Posts by GRiNET

Some WIPS for the second map of my HL2EP2 Mod Aurora: Reinstated.

Feedback on lighting is more than welcome if someone feels something isn't right or have some general tips!

UPDATE 2017-03-02

The second map is now finsihed. What remains are final tweaking of lighting, minor balancing with supplies vs combat encounter and more delicate sound cues.

I have began to finalize map 3 and its heavily reworked from the original plan due to it not being fun or particularly interesting.

Beneath are some screenshots from map 2 in its final state. Feedback is more than welcome, especially regarding the lighting.

Spoiler

The first one was great but I really disliked the ending, it was so anti-climactic for me.

Some WIPs for my HL2EP2 Mod Aurora.

UPDATE 2017-02-20

Right now I have done my first map to near completion. It is about 90% done.

Everything gameplay wise is there now and the gameplay is working flawlessly.

I am very proud so far about the amount of work I have managed to do so far for this piece.

Under the spoiler tag there are pictures of the map in its almost final state.

Feedback is more than welcome.

Spoiler

UPDATE 2017-02-13

Things are progressing albeit a bit slowly due to a lot of things in school and at the same time having a cold.

The maps have been reworked quite a lot in this early phase and I have redrawn my topdowns to fit my new needs.

A lot of the things I have been struggling with is the general space planning to make the environment feel right and be believable at the same time.

I have noticed several times when running around that the maps became too linear and/or too articifial.

But, a solution is in the works!

Below I will post some alpha-stage pictures off the maps under spoiler headers.

Spoiler

Comments and feedback are of course more than welcome to help me improve in my work.

Remember, this is at an early alpha stage so this is the mere orangeboxing of the levels.

I am going beta this week so everything will be changed more or less.

Thank you. I will look into this!

Hello everyone!

LINK TO MOD: http://www.moddb.com/mods/aurora-reinstated

Short introduction

I am a level design student at The Game Assembly in Malmö Sweden.

We were tasked to plan out 10 weeks to work on pieces for our portfolio, which should be launched on april 10th.

The reason for this is to meet with game companies from around the world to aquire an intership which extends over the course of ten months and then hopefully begin to work there after internship completion.

My plan was to make a small but well polished short campaign for Half-Life 2 : Episode Two. This because the HL-series if my favorite games of all times and because I feel comfortable to work in the Source engine.

Making a mod consisting of three unique maps in this short time is quite strenuous, but I want to prove my worth as a level designer but also do something that I find valuable and fun for myself.

The mod

I had some ideas before I started and the one that stuck with me goes as follows.

The protagonist in this mod is Adrian Shephard. He is reinstated in service by G-man at the arctic base where Dr. Judith Mossman is transmitting from, at the same time as the combine attack.

By some unknown order from "higher up" corporal shephards services are now needed.

Was the attack on the base an unforseen consequence or was it all planned?

The Plot

Being awoken right in the action Shephard will have no clue or notion about where he is, what the Combine are or what else have happened in the years following the Black Mesa Incident.

The only thing he will know is that he will have to escape from the place he is finding himself in.

The Setting

Corporal Shephard is finding himself in an underground arctic military facility. Perhaps this has something to do with the Borealis, or Aparture Sciences.

The Theme

The theme I am going for is heavily inspired by Black Mesa. Most of it is underground and therefore it will be corridors, hangars and big warehouses. But it will also be in an outside environment.

Since the building is built underground and it is built vertically, some of the rooms are built very large with high ceilings.

The Maps

I am building three maps to show my level design thinking and try to include as much of my ideas as I can.

Without going in to spoilers to much the three maps will go as follows.

• Map 01 - The player will be introduced to the setting and conflict with foreshadowing combat scenarios between the rebels and the Combine. The player will at this stage be helpless and unarmed. This to set a mood and force the player to focus on exploration and getting to know certain game mechanics as interacting with the environment as well as the basic movement controlls.

• Map 02 - The player will be forced into conflice with the Combine. The first combat scenarios will be introduced as well as more difficult movement exploration puzzles. The player will also ascend closer to the surface as well as getting more insight into the complex he is finding himself in.

• Map 03 - The player will be experience the crescendo with a fast paced map filled with combat. To break things up there will be a segment where the player will get a break and slow down to focus on environmental exploration. This is the last map so here the mod will end.

Problems

Somethings I have encountered that I want to adress but can't.

Some of the bigger ones are:

• To have G-man introduce the player in the beginning with real conversation.
• To have a custom dialogue with rebels and Dr Judith Mossman.
• Produce something epic within the seven week timeframe.

Summary

PROTAGONIST

• Name: Adrian Shephard.
• Role: Helping Dr. Judith Mossman. (Wishlist)
• Background: Former marine, was put in stasis by G-man at the end of the Black Mesa incident. (Opposing Force ending)

REFERENCE

• Location: The Arctic
• Building keywords: Concrete & metal, military facility, merged/submerged in ice. Black Mesa.
• Environment keywords: Corridors, industrial, complex, bunker.
• Outside keywords: Open snowy areas, falling snow and restricted vision. Icebergs and ice walls blocking off the areas. Bunker/military base complex.

Oh shit. When this thread is the first thing you see in the morning..

Out of curiosity, who won best development blog?

Congrats to the top 10 and well done to all who participated, was great fun!

Hello, this is very interesting!

I will forward this to my classmates.

For me I would go with these. Quake 2: space CTF map with all the teleporters and jump pads. (Can't remember the name at all)

CS 1.6: cs_assault - this map was the only thing I played before I went competitive and I still love it.

Dod: Avalanche

A lot of the maps in "Return to castle Wolfenstein" were really good. Like the first tomb, the u-boat pen and the level where they introduce paratroopers.

Call of Duty 1: The first russian mission when you come by boats.

Quote from Corwin

3 hours ago, Corwin said: Ryse was a success if you look at its core pillars/goals. Fun (ok fun is a shit core pillar but still) was in the 7th and almost last place, so that's what you got. Graphics and cinematic experience were at the top obviously, and it did ok on those I think. While I don't loathe it like Chris does, I do hope to not have to work on games where the priorities are so far from the medium's main purpose ever again. It's a shame about the theme, the whole franchise could have been great. It's a shame we didn't get to make the sequel, Ryse's development was plagued by building a team from the ground up and going third-person hack&slash with an engine not made for that, we could have really stepped it up on a sequel.

This does sound disturbingly bad, a shame really to hear this. Could you give some example on how the main purpose have shifted that made it feel so bad to work on? Which priorities where changed so massively and was it in a late state of production?

Quote from 2d-chris

On 2016-12-21 at 10:28 PM, 2d-chris said: I've tried hard, gone to a shrink and even spent a year trying to invent a time machine to remove any remnant of a memory for working on this game (ok it was only 3 months but still), I even gave away my free xbone and project signed disc, even tried to get my name removed from the credits (didn't really deserve it anyway) but the producer noticed I was missing and added me, I'm not even kidding It's everything I hate about a "game" like this. Rome was a good idea though, but that's about where it ends. Wish I could go into details, but there where a lot of talented people put in very stupid situations.

D:

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But why is that? I don't understand it really.

What did you do on it?

Quote from dux

On 2016-12-21 at 11:24 PM, dux said: Only part I didn't enjoy was them QTE's

I liked them, it could get a bit tedious yes but I mostly thought it was giving me a cinematic feel. I have to say I prefer this over Darksiders combat any day!

Quote from blackdog

On 2016-12-22 at 11:13 AM, blackdog said: Sorry @GRiNET, but when you see someone with few posts proclaiming masterpieces for a game that has been pretty much forgotten and critique certainly didn't elect to masterpiece status… it's natural to think you're trolling. Especially in the days Crytek is in the news… for possible bankruptcy.

Also, just noticed you opened a new topic but we already had one on this (some mod can merge?)

I was playing but haven't finished Ryse, wasn't that engaging but will probably go back. Mainly I was deeply annoyed by the controller layout choice: why would you swap parry controls compared to the Batman games that are the standard for this kind of combat? Despite the prompts I couldn't get in the flow, this was really stupid choice. For the brief moments I managed to nail a combo was quite satisfying brutality.

I think the only way you can call it a masterpiece is considering how many times the game was rebooted and changed scope/target. Then I'd say that the "self configuring" multiplayer arena was a great idea, too bad that hardly anyone must have played the mp.

@2d-chris really sad you have to feel that way about something you worked on luckily you're clearly super happy where you are now

PS: @GRiNET the Thief that Dux mentioned was the very first one, not the last

PPS: @dux which occasions did C2 had QTE? I have amazingly forgot about that 0.o

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I certainly understand that, that is why I took the time to explain. Yes, it was the post about Crytek and their probable bankruptcy that made me pickup the game. Sorry for opening a new topic, didn't notice the other one. Also sorry for late answers, christmas and all. You are right about Thief, I have to change my opinion on that. I loved the first thief, just didn't remember the name..

Interesting!

I don't feel you on Thief, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Perhaps the old thief but Half-Life, nothing beats it!

Zelda I've never really touched so I cannot say for sure.

What do you like/dislike about Ryse specifically?

Well, both. Overall and in this genre. What genre do you prefer and which game is your personal favorite?

@blackdog I am not "trolling" at all.

Masterpiece in regards of its genre of course. It isn't even close to, for example Half-life 2. But to say it's tossed around easily is an exaggeration. I wonder what you think @dux would be considered a masterpiece then, since your standards seems to differ so heavily against mine.

Hello everyone.

I bought this game yesterday and completed it today. I didn't buy it before since it was xbox exclusive and after that I didn't own a game controller. However, I thought the game was a blast, a real gem. I can not see why this game got so much flak! It is beautiful even compared to todays standards, it has an impressive flow in gameplay, game mechanics are great and intuitive, (for example the testudo mechanic), level design is great and voice acting and animations are on point, Playing this game with the Quick Time Events was not as boring as I first thought it would be. It felt really great and I got a cinematic feel to every combat situation. I loved this game and altough the story was "generic", I really enjoyed all of it.

Is it only me that enjoyed this game or what are your opinions on it?

Quote from JakHalz

27 minutes ago, JakHalz said: You checked the right path to the image in the vmt and the .txt file?

Yes! But I have solved it now. Had to put it in materialsrc too for some reason.