Hello folks!
Thought I'd introduce myself as I've not been around for a while, I'm FRAG I'm a level designer for Operation Black Mesa & I'm also a Technical Demonstrator at Plymouth College of Art where I cover Level Design and Unreal Engine 4. I've also made my way onto the Discord but I'm hoping to become active around here again.
So howdy o/
Back in December we had a media release for Operation: Black Mesa and I posted a few WIP areas from my work on of2a1 (first map in the chapter "Missing In Action" for Opposing Force) and I believe I posted them here too, after chatting with the community at large I made some changes to better fit the atmosphere that was set in the original map, the changes to this effect are mostly lighting based with a few texture adjustments but I've also made some additions to the geometry to flesh out the area a bit more, so first here is the area that was posted in December 2015
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/Hft9cIK.jpg]
As you can see it's quite bright and friendly compared to the original level which looks like this.
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/7RGwD8m.jpg]
So here is how my version of the level now looks, this is the fan room for OF2A1 as of July 2016
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/1OZo6Dk.jpg]
There is still stuff that needs to be done, my next plan is to work on the particle effects I need for the area and fix up the "smog" that emits from the fans which can't be screenshotted for some odd reason, seems to be a bug that has popped up for us and makes the room look too clean for the lights to make sense in some cases.
Won't make it for the new submission, sucks but nothing I can do.
Quote from Sprony7 hours ago, Sprony said: @TheGlecter I'm afraid that's not possible. Due to the new build we're already delayed enough as it is. Plus, we can't wait for the support of an unofficial tool.
@FRAG I hope you make it!
@Sjonsson You're good to go!
Thanks @Sprony just got home from work so going to get started and hopefully make it in time!
I won't be able to re-submit mine, The editor has been "packaging" my level for about 4 hours now with no visible packing actually done, If I can finish work tomorrow in time then I'll give it another shot.
Quote from insomnaut1 hour ago, insomnaut said: Hmm, I asked about this yesterday and received positive reply, but still not sure if was clear enough... What if my Phase 1 submission is an incomplete layout? Can I still finish the layout taking a few days from Phase 2 schedule? I understand the more time I spend on layout the less I will have to polish it. I am willing to take the risk. I also understand Phase 2 deadline is the final one.
I believe you can refine the layout during phase 2, if you need to finish the layout you'll probably be able to do that but that's for the mapcore admins to decide.
Quote from Psyrius24 minutes ago, Psyrius said: Is it ok to update the map and the link submitted?
No, Phase 1 is over, what has been submitted to the Phase 1 thread you must leave alone as the deadline has now passed!
Start on Phase 2 and go nuts!
I would add the disclaimer but I don't have the ability to edit my post, I'm assuming that is due to it being locked now?
Name: Oliver Curtis
Alias: FRAG
Map Name: DM-Metro
Download Link: DM-Metro
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/9mQO1ET.png]
The idea is this is a re-purposed metro station for the tournament, it's located in the middle of a metropolis which means that life is still going on around, maybe even a train or two (TBD)
[*] Environment setting:[/b] Metro, Urban, Metropolis [*] Theme:[/b] Clean, re-purposed. [*] Player Count: 3 to 6 [*] Story:[/b] Metro Station 87 is located in the center of Atmos, a city that prides itself on it's polished facility's and clean public spaces, they have kindly re-purposed this station to host the tournament and allowed the locals to watch for their own pleasure, would be a shame if someone spilled blood here wouldn't it? [/list] [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/0XrijN3.png]
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/ynb4Npm.png]
I agree that this content constitutes a Submission under the Unreal Engine EULA ( https://www.unrealengine.com/eula ).[/i]
Quote from Sprony5 minutes ago, Sprony said: If you need to have something uploaded, it's fine seeing your predicament. However, I would prefer if you use the old shell in phase 2.
Yeah that's fine, will use the old shell in phase 2, thanks for replying @Sprony
I'm in a bit of a state at the moment but I know I'll get an answer here 
I got hospitalised today and I won't have access to my latest content until after the submission date, I do have a copy of the original metro map I worked on, I know we can evolve our shells in phase 2 but would it be possible to submit my old content for now and then push through with the new shell in phase 2?
The new shell isn't a drastic change, it just works off subtractive methods instead of being solely additive, which has allowed for better refinement of paths I wanted to create.
If I can't then no problem, I'll use the old shell and get it up to speed in phase 2.
Quote from 2d-chrisOn 4/21/2016 at 3:42 AM, 2d-chris said: @blackdog here you go, I'm going to be working on this for a while so probably won't get the entire thing done before the phase 1 ends, so here is the first 3 hours. Final video I will probably give some commentary and music goodness, at this rate it will be about 4-6 hours of video at this speed.
Presenting, the birth of ctf-mattdamon
Yeah I've actually just gone back and done this myself @Sigma Although I was enjoying the approach I was taking, I've managed to achieve a much better whitebox by using subtractive design, will be updating my thread and submitting my submission asap.
He doesn't want to leak his secrets to subtractive design!
@VikingDude 2 of us have posted threads in the 3D section and a few guys have been posting content to this thread.
Hey all, I've created a thread in the 3D section for my submission, will flesh the thread out more once I get my replacement scanner tomorrow (hopefully) as I have a load of sketches from my graph book, will also dump images there as I progress and iterate.
https://migrationtest.mapcore.org/topic/20076-ts…t4-contest-wip/
Here's my first day blockout of my map "TSD-Metro" it's a map I'm going to submit as part of the UT4 & Mapcore contest currently taking place.
The idea is this is a re-purposed metro station for the tournament, it's located in the middle of a metropolis which means that life is still going on around, maybe even a train or two (TBD)
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/dfHh0BY.png]
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/0FTBsYF.png]
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/b4rkgg3.png]
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/DU6ryOh.png]
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/SQxwLrV.png]
It will appear very open at the moment but as I block more stuff out, the sight lines will decrease to more acceptable limits, the map works in a 3 tier system, top and bottom segments are a bit more open but still provide adequate coverage with ways to retreat and flank.
The middle segment plays more like cat and mouse, use it to your advantage or face the consequences, the area is filled with tight turns, plenty of cover but only a few exits.
All spawn points will have adequate cover, no two spawns can view each other.
Weapon placements are yet to be finalized.
You may notice the hammer textures in there, that's because I'm using a plugin called "HammUEr" which allows me to create my brushwork in the hammer editor and the import it into the UE4 engine where they are turned into static meshes, Although I do really enjoy using the UE4 toolset, I still find hammers geometry tools much quicker for prototyping quickly and then iterating changes, I'm not going to promote the plugin but just search HammUEr on twitter or google and you'll find it if this sounds like something you want.
Also just to note, as this is just an initial import without any tweaking, a few of the meshes are showing shadow lines and such, I'll get them fixed up when I do the next import.
AND scanner is currently borked so when I get that up and running again, I'll post in the layouts and idea brainstorming I did for anyone who likes seeing that stuff.
Looking forward to posting more of Metro here, feedback (good & bad) is welcome as always.
Oh God yeah that's the beauty of hardware these days, someone can always make it run somewhere that it wasn't intended.
Like my works printer running doom, that confused my boss for a day or two.
After trying rift & PS VR, I still prefer the experience of PS VR, the price tag of the rift is a little high but I was expecting that, the fact that I would need to upgrade my hardware does not justify it though, PS VR will work with my PS4 and will be more aimed at mass market pockets so it's a more logical choice if I was to buy in this year.
I'm still holding out for the Vive though, missed my chance to try it out last year so I'm eager to demo it this year at some relative conference.
Quote from Bodd JonarHey crohns brother! Let me guess, you also have a history of eating bad for years, lots of meat, sugar and so on? The western diet isn't very healthy. I have found that avoiding sugar and meat is the best cure for it, better than any medicin your doctor will give you. Most people can live like they didn't have the disease by going vegan, but most doctors don't suggest it, because changing your behavior is harder than eating three pills a day and having a little pain. I would call my self a part time vegan (lol) and the differences between the days that I eat a plant based diet and the days I eat meat, candy and drink cola is huge.
Currently I'm at my dads over the holidays, trying to study while I'm here, tired of being behind all the time. January will probably be the most stressful month ever for me. So it is a lot of stress, like a weight on my shoulder all the time. I just have to hold it up for a little while and then I will be fine. Hopeful still!
Sadly not, Was eventually traced down to my fathers side of the family (none of which I know, or him for that matter) runs riot through the males but has skipped all the females so there's hope I don't pass it down to my daughter through genetics.
I never ate really bad, I'm quite a fit person and in a way it kind of sucks that I never just went all out sometimes but meh, missed opportunity and all that 
My wife is a vegan anyway so a lot of my meals are pretty green & fresh, I only really eat meat once or twice a week and it's only in small portions now, otherwise I'll be hugging the toilet instead of mapping 
Quote from Vorontsov@FRAG Man I'm glad to read that everything is finally looking good for you, best of wishes to you
Thanks! Much appreciated
I recently started a UDemy course to learn blender, I got it free after I funded their kickstarter for a UE4 C++ course.
I quite like it, the interface and controls were a bit off from what I was used to with 3D software that I had used in the past but now I'm really starting to get things into my head, in the process of making a low-poly chess set on the course at the moment, it's good fun and best of all, free!
