Jumped Headfirst Into It
semipsychotic
Join Date: 2003-07-09 Member: 18061Members
Join Date: 2003-07-09 Member: 18061Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Now I need a little help</div> I know, the title may seem kind of like a helpless noob crying out. But rest assured, I've got the concept down and the motivation to start into a full-blown map. I've been working on this on and off for a couple weeks, and now that I've started browsing the forum and <i>really</i> working on the map, I've realized that I need a little help in certain areas.
I've been Lerking around for ideas and such for styles I might test, but I've drawn most of my inspiration from the first few maps I played NS in, particuarly ns_nothing and the old, 1.0X ns_eclipse. The dark, creepy atmosphere really got to me, as well as the simple but elegant geometry around some of the hallways in ns_nothing. So, I decided that I would see what I could do with the ns_nothing style. Since I'm relatively new, I figured that the style would be the easiest to pull off as well as the best-looking, so that's where this map comes in.
The concept is a huge cargo and supply carrier. Using the three hives, I have three environmental themes: pipes, machinery, and computers, which blend toward the hives. My goal is to create a map which not only is fun to play in, but is also atmoshperic and awesome to be in. One of the sub-goals there is to be able to semi-tell where you are by looking at the stuff surrounding you. The layout I've attatched is very basic, but the parts I'm hammering out right now include plenty of detail and lots of elevation change.
I can't show you any screenshots right now; that comes for when I actually bother to place textures on them. I stole a page out of Valve's book, and I'm using a set of measurement textures that are marked for a specific sized grid, with a soft yellow-orange color for brushes and a green variation for entities. Unless the tried and true, follow-me-or-die method is to complete rooms with everything (lights, textures, etc.), I'm going to stick to doing brushwork and then going over textures and lighting when I've got the map basically laid out.
That's basically what I'm going for here. And here's where I ask for help. Is there anything in the way of mapping protocol that I need to know other than what's in the official guidelines? Anything you can recommend to me as far as progression?
While there is some stuff about creating the map I want to know, the biggest thing I want to learn about is compiling. Right now, I'm using ZHLT in conjunction with the Batch Compiler GUI, both of them recommended by XP-Cagey in the FAQ. I've got to say, both of them work like a dream, and I haven't had any major problems. What I wanted to get a grasp of is how long more complete compiles take, what people do if they want to run around in a semi-developed map, what I should experiment with, what I shouldn't touch, and what I would do for a full-blown release. Using the help provided with the GUI, I've been able to rough out a "temp build" setting that I can run around in and test entites and see how weird brushwork looks ingame, but it's always nice to know more.
Okay, I think that's it. Thanks for sitting through the post!
I've been Lerking around for ideas and such for styles I might test, but I've drawn most of my inspiration from the first few maps I played NS in, particuarly ns_nothing and the old, 1.0X ns_eclipse. The dark, creepy atmosphere really got to me, as well as the simple but elegant geometry around some of the hallways in ns_nothing. So, I decided that I would see what I could do with the ns_nothing style. Since I'm relatively new, I figured that the style would be the easiest to pull off as well as the best-looking, so that's where this map comes in.
The concept is a huge cargo and supply carrier. Using the three hives, I have three environmental themes: pipes, machinery, and computers, which blend toward the hives. My goal is to create a map which not only is fun to play in, but is also atmoshperic and awesome to be in. One of the sub-goals there is to be able to semi-tell where you are by looking at the stuff surrounding you. The layout I've attatched is very basic, but the parts I'm hammering out right now include plenty of detail and lots of elevation change.
I can't show you any screenshots right now; that comes for when I actually bother to place textures on them. I stole a page out of Valve's book, and I'm using a set of measurement textures that are marked for a specific sized grid, with a soft yellow-orange color for brushes and a green variation for entities. Unless the tried and true, follow-me-or-die method is to complete rooms with everything (lights, textures, etc.), I'm going to stick to doing brushwork and then going over textures and lighting when I've got the map basically laid out.
That's basically what I'm going for here. And here's where I ask for help. Is there anything in the way of mapping protocol that I need to know other than what's in the official guidelines? Anything you can recommend to me as far as progression?
While there is some stuff about creating the map I want to know, the biggest thing I want to learn about is compiling. Right now, I'm using ZHLT in conjunction with the Batch Compiler GUI, both of them recommended by XP-Cagey in the FAQ. I've got to say, both of them work like a dream, and I haven't had any major problems. What I wanted to get a grasp of is how long more complete compiles take, what people do if they want to run around in a semi-developed map, what I should experiment with, what I shouldn't touch, and what I would do for a full-blown release. Using the help provided with the GUI, I've been able to rough out a "temp build" setting that I can run around in and test entites and see how weird brushwork looks ingame, but it's always nice to know more.
Okay, I think that's it. Thanks for sitting through the post!
Comments
Again, good <span style='color:yellow'>luck</span>
well one piece of advice, your map seems too... ...uh... "one way" like too many choke points and stuff.
Again, good <span style='color:yellow'>luck</span> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
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month 16 of MY map. its hard stuff. only the rea mapper keeps on going to the end.
Don't worry about choke points all over the place. Since a lot of the brushwork isn't even started, many of those hallways are subject to change, elevation changes are planned all over the place (a lot of those rooms and hallway entrances are planned to be walkways), and that map doesn't include any vents.
I'll post a new thread when the map becomes good enough to post screens of. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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