Another try

Muu · February 2002

<div class="IPBDescription">Unnamed ns map shots</div><a href="http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/cube/" target="_blank">http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/cube/</a>

A while back I posted some pics of a room which I liked but I couldn't work out where to go next so I scrapped it. So this is another try, its a bit dark, turn your lights off and close the curtains. This is just a section between the marine start and one of the hives and its still quite unfinnished. The little pad things a still a bit rubbish looking and really to complex to do well in the Hl engine, I may turn them into a model(if NS suports models in MP games?). Eventualy the Pads will point out the location of dangerus areas for the marines - because each crew member would have carried one.
I realise that most of the textures are still HL ones but im not going to take any notice of complaints unless you can suggest something better (I hope you can <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>)

MonsieurEvil · February 2002

Awfully dark, Mu. I have a hard time offering many opinions, simply because I really can't make out any details.

Muu · February 2002

Yer thats one of my main problems, Its night time here and Ive only got a small desk light turned on, my monitor is also got pretty good contrast - thus to me it looks perfect(almost), bark patches but no absolute black. I was wondering perhaps there should be a texture which mappers can put in thier maps to judge brightness and contrast( like you get at the start of good games like riven). Then the same image could appear in the video config or something so that the mappers are getting the darkness right in their maps, and the gamers are setting their monitor correctly. I think it would work but I'd have to try it out. Darkness is tricky - I can easaly make it lighter with different rad settings but I dont want to because it looks good to me?.
What do you think?

Spooge · February 2002

Doesn't look too bad to me. A couple of the hallway pics are dark but the rest looks pretty good.

#10. I'm sure if you try some of the NS textures that room will look great.

#11-12. This area looks pretty cool. Maybe a little texture lighting around the walls.

#13. Watch out for the r_speed monster. He creeps up on ya.

Muu · February 2002

thanks spooge those comments are dead on, Ive already improved the lighting in the big hall and Im thinking about retexturing the kitchen to make it more <i>kitcheny</i>. r_speeds are pretty low at the moment except in one small point outside that room where you can see right through it into the kitchen - i'll work on it <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

manah · February 2002

The map has a cold, clean, almost clinical feeling to it that I like. It makes it different from the crowded hi-tech of most NS maps. I really like the little computer pads (?), like on the chair in screenshot 6 and the light it casts in screen 7.

As MonsieurEvil said some of the areas are too dark, I could barely make out anything. The areas I mean are in screenshots 3,4,5 and 11. You have what look like a lot of little white lights running along the ceilings of most areas of the map, how about making them cast a little or light and/or adding some along the corners and walls of the room.

Also pick up the NS textures like Spooge suggested but be careful not to clutter the map too much. With some better lighting, selective texturing and detailing I think this map could be good.

Cliff_Mellangard · February 2002

I think the map looks really nice. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>
Only some small suggestions.
Slightly more lightning in the dark corridors not much but slightly more.
And if you use the ns wad and retexture the map so will you get an killer map in the end.
As simply as the textures in the ns wad are an groovy bunch and the original hl ones are yust not up to it to compete with those.
And i think that the ns team want the maps for ns to follow an specific design lineup.
But anyway great work looking forward to se it with the ns textures.

Muu · February 2002

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The map has a cold, clean, almost clinical feeling</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>Comes from mapping tfc for to long <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

<a href="http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/cube/" target="_blank">http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/cube/</a>

Current state of the art 18 - 29

I think you guys are right about the dark corridor, it looks good in game but the screen shots make it look a lot darker? maybe I have my ingame brightness way up? ill look into it tomorrow - Ill also try retexturing with the ns textures.

MonsieurEvil · February 2002

Definitely better.

Why are you using HL textures though? NS has it's own WAD for you to use with about 12MB of custom art.

Greedo · February 2002

Well, you've certainly got an interesting architectural design here. I would also like to say that the TV room is just too hilarious. That screen... great job.

Relic25 · February 2002

Nice Mu_! It has a neat 'smooth', almost minimalist feel to it. If Ikea made a space station/ship, it would look like your map. ;) /me waits to see how many people get <i>that</i> reference!

As for the dark hall, I can see them, but there are parts that are very, very dark, almost black. There <i>is</i> a color pattern in half-life that people can use to tweak their monitors. It's on the Video Options screen. The grayscale bar is especially important to adjusting contrast and brightness. The only black on that bar should be at the far left. If the segment that is supposed to be black is gray, then either the monitor is too bright, contrast is too low, or the display adapter gamma is up too high. I'm sure not everyone would agree, but at work LAN games, we consider ramping up your video card's gamma tantamount to cheating, since it almost allows players to 'see in the dark', when others who have their gamma set properly are at a disadvantage in dark areas.

Anyway, nice work so far! I can't wait to see more. :)

Cremator · February 2002

very nice mu. it gives me a very lonely, desolate feeling. my only suggestions at this point is more lights. i think some spotlights would work very nicely.

tommyd · February 2002

pretty good brushwork there. the details are all there but you should really use the ns.wad textures. also, add some more contrast lighting and spotlights. signs and symbols that indicate where you are (environment) is always good.

manah · February 2002

I like the new screens, esp. the final one.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">If Ikea made a space station/ship, it would look like your map. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'> /me waits to see how many people get that reference!</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Relic, I'm living in a almost entirely Ikea house (not by choice) so I get that. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

Relic25 · February 2002

Sweet. I'm glad at least 1 person got it. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

I just wanted to add that the gizmos in cube0006.jpg and cube0007.jpg are too cool. I don't know what they're for, but I want one! I really like how you've used them as secondary light sources too.

mr_Nebel · February 2002

Yeah those things inspired me to make something like them for my map.

Flayra · February 2002

Mu, excellent work. You've got a great feel going on here. I couldn't figure out what's so different about your map; I didn't even recognize those as HL textures. Fantastic use of them.

I'd like to see a bit more color in your map. I realize you aren't going for a warm feeling, but the starkness is almost oppressive. I'm sure small uses of red strip lighting, or a green tint in a room, or a few warmer yellow lights would stand out as even more special in an environment like this.

I think you could improve your map considerably by deciding the purpose of these rooms and working that purpose into their look. I realize this is much easier said then done. Right now it feels quite empty, but to the point that it doesn't look like it was ever used for anything. There's a desk and a monitor, but other then that you can't tell what the purpose of anything was. It also doesn't look like the ship was ever lived in. There's no sign of life, food or water. Maybe this is the look you're going for, maybe not. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

Keep up the great work.

Moleculor · February 2002

Hey! That gives me an idea! Automated mining ships that go out and mine asteroids or somethin'! And they get infested! Whoooo... <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

'Course, they'd need places for people to walk, since they were -built- by humans, but the place wouldn't have to be very -comfortable-.

Howling · February 2002

Looks good Mu, still think it's architecture is great! Hope to see it in-game someday! But what's the story behind the map?

pielemuis · February 2002

why is erveryone daying it's too dark? I don't think it's 2 dark. Map looks nice, as said it's a change from the high-tech maps.

Muu · February 2002

<a href="http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/cube/" target="_blank">http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/cube/</a>
Ok Ikea installed the ovens this morning and thier coming to do the units tomorrow, only thing is I'll be at work - could someone hangaround tomorrow to let them into my map? Would be great. Also Ive goto ask them to chnage those floor tiles they look horrible.

<img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'> <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

p.s. Im not sure about the ovens either - Not very sci-fi - probably because Ive never seen a kitchen in a sci-fi movie.

Another try

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