dm_romanpool (Play test available)

[dissonance]

oh dude, is that the pool from hearst castle? it is.

damn, that place is amazing. very nice job recreating it.

i have a few 6mp photos from around there, i'll dig them up if you want.

[ReNo]

Isn't there a flag or property in the lightglow entity that lets you specify that the entity itself is inside the world? I seem to recall using it before when your lights have big bulbs like that.

Lighting has made a big difference, but I agree with you that the dark areas look far too dark.

[D3ads]

That looks really cool, something fresh and original. You might want to work on getting that blue on the textures right, it's still far too bright imho.

[Naticus]

Thanks to the admin that moved this post. I was just thinking it really does belong in the WIP forum.

Here is another brief update. I tried to stick with a dusk theme. Let me know what you think about the lighting.

New screenshots here:

http://www.natcarm.com

[Polaris]

Holy shit, a little lighting makes a big difference!

You could still improve the atmosphere a bit imo.

[von*ferret]

For the ammount of light illuminating the room, the windows are not bright enough!

[Defrag]

Isn't there a flag or property in the lightglow entity that lets you specify that the entity itself is inside the world? I seem to recall using it before when your lights have big bulbs like that.

Lighting has made a big difference, but I agree with you that the dark areas look far too dark.

Yeah, as ReNo said you can specify a maximum distance so the glow isn't occluded by geometry.

Change the "Size of Glow Proximity" sprite field to be a value greater than the radius of the model's bulb.

[Naticus]

For the ammount of light illuminating the room, the windows are not bright enough!

Right...that was in the back of my mind after I reduced the sun glare effect from the env_lightglow. If you look at the pic I posted at the end of the first page the window is fully illuminated. Unfortunately I had to cut back on that effect because it didn't look natural when you moved side to side in the back of the room. It sort of flickered on and off.

I will work on brightening the windows where the sun is hitting by some other means. Maybe a spotlight or just a plain light entity in the right place. Any other ideas for that?

Oh and thanks for the tip with the glow effect! It worked great. I ended up using an env_sprite instead because I couldn't get a constant glow at a specific distance with env_lightglow. I really appreciate all of the advice and help you guys are giving me. It is speeding things up for me considerably.

[Naticus]

I've put a beta version of the map back online for play testing. Please download it at your convenience and try it out. I would love to hear any and all comments/suggestions you guys have!

http://www.natcarm.com

[Polaris]

*downloads*

[dissonance]

Wow dude that is fucking awesome.

[Freakman]

Really nice work!

To make it more realistic, you can place some palms or trees outside the windows.

[Meotwister]

looks really nice man, yeah put something outside the window to make it seem like its not floating above the earth or something

Nice job!

[Grinwhrl]

palm trees would be perfect. Looking good man

[Campaignjunkie]

I think the layout needs work. I've never been to the baths of course, but if this is the actual layout, it doesn't make for very compelling play. Very linear, one-level play with few height changes or Z-axis gameplay. Not much opportunity for cover either, and only a few phys props (which is where HL2 DM really shines, IMO).

Visually, I also think you can push the map farther. It needs more light contrast, and all the rooms look the same - especially since the layout is mirrored. There's no recognizable landmarks to help the players navigate. Look at the HL2DM source VMFs included with the SDK, see how Valve does some of its stuff.

Some suggestions:

- Ditch the sunset sky, it's generally overused. (I would suggest not using a sky at all, it takes focus away from the interior)

- (Basically a consequence of getting rid of the sunset sky) Ditch the orangeish lighting. I think it looks busy and muddy when it interacts with the blueness of the textures. Of course some people like that, but I don't really care for it.

- Consider making the lamps into prop_physics, to make gameplay more interesting. Plus - If the player can rip radiators off the walls, then why not these lamps? Of course, they won't be able to emit light anymore, but I think the map would be better off with less light everywhere.

- Replace the brush benches with prop_physics benches. It'll look better and make gameplay more interesting.

- There's no signs of use in the level. No dirt, nothing broken, everything is in pristine condition. Add some chairs, stools, towels, dirt, etc. You don't have to demolish the place, but I'm just saying that real-world stuff is rarely in perfect condition.

- Add landmarks - unique bits that will make a certain room stick out. Maybe a fountain or something?

- Showers in the bathroom? For the ones who'd rather not use the baths, huh?

If you'd like, you can send me the VMF and I'll try to help with the lighting and such, or at least voice my opinion.