Commented 17 years ago2007-04-21 09:31:32 UTC
in vault item: Day 15Comment #14681
The storyline is indeed good, and the voice acting really adds a lot of novelty to the experience. While I like the concept of this alternate reality, I wouldn't really mind if it looked better. As Highlander said, there are a lot of places where it's hard to see, as there is very little lighting contrast in the areas (for example the last urban parts near the end). The little puzzles (the zombie one, the activation of the energy path) are the things that make the gameplay special. Shooting the Combine later on is not as fun as when HL2 was released. Unfortunately the only other alternative Valve gave us are headcrab/zombie combinations or antlions. My advice is to go for something wilder in the next installment. The three episodes you've made so far prove that it's possible to make an interesting and surreal story with normal HL2 elements. Think about better lighting, weirder architecture and materials, different monster situations etc.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-21 02:03:23 UTC
in vault item: de_villaComment #14679
Can't rate it on its playability, but I did open it in BSP Viewer, and it looked HUGE. In a bad way. Like you could be wandering around the repetitive areas looking for the last person to kill for about ten minutes. It really needs to be scaled down, there's no reason it should be this big.
If it's one of your first maps though, it's pretty good. No blatant errors that I saw in my short view of it, and you used a lot of interesting angled walls. Also, I liked how you used background scenery as seen in the screenshot, although it would have been nice if this technique had been applied to more areas.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-20 19:10:19 UTC
in vault item: Day 15Comment #14677
Thanks for your review Highlander
I can't help wonder if Habboi's had a go yet.
If you play it again, you might find some slight variations on how you can finish the map, as well as several secret places which can change the experience considerably if you get what's in them
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-20 14:50:37 UTC
in vault item: sp_verticoComment #14674
A pleasant distraction!
+ Was fun. Quite tense I thought. + Some nice effects, I liked the hot air effect especially + Plain but decent architecture, reminds me of TFC a bit, actually. + Some entertaining moments with the soldiers! + Liked the super-healthcharger. How'd you do that?
+ / - The skybox is okay, and works with the map, but it's a bit empty, I thought.
- Texturing isn't all that, bad in a few places, average at best - The cubemaps and nodegraph weren't built! And when I did build them, numerous errors appeared in the console and it still didn't look right reflection-wise.
Taking it for what it is - 10 minutes of fun gameplay - it would get 4 stars from me.
However you lose a star for making me build your cubemaps
@ Splatzone: of course the elevator textures don't match, an elevator travels between floors, each floor may have a different texture theme. Lets just say an elevator has its own texture theme, it does'nt matter if it fits the theme of the level, its an elevator for crying out loud. A blue textured elevator would be silly, eh?
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-19 19:14:29 UTC
in vault item: Ocean TempleComment #14669
me too... oh wait, oh yeah, time for me to comment on this. I thought that this was really... umm... really... good for architecture, the models were also really good, and the textures were really good, why am I useing the word (really) so much? It was a very short and small map but its great for showing skills, maby sombody will make a map simlar to somthing like this, cause the Tomb Raider idea would be great. 5 Stars
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-19 17:51:28 UTC
in vault item: de_incan_sanctuaryComment #14666
Not too bad. I walked around it for a good 20 minutes looking at how it might work online.
+ It's a fun layout, I would like to actually play an online game with it. I can imagine that a group of good players would have some decent fun on this map.
+ It runs fast. Lots of FPS for me!
+ / - The architecture is basic, however you have used this basic architecture in a reasonably good way. From some angles, your map looks pretty good. But from others, it looks shoddy.
- No skybox. You can fall off the edge of the map into the void. While this might in some way add to online gameplay, for me personally it's a minus point.
- Very average lighting, even by my own poor lighting standards
OVERALL : A fun map which could be much, much better if a bit more time was spent on it. 1 star for the map, plus 2 stars for the gameplay. 3 stars total.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-19 16:26:43 UTC
in vault item: Minicompo: HallwayComment #14665
Thanks!
I just love the c2a4 texture theme. I used wadinclude, yes, that scrolling data texture its the only custom texture in the map.
Thumps? I geuss you're talking about those distant mortar sounds + tiny screen shakes that occur every couple of seconds? It is infact not triggered by the player, their triggered at random intervals, achieved by clever usage of one env_beam, a bunch of buttons and info_targets, and of course the ambient_generics for the mortar sounds and some env_shakes for the screenshakes.
Check out M_Gargantua's example map called Random Triggering, its based off that. Thanks M_Garg!
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-19 16:08:35 UTC
in vault item: Minicompo: HallwayComment #14664
Played through it, it's nice. Aw man we both used c2a4 texes! Since you're such an respected mapper everyone's gonna presume I just copied you . Is a nice map nontheless, liked the data going across the ceilings! Did you use wad include? I don't remember the binary textures from HL1. Also, I liked the occasional thumps. Is it triggers placed around the map, or is it a multimanager job? 4/5 (Didn't really thing the elevator textures went with the c2a4 ones.)
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-18 20:31:33 UTC
in vault item: TerroristComment #14660
well i was basing that on the other screenshot he had, but apparently he changed it, and now it looks like an entirely different map. Sorry for the harsh comments but that screenie was asking for it. However, from your new screenshot, it actually looks pretty good.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-18 19:38:50 UTC
in vault item: TerroristComment #14659
Thank you The Hunter. I've already found a very useful tip in texturing with alt-leftmouse. There's a ton to read there. I'm wondering if I should be writing it down as well as trying it out!
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-18 10:49:56 UTC
in vault item: Kaufmann HouseComment #14650
Awsome! Architecture student too and seen the animation in class a few days ago. Just downloading right now. Would be great to have the source .map file (gtkradiant-compatible) or the quake3 .pk3. I'd like to know if there's any page were I can get source maps of real buildings (or non-source).
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-18 00:18:00 UTC
in vault item: TerroristComment #14647
"I'm going for gameplay more that artistic appreciation."
The problem with this is, most multiplayer maps for HL1/CS1.6 don't get played these days, unless they're really significant or well made. The only other reason people will download it is if it looks good. This is especially true on a mapping site, where you don't find too many people who are exclusively interested in the gameplay. The graphics are one of the biggest parts of mapping, and the only part of a multiplayer map you can experience on your own.
That being said, this is nowhere near the worst map I've seen here. You did something right by having the nice angled lighting, but it is a bit bright. The texture on that outer wall is extremely repetitive too, so it doesn't work very well on large surfaces.
This comment was made on an article that has been deleted.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-17 23:43:19 UTC
in vault item: Srry's Minicompo #2 EntryComment #14645
Excellent attention to detail. As you say, a little small for DM, but it was made for the competition and it is a real pleasure to look at. Dam good job! Thanks!
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-17 23:03:16 UTC
in vault item: TerroristComment #14644
Extra copies were upload problems. Resolved. It's not a CS map, it's a Half-Life Deathmatch map as stated. It supposed to be pretty strait forward and fast. I'm going for gameplay more that artistic appreciation. It does exactly as I say it does.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-17 22:50:45 UTC
in vault item: TerroristComment #14643
Well, first of all, delete all the extra copies on here. Second of all, if its a counter-strike map , mark it as cs. Third of all, just from that screenshot i can tell this is a very lame map, thus i refuse to download it. Although, from the screenie, the texturing looks semi-decent, as well as semi-decent brushwork, and decent entity usage (if it does what u say i does), but the outlay looks horrible, its just a square with a bunch of houses. No originality, no creativity, no interesting architecture, no theme; thus no interest to download.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-16 08:12:16 UTC
in vault item: dm_fathom25Comment #14637
Ok, it finally worked.
+Great ambience. It really looked like an underwater facility. +Good textures. They suited the theme perfectly. +Cool props. The minisubs were very detailed and unique for a HL map. +Good lighting, areas are lit differently and each has a unique mood.
-Performance was really bad in some places. r_speeds jumped to 1500 and 6 fps because of the lower texture scale you used and the complexity of some objects. -Connectivity is sometimes poor. Some rooms are just dead ends and there's little choice as to how to enter or leave a room. Not good for gameflow. -I think you used a ripple effect with my animated textures without giving me credit
Overall, I think this theme works better for singleplayer. Players won't focus on the great detail while fragging, but they will care about framerates.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-15 14:50:42 UTC
in vault item: Time MachineComment #14633
But you do not know the time it will take for the player to explore the set. The real problem is if he goes back in and presses the other button. Wish there was an input and output system - would solve everything
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-15 14:40:15 UTC
in vault item: Time MachineComment #14632
oh, you can prevent the broken machine by making a multisource for each of them, and when you press a button, it disables the other button for a certain amount of time... you can do that through like a relay thingy, and some kind of on and off switch.
Commented 17 years ago2007-04-15 03:04:46 UTC
in vault item: cs_big_cityComment #14629
somthings missing about the buildings in this pic..... oh yeah, they are not bright, its light out, and the sky box around it its dark out, so match whats going on around it, It would probably look really good with a dark area and the buildings are lit up.
The little puzzles (the zombie one, the activation of the energy path) are the things that make the gameplay special. Shooting the Combine later on is not as fun as when HL2 was released. Unfortunately the only other alternative Valve gave us are headcrab/zombie combinations or antlions.
My advice is to go for something wilder in the next installment. The three episodes you've made so far prove that it's possible to make an interesting and surreal story with normal HL2 elements. Think about better lighting, weirder architecture and materials, different monster situations etc.
If it's one of your first maps though, it's pretty good. No blatant errors that I saw in my short view of it, and you used a lot of interesting angled walls. Also, I liked how you used background scenery as seen in the screenshot, although it would have been nice if this technique had been applied to more areas.
I can't help wonder if Habboi's had a go yet.
If you play it again, you might find some slight variations on how you can finish the map, as well as several secret places which can change the experience considerably if you get what's in them
+ Was fun. Quite tense I thought.
+ Some nice effects, I liked the hot air effect especially
+ Plain but decent architecture, reminds me of TFC a bit, actually.
+ Some entertaining moments with the soldiers!
+ Liked the super-healthcharger. How'd you do that?
+ / - The skybox is okay, and works with the map, but it's a bit empty, I thought.
- Texturing isn't all that, bad in a few places, average at best
- The cubemaps and nodegraph weren't built! And when I did build them, numerous errors appeared in the console and it still didn't look right reflection-wise.
Taking it for what it is - 10 minutes of fun gameplay - it would get 4 stars from me.
However you lose a star for making me build your cubemaps
Nice job.
Nice and clean hallways.
//checks...
Oops! It was made by M_Gargantua: https://twhl.info/vault/view/2788
Sorry, BL, i should've checked...
@ Splatzone: of course the elevator textures don't match, an elevator travels between floors, each floor may have a different texture theme. Lets just say an elevator has its own texture theme, it does'nt matter if it fits the theme of the level, its an elevator for crying out loud.
I never made a random event generator...
hah, this hallways beats the hell outa my wimpy hallway!
+ It's a fun layout, I would like to actually play an online game with it. I can imagine that a group of good players would have some decent fun on this map.
+ It runs fast. Lots of FPS for me!
+ / - The architecture is basic, however you have used this basic architecture in a reasonably good way. From some angles, your map looks pretty good. But from others, it looks shoddy.
- No skybox. You can fall off the edge of the map into the void. While this might in some way add to online gameplay, for me personally it's a minus point.
- Very average lighting, even by my own poor lighting standards
OVERALL : A fun map which could be much, much better if a bit more time was spent on it. 1 star for the map, plus 2 stars for the gameplay. 3 stars total.
I just love the c2a4 texture theme. I used wadinclude, yes, that scrolling data texture its the only custom texture in the map.
Thumps? I geuss you're talking about those distant mortar sounds + tiny screen shakes that occur every couple of seconds? It is infact not triggered by the player, their triggered at random intervals, achieved by clever usage of one env_beam, a bunch of buttons and info_targets, and of course the ambient_generics for the mortar sounds and some env_shakes for the screenshakes.
Check out M_Gargantua's example map called Random Triggering, its based off that. Thanks M_Garg!
Thanks again.
I thought I'd get it out earlier this evening, but ended up tweaking just this, and just that ... you know how it goes
I'm off to bed soon myself. Mmmmm. Sleep.
Although he does make valid points, they hardly apply to this map, which really shows some potential.
You should read up on the Mapping Tips thread.
It has loads of useful tips about improving architecture, texturing, and overall brushwork.
You have much potential. Lets see how far you can go.
If this is even half as good as the last one, it'll be worth at least 4 stars.
But i bet it's better.
/downloads.
looks forward to tomorrow when i can play it
As for the source file, as I said in the readme I can't release it...
Still decideing if I should make it into a proper mini mod type thing or just reaslh the intro maps.
Architecture student too and seen the animation in class a few days ago. Just downloading right now. Would be great to have the source .map file (gtkradiant-compatible) or the quake3 .pk3. I'd like to know if there's any page were I can get source maps of real buildings (or non-source).
The problem with this is, most multiplayer maps for HL1/CS1.6 don't get played these days, unless they're really significant or well made. The only other reason people will download it is if it looks good. This is especially true on a mapping site, where you don't find too many people who are exclusively interested in the gameplay. The graphics are one of the biggest parts of mapping, and the only part of a multiplayer map you can experience on your own.
That being said, this is nowhere near the worst map I've seen here. You did something right by having the nice angled lighting, but it is a bit bright. The texture on that outer wall is extremely repetitive too, so it doesn't work very well on large surfaces.
Although, from the screenie, the texturing looks semi-decent, as well as semi-decent brushwork, and decent entity usage (if it does what u say i does), but the outlay looks horrible, its just a square with a bunch of houses. No originality, no creativity, no interesting architecture, no theme; thus no interest to download.
I wish Hammer had a tool that would make it possible to code various sequences and such... also deal with entities and triggers... in HAMMER...
You know what I mean... heh... sorry, long day...
+Great ambience. It really looked like an underwater facility.
+Good textures. They suited the theme perfectly.
+Cool props. The minisubs were very detailed and unique for a HL map.
+Good lighting, areas are lit differently and each has a unique mood.
-Performance was really bad in some places. r_speeds jumped to 1500 and 6 fps because of the lower texture scale you used and the complexity of some objects.
-Connectivity is sometimes poor. Some rooms are just dead ends and there's little choice as to how to enter or leave a room. Not good for gameflow.
-I think you used a ripple effect with my animated textures without giving me credit
Overall, I think this theme works better for singleplayer. Players won't focus on the great detail while fragging, but they will care about framerates.
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W00t!!!!!????!
btw, nice map - any plans to release it?
carve ftl.
VM and clipping ftw.