Posts by JorisCeoen

I'm in a desperate need of someone able to properly tell me, the exact process, word for word, on how to build cubemaps for CS:GO. I tried everything, to deleting the 'Texture' files before building them (which always messes up the BSP with Pakrat), to building them after packing, but that doesn't work because almost 95% will not show the actual cubemaps... what do we do first, packing or building cubemaps? Please, someone take me out of my misery.

The best result I could find so far is the rebuild the cubemaps after I already built them first before packing. After I packed all my stuff, the default cubemaps (from Vertigo I think) returned. So I can rebuild again, but what it does it rebuils the cubemaps WITH the vertigo reflections. I don't want that, I don't want gibberish programming-bug visuals in my map. And, mat_specular dissappeared forever now apparantly...

A big update will be released tomorrow, adding the following:

• Improved overall gameplay by extending the spawnramps slightly (so more surfing surface is available), in addition to added sideramps on the mid-area
• Improved visibility for teleports and weapon pickups. Weapon pickups now have a clear effect under them so it's easy to see where they are while surfing
• Improved jail functionality by allowing buttons to be shot. A sprite will also indicate wheter a button is still activated or not
• Added custom playermodels (astronauts) to fit the theme, as well as custom gloves
• Added additional weapons to allow more variety
• Added sounds and minor graphical improvements (such as cubemapping glitches removed)
• Updated radar

There's more to the list, but at least those are the most important ones. As of that version, no bugs should be present (as in the currently available workshop version). The GB page and all of its screenshots now match the latest version.

Hope you'll enjoy it! A video will also come soon to showcase the map.

This looks pretty darng cool!

Quote from Tioga060

On 29-6-2017 at 5:27 AM, Tioga060 said: Very interesting theme, looks really cool. You did a really great job pulling off the space theme.

A few issues with the map as of b1_2:

• Boosts on one side of the map are all facing the wrong direction. For example, when you fall into the jail as a terrorist you get stuck in the teleport destination of the jail instead of getting pushed out.
• The corkscrew ramps at the bottom of the map are super sticky, ramps shaped like that can't really have reliably working surf collisions
• in general the ramps are all super small/shallow, which I imagine would make combat game play a little difficult

The latest update fixed the inverted boosters (workshop version for now). A future update, which will soon be released, contains extended ramps from spawn and the loops, improve a bottom surfing ramps, and added ramps on the middle grounds. And, overall improvements of smoothness and gameplay (jail buttons will be shootable, increased teleport visibility, snapping angles when teleporting etc).

I'll update here when it goes live

Quote from FMPONE

10 hours ago, FMPONE said: Spotlighted. This looks sick.

Wow, thank you very much! ?

The last update for Galaxy includes a radar, added side platforms and better teleport visibility at the bottom spawn. All boosters where tweaked a bit more.

if there's still anything, let me know!

Yesterday the map received an update that fixed 2 important issues: fixing fall damage + smoothing out bottom ramps.

A final update will improve some minor gameplay elements, optimization, and additional detailing with some texture improvements. A radar will be included as well!

ill update here when it does

Quote from will2k

23 hours ago, will2k said: Great work Joris

Shawn must be really proud of his "ambassador" right now

Ahah, thank you very much! In fact, I'm not sure if Shawn is yet aware of this project. I sent him the links, but he hasn't responded yet ?.

The workshop link is now also live: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/fi…s/?id=951672581

SURF GALAXY

Surf galaxy aims to innovate the overall genre a little bit by trying out multiple layers in between the base ones, including some dynamic elements which is almost never seen in other maps, and giving it some thematic material that could fit in the surf world.

If you have any suggestions, tips... let me know, all are very welcome!

A HUGE thanks to Shawn Olson, for the Wall Worm Model Tools!

In the mean time,

ENJOY!

Workshop link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/fi…s/?id=951672581

GameBanana link: http://gamebanana.com/maps/195847

Quote from SirK

On 2017-6-11 at 0:04 AM, SirK said: I know banzai - think it has the same inspiration as our map: Typhoon Lagoon. Its a small but fun map and its a shame Valve doesnt care about the demolition mode. I would really appreciate it if you would give somefeedback - not just posting links to maps

I can't right now, because it's too early in this stage, although the layout looks quite nice. I can definitly give more feedback later on when I see some progress (right now I'm too busy). Good luck with the contest!

A bomb defusal set in an abbey, with its park. There's nothing more to say really.

http://gamebanana.com/maps/192166

There is also an edict limit (very important to understand!). This means that you can only have so many entities in the Source Engine, such as dynamic props, brush entities, particles, spawns, triggers, point entities etc... basically everything that can receive and input/output. Few entities are not counted towards the limit because they are removed once the compile is done (basically 'baked' into the level).

To delve deeper into this, you should understand that there are a maximum allowed total of 4096 entities split in 2 groups:

• 2048 allowed entities that either exist ONLY on the client or ONLY on the server (logic entities such as logic_auto and logic_relay are always on the server, including ragdolls which are always client-side unless forced to be server-sided).
• 2048 allowed edict that can cross between SERVER AND CLIENT.

To go even deeper, of the edict limit, each player on the server itself, fully loaded with max amount of grenades and weaponry and defuse kit or bomb contain a max. of 15/16 edicts. So if you make a map for a Zombie Escape server that usually host 64 player slots, that means 960 edicts right off the bat, leaving you with 1088 edicts to play around with.

Considering the average size of a zombie escape map and the amount of entities to make levels work and such, or for minigames, 1088 might sound like a lot but it really isn't.

So in overview, this is another limit of Source. This is NOT a limit in hammer. I don't know the entity limit inside a vmf itself for Hammer to load up but it is far higher than what the engine allows. So you could have over 8000 entities in your hammer file and it wouldn't tell you anything. Only on compile it will tell you that you exceeded the maximum amount, and it will instantly crash. If at any point in time the map itself spawns more edicts than 2048 (it means the 2049th edict), it will crash the game to desktop with an error message.

There are few exceptions that are mentioned on the wiki page, but such occasions are rare, and in any event try to avoid this limit as much as possible (many servers also have tons of plugins that add even more entities, such as custom trails, particles, sounds etc...).

Excellent write-up!

It does bring back a lot of nostalgia of the times when I was learning 3DS Max after a big discussion on one of my most favorite communities at the time (PlagueFest). Basically I was tackling a zombie escape map that was way too complicated and ambitious for me to realise, and I used PROPPER at the time (known by most ZE Hammer users). There was someone who basically kicked my ass to the curb and told me that as long as I would not be learning to properly model from A to Z, I would never get optimised models that look better, are more optimised and have complete freedom in UV-controls.

I did not believe him until I was faced with the hard reality that I would never be able to rely only on existing models, many which were also copyrighted and made it very difficult for me to make a map entirely of my own hands. This is when my journey in 3DS Max started, and it is where I stumbled across Wall Worm.

Just as Shawn mentioned, I used the modeling tools first for all my Hammer levels. I actually kept using the model tools ONLY until after Himeji Castle. Then, I decided it was time to venture into the level design tools, and if I'm not mistaken there had never been anyone delving deeply into those tools ever before, so I had to discover tons of stuff on my own. But what really fascinated me at the time was just the idea that you could actually make your level inside 3DS Max (brushes and displacements) and then model right inside that level and just output it into Source directly.

Only that thought really allowed me to push my motivation to learn 3DS Max. Eventually it became the only tool I used, ranging from level design and modeling to even texturing and animating/rigging (things which I had never really done before).

"Just imagine you have an idea for a map. You want to design it, but you realise you have no way to get specific models to convey the theme of your concept. I was faced with this reality so many times that at one point, I decided I wanted to learn modeling and texturing so that in the future, if there is something I want to realise, I simply can. This train of thought is what brought me to Wall Worm."

At the end of this additional input, all I can say is that once you understand the possibilities of designing your level into 3DS Max, and the limits that Wall Worm removes that are simply impossible to circumvent inside Hammer, you can't really get back. But, it requires a good amount of will to understand 3DS Max, and I say 3DS Max specifically without Wall Worm, because the hardest part is probably learning the program.

Learning Wall Worm once you start to master 3DS Max is actually not difficult because Wall Worm serves mostly as the gateway to output all your work from 3DS Max to Source (not to hammer!). It does offer a number of tools that can create things from scratch as well, which are mentioned above

Hopefully this additional read will allow people to see the standpoint of Wall Worm from a different person than the creator himself. Should anyone ever need help with Wall Worm, you can always add me on Steam so I can help anyone on his way should he/she be interested.

Quote from TheGuma

Source itself is an old engine, dating as far as back to 2003 AFAIK.

It is based on old Quake tools, so it is normal that it will be hard and inefficient to work with it.

New Source 2 engine fixes a lot of issues and is way better, however, until those tools come around CS:GO we wont see many graphical improvements.

Most surf maps are simply CSS ports to CS:GO, and even those have been done in poor fashion.

Those maps could be remade to look better though, by using props and other new techniques that mappers have been using lately.

Some good examples of mapping fidelity peaks are CS:GO operation maps, for example the new de_santorini looks both clean and very impressive for Source engine.

Titanfall could be a good example of Source on steroids, an engine modified to a large extent to the point at which it is not recognizable. Source is good for its flexibility and age-less-ness.

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Not only that game, but Dear Esther is also taking the Source Engine to the maximum limit. You could barely believe that it is source, and while Titanfall is a complete rehaul of the Source Engine, Dear Esther is not. It is simply using the Episode Two engine and some custom shaders, but that's it.

I was of the opinion that is was a great year because of CS:GO, and how mapmaking there is a huge succes. I agree that mods have completely left out of support, and in that regard Source is becoming less and less relevant.

Hey there! Thank you for your opinion and thoughts on the map. I would like to adress a few things to clarify my intentions behind this map:

Quote from UnknownPredator

The current look is pretty good but I still think it could use some improvements, I think that it looks like source because of some of the textures you used as well as the lack of detail in some of the things in the map like the spawns or the jail.

I didn't have the impression that it looks like Source overall, but a reason that may be the case is because you are not directly seeing the overall effect of the dynamic shadows, something which distinctively changes the feel from Source over CSGO (even though both ARE the Source Engine after all). They are there, for sure, but because the entire map is floating in the air, it might just give you that feeling. Although the spawnzones and jail do in fact lack 'detail', as in pretty things to make the map more and more clustered with pointless headsight items and decals, I think that's ok, because the original version had literally nothing of that. At most it had blood decals, and plain black textures with a yellow plaster texture.

Quote from UnknownPredator

When remaking something you should take in consideration of what you're trying to improve upon. and in this edit I believe you focused only on visuals with the addition of some removed stuff. The visuals in this map honestly don't stick out to me because I've seen it about a thousand times with other surf maps, modern, abstract, and clean.

Well, considering that I only wanted to improve the visuals, I was well aware of what I wanted to improve :lol: I don't agree with what you say though about having seen it 'a thousand times'. At most I can really point out like 10-20 surf maps that each have their own unique style, whether it's clean, abstract or modern (depending on how you make the distinction of those two). For the rest, most surf maps stand out in their gameplay, but have a terrible design in the artistic approach (basically just textures slapped together, as you said). I haven't slapped together my textures just for the sake of it, I really did think about the colors, design and the readability and brightness of the overall texturing.

I agree though, that the waterfall at this point looks bonkers, because the bottom edge that meets the water below is just absolutely ridicilous. I am fixing this in the next version.

Quote from UnknownPredator

and have it be unique in its own self you should of gone bold and created your own style to add to it, something that isn't like every other surf map. I understand that you were trying to stay "true" to the original by not changing anything but I feel like more people would want a new map rather than a remake of an old map which there are probably a bunch of.

I worked together with a very professional Surfer who is closely related to some of the best surf mappers in the world that hold a few world records, and as soon as I went outside for extra information, I was always told to keep the map's original spirit untouched. So, what I did was focus on the surfing aspect as a skill, and remove everything that had nothing to do with surfing, such as the grenade room that is just pure luck without any possible intellectual involvement. It's fun, for about the first 2-3 times, but then it just takes away from the real challenge of being the airborn sky master that is able to outsmart his opponents with surfing rather than a forced lottery. Many, many people in multiple servers complained about the jail lasers and especially the nade room, so I felt it was an improvement to remove it. After all, I also added an admin room, and I intend to add even more buttons to activate secrets if the admins and players DEMAND so, but not force by the game because one player was fortunate enough to know a secret over new players, or decompiled to map to find out.

In the end, I guess you're right. People would have preferred a new map rather than yet another remake of greatriver. However, it is crystal clear that there hasn't yet been a succesful port of the original greatriver (Xdream version) to CS:GO, and I'm working on one (that is not retextured, but is exactly like the source version but working for csgo in everyway). I just know that I don't have the talent to achieve a great surf map on my own in terms of gameplay, so I opted for a remake that instantly puts Greatriver, one of the most popular surf maps, among the CS:GO maps. The only thing I'm aware of is undershotty, and I'm bringing it back in the next version.

Quote from Klems

I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but if you're going to post a surf map, the least you can do is to post a video of a run through the map

Sorry about that, you can find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmnUTQVAiZk

It was made at the same time when making this topic and putting it on the workshop, I just forgot to link it here.

EDIT: seems like adding Youtube video with the frame is impossible on MapCore (even with the in brackets

If there are any surf fanatics or professionals here willing to give feedback, please do so.

2015 is a great year for Source, and I decided to celebrate this by redesigning on of the most popular surf maps of all times: surf_greatriver (by Black). The original map lacked many aestethic appeal. I decided to give it my abstract, freeminded design with a modern coat to it.

DOWNLOADS

For CS:GO (Workshop)

For CS:S

[Blocked Image: http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ss/maps/5632d06aaa5dc.jpg][Blocked Image: http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ss/maps/5624424caafa3.jpg][Blocked Image: http://files.gamebanana.com/img/ss/maps/562442597d242.jpg]

Changes:

Greatriver 2015 tries to simulate a (sc)ion-like, futuristic feeling in an otherwise wordly setting, taking into account the name it bears by the inclusion of rivers and the wide open sea as skybox. I wanted to respect nearly everything of the original greatriver in terms of technicals and movement, so I didn't went crazy in renewing the ramps completely or adding new gimmicks or things that would derive from the original gameplay. A few changes however should be listed right here:

• No more 3D skybox elements. The hill is, and will always be ugly. In my opinion it plays an insignificant role in visuals and gameplay, so it got removed. The MyPlex logo was removed and all forms of clan-advertisements. Only credits of the original authors and contributors remain in the map (by the aid of decals)
• Because a majority of dislikes towards both the grenade room and the lasers in jail were apparant, those have been removed. They play no part in the concept of surf and are purely there for imbalancing the skill in surfing.
• Undershotty is (currently) removed. Unfortunatly this might be a controversial change, and is probably the only, big change compared to the original xDre4m version.
• Cubemaps, water reflections, soundscapes and additional sounds have been added. Radar and optimised navigation file are available and a loading image + description are not lacking.

I have always wanted to remake a map, preferably a surf map in order to boost and support the surf community on Global Offensive. With that said, the last update to this map signed the end of my personal free input and time for the surf community.

I think it looks really nicely, and something different from what's being done usually (warehouses, anyone?). The thing that currently bothers me is that the textures looks cartoony. i know that CS:GO leans a liiiiitle bit more towards that style, but this is too cartoony to my liking. That's about all I can tell so far.