Finishing Ns_democles
BlackPanther
Join Date: 2002-02-11 Member: 197Members
Join Date: 2002-02-11 Member: 197Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Stumped</div> Some of you may remember NS_democles from a few months back.
Started out as just a ready room, but i figured that i wanted to make a full map as a kind follow-up to ns_hera (which means, it has the same theme: eclipse like in key areas but mixed with industrial stuff all around)
Now, what i've done so far is the RR, the marine spawn (which will change cuz it's got only 1 exit.. thats no good), 1 hive (Needs a lot of lighting fix) and a few hallways which lead to nowhere. I have planned how the other hives will look like...
But the layout rest of the map is a blur. I've always had mappers block when it comes to layouts, thus explaining why i know everything about HL mapping.. yet have only a handfull of releases under my belt. I'm just too critical of my own work.
Now this is where you guys come in.
I have the right layout on paper, but i just don't know what to put in the key junction areas.
Info on NS_democles:
The whole map is suppose to be an underground mining colony (Very different from ns_mineshaft, trust me <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> ) which conveys raw materials and ships it via tram in big tunnels (think of the NS_bast tram tunnel) to the marine spawn, which is he HIGH ALTITUDE ELEVATOR (Or HAE for short). Then the material is shipped up to the platform which is way up in the sky cuz ships can't land on the ground of the planet. The platform is actually THE ready room itself with a big ship model that i have done.
Hive 1 is an actual mining point. There is rock all around it and is seldom lit and direct access to tram tunnel. It's at the top of the pic.
Hive 2 is the reactor room on the opposite side of the map from marine spawn. (think ns_nothing powersilo hive). It's on the right.
Hive 3 is a former mining point which has been exhausted and now houses a glass tunnel (like ns_hera, but broken) and the hive is there in a corner. There is another area just like hive 3 next to it, but the glass hallway is fine. Bottom right
The middle of the map are control centers and living quarters, cafeteria, etc.
The rest....
help! <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
Started out as just a ready room, but i figured that i wanted to make a full map as a kind follow-up to ns_hera (which means, it has the same theme: eclipse like in key areas but mixed with industrial stuff all around)
Now, what i've done so far is the RR, the marine spawn (which will change cuz it's got only 1 exit.. thats no good), 1 hive (Needs a lot of lighting fix) and a few hallways which lead to nowhere. I have planned how the other hives will look like...
But the layout rest of the map is a blur. I've always had mappers block when it comes to layouts, thus explaining why i know everything about HL mapping.. yet have only a handfull of releases under my belt. I'm just too critical of my own work.
Now this is where you guys come in.
I have the right layout on paper, but i just don't know what to put in the key junction areas.
Info on NS_democles:
The whole map is suppose to be an underground mining colony (Very different from ns_mineshaft, trust me <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> ) which conveys raw materials and ships it via tram in big tunnels (think of the NS_bast tram tunnel) to the marine spawn, which is he HIGH ALTITUDE ELEVATOR (Or HAE for short). Then the material is shipped up to the platform which is way up in the sky cuz ships can't land on the ground of the planet. The platform is actually THE ready room itself with a big ship model that i have done.
Hive 1 is an actual mining point. There is rock all around it and is seldom lit and direct access to tram tunnel. It's at the top of the pic.
Hive 2 is the reactor room on the opposite side of the map from marine spawn. (think ns_nothing powersilo hive). It's on the right.
Hive 3 is a former mining point which has been exhausted and now houses a glass tunnel (like ns_hera, but broken) and the hive is there in a corner. There is another area just like hive 3 next to it, but the glass hallway is fine. Bottom right
The middle of the map are control centers and living quarters, cafeteria, etc.
The rest....
help! <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
Comments
Praise: Very solid layout, fixing the problem with the hive I mentioned and the one you mentioned could turn out some solid and interesting gameplay.
Try adding some vents especially at the Hives, so skulks and lerks can have a safe journey.
Other than that looks good.
I didn't think to put in the vents in the pic
/me slaps self
Rigth now, i've started to do the glass hallway portion.
Changed a lot of the textures (I decided to change the theme of the industrial part) so my texture memory dropped quite a bit.
But i can't do lighting worth **** <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
You can play with the gamma setting in-game by using setgamma x (inbetween 1 and 2).
Texture lights are usually the nicest. For lots of small lights that are not supposed to light up the room make a texture or use a texture if it exists on a 1 unit thick func_wall with NULL on all other sides and set it to render additive too make glowing buttons etc.
env_glow can be very effect full in dark rooms with high contrast lighting, light cones can be made with brushes set to render as additive and textured properly. Try not to make the lighting to even or single colored, if you intend to use a red light don't use pure red like 255 0 0 thats ugly. Use broken lights or such to make the intensity vary along corridors etc, you can use light_spot for this too but don't go overboard.
-extra is allways nice when doing a full compile, you may want to use the -bounce command but it will make lighting smoother and somewhat lower contrast.
Did that help any? if not then nvm <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->.
I'm using only texligths for my map and some light_spots which do a not so bad job, but the texlights need a lot of tweakin.
For example, for my marine spawn, i only texlights, but the texture themselves are very contrasted, yet the rest of the room is still pretty dark <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->