New approach to mapping

Shoot_me

<div class="IPBDescription">mapping one room at a time</div>I'm not sure if anyone else has tried this, but at the moment, I'm attempting to create an entire CO map by creating "modular" rooms which I can join together by mapping in pathways at a later time. So.. I'm hoping with this approach I might actually be able to have a finished map for once, which if this works, what used to take me... months, I might be able to finish a little outside one month. And since I can group ents and brushes together, I can drastically speed up compile times as I only compile the section I'm working on (as well as 2D/3D view refreshes).

Right now, I have roughly 5 (atomic) areas mapped, though the marine spawn could possibly count as 2 or 3.

Anyone else tried this approach? Any thoughts?

What was finished tonight:

<img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/yarrik71/co_ntbr0044.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/yarrik71/co_ntbr0043.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/yarrik71/co_ntbr0042.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

The above are of the marine spawn area; the bridge. The bridge was originally going to be more open, but r_speeds just wouldn't permit. So.. I added a couple "blast doors" which probably will help as instead of having to defend the chair from all sides, once the alien team DO get in, there's really one route to get to the chair... albeit a short one.

The design idea behind this section is that the ship is an older one by NS back story standards in any case. The COMM chair is more of a retrofit than anything. The original design was more along the lines of a captain shouting out commands to personnel at various stations. The older equipment though was kept intact as a backup.

Eh, that will probably change, but just some BS right off the top of my head. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nerd-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::nerdy::" border="0" alt="nerd-fix.gif" />

Kouji_San

For a combat map this approach is indeed a good one. I however also use the same way of mapping regardless (yes even on achio), only problem when mapping a classic map this way. Finishing up a room in terms of visuals will be a tricky buisiness when you aproach the final compile. Engine resources tend to be angry at you with this method <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

As you might remember I also ran into some pretty weird cliphull errors, where the seperate areas would compile perfectly. But once I put them together, they did weird stuff to the clipping hull with invisible walls and none solid wall, dropping outside of the map. Just some things to keep in mind if you get into detailed vertex manipulation.


About the shots I like the lighting and architecture a lot, however the texturing on those support beams (grey with yellow stripes), they could use some kind of trim.


1 month you say, I wish you luck. Deadlines will bite you in the ass <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

StixNStonz

Almost all mappers use some form of modular mapping or another.

Take a look at any decent NS or Co map. Notice how many of the doors are identical? Or the barrels, crates, detail architecture? Hell, Veil has the exact same door / 8-foot hallway that is used absolutely everywhere throughout the map.

If you can make a module base for something, you can fill out the map far more quickly than if everything was done manually. Not just from the act of rebuilding it manually, but also the act of mentally creating the plan for what you're building.

This then gives you a few advantages. First, you can block out the map so you can start testing the gameplay, even if it's just in runtimes and such, to figure out if you need to change anything around. Second, you can use the modular base either as the final geometry, or you can start cutting and adding to the replicated architecture to spice it up or change it into something completely new. Never be afraid of deleting old work, if you know you'll replace it with something better.

And finally, if you then detail, texture and light one of these modular pieces, you can copy it and paste it in the place of all the other modules, where it'll fit perfectly.

So, while you're learning a crucial mapping technique for design, we're sorry to say that you didn't quite invent it, lol <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

KungFuDiscoMonkey

I've tried this method a while back and didn't care for it. I've found that its easier to build a rough layout by just putting down a floor plan, cloning it for the ceiling, and throwing in walls. You can always take single rooms from that layout and detail them one at a time, but if you're building rooms one at a time without some kind of layout goal in mind, it's likely that you will map yourself into a corner.

Shoot_me

LOL, never intended to sound like I claimed that I invented this method, just wasn't sure how popular it was or otherwise. I'm hoping it will work for me, the grouping mechanisms in QuArK so far really help for this. I can drag entire rooms, entities and all on any axis I want and plop it down somewhere in the map. Never really used hammer, so I'm not entirely sure how it works in that editor.

For me, it was taking forever to create a map by starting out at a random room and building off of it until the map was done. Works fairly well for the zombie maps I made, but... NS... for me at least, not so much. I guess the title should have read (*trying different* approach to mapping). From what I had seen posted years back, a lot of mappers usually started by drawing out a floor plan before even mapping anything in the editor.

Well, off to mapping... probably going to make a med center the hive room. Should be fun.

Shoot_me

Got the outer area leading into the med center mapped. Lighting needs major work though..

<img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/yarrik71/co_ntbr0048.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

Glass is going to be unbreakable, and on the other side will hopefully (if I can get this all mapped out right) will be the hive.

I'm thinking about going for a blue/green color scheme here with a few red "alarm" lights dotted around here and there.

Shoot_me

Being right outside the hive room, I'm planning on keeping this room fairly dark. There are a couple of hiding places in the ceiling with two entrances leading to the hive room (last screenshot). The main entrance (left) will lead directly to the hive, the 2nd entrance (right) will be a more cramped (and probably darker) route. Of which, only one route will be onos-friendly, but the other I'm planning on making very skulk and lerk friendly.

<img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/yarrik71/co_ntbr0055.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/yarrik71/co_ntbr0053.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/yarrik71/co_ntbr0052.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />