will2k

I managed to knock down my backlog's size of unplayed games over the past year but I still have several games to go through. ARMA 2, ARMA 2 Operation Arrowhead, Bioshock 2, Bioshock Infinite, Metro 2033, Metro Last Light, and some missions/expansions packs for Quake 2/Doom 2 . Many games, not much time.

sounds good

Finished playing Grim Fandango remastered; great moments and memories just like playing the original 17 years ago. I started Bioshock 1 now (soon to be followed by 2 then infinite) I still have a backlog in my steam library

My Christmas tree, up and running

You could always add some storage shelves that the player can use to reach the ceiling, where he "accidentally" finds a crowbar on the top shelf that they use to break a vent right at the top of the wall to exit the storage room, and rain death on the unsuspecting CPs from above .

Black Mesa vs CSGO fps I had an interesting observation while working on the Black Mesa remake of Forlorn. The fps in the BM version is significantly lower than the CSGO version even though the BM map version has an enhanced optimization system compared to the CSGO one. I was able to make a crude comparison since I now have both versions up and running. I chose a random location for this quick study and recorded the fps The fps is 133. Please note that all settings are on high/very high, with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing, running in full HD 1920x1080. Now the same spot in CSGO with basically the same settings. The fps is 223. That’s a full 90 fps difference, a very significant one. BM ran originally on an updated and customized orange box version of Source engine, recently switching to Source 2013 version, while CSGO has its own “proprietary” version of Source that Valve does not license to others as far as I know. I started a quick investigation into the BM version to try and narrow down the reasons for this fps variation. I had a hunch that I should start my inquiry with the CSM (cascade shadow maps) system. When BM was released, it did not have CSM since this is not a feature in Source (Only CSGO has CSM and Valve does not license this engine branch nor does it share its code) The guys at BM decided recently to code their own in-house CSM system; they did a tremendous job and this turned out to be a beautiful system where you can even have named/switchable lights (something that is not feasible in CSGO’s CSM system). However, the coder himself admits that the system still needs tweaking and work. Based on this knowledge, I decided to turn off the CSM system in BM and test again. The fps is now 200; that’s a huge increase of 67 fps just by reverting back to the old, “ugly” lightmapped shadows. In CSGO, there is no menu option to turn off CSM but one can do so using a console command that kills off the CSM entity. The fps is now 241; a mere 18 fps increase when CSM is disabled. The CSGO CSM system appears to be more efficient and less taxing on the engine resources and subsequent frame rate. A second area of investigation was static props. I hid all static props from the map in-game. The fps is now 181, a 48 fps increase from the initial version with static props rendered on screen. This is still a noteworthy variation. I tried the same approach in CSGO where all static props are hidden. The fps is 252, a 29 fps increase from the full map with static props present. This number is still notable but it is lower than the 48 fps variation recorded earlier in the BM version. This observation also leads me to think that CSGO handles static props slightly better than BM in terms of frame rate and engine overhead. Finally, I tried hiding func_detail and displacement in both versions, however, results were very similar on this front where the increase was limited to 10-15 fps in both versions. In conclusion, we can safely say that more or less the same map in BM has considerably fewer fps than its CSGO counterpart; 2 main culprits in this fps decrease could be attributed to the CSM system and prop statics rendering. In another conclusion that probably ascertains a 100 similar conclusions before it, Source is really OLD and OUTDATED.

The start of the map is nice; I liked the fact that the player starts helpless and has to find an alternate way to leave the CPs custody while avoiding their batons and pistol fire. I did not find the escape route frustrating but it does need better lighting to see all potential escape exits. The airboat "mowing" section was funny but in all honesty, it feels a bit exaggerated and out of place. The sheer number of CPs standing still just waiting for me to mow them down was hilarious but also out of place. It takes away from the seriousness of the level. I would recommend to reduce the number of CPs standing there to a smaller size, more realistic for one's expectations for such a situation. The other thing is that having multiple airboats also is a bit unrealistic and feels forced. The fact that are 2 sets of airboats on each side of the canal where the player leaves the first airboat and mounts the second, further breaks immersion and realism (feels like an airboat taxi service ). I would recommend removing the fence in the middle of the first canal section and let the player keep riding the initial airboat, have a U-turn at the end and continue on the second part of the canal with the water and sand bumps. Keep it up

Haven't seen you around here for quite a while The Doom stuff looks really nice

Looks great Just make sure to have it as cheap as possible (textures/polys/...) otherwise it might start to affect your fps if it's too detailed or there are several parts like this one in the 3D sky.

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. The concept here is interesting since you are focusing on slow-paced exploration without any meaningful fighting; you just need to make sure that there are enough "things" to explore (hidden stashes maybe, or some Easter eggs...) and to have some scripted sequences involving the CPs and civilians where the player could admire them unfolding before their eyes. Some issue I noted: The upper floors are way too dark; lighting should be a priority for your next build The locked doors appear the same as the ones that can be opened; it would be nice to take a cue from the HL2 stock maps where locked doors are clearly marked to avoid unnecessary frustration and wasted time going from door to door. The key on the desk is a nice touch but you should consider having it as a prop/model in future builds as brushwork key looks massive, more like straight out of a shooter from the 90s Keep it up

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. Any new update/ETA on download?

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. Your download link is asking to log in to google drive. Any chance you can make the download public without the need to sign in?

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. Nice start you got here; the level has a good progression and it makes one curious to further progress and explore. Good job. I liked the nicely laid cover in the start to help the player make their way amid heavy, and I emphasize heavy, sniper fire. The bridge crossing was tense. Showing the player the initially-inaccessible escape route early on was a nice touch to help give them a goal throughout the level The fast zombies were aptly added to increase the tension as you could hear them screaming and catch a glimpse of them from across the rooms or from the barn on the other side. Some issue to note: The level was in fullbright which kills any atmosphere or mood in the map; it's better to have a rudimentary lighting setup that you can tweak or change later instead of flat fullbright. At the level start area, the fps was dropping in major chunks and this is something to keep in mind as the map is basically empty now and as more and more details will be added, the frame rate will further plummet. Keep it up

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. I liked that you included a small underground detour to change the "flat" progression through the yard. The zombies pit was a nice addition to heat things up from the standard combine encounters. It was also a nice excuse to use the shotgun up close and personal . Your displacement floor is bugged in many places completely stopping my walk, forcing me to jump to keep moving. I noticed many open seams in the floor (example in your last pic); make sure you have them sewn properly and that you are not using power 4 displacement. If nothing works, you might have to recreate certain displacements from scratch to remedy this. Certain combine soldiers positions need some work to make them more believable; many soldiers were just standing idle in the middle of the yard. I recommend you include some scripted sequences to make them look "natural and busy": ducking behind a barricade, patrolling the area, checking out a radio unit, etc... Keep it up

dm_forlorn is a standard deathmatch map for Black Mesa. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=813925575 This is a remake of my map de_forlorn for CSGO. Recommended player load 12-16 players. Enjoy the map.

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. Solid level and progression so far. I really enjoyed the gameplay against nested snipers. I was having a good time sprinting from cover to cover, while at the same time leading the hapless slow zombies into the sniper's line of fire for the economic and easy kill Fast zombies were a nice addition, but most of them were just standing still facing the opposite direction of where the player emerges. It was just a matter of silently approaching them from behind going for the easy kill; the tension and danger were greatly reduced. I believe different angles of attack for these zombies should spice things up and keep the player on their toes. Keep it up

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. I enjoyed the vertical gameplay in this level where basically all the action takes place in one backyard at different heights and atop different houses. Good job. The crates in the cargo container where a nice way to reward the curious, scavenging-explorer player. Some zombies just disappeared when shot, no corpse, no ragdoll. The inside of the water tower was partly see through. forgotten nodraw or glitch? The slanted rooftop (2nd pic) was causing me to skid as if I were on ice; might want to smooth it out with clips so the player can easily transition to the ledge without falling. Keep it up

You're not fooling anyone here...we all know this is taken in-game in Dunwall Seriously though, it gives me vibes from Dishonored, near the pub/Corvo HQ

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. Very solid and enjoyable level, good job. The helicopter fight in the large yard felt right, not too easy and not so frustrating, and the addition of elite soldiers here and there made things more interesting. The cat and mouse play with the sniper while quickly sprinting from cover to cover was also well executed. Here are a couple of pointers to help polish the level: - You need to better emphasize the location of the ladder in the first yard so players can easily know where to go next. Between the dim environmental lighting and the fact that I was strictly focusing on dodging that pesky sniper, I didn't notice the ladder at first; remember that the player here does not have the luxury of time to carefully scout the area for "potential exits" since the sniper in the tower is constantly hammering them down. A light spot pointing to the ladder should do the trick. - Many houses interiors were pretty dark making some combine soldiers hard to see. - Some houses were floating above ground level (example the last 2-story house where you fight the helicopter) - To the right of the door-opening wheel at the end is a small ditch where you can fall down and are unable to get back to the wheel level to proceed further. Nice work so far, keep it up

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. Good start with this level; airboat levels in HL2 were among the best new experience added to the HL game mechanics so I hope this map shapes up to be on par with those original ones. I noticed the level is in fullbright which basically kills the atmosphere all around; I hope it's just a temporary placeholder. Another issue is that you didn't give the player the HEV suit so I couldn't know my HP level or the shield level, couldn't sprint, use the flashlight, or know my ammo count. Keep it up

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. Solid map so far; play progression was straight forward and smooth without wasteful guesswork. If I may suggest, try spicing up the lighting a bit. You could use some red or warm yellow with small cagelight props for tunnels to differentiate them from the bland white fluorescent light in the large areas of the sewers. Another suggestion is to add 1 or 2 "scare jumps". Most of the enemy NPCs can be seen from a distance giving the player time to prepare the defense (or offense) which is nice, but it would also be neat if 1 or 2 zombies could startle the player by "bursting" suddenly from a dark corner or from behind a crate; an event that the player does not see coming. This could help break the predictability of the gameplay. Keep it up

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay Good choice providing the player with the shotgun early on before they can access the apartments filled with zombies. The ambience is dark forcing me to use the flashlight but that is to be expected if you are trying to mimic the atmosphere of Ravenholm. One thing to keep an eye on is that you have too many doors that can be opened leading to dead end empty rooms. If you plan later on to have secret stashes, weapons, friendly NPC encounters in these rooms then all is good but if they will remain as they are now, then it is highly recommend to reduce their numbers to keep the smooth flow of the player progress/navigation. Keep it up

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay Nice touch at the very start welcoming the player with the combine fighting the zombie. Good job keeping the central plaza/horse statue as center of interest/focus. Some indoor locations/rooms were pretty dark and will need your attention with lighting especially if enemy encounters are to happen there. The environmental lighting could use a bit of boost as it is a bit flat right now (a different skybox with different lighting setup, or tweaking the current values of brightness/ambient, use HDR with tonemap control, etc..) Keep it up

Welcome to mapcore, hope you enjoy your stay. Solid start on this map; I quite liked the open street theme and progression Advancing through the large plaza with the help of the rebels is a nice touch. I believe some more cover in the plaza towards the combine machine gun nests would prove a much needed help for the player (you could scatter some on the edges not directly in front of the MG). As it is now, once you go past the last cover, you still have a solid 15-20 meters run in the open exposed to constant stream of bullets from the machine guns. I barely made it with 20HP playing on hard difficulty Also make sure to add health kits and batteries at the museum door to reward the player after the fierce battle that they just endured Keep it up.