Posts by pat h

inside the dome

so close to done! then i just gotta debug this thing...

only had time to play one game, but man, that is one wicked map. the atmosphere is thick and the layout is so curvy and interesting. i really think your maps are taking q3 to another level. this looks more like a q4 map than a q3 map.

like i said, i don't think i played enough to give any thorough feedback. though one thing i did notice was the combination of all the small steps, gradual elevation changes, and thin paths made it difficult to hold speed for a long time. usually q3 maps are flat for the most part. i wouldn't actually say this is actually a bad thing, though it is most certainly different from what i am used to and increases the learning curve quite a bit.

you clearly have some massive modelling and texturing skills under your belt. it shows me where i could definitely use some improvement. good luck in the comp, i can tell you this is going to be one tough map to beat!

thanks . here are a couple more areas done today. i'll try to post shots almost every night until the end of the comp. hope i can get done with the brushwork soon so i can focus on fixing up the lighting.

mh room below the area i just showed. (it's a little dark right now.)

a little hallway action, fresh out of the oven

glad to see you got that error fixed. i've never seen that before.

about this:

Quote

But I am on the down hill slope now. Having been doing a lot of maintenance work as I build has helped, but has also made the building process slow

i wouldn't sweat the small stuff, phant. my map is not optimized and has overdraw all over the place. i just told myself early on that whoever wins this competition is not gonna win it by mitering. personally, i'd rather spend time putting more brushes into a map than making sure it's technically perfect. i'm sure you've seen how horribly constructed the original id Software maps were, and yet we still play maps like dm6 15 years later...

edit: p.s. just my advice since i've been slowed down a lot by perfectionism in the past

thanks. about the staircase - yes and yes. basically i just started with a spiral ramp made of patches to get a feel for how large each step should be in the brush spiral staircase, and then just eyeballed it.

fucking swag.

only thing i don't like is that ramp/bridge looks way too thin. i'd widen it by 3x.

screenshot!

not totally done detailing this area yet but thought it was worth showing.

edit: a few more words on this... the visual goal of my map is to create a tech theme without all the usual tech assets, e.g. crates, pipes, and vents, but instead to create somewhat more classical roman/byzantine-inspired architecture and then find a way to texture it tech. that said, it won't all be vaults, domes, and arches - i am not holding myself back from adding some futuristic geometry into the mix. the area that you are looking at, however, was heavily inspired by st. bart's church in manhattan, which i happily discovered on a recent walk through midtown.

as per usual in my development process, the theme has taken a major turn from what i initially set out to do, and the title will probably change as it no longer fits the map.

nice to see you've come so far already. (i can tell it's going to be down to the wire for me.) as usual, the map looks superb. you really know how to pull off these epic environments. i also love the position of the MH, i didn't notice it hanging out there at first. i also think those central pillars are dying for an item to be placed on them. another thought: maybe switch LG and RA? i didn't analyze it too much, just a gut feeling.

i agree with hipshot's comment and in general i think the scale might be a little too much. obviously you aren't going to change that at this stage, even if you wanted to. at this point i would just try to work in more ledges between levels to make jumping down a little less of a sacrifice. deep water is definitely a good idea. and you could also incorporate some cushioned surfaces like i did in my map, Q.

like your last map, the windows are beautiful and they are what i remember most after leaving the map. maybe you could find spots to add even a few more.

gl!

my university network is blocking that download service. if you send me a PM/email i will test it.

lol. patience! real screens coming.

you guys are the best

here's a quick screenie - kind of. i'm keeping things mysterious for now with a filter shot. stay tuned for the big reveal once lighting gets done.

before bed screenshots - so necessary

textures are looking really nice. i bet that layout will be a lot of fun too. a couple critiques if i may: that screenshot is looking a little "blocky." as if everything is 16u or larger. maybe try working some smaller 8u trims in? i didn't see this problem in the previous hallway screenshot. also, the corrugated metal texture may be a bit over-used here.

keep it up, man. can't wait to see how it looks in two weeks!

yeah, i think i am gonna salvage it. i found some other textures i can use... it should be interesting

thanks for the support!

AMAZING lighting. rock on, fKd!

nothing to see yet. still working out the theme. as usual, i wasted a couple weeks trying to go for something photorealistic and then realized i didn't have anywhere near the assets to pull it off in competition time.

changing directions and going simpler now, e.g. q3dm6-style. i want something that people will see and think of classic quake. in the end, gameplay is king, so i think i will be relying more on the strength of my layout than on complicated graphics.

attached is a shot of what i am thinking about scrapping.

cool, nice textures! i would say lighting looks a bit overly yellow though.

looking far along already! love the height. i'm also thinking about using stock textures to keep the classic look.