Commented 18 years ago2005-11-11 17:03:27 UTC
in vault item: Torture that Alien - V2Comment #9826
While looking at your compo entry (nice btw) and looking at this screenshot I noticed that you use point light entities instead of texture lights. I know that point lights are easier to trigger on and off, but not all the lights should be that way. You should try to compile some of your old maps with textlights to see what a huge difference it can make
Commented 18 years ago2005-11-09 21:07:56 UTC
in vault item: dm_rustyComment #9812
Great map! Original, well crafted and nicely lit. Connectivity could be a bit better: since the map is small I dont know if it's a wise idea to make players go into crawlspaces... Texturing is good, and so is prop placement. I didnt find any phys objects blocking my path at any time, which is good since the map is small For future maps, you might want to disable the shadows of the prop_static trash groups. The default shadow just tends to look wrong imo.
Commented 18 years ago2005-11-09 13:33:19 UTC
in vault item: hldm_milivoltComment #9808
This version looks better. But yes, it does feel empty. The problem of using detailed textures is that the whole map needs a high detail level in every aspect. The usual dilema of: why do textures look realistic but a lot of things in the map look strange? This map would be really easy to fill with props in HL2DM
Commented 18 years ago2005-11-09 05:10:08 UTC
in vault item: JusticeComment #9804
Just a quick comment just by looking at the screenshot: have you tried using lower values for the lightmap resolution of the floor(s)? Since this map takes places at sunset, it would benefit from more defined shadows imo
Commented 18 years ago2005-11-07 14:22:57 UTC
in vault item: thwc2_stalkyComment #9778
Nice map! It has some very nice custom textures and detail is overall good. Ambient sounds complete the great feel of this map. The only problem I see (besides the need for some clip brushes here and there) is that this map jumps to more than 1000 wpolys in some places. I think this is due to texture scaling. As many people have said, this map should be a source map. Too much detail and nice textures for HL1
Commented 18 years ago2005-11-02 20:14:41 UTC
in vault item: hldm_centerComment #9716
Nice textures! The map has open areas and interesting layout. Ceilings need some height variation though. There are some dead ends (the lower level that we can see in the screenshot) Lighting is OK, but the outside light is too bright for my taste. After all, "Architecture is the combination of volumetric figures bathed by light" Some contrast would be better.
Commented 18 years ago2005-10-31 13:08:08 UTC
in vault item: dm_inboundComment #9693
I agree. This is a very nice map, with larger areas than most of what we've seen for HLDM. The difference in fog values with the skybox was certainly strange looking. In that sense It felt a bit like the old Tony Hawk games And with such a big layout, it felt strange to walk in spaces of minimum with like pipes. Good job anyway. I hope to see more maps from you.
Commented 18 years ago2005-10-25 14:10:52 UTC
in vault item: SancefarComment #9578
Good map, as usual. Some of the proportions are strange but the overall effect is very good. As Captain P suggests, an indoor section would be nice, and we all know you can do a good one. This map reminded me a bit of dm_avalon. The Source engine lets the mapper do so much more in terms of terrain and shadows... A nice addition to this map would be some sort of huge eagle or dragon flying around the map, something like the bird in "de_survivor" or my shuttlecraft in "warpcore". About the r_speeds... well, it's obvious that you can get a nice and detailed view of 1500 wpolys
Commented 18 years ago2005-10-11 06:48:43 UTC
in vault item: CatalystComment #9405
I liked it. Even tough some places had strange texture choices, it really shows and effort if architecture and design, like you said. The room featured in the screenshot was specially well crafted. It's a pity the rest of the map wasn't as good
Of course, from a realistic point of view, it is obvious that your choice is the right one (it plays a huge part in the "identity" of the building). But from a gameplay experience POV, it could become a negative factor after a while, specially since the layout we had for making this map moves us from one place to another in very short amounts of time. Just like it was predicted, this layout has inspired very different maps that each give different answers to the same problems.
Commented 18 years ago2005-10-01 07:47:52 UTC
in vault item: Half-Life: DestinyComment #9293
Very nice map, specially because of entity work. Sounds are also great, and the whole minimod clearly shows a lot of work has been put into it, very nice !! As Captain P said, the map could have been a bit improved. Some areas had strange lighting, and I had to use noclip after the levelchanges: landmark problems, which are always hard to solve I would've liked to see more of Xen, since this looked more like a human transportation system in a human map
Very nice map! The rain and rubble add a lot of atmosphere. You have taken advantage of the Z-axis to add variation to the given layout, very well done. There are enough props around and weapon placement seems right. The map reminded me of some day of defeat maps (must be the rain and the rubble :D) The only negative point I can see is that the orange-ish texture is imo overused throughout the map. Cubemaps turned out mostly well, but some of them look strange (in the area around the room with 2 staircases) 4.4/5
Commented 18 years ago2005-09-27 04:06:21 UTC
in vault item: TWHL Dedication ProjectComment #9209
Very nice map indeed. I can clearly see why it took you so much time and effort. There were lots of interesting parts, and your own combine room had very interesting brushwork. As a dm map, it seems a bit rushed in some areas, but as a dedication map this is very good. I'd say 4.5 stars which turn out to be 5.
Commented 18 years ago2005-09-18 18:50:09 UTC
in vault item: de_dollsComment #9068
Very nice map. Great custom textures and interesting layout. Do you know where I could find good tutorials for making custom source textures? The tutorial in this site doesnt tell you how to add different shader properties, etc. but you see to know how...
Commented 18 years ago2005-09-05 06:04:08 UTC
in vault item: Static WarehouseComment #8866
Use a better screenshot, tweak brightness and contrast if you have to. A good screenshot usually guarantees the mapper more downloads, and guarantees the player a better looking map.
Commented 18 years ago2005-09-02 16:58:20 UTC
in vault item: dm_creteComment #8829
Quite nice! Even though it uses one texture, the important thing in this map is lighting. Different colors and contrast supply the richness and variation that in other maps are done with textures. It kind of reminded me of my map "Floating Point" in that sense There are nice jumping puzzles, some of them similar to things you can find in the first Tomb Raider. Gameplay would surely be affected by this, sometimes negatively as you would often get killed while doing some careful jump... R_speeds are indeed very high, but these days we dont really notice. The light_spots placed under each item might be too numerous, but I remember when you told me about the difficulty to find things in my map "Guardian". Some brushes should definately be func_walls, but this is still a very nice map.
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-29 09:47:27 UTC
in vault item: cs_destructionComment #8747
A small tip: when making stairs, make sure the texture alignment in each is step is a bit different than the ones next to it. (Look at the part of the screenshot where the crosshair is)
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-26 13:47:30 UTC
in vault item: cs_tube_assaultComment #8706
Mmm. Touchy subject to map. Dont you think some potential terrorist might get ideas? In a book by Tom Clancy, terrorists crashed a plane against the Capitol Building...
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-24 09:49:43 UTC
in vault item: Lab17: StorageComment #8677
I am at a loss of words to describe this map. To put it in a single sentence: Pete (the author) should have been part of the vALVE or Gearbox team and the games would have been even better. I must say that while this map does not excel in a particular area (like bruswork, texturing, sounds etc), it is as a whole that mis map really works. Like I have mentioned before in the site's forums, there are different levels at which a map should work: Theme, Layout and detail. In this map, detail is nice. I cant talk about the layout since I havent playtested it with people. The theme is outstanding, and a lot of imagination has been put to it (something which is sometimes lacking in maps). I'm looking forward to "Necropolis: Mausoleum". You got yourself a fan.
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-24 09:35:21 UTC
in vault item: LavaLab: EruptComment #8676
I'm rating this map after having played the first lavalab. This version has the good brushwork of the original, but like the description says, it's much smaller. Access to the outside area has been cut, as everything around the lab seems to have been flooded with lava. While the intention is good, the post-disaster elements (decals, sparks, lighting) arent enough to replace the original freedom we had with the other map. Judging it by itself, it's still a good map.
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-24 09:25:19 UTC
in vault item: Lab17: FloodComment #8675
Good map, although not as good as other versions of lab17 like the quake one. The map is indeed dark but perfectly playable. Glimpses of the outside cave and secret ways to gain weapons and ammo make this map a good addition to the Lab17 series. There is an issue that some people usually complain about. Some mappers solve the problem of big empty spaces filling them with crates. It is usually frowned upon, but in this map there is a good variation in their size and textures, and they actually have other purposes other than taking up space. Think about the official map Stalkyard. Crates made it fun!
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-24 09:15:42 UTC
in vault item: Lab17: SlimeLabComment #8674
Layout and architecture are two of the many strong points in this map. A lot of attention has been put to detail with a very good result, specially in the most important rooms of the lab. The outside unreachable areas give us the feeling that this is all part of a bigger world, and it makes this and other maps so much better. It could be a bit brighter (Since this is the pre-disaster version) and have more texture variation, but it's still a very solid map. Nice work.
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-24 09:08:12 UTC
in vault item: Lab17: QuakeComment #8673
Fantastic map. The quake damage in the map is very nicely done. Architecture and layout are more than interesting, specially in the bigger areas of the map. Gameplay is distributed in different levels, and this is one of those maps where you can use all your skills with them (good places for shotgun, RPG, etc) The lighting and sounds in this map are great, reminding us of the HL post-disaster atmosphere. The only two minor things I could point out would be that one of the textures seems a bit overused (walls and ceilings at the same time) and some dark areas would be better suited for a singleplayer map. 5 stars anyway.
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-24 08:58:54 UTC
in vault item: LavaLabComment #8671
Great! This map is neatly textured, and it has an interesting layout that flows between different floor levels, as well as an outside area. The prefabs are perfectly scaled and very detailed (some are better than the HL defaults), and sounds add to a great ambience. Some large areas of the map could have been a bit more detailed, but it's possible they are not because of r_speeds control, which is good. Some of the sofa textures from the "fifties" texture set didnt quite belong in the lab theme, but they were still nice.
Commented 18 years ago2005-08-11 07:21:48 UTC
in vault item: xdm_destroyComment #8557
Once again, nice map. Some areas might be too big, in the sense that the map feels empty sometimes. You could have placed machinery from some of your previous maps to put inside to rooms/hallways, but if it's the way it is because of r_speeds, then it's just fine. Lighting is overall good, but you should give up on using light entities and rely only in texlights and light_enviroment. Some parts of the map just have a glow that noone knows where it came from. It makes those parts look like they are still in beta-testing stage. The layout supports great long range combat, as well as providing places where the longjump and gauss jump are useful! One more thing: some of the fences looked fullbright, rendermode= solid and fxamount=100 will make them look right.
Commented 18 years ago2005-06-09 16:36:34 UTC
in vault item: dm_abandonedlabsComment #7664
Are you asking us? The map is not big so I dont think there are any performance issues. You can check it yourself ingame with the +showbudget console command
Commented 18 years ago2005-06-06 04:22:51 UTC
in vault item: dm_abandonedlabsComment #7615
This map would work for a game of 1 on 1 but I think 5 players would be way too much. Prop placement is overall correct, but there doesnt seem to be any reason to have explosive barrels right next to some file cabinets. To make a good DM map, you need to make sure that there is a constant game flow throughout the map. Having to make players open doors or get into crawlspaces without any other options y certainly not a good idea for deathmatch, leave that for singleplayer maps. I think you can work on this map, open up more spaces (think about a room with a much higher ceiling, like a hangar)
Commented 18 years ago2005-06-04 11:42:49 UTC
in vault item: de_boshiComment #7592
I think this is a good map, the ambient generics do their job well, and the map is fairly detailed. However, I think there was little texture variation throughout the map, but it's not a big issue since it happens with dust and aztec.
The other strange thing I saw was the use of the cubemaps. It seems in one place you selected ONE cubemap and applied it to a whole bunch of faces, even though some were in hallways that had nothing to do with the lighting in the cubemap's room... I know this saves a lot of trouble with reflective surfaces, but it doesnt look quite right, what do you think?
Commented 18 years ago2005-05-09 12:04:11 UTC
in vault item: Soup Temple (v2)Comment #7203
Nice! it reminded me of some UnrealTornament maps or DMC It is a bit too dark, and I noticed that apart from the torches and fountain, every single brush in the map has only 90? angles
Commented 18 years ago2005-04-28 14:30:44 UTC
in vault item: regenComment #7059
Time for a bit of constructive criticism This map needs: -Like you said, larger and more isolated areas. Blending rooms with each other is nice but has to be done very carefully to avoid creating confusion. -Less textures. Although most of them are nice, many of them seem a bit out of place. It can also make the map look confusing and some people (not me) can think that the map is a showcase for your custom textures. -Some surroundings. There are places where the map ends in a severe way, like the world beyond was gone. Some sections outside the playable area will make any map more beleivable. -Less pointlight entities or a lower brightness on them. Fire and lava have a softer light (I havent been to many lava places but it's just a guess ) -Some null textures!! no need to explain this one -As in previous maps, that "something" that holds the map together (structure, a certain texture scheme etc) -More constructive criticism like this XD
Commented 18 years ago2005-04-19 16:43:29 UTC
in vault item: Rimrook ResortComment #6867
Great, the final lighting and background look much better than the beta. Nice effects and ambience and very interesting architectural areas. Some minor tweaks for future maps (I hope you wont give up mapping because of college): try to keep all textures with the same X and Y proportions at all times (building with the grid helps) Dont use the same texture on the floor and a wall if they are together :'( Great map(s) Rimrook
Commented 19 years ago2005-04-13 03:20:52 UTC
in vault item: prison_lifeComment #6768
Nice map, although detail comes at the expense of r_speeds as high as 2156 and the likes I noticed that you still havent used the null texture on unseen faces. I dont think those are the ones raising the polygon count, but they would save you lots of compile time if you use them. The map also seems to be skyboxed instead of skybrushed... am I right? skyboxes are eeevil Otherwise the map is very interesting, for example the way you reduce texture scale to get much better shadows (with a hit on r_speeds obviously )
Commented 19 years ago2005-04-04 10:33:31 UTC
in vault item: dm_parking_zComment #6567
you should specify if this is a SP or DM map. Those who have HL2 can guess it's a source map by the screenshot, but the map name certainly doesnt give any hints
Commented 19 years ago2005-03-30 08:40:31 UTC
in vault item: crosshairsComment #6458
Nice an original as usual. Some textures looked good but you shouldnt use the fit texture too much. It was designed to "reduce" rather than to "stretch" Layout is nice although I'm not really fond of symetrical maps (I understand this is a deathmatch arena so it's not a problem in this case)
While noclipping around the map, I saw some brush faces that the players will never see in-game. Maybe you should apply the null texture to them. R_speeds are good, but using the null (or nodraw in hl2) textures in non visible faces is a good habit everyone should have
Commented 19 years ago2005-01-31 10:08:12 UTC
in vault item: SandfortComment #5817
Level making for CS has a big problem: CS players are usually afraid of playing new maps. Take 'em out of their dust and aztec, and they'll start complaining if they lose... That's why I only 2 of my 23 maps are for CS. I'll check this one out
Very good, nice texture theme and ambiente sounds. Still some minor problems with using the Fit texture tool but much better. I havent checked gameplay yet, it might be a bit confusing due to so much detail
I cant say the same for brushwork though...
You should try to compile some of your old maps with textlights to see what a huge difference it can make
Connectivity could be a bit better: since the map is small I dont know if it's a wise idea to make players go into crawlspaces...
Texturing is good, and so is prop placement. I didnt find any phys objects blocking my path at any time, which is good since the map is small
For future maps, you might want to disable the shadows of the prop_static trash groups. The default shadow just tends to look wrong imo.
4.6 stars in my opinion. Keep up the good work!
The problem of using detailed textures is that the whole map needs a high detail level in every aspect.
The usual dilema of: why do textures look realistic but a lot of things in the map look strange?
This map would be really easy to fill with props in HL2DM
The map has open areas and interesting layout.
Ceilings need some height variation though.
There are some dead ends (the lower level that we can see in the screenshot)
Lighting is OK, but the outside light is too bright for my taste. After all, "Architecture is the combination of volumetric figures bathed by light"
And with such a big layout, it felt strange to walk in spaces of minimum with like pipes.
Good job anyway. I hope to see more maps from you.
This map reminded me a bit of dm_avalon. The Source engine lets the mapper do so much more in terms of terrain and shadows...
A nice addition to this map would be some sort of huge eagle or dragon flying around the map, something like the bird in "de_survivor" or my shuttlecraft in "warpcore".
About the r_speeds... well, it's obvious that you can get a nice and detailed view of 1500 wpolys
The room featured in the screenshot was specially well crafted. It's a pity the rest of the map wasn't as good
Just like it was predicted, this layout has inspired very different maps that each give different answers to the same problems.
Sounds are also great, and the whole minimod clearly shows a lot of work has been put into it, very nice !!
As Captain P said, the map could have been a bit improved. Some areas had strange lighting, and I had to use noclip after the levelchanges: landmark problems, which are always hard to solve
I would've liked to see more of Xen, since this looked more like a human transportation system in a human map
There are enough props around and weapon placement seems right. The map reminded me of some day of defeat maps (must be the rain and the rubble :D)
The only negative point I can see is that the orange-ish texture is imo overused throughout the map. Cubemaps turned out mostly well, but some of them look strange (in the area around the room with 2 staircases)
4.4/5
As a dm map, it seems a bit rushed in some areas, but as a dedication map this is very good. I'd say 4.5 stars which turn out to be 5.
Even though it uses one texture, the important thing in this map is lighting. Different colors and contrast supply the richness and variation that in other maps are done with textures.
It kind of reminded me of my map "Floating Point" in that sense
There are nice jumping puzzles, some of them similar to things you can find in the first Tomb Raider. Gameplay would surely be affected by this, sometimes negatively as you would often get killed while doing some careful jump...
R_speeds are indeed very high, but these days we dont really notice. The light_spots placed under each item might be too numerous, but I remember when you told me about the difficulty to find things in my map "Guardian".
Some brushes should definately be func_walls, but this is still a very nice map.
I must say that while this map does not excel in a particular area (like bruswork, texturing, sounds etc), it is as a whole that mis map really works. Like I have mentioned before in the site's forums, there are different levels at which a map should work: Theme, Layout and detail.
In this map, detail is nice. I cant talk about the layout since I havent playtested it with people. The theme is outstanding, and a lot of imagination has been put to it (something which is sometimes lacking in maps).
I'm looking forward to "Necropolis: Mausoleum". You got yourself a fan.
Judging it by itself, it's still a good map.
There is an issue that some people usually complain about. Some mappers solve the problem of big empty spaces filling them with crates. It is usually frowned upon, but in this map there is a good variation in their size and textures, and they actually have other purposes other than taking up space. Think about the official map Stalkyard. Crates made it fun!
The outside unreachable areas give us the feeling that this is all part of a bigger world, and it makes this and other maps so much better.
It could be a bit brighter (Since this is the pre-disaster version) and have more texture variation, but it's still a very solid map. Nice work.
The quake damage in the map is very nicely done. Architecture and layout are more than interesting, specially in the bigger areas of the map. Gameplay is distributed in different levels, and this is one of those maps where you can use all your skills with them (good places for shotgun, RPG, etc)
The lighting and sounds in this map are great, reminding us of the HL post-disaster atmosphere.
The only two minor things I could point out would be that one of the textures seems a bit overused (walls and ceilings at the same time) and some dark areas would be better suited for a singleplayer map.
5 stars anyway.
This map is neatly textured, and it has an interesting layout that flows between different floor levels, as well as an outside area. The prefabs are perfectly scaled and very detailed (some are better than the HL defaults), and sounds add to a great ambience.
Some large areas of the map could have been a bit more detailed, but it's possible they are not because of r_speeds control, which is good.
Some of the sofa textures from the "fifties" texture set didnt quite belong in the lab theme, but they were still nice.
+ Good textures
+ Interesting secret places
+ Ambience
_________________________________________
- Lighting looked strangely flat in some areas
- Suffers from "quakeness" (emptyness & symetry)
Lighting is overall good, but you should give up on using light entities and rely only in texlights and light_enviroment. Some parts of the map just have a glow that noone knows where it came from. It makes those parts look like they are still in beta-testing stage.
The layout supports great long range combat, as well as providing places where the longjump and gauss jump are useful!
One more thing: some of the fences looked fullbright, rendermode= solid and fxamount=100 will make them look right.
The map is not big so I dont think there are any performance issues. You can check it yourself ingame with the +showbudget console command
Prop placement is overall correct, but there doesnt seem to be any reason to have explosive barrels right next to some file cabinets.
To make a good DM map, you need to make sure that there is a constant game flow throughout the map. Having to make players open doors or get into crawlspaces without any other options y certainly not a good idea for deathmatch, leave that for singleplayer maps.
I think you can work on this map, open up more spaces (think about a room with a much higher ceiling, like a hangar)
However, I think there was little texture variation throughout the map, but it's not a big issue since it happens with dust and aztec.
The other strange thing I saw was the use of the cubemaps. It seems in one place you selected ONE cubemap and applied it to a whole bunch of faces, even though some were in hallways that had nothing to do with the lighting in the cubemap's room... I know this saves a lot of trouble with reflective surfaces, but it doesnt look quite right, what do you think?
It is a bit too dark, and I noticed that apart from the torches and fountain, every single brush in the map has only 90? angles
This map needs:
-Like you said, larger and more isolated areas. Blending rooms with each other is nice but has to be done very carefully to avoid creating confusion.
-Less textures. Although most of them are nice, many of them seem a bit out of place. It can also make the map look confusing and some people (not me) can think that the map is a showcase for your custom textures.
-Some surroundings. There are places where the map ends in a severe way, like the world beyond was gone. Some sections outside the playable area will make any map more beleivable.
-Less pointlight entities or a lower brightness on them. Fire and lava have a softer light (I havent been to many lava places but it's just a guess
-Some null textures!! no need to explain this one
-As in previous maps, that "something" that holds the map together (structure, a certain texture scheme etc)
-More constructive criticism like this XD
Some minor tweaks for future maps (I hope you wont give up mapping because of college): try to keep all textures with the same X and Y proportions at all times (building with the grid helps)
Dont use the same texture on the floor and a wall if they are together :'(
Great map(s) Rimrook
I'll take a look at it when I get back from college
I hope huge size wont mean tiny framerates
I noticed that you still havent used the null texture on unseen faces. I dont think those are the ones raising the polygon count, but they would save you lots of compile time if you use them. The map also seems to be skyboxed instead of skybrushed... am I right?
Otherwise the map is very interesting, for example the way you reduce texture scale to get much better shadows (with a hit on r_speeds obviously
Layout is nice although I'm not really fond of symetrical maps (I understand this is a deathmatch arena so it's not a problem in this case)
While noclipping around the map, I saw some brush faces that the players will never see in-game. Maybe you should apply the null texture to them. R_speeds are good, but using the null (or nodraw in hl2) textures in non visible faces is a good habit everyone should have
maybe the fog value for the skybox should be a bit lower, or have a fog color that blends more with the sunset sky
That's why I only 2 of my 23 maps are for CS. I'll check this one out
Still some minor problems with using the Fit texture tool but much better. I havent checked gameplay yet, it might be a bit confusing due to so much detail