How do you "Grey Box" out your map ?
Hey, While we are waiting to see if Guide to the spark editor gets revived and re-uploaded I thought I'd ask the question, seeing as I am VERY new to mapping and its taking me ages just to grey out my map.
So, on paper/computer, you have drawn your techpoint/RT flow diagram, so you know roughly where they will be and what is connected where. You have an idea for the theme of each techpoint and RT point, maybe dont quite have an idea of how the connecting corridors/rooms/elevation will look.
How do you go about "Boxxing" out your map in the editor with just the standard grey panels.
Do you make each main room a box and leave the corridors till later?
Do you use the extrude tool to quickly make square, on the grid rooms and corridors all linked together?
How much of the rough shape and big props do you throw in?
I have spent days trying to box out my map, all simple grey textures, simple lights just to light the box, just the big props thrown in, some rooms don't even have the shape they will end up in, literally just some props and thoughts so that when I come back to do the room properly I'l have some ideas in there.
Could someone maybe make a video? because some of the articles I have read indicate a full rough of the whole map being made in a couple of hours, Like a full on match playable map!, I must be missing some tricks here.
So, on paper/computer, you have drawn your techpoint/RT flow diagram, so you know roughly where they will be and what is connected where. You have an idea for the theme of each techpoint and RT point, maybe dont quite have an idea of how the connecting corridors/rooms/elevation will look.
How do you go about "Boxxing" out your map in the editor with just the standard grey panels.
Do you make each main room a box and leave the corridors till later?
Do you use the extrude tool to quickly make square, on the grid rooms and corridors all linked together?
How much of the rough shape and big props do you throw in?
I have spent days trying to box out my map, all simple grey textures, simple lights just to light the box, just the big props thrown in, some rooms don't even have the shape they will end up in, literally just some props and thoughts so that when I come back to do the room properly I'l have some ideas in there.
Could someone maybe make a video? because some of the articles I have read indicate a full rough of the whole map being made in a couple of hours, Like a full on match playable map!, I must be missing some tricks here.
Comments
grab a copy of ns2_caged, check that out as a prime example of gray boxing (minus the detailed areas) Its got enough detail, cover and lighting to be very playable with out too much time spent faffing around on the arty farty stuff.
Next draw very simple layouts with just rts and tech points and their connection routes (no detail) check out the mapping guide lines pdf in launch pad that has some example layouts. Once you have something that seems interesting and original enough, move on to drawing the space, annotating ideas as you go. Refine, rethink, reevaluate and then redraw again. Then once you feel confident you know what the map is going to play like you can open the spark editor.
Now scale is a massive problem a lot of the custom maps have. I'd study the scale of the official ones, take some reference faces and paste them into your map.
In top view draw out your layout on a 2d plane... the whole thing in one pass. Adjust it and fix any problems. Adjust it again.
Now you Can start detailing the areas, extruding the walls and making your map.
Remember, always be mindful of scale, line of sight and the lighting.
I'm only on the gray boxing stage of my map, so I cannot say with any certainty that this is the best method.
If you are serious about mapping for NS2 I would recommend you join our NS2 mapper custom map test sessions on sunday, its very insightful and a great way to test your map in the early stages and get solid feedback. Add me on steam if you're interested
Could you please explain why you need to "greybox" your map and add props, textures later?
I began to start mapping with HL1. (There was no greybox as far as i know). HL2 introduced that (dont know any game earlier). But i never knew why mapper do a greybox version of the map.
When in grey box and you think a room is too large, you simply change the geometry. When detailed and a room is too large, you have to move all of the props, moved geometry will likely need to have textures re-aligned, etc.
I figured I didn't need to for a combat map, and now wish I had...
For example, If you've made a beautiful tech point, but after testing it turns out that the room is too easily bilebomed by gorges due to its elevation scheme, then you may have to undo a lot of your previous work. if you greybox these locations first and test the map thoroughly, you can avoid these types of issues.
This is mostly what I have been doing, Although I have realised I'm WAY too messy with vertices.
I need to make sure I'm sticking to a grid size o try keep everything on grid.
I have run into another problem, Dunno if I should really make a new thread so I'l just ask here.
I cant seem to build on some parts of my map and I have no idea why
I jumped into game and loaded my map to have a run around, got in the comm chair and started spamming armories, but there a whole floor at one of my teach points and some corridors that I just cant get building in and I have no idea why.
Anyone got any ideas ?
I even tried completely deleting the room over the effected areas and still i couldn't build.
1. Snap to Min Grid, Weld Nearby vertices, are your best friends for clean geometry.
2. [Edited out for misinformation - sorry!]
The one room where I was having trouble did indeed have "faces" on the underside, Once I Deleted those, Could build again.
I haven't even tackled occlusion yet :P
Yes, I have been using Snap to Min Grid, Weld Nearby vertices more often haha
I thought I would do some practice/learning today and try just laying something out in 2D and then extruding it all out into 3D boxxes, but I came across a problem
If you have a straight up normal box, and you extrude, you get 6 faces, which is ofc exactly what you need for a room, however, if you say add a little corridor coming off the box, in 2D, in the shape of a rectangle, then try extrude the original box room, you dont get a ceiling!
Normally that isnt too much of a problem, just rectangle a new roof, but if your room had 2/3 corridors coming off it then you cant just rectangle on a roof, it just doesnt work.
I just dont know how to get around this.
True true, I have had a skim through and read the last page :P.
Going to get a coffee and give it all a read
Then work up the courage to start a new thread with my map im working on, starting with the layout