvB.jpg]


    Knife Arena, Volcano, ??? (lava rises so you have to make your way up to survive)

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/lRQxYu8.jpg]


    Shotgun Arena, Sewers, Germany (You can't shoot when crouched since you're submerged underwater, but you are also hidden from view) **not sure how I'm going to make the radar since the game will automatically spot opponents):

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/KQ2DJw2.jpg]


    SMG Arena, Train Station, France (Moving train cars provide both cover and platforms)

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/nYhc1jc.jpg]


    Taser Arena, Night Club, Spain (planning on adding moving lethal lasers on the middle "dance floor" which will provide resupplies for tasers as well as provide flashbangs and HEgrenades)

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/ikvAvS5.jpg]


    Sniper Arena, Art Museum, USA (Nice double-helix layout with a surf spot to provide awps for the brave!):

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/0XSVcCU.jpg]


    MG Arena, Shoji Temple, Japan (Tons of breakable walls/floors to catch opponents by surprise.)

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/KTcYD7u.jpg]


    Grenade Arena, ???, ??? (Tons of fun angles to bank an endless supply of HE grenades off of)

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/UtTMb0x.jpg]

  • MapCore CS:GO Playtesting 4.0


    Is this the updated schedule? I have a map I want to playtest. Sometime next month is preferable (2/4/6.11.14?)

  • [CS:GO]de_zoo

    Quote from Squad

    The skylights are not breakable at the moment and I don't think they'll be. The angle is too steep for grenades and func_breakables require a fair bit of resources.


    Aw that's a shame. I found some nice smoke throws from near CT spawn and A that would land right at that T entrance into that lobby entrance area at B. Also found some nice smoke throws into B for T's over that giant rock.

  • [CS:GO]de_zoo

    I liked it before but it's just my own preference (i liked the contrast of warm colors outside to define the A area vs. cool shaded colors inside to define B). Also, the blue lighting really reminded me of the feeling that I was in an actual aquarium.


    On the other hand, I already managed to find some nice smokes from outside-to-inside/visa versa. I'm sure the windows could come in handy for a lot of outside-to-inside smokes (if possible).


    I like SpronyvanJohnson's idea for compromising.

  • Long timers and new comers, your Mapcore history

    Just started this year!


    For the past couple of years, I was considering a career in game art for a while. At the time I was a real fanboy for the UWE studio for Natural Selection 2. I loved all the "inside the studio" videos and getting to know the developers. I elected to pursue environment art/level design so I shot up an email to one of the environment artists for the game and asked for advice on how to get to where he was (without attending some school).


    I was already familiar with polycount and mapcore but I was advised to try them out. Fast forward some time, and I finally made an account for the two sites.


    Still such a long way to go though

  • CS:GO - de_tivoli

    I couldn't see any really big issues with the map.


    B definitely could be more isolated and have more cover; you can guard the bomb from so far away that if the opponent doesn't have a smoke, they're at a huge disadvantage for retakes (nearly impossible against good players). I guess you can argue that it's like a long plant on D2 though. Just thought I'd throw that out there.


    For A, the plant area is a bit crammed. Again, I think the site could use more cover to actually provide viable cover to maneuver around (you're sorta pinned down in that small area and don't have many angles to peak opponents from)


    Lastly, I think that big empty flat space near B is a bit uninspired. Could use something to break up the layout there, even if it barely affects the gameplay. Big part of the reason why I felt I took B so successfully was there's no real place for CT's to defend from (other than from CT spawn, that mid connector route, or that pit cubby on the side).


    A on the other hand has quite a lot of angles to check, you can't really viably use smokes or flashes, especially with the 2-story landscape. Maybe that's not the issue as much as I think though; there's no real chokepoints to draw that line of scrimmage which lets CT's freely push into T territory. I dunno :x TBH I haven't gone A as much so I can't say for sure.


    Lastly, just my opinion but that apartment that connects mid and the B route could be streamlined and simplified. It's a bit winding. Maybe add a box below the balcony so players could drop down without focusing on minimizing fall damage.

  • How do I keep being motivated to finish projects?

    "fuck motivation. it’s a fickle and unreliable little dickfuck and it isn’t worth your time.


    better to cultivate discipline than to rely on motivation. force yourself to do things. force yourself to get up out of bed and practice. force yourself to work.


    motivation is fleeting and it’s easy to rely on because it requires no concentrated effort to get. motivation comes to you, you don’t even have to chase after it.


    discipline is reliable, motivation is fleeting. the question isn’t how to keep yourself motivated, it’s how to train yourself to work without it."


    -Anon

  • The Mapcore Mod Team

    Do you think you could make the process transparent for newbies by letting us shadow along and see how a collaboration process would work?


    I get the process of creating a level by myself, but I'm clueless as hell how a group of people streamline and exchange info and pass along work to each other all under 1 map file.

  • DE_SEASON

    Any chance you'll do a Work-in-progress blog on your creation process? Fuck me man, that clean architecture so good...


    Me aspiring to achieve that same aesthetic greatness for my map:

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/jFC16gR.gif]


    Not sure how I feel about the vent fans obscuring the vision a bit, but I haven't playtested the map at all in a competitive setting.

  • [CS:GO] de_acceleration

    Quote from TheGuma

    I'm not the map developer, but nice feedback!


    Just wanted to clarify some things.. It's not the stairs who cause the lag issue, either the map lacks nodraw-pass or just func_details.

    Areaportals would be a good idea, as well as prop viewing distance.


    It's not the typical lag we're talking about nor optimization issues with fps. The server lags up (you get a massive spike and sv shoots up to like 10000 m/s and you start getting packet loss/choke). It's the same kind of lag when you throw a grenade on 400 dropped weapons and the server has to calculate all the physics for them. Everyone in the server lags because of this.


    The previous playtest, we noticed that whenever a player walked up on the prop staircases, the server lagged, so we assumed it had something to do with the collision of the staircase. We could be wrong though.

  • [CS:GO] de_acceleration

    Here's some feedback for the latest playtest:

    • Assuming the tunnel is going to be open, I like the widened area. Iz gud! Long narrow hallways are a bit too simple and hard to push.
    • CT's can push and take advantage of mid too easily. Flanks from mid were really easy during the last playtest. I don't think it'd be too much of an issue if you found a way to deter CT's from running out from mid for free (i.e. T's can throw smoke grenades over into mid, slow down the timing for CT's to mid, some kind of chokepoint, etc.)

    i.e.:

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/rpQHi0p.jpg]


    Maybe add a way for T's to boost over the balcony at T spawn to get to mid faster? It also helps stop CT's from just smoking off the tight choke at the doorway and getting a lot of map control for free:

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/mCm0C7k.jpg]

    • It'd be nice to have more mobility at B to get from the ground to the balcony area. During playtests, I only saw people using the small staircase waaay back in the corner of the site. It funneled the action. If there were a bit more convenient ways to get up the red container, I think it'd be a nice addition. (Just my opinion though)
    • It's quite hard to push tunnel into B. Lots of hard angles:

    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/lYpl1dQ.jpg][Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/G9qEZRn.jpg][Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/oisK56e.jpg]


    Technical issues:

    • In general, there are areas that need to be clipped off.
    • Also, just a reminder that I think some staircases were causing the lag issue. I'd try clipping them off (and just make them "not solid" for extra measure) to see if that fixes it.

  • Prophet (Insurgency map)

    Some posts on MapCore convinced me to try out the GameBanana mapping contest for Insurgency. Started a month late but it was a nice experience for me to try to design a level for a game I didn't have much experience with. Learned a lot about Insurgency's gameplay.


    Feedback for how to make the map look and play better would be much appreciated!


    [Blocked Image: http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ss/maps/542c5d0fe81cf.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ss/maps/542c4b8f7d0fe.jpg][Blocked Image: http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ss/maps/542c4b8d43b02.jpg][Blocked Image: http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ss/maps/542c4b8c2fedc.jpg]

  • Do I focus on environment art, level design, or both?

    I'm still in the early stages of learning (my current plan is to learn 3ds max, zbrush, ue4, then start making some environments to build a portfolio).


    I want to both create the environment assets and layout of a level, but it seems most studios want specialized positions (solely environment art or solely level design).


    Do generalists have harder times finding jobs?


    I keep juggling between making levels and studying up on 3d software, but levels are so time-consuming!