WIP in WIP, post your level screenshots!

[TheOnionChef 87]

47 minutes ago, blackdog said:

I think poor choice of words, I just mean it sparks memories of playing de_prodigy, as the mix of rocks and tech tunnels has some similarities... but like I was attempting to say, the graphics are really good. If they told me it was an official remaster of the map I could believe it

Thanks man. I've been working on this for a while now and it's nice to hear that people are liking the screenshots. I remember how shit it was for 75% of development, and now it's finally coming to fruition. Hoping to release the map alongside a trailer for it within a week or two.

[Kokopelli 126]

@Soldat Du Christ Looking good so far and faithful to your first blockout. I'm interested to see how the sight lines work once it's done. 

One thing I would be mindful of is how the open nature of the map might affect your ability to optimize it. I know your focus right now is on layout (as it should be), but at the same time you don't want to make it impossible for whoever will be doing the art. To some degree, the limitations of the engine inform the layout. For example, in Danger Zone, since the maps are large and open, the overall quality is much simpler than on standard defuse maps. Danger Zone maps also implement heavy fog, which allows for far z clipping to further optimize. You don't really have this luxury on defuse maps since you want to keep fog to a minimum. So if there are any areas where you may potentially be rendering the entire map, that's going to be an issue.

Of all the defuse maps, Nuke is probably the most detailed one with multiple elevations, but the areas are still somewhat segmented so you don't have vision across the entire map. The devs also combined props to reduce draw calls and placed occluder brushes in certain places to reduce rendering.

I made a really open map before and it was really difficult to optimize once it was fully detailed. Just wanted to give you a heads up as more knowledge can help save you headaches down the road. Of course, so much of this stuff simply has to be lived and learned. 

[Kokopelli 126]

@TheOnionChef Nice work. It definitely has that Prodigy vibe that i'm sure many will find alluring. I would milk that nostalgia as much as you can.  Also like that you used Zion as a reference—I went camping there last year and it was beautiful. 

In that third screenshot with the staircase, are the areas to the sides of the staircase accessible? If they aren't, they should probably look more like they aren't. Areas that look accessible but aren't is a common complaint with players.

[TheOnionChef 87]

@Kokopelli

I was never a 1.6 player, so I’ll have to check out de_prodigy.

I can do some lighting tweaks on the unplayable areas, too.

As for Zion, I was very inspired by the Shallows, which I visited when I lived in Utah for two years.

[Soldat Du Christ 112]

@Kokopelli yeah... i've heard alot about that over time, i never really considered it when making the blockout and at this point not willing compromise on the layout, it is what it is 

 

[will2k 3,627]

Harran Olympics

summer Olympics coming soon

A small preview of my upcoming custom map titled "Harran Olympics" where the player will compete in several events, in a more "extreme" version of the Olympics.

 

[Lizard 1,323]

1 hour ago, will2k said:

Harran Olympics

summer Olympics coming soon

A small preview of my upcoming custom map titled "Harran Olympics" where the player will compete in several events, in a more "extreme" version of the Olympics.

 

This is awesome!

[sn0wsh00 29]

I'm currently working on three spinoff maps based on the final arena of my minigame/obstacle course map that I released a few weeks back. Keeping with the spirit of the original map, I'm planning on keeping most of white concrete floor with brick wall aesthetics for the existing locations. New locations, though, will be more detailed.

The first map will be a defuse map. As this map (and the original arena) is based closely on Dust2, I don't think I need to talk about that map much, other than the fact that there'll be a secret area.

The second map will be a hybrid CSDE hostage rescue/defusal map. Using Dust2 callouts as a reference, the hostage is located around T Plat while the hostage rescue will be located around A Plat (the bomb site locations remain the same). CTs have a major advantage in hybrid maps, given that not only can they win if they rescue a hostage, regardless if the bomb has already been planted, they can also win if the time runs out. I think I can balance things out by removing the ability to defuse bombs, while setting the bomb time to 60 seconds to give CTs time to rescue the hostage. Unfortunately, it's hard to test this out with bots, as bots have no idea how to handle hybrid maps.

The third map will be a hostage rescue map, or more specifically, a hostage escort map. CT and T spawn positions will be flipped. The hostage will once again spawn around T Plat (which is now near CT spawn), while the hostage rescue sites will be located around Back Plat and Goose. The rescue zones will be blocked by doors at the start of the round. These doors will open 20 seconds after CTs reach an area near the rescue zone (B Plat, A Plat or Ramp). Based on a test map I've made, I think bots can actually play this type of hostage map, as long as you place the trigger directly in front of the doors. The hostage carrier will try to walk through the door while its closed, but once the door is opened, the bot will walk in like in any other hostage rescue map.

And now some screenshots:

Bombsite B. I'm going for a Dust-inspired-office-courtyard-under-construction theme here:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Tunnels:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Server room (similar to CAT). Server models taken from de_breach:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Vertical farm. I was trying to use something like this as a reference, but lights don't seem to work particularly well on small shelves.

Spoiler

 

 

Edited July 30 by sn0wsh00
Captions, formatting

[sn0wsh00 29]

Made some updates to my mg_space_race spinoff maps. For the tunnels, I added more details to the columns (taken from de_season) and turned it into a commons area.

Spoiler

 

For the vertical farm, I added some more details to the ceiling, giving it an exposed truss/rafter look, and changed the light color as well. PSA: if you're looking for an easy way to design your HVAC system, use de_nuke's airduct models. They're very conveniently sized and modular.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5 by sn0wsh00
spoiler, spelling

[Soldat Du Christ 112]

I feel like after hours of trying to get it right, im stopped dead in my tracks just trying to build the non-grid segments of my map... The parts of the map that fit neatly onto a grid i got done no problem, but i'm having a hard time getting the proportions correct and to line things up nicely. Is there any way to snap objects together with their corners? And not the grid? Like vertex snap or something? 

Edited August 4 by Soldat Du Christ

[Lizard 1,323]

9 minutes ago, Soldat Du Christ said:

I feel like after hours of trying to get it right, im stopped dead in my tracks just trying to build the non-grid segments of my map... The parts of the map that fit neatly onto a grid i got done no problem, but i'm having a hard time getting the proportions correct and to line things up nicely. Is there any way to snap objects together with their corners? And not the grid? Like vertex snap or something? 

Its a "Wip, post your level screenshot thread" man... Maybe create your own thread or something. As for the grid snapping, try ctrl+b.

[Soldat Du Christ 112]

[sn0wsh00 29]

Map's looking good so far. Also looks like a great map for deathmatch or arms race.

[sn0wsh00 29]

I decided give my mg_space_race spinoff maps a backstory:

Terrorists opposing a renovation project have seized a sector of an interstellar space station, killing the project's manager (bomb defuse version) or taking him hostage (CSDE hybrid version). Making matters worse, they now threaten to bomb the construction sites. Using a top secret portal, counter-terrorists have tunneled into the sector with the intent of stopping the terrorists.

(for the hostage escort version, the terrorists are the ones who have portaled into the sector, after seizing the portal laboratory. Seeing the sector as a lost cause, the CTs have to escort the project manager to safety).

Here's what I've come up with for the portal lab:
 

Spoiler

 

 

And here's how the portal looks like from CT spawn (I used env_cubemap's brush face entry to tie the cubemap to this texture):
 

Spoiler

 

 

It's possible to enter the lab in a middle of the game, but be wary of the fact that there are sensors in the lab. I originally tried linking the env_cubemap to a dome displacement with the intent on making the portal look like a wormhole. Unfortunately, the game kept crashing after I built cubemaps, so I had to use a flat brush instead.

Edited August 8 by sn0wsh00
spoilers

[will2k 3,627]