Commented 17 years ago2007-06-10 05:31:23 UTC
in vault item: WarzoneComment #15079
I've seen much worse. You could expand this into something decent. It needs a lot of work, but has potential.
It's obvious that you know how to put entities together, and there's a couple of bits of neat brushwork that hint that you have more ability than the screenshot above shows.
The reflections are completely off everywhere, and you need to sort them out. Cubemaps, man.
The longish corridor outside the starting room, with the mostly locked doors, is too repetitive and having all those combine locks so close together on every door only adds to this repetitive-ness. Subtle variety is the key to making such areas look pleasing. Also, the lighting is way off here. It's ugly -- and where is it even coming from?
You've used too many of the sexy looking combine shields outside, and the fps really suffers when looking at them all in the street. You'd get a better overall result from getting rid of most of them, and use the large amount of resources you're currently spending on them to add a whole shed full of detail brushwork and other entities. There are many effects you can employ which look nice but don't hog your resources like those funky translucent shields tend to.
Also - you're drawing the shields most of the time. Have you noticed how your fps fluctuates wildly when you walk down the staircase? Or even when you turn around on the spot somewhere? Here's why. Observe this screenshot -
(In case you've not seen it before, that's wireframe mode, which is dead useful for testing how the engine is dealing with visibility in your maps)
That screenshot was taken when I was standing inside, halfway down the staircase, looking at the wall. As you can see, the engine thinks that the player can still see outside, even though he definately can't. This is bad, because the engine is still drawing all of the area outside, and everything in it. Often,this won't matter tooooo much, but here you have a crushing amount of complex models being drawn uselessly, and a lot of the time. If you can't fix this with hint brushes (it might be tricky to do so now), try an occluder or two, with triggers to turn them on and off depending on where the player is. I saved a bucketload of fps on a recent map by doing this kind of thing. Just don't leave occluders activated all the time - they suck up resources themselves.
Or just get rid of some of the models, of course
The texturing in general needs work, although there's a couple of bits where it's passable. I can't decide if the walls in the cafe area downstairs were made that way on purpose, or if it was just how it turned out when you made it. Either way, they're the best looking walls in the map. The cafe though, feels VERY empty, and once again the lighting is explained poorly - two bathroom style lights stuck to the ceiling in seemingly random places...hmm. Fix that, and fill up a bit more of the floor space - and put some stuff on the walls. At least some decals! The doorway to outside is rather bland too. Put some trim on it.
Overall, well, in it's current state I wouldn't be anywhere near happy with it if it was my map. But I keep looking at it and seeing that it's not all bad -- there's definately potential here, and I'd like to see you improve it a bit, and hopefully stick some kind of story and gameplay in there.
First thing to do, put a few cubemaps at player-head height down the length of that corridor. After you compile it with the cubemaps present, type 'buildcubemaps' in the console (in-game) and just look at the difference it will make to the corridor.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-09 13:02:03 UTC
in vault item: aim_sux0rComment #15077
/faints I almost can't believe you said that, Kasperg
It could use more props for cover, and maybe some cables
I agree, cables were something I considered several times, but every time I placed them, I just felt they looked out of place and took them out. I considered setting up power lines everywhere too, but as it's an aim map I thought that I had to consider people's fps as well. Not that anyone's going to play it online, but meh.
I found it tricky to place extra props well without giving one team an advantage over the other. This is something I definately need to practise, and the main reason I left much of the actual playing area clear of props.
And I bet it took less time to make it
6 hours + 2 bottles of wine
The skybox is monumentally screwed up, but I managed to just about fix it. Fly around in noclip though, and you'll see how far off it is.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-09 12:20:57 UTC
in vault item: aim_sux0rComment #15075
The lighting and setting look more convincing than 90% of the aim maps released in this site. And I bet it took less time to make it. It could use more props for cover, and maybe some cables
The thing is, just because this is an aim map, doesn't mean the screenshot can't look like it belongs to any other type of map. This map is a lesson for aim mappers. A gameplay style doesn't mean you need symmetry and box layout with unrealistic structures built just because the map needs them. You can adapt those elements to a believable setting and have good gameplay AND good looks.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-09 06:30:24 UTC
in vault item: De_Quickshot2Comment #15073
Why bother to download if nobody plays it. Maybe if it got popular and it had a server where people would play it, maybe then it would get doenloaded more.
But as the server its on doesnt want to play it alot since its not that fast to download via steam and not all the casual CS players know how to even add a map manualy...it "scares" players from the server and therefore we play it rarely.
I have drawn the blueprints of Quickshot3, it will be bigger and will be more playable (not a maze like the 2 earlier ones have been). But I dont think I'm going to finish QS3 anytime soon...I have other plans to spend my time on.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-07 14:39:16 UTC
in vault item: WarzoneComment #15067
yeah there isnt enough, but this does include a BSP file so you can play it, but the map has one building where u can walk through on 2 floors, and a small part of the outside road, this part of the map can be called done brushwise because i was going to have a teleport sequence, but this is the only part of the map done :(.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-07 11:54:46 UTC
in vault item: WarzoneComment #15066
The pic is from Hammer ....... how unfinished is this exactly? If I can actually play it, then I'll definately take a look. There's not enough HL2 Singleplayer stuff out there.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-05 00:13:53 UTC
in vault item: Strange Findings part 1Comment #15059
I can tell you like putting work into mostly anything, noticed that when I looked at the ladders, edges of lights, HEV charger, & health charger. I think you should continue with this map as its looking great so far, make the map the way you want it done, cause from how it looks sofar, everything seemed fine to me.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-03 01:22:43 UTC
in vault item: Final Assult (Version 1)Comment #15049
yea, its just a pointless war map, whitch i usually dont make because they have NO point, but my friend wanted me to make this kinda map, so i put some work into it for him.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-02 16:54:56 UTC
in vault item: Epic HallwayComment #15043
back to what dave said about the artistic value of this map, i dont really see it, its all pretty basic and couldnt have taken u more than 20 minutes, the only "artistic" thing of the map is the tiny cubes that look kinda cool, but this map isnt that great. Srry about being an ass, thats just my opinion of this map
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-02 11:11:05 UTC
in vault item: De_Quickshot2Comment #15039
i had a run around, looks very nice, pretty tight, small, hard to get a bearing since every exterior has the same texture. brushwork is frekin awesome, very detailed. nice custom tex too lol. Maybe add some decals to make it look less clean or brand new ... break some stuff. This sort of detail should be going into Source maps gj
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-01 07:55:12 UTC
in vault item: aim_oldzoneComment #15028
Yeah, it is preference. But not entirely.
It's a fact that if your PC has the power to run smoothly in a high resolution, then it will be easier to aim than it would be in a lower resolution. There are simply more pixels on the screen for your cursor to point at.
If your PC struggles at high res and you get low fps, the benefit is negated and you would be better off at a lower res where you get more fps.
But yeah, everyone's different, and personal preference (and what you're used to) plays a role. But it's not just preference, there is a scientific element to it as well.
well i think it's 3 stars but i cant vote and i didnt vote and the result is 4 stars im just happy
Yes, I realise that you didn't vote your own map - that's good. I wasn't meaning to have a go at you, sorry if it came across like that. To be fair, all my maps got rated higher than they deserve too, I think.
Commented 17 years ago2007-06-01 05:19:31 UTC
in vault item: aim_oldzoneComment #15026
RESOLUTION IS PERSONAL PREFERENCE pros only use it because they got used to it due to the fact that some places may not have been able to handle constant 99fps on high res.
Sounds creapy.. :/ my computer is powerfull , but wen im compiling someting goes wrong all the time , like some program or update screen comes up and it crashes hammer well one more time thx for the help .
Commented 17 years ago2007-05-31 04:50:52 UTC
in vault item: labc_dustv2Comment #15019
the image looks cool. yeah i can see few shadows like in the tunnel and from the crates so its not full bright. another dust textured map. the way u made it i think it suits the textures good work. ;i will maybe check it out later so i wont rate it now.
mcmitcho is quite obviously a model for society.
It's obvious that you know how to put entities together, and there's a couple of bits of neat brushwork that hint that you have more ability than the screenshot above shows.
The reflections are completely off everywhere, and you need to sort them out. Cubemaps, man.
The longish corridor outside the starting room, with the mostly locked doors, is too repetitive and having all those combine locks so close together on every door only adds to this repetitive-ness. Subtle variety is the key to making such areas look pleasing. Also, the lighting is way off here. It's ugly -- and where is it even coming from?
You've used too many of the sexy looking combine shields outside, and the fps really suffers when looking at them all in the street. You'd get a better overall result from getting rid of most of them, and use the large amount of resources you're currently spending on them to add a whole shed full of detail brushwork and other entities. There are many effects you can employ which look nice but don't hog your resources like those funky translucent shields tend to.
Also - you're drawing the shields most of the time. Have you noticed how your fps fluctuates wildly when you walk down the staircase? Or even when you turn around on the spot somewhere? Here's why. Observe this screenshot -
http://img34.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=65860_warzone0000_122_711lo.jpg
(In case you've not seen it before, that's wireframe mode, which is dead useful for testing how the engine is dealing with visibility in your maps)
That screenshot was taken when I was standing inside, halfway down the staircase, looking at the wall. As you can see, the engine thinks that the player can still see outside, even though he definately can't. This is bad, because the engine is still drawing all of the area outside, and everything in it. Often,this won't matter tooooo much, but here you have a crushing amount of complex models being drawn uselessly, and a lot of the time. If you can't fix this with hint brushes (it might be tricky to do so now), try an occluder or two, with triggers to turn them on and off depending on where the player is. I saved a bucketload of fps on a recent map by doing this kind of thing. Just don't leave occluders activated all the time - they suck up resources themselves.
Or just get rid of some of the models, of course
The texturing in general needs work, although there's a couple of bits where it's passable. I can't decide if the walls in the cafe area downstairs were made that way on purpose, or if it was just how it turned out when you made it. Either way, they're the best looking walls in the map. The cafe though, feels VERY empty, and once again the lighting is explained poorly - two bathroom style lights stuck to the ceiling in seemingly random places...hmm. Fix that, and fill up a bit more of the floor space - and put some stuff on the walls. At least some decals! The doorway to outside is rather bland too. Put some trim on it.
Overall, well, in it's current state I wouldn't be anywhere near happy with it if it was my map. But I keep looking at it and seeing that it's not all bad -- there's definately potential here, and I'd like to see you improve it a bit, and hopefully stick some kind of story and gameplay in there.
First thing to do, put a few cubemaps at player-head height down the length of that corridor. After you compile it with the cubemaps present, type 'buildcubemaps' in the console (in-game) and just look at the difference it will make to the corridor.
Good singleplayer maps are far too rare.
So keep working on it!
I found it tricky to place extra props well without giving one team an advantage over the other. This is something I definately need to practise, and the main reason I left much of the actual playing area clear of props.6 hours + 2 bottles of wine
The skybox is monumentally screwed up, but I managed to just about fix it. Fly around in noclip though, and you'll see how far off it is.
It could use more props for cover, and maybe some cables
The thing is, just because this is an aim map, doesn't mean the screenshot can't look like it belongs to any other type of map. This map is a lesson for aim mappers. A gameplay style doesn't mean you need symmetry and box layout with unrealistic structures built just because the map needs them. You can adapt those elements to a believable setting and have good gameplay AND good looks.
But as the server its on doesnt want to play it alot since its not that fast to download via steam and not all the casual CS players know how to even add a map manualy...it "scares" players from the server and therefore we play it rarely.
I have drawn the blueprints of Quickshot3, it will be bigger and will be more playable (not a maze like the 2 earlier ones have been). But I dont think I'm going to finish QS3 anytime soon...I have other plans to spend my time on.
Thanks for the feedback btw, I appreciate it.
It's starting to look terribly like people just pass CS 1.6 these days, to not download a map as good as this :<
an extra rating might help.
Wonderful job. A few oddities here-and-there, but overall, a very good map.
Ye I know, but the original map (by PG) had it so I didn't want to change it
wont be long
No DoD, though. Can't test. ;<
It's a fact that if your PC has the power to run smoothly in a high resolution, then it will be easier to aim than it would be in a lower resolution. There are simply more pixels on the screen for your cursor to point at.
If your PC struggles at high res and you get low fps, the benefit is negated and you would be better off at a lower res where you get more fps.
But yeah, everyone's different, and personal preference (and what you're used to) plays a role. But it's not just preference, there is a scientific element to it as well.Yes, I realise that you didn't vote your own map - that's good.
So, carry on.
Nice arkitecture.
nice map.
But im afrade that I dont have Day of Defeat :(.
yeah i can see few shadows like in the tunnel and from the crates so its not full bright.
another dust textured map. the way u made it i think it suits the textures good work.
;i will maybe check it out later so i wont rate it now.
I didn't download it, but I thought there's a shadow under the archway in the screenshot.
In any case, if the lighting looks like it could be full-bright, then it should be modified to improve it.
Change the angle of the light_environment so some shadow gets casted on the walls and ground surface.
And, in the big picture, I suck. I have so much to learn, that I feel dizzy just comprehending the learning schedule.
The more you know -- the more you know you don't know.