Mapping questions...
Vman
Join Date: 2007-09-11 Member: 62251Members
Join Date: 2007-09-11 Member: 62251Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Will it be more newbie friendly to make maps?</div>As I said in the topic Description, I'm wondering if it will be possible to create your own maps with a bit more ease. Since Its not going to be a mod like ns1 is.. I could never get hammer to work properly, and I really love to make maps for other games that I play [that allow].. Can you tell me anything about it? Or is anyone sharing my same concern?
Comments
Luckily, with the many pre-made models that the UWE guys are making, things should be a little more streamlined. If I remember, the models provided with hammer were all Half-Life based, so if you want to put a nice couch or headcrab in a map, you'd be set, but this does not really help for NS mapping. Also, having our own specific map editor for this particular game, as well as not having to render lighting (which is where most people got stuck, I'm guessing) will help a ton.
All in all, don't lose hope! The one thing more fun that mapping itself is playing around in your own map for hours and hours and hours and hours....
I have a separate, more specific question for Max (if there is any chance that they have time to read the forums) that I'm going to tag onto this one: Is there going to be a global "Infestation" variable that we can throw into our maps? I'm just thinking that it would be great to have something that creates triggers depending on the percentage or total number of rooms that are infested. Particularly, I'd like to trigger changes in the background, perhaps a global haze, and maybe some alarms that would go off as infestation increases. Mostly for aesthetics, but some game-changing aspects can be added, too, I'm sure.
LEAK LEAK LEAK LEAK LEAK
LEAK LEAK LEAK LEAK LEAK
(sorry, I couldn't help myself)
With the new details being added in to next generation games and NS, I can see it being more involved, more complex, requiring more effort. I can see it being quicker from the way you can compile real time and view lighting directly in editor.
Until we get the editor we can't say for sure, although expect it to be more complex and challenging making NS2 maps. If that's now daunting you, hit up hammer for NS1 and start on some slices.
If you want the whole "mapping" process to be easier to do, eh...
Map makers/editors are basically 3D modeling softwares and mapping with stuff that's ready from the get-go is limiting. Sadly, Thaldarin is right: Hammer is as basic as it gets since it's all about building blocks.
This is all just speculation, but I figure if you've used Hammer you'd be at home with their editor. If not, you could probably learn how to use it relatively quickly.
Vman: Setting up Hammer to work with a game is probably the hardest part of using it. I've had a tough time getting it set up for half life 1 and hl1 mods, yet using the actual editor is easy enough. All of your questions are most likely answered here <a href="http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SDK_Docs" target="_blank">http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SDK_Docs</a> whether it be how to set up hammer or how to place entities and what not.
As we all know the more basic, simple, and easy-to-use map editors get, the harder it is to add smaller details and add unique things to maps. Then as they get more complex, the more diversity you can add to maps. I hope the interface for the NS2 map editor will be similar to Maya's. Maya's interface is very simple to use with icons showing images of different things, just point-click-drag and you can make a very basic scene very easily. But a lot of Maya's more advanced features are sort of "hidden" and out of sight. That way the simple things about creating scenes are spoon fed to you from the beginning but as you explore more and become better at using maya, you'll find more advanced features that will add diversity to scenes. But were talking about a map editor here, i really don't think it can get too advanced.
Vman: My suggestion is to spend some time learning to use some 3D program. Hammer will probably be the easiest, just use the game preset settings for half life 2 deathmatch and make some simple levels. If you've had enough of Hammer then give GMax a try. <a href="http://www.turbosquid.com/gmax" target="_blank">http://www.turbosquid.com/gmax</a> and i found this little tutorial on how to make an airplane starting from step 1 <a href="http://simviation.com/gryphon/tutorials/gMax_00.htm" target="_blank">http://simviation.com/gryphon/tutorials/gMax_00.htm</a> Yes, Gmax has absolutely nothing to do with HL2 or NS2, but the basics of all 3D modeling/map editors are the same. Once you learn how to use one decently, then the rest are only 10 times easier to learn how to use.
I really don't think UWE is going to give us a map editor that is too confusing. They are really encouraging the community to mod NS2. The last thing they would want to do is discourage people from making maps by making the editor too hard to use.
I'm sure the guys at UWE would want some custom content from the community done to help them with the mod. If they are releasing the LUA script then why wouldn't they leave us with a map editor that's as easy as hammer so we can start making some levels and getting more people playing as playing the same map 100 times a week (as I'm sure most of us will) can get boring after a while.
From what we've been told there will be no light maps to be compiled, as its run time lighting and shadowing. And I very much doubt there still using BSP, it's an old technique used for visibility culling. Seeing as there using occlusion culling now there's no need for BSP, I imagine there using hierarchical bounding volumes or something else for spatial partitioning.
As for making mapping easier your probably out of luck, you can't become a good artist just by buying better paint brushes at the end of the day you need a base skill level which your only going to get from practice. Took me about 2 years to fully grok hammer and be able to make a semi decent looking level, and if you ask any of the pros I bet they wouldn't even want to show off there first 50 odd maps :P