Advice Needed For Mapping Newbie
wrongwaygoback
Join Date: 2003-03-02 Member: 14237Members
Join Date: 2003-03-02 Member: 14237Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Please help me on my way...</div> I've started my first map and want any advice/help/tips I can get.
The idea of the map is that the marines are stuck in an underground facility that has been overrun by the alien menace. Only a handful of marines have survived. In order to escape they need to open the Breach Doors. To open the doors the marines need to fix the power grid, the master controls and the Breach doors themselves. It would not take long to make the repairs, but the aliens are setting up hives in those areas...
So the three hive areas are the Power Grid, the Breach Doors and the Master Control System. The marines start in the Auxiliary Communications Control area. There is a resource node in each start point plus five others (nine total).
As I'm currently stuck with a crap computer and a 36k modem, I'm trying to design it with very low poly counts. I'm also aiming for a very cramped/claustraphobic feel for most areas - low roofs, small corridors. There will be a few master corridors any size alien can travel down, and some that a fade would only be able to get through by crouching. I seem to be using the nothing .wad more than the others (i think), but I like the minimilist feel to it. Texturing is my weakest point, so any advice would be good.
A simple question: how do you make those hangy-down cables properly?. I can never seem to do it well. What's the best entity/settings to use? Also, is it possible to have a light turn on when someone enters that particular room (without specifically using a light switch)?
Now the obligatory screen caps for the first three areas I've done:
Auxiliary Communications Control [Marine Spawn]
<img src='http://www.wrongwaygoback.com/images/designforlife/ns/marinespawn.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Powergrid [1st hive]
<img src='http://www.wrongwaygoback.com/images/designforlife/ns/powergrid.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Maintenance Access Corridor
<img src='http://www.wrongwaygoback.com/images/designforlife/ns/smallcorridor.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Comments/feedback welcome...
The idea of the map is that the marines are stuck in an underground facility that has been overrun by the alien menace. Only a handful of marines have survived. In order to escape they need to open the Breach Doors. To open the doors the marines need to fix the power grid, the master controls and the Breach doors themselves. It would not take long to make the repairs, but the aliens are setting up hives in those areas...
So the three hive areas are the Power Grid, the Breach Doors and the Master Control System. The marines start in the Auxiliary Communications Control area. There is a resource node in each start point plus five others (nine total).
As I'm currently stuck with a crap computer and a 36k modem, I'm trying to design it with very low poly counts. I'm also aiming for a very cramped/claustraphobic feel for most areas - low roofs, small corridors. There will be a few master corridors any size alien can travel down, and some that a fade would only be able to get through by crouching. I seem to be using the nothing .wad more than the others (i think), but I like the minimilist feel to it. Texturing is my weakest point, so any advice would be good.
A simple question: how do you make those hangy-down cables properly?. I can never seem to do it well. What's the best entity/settings to use? Also, is it possible to have a light turn on when someone enters that particular room (without specifically using a light switch)?
Now the obligatory screen caps for the first three areas I've done:
Auxiliary Communications Control [Marine Spawn]
<img src='http://www.wrongwaygoback.com/images/designforlife/ns/marinespawn.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Powergrid [1st hive]
<img src='http://www.wrongwaygoback.com/images/designforlife/ns/powergrid.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Maintenance Access Corridor
<img src='http://www.wrongwaygoback.com/images/designforlife/ns/smallcorridor.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Comments/feedback welcome...
Comments
ego
(no sig, feelin sick)
I love the maintenance corridor, but the rest bother me in ways that you already explain for: You're trying to keep it simple enough because of your rendering capabilities and you're keeping it low count.
It's here: <a href='http://www.wrongwaygoback.com/designforlife/nwn/' target='_blank'>http://www.wrongwaygoback.com/designforlife/nwn/</a>
Things have changed a fair bit since this thread.