Blueprint Created 19 years ago2006-01-29 13:31:00 UTC by Manko

I have roughly drawn the first floor of my new map and I thought maybe someone can give me interesting ideas if they get to see what I drew. The map is meant to be set in an old sewage treatment works. If I'm able to make something interesting out of this map I might even add it to the HLDM Server Map constest.

The Blueprint

Tell me what you think.

Looks decent, if you can pull it together to a full map.

Gotta love the sketchy plan..
Lookin good.. Good luck.

Hmm.. might be a little clearer if you did it on graph paper, and took a little more time on the words. Looks good though.

Thanks guys, I'm glad you think it will work out.

Im doing my design a clever way. I litaraly making a simple model (Like Arhcitects do) of the map/layout in Hammer.

Interesting method. Maybe I should try that sometime. Right now, the paper and my memory will do.

Here's a pic of what I made so far.

from that pic I can make a few recomendations:

-use the NULL texture in the ZHLT.wad
-try to keep the stuff aligned to the grid a bit better, it will save you time later.
-when it comes to textureing the thing your going to have to find some textures to fit the many height variations

Thanks, M_gargantua!

I'll re-texture it all with the NULL if I get time later but I understand it's a good idea.
The solids are actually in-grid all of them but I might have decreased the grid frequency when I took the screenshot and therefore it seems to be off-grid.
The texture problem is something I have to solve, you're completely right about that. I usually manage to get around it by resizing the textures but I'll definately keep the heigh variations in mind on the next map and from now on.

Looks pretty good imo. Concept drawrings don't have to be as detailed as Rimrooks to be useful--but they are nice!

The important thing is to flesh out your idea on paper or whatever, to serve as a "dry run" for you idea. Much better thatn spending 30 hours in-editor, and finally figuring out your idea is no good!!

Don't limit to one overlay or type of sketched either. You could try variations on the theme, details of specific rooms, etc. This Is why I like using a paint program for this--I use MS paint--, because it's easier imo to quickly/nicely sketch out stuff, and variations thereof, as well keep them organized and preview/compare quickly--thumnails.

I often us MS paint to plan levels.

But I also quite often jsut make it up as I go along, think of a first room, make it, detail it etc. then moveo nto the next etc.

Do each room as you go along.

I work that way aswell, some people go out and map out the entire basic archatextural setting for a map, then go back through and add details, I just work one area at a time, get that done, then move on.

So do I, but It's not the best thing to do if you have trouble making things fit with each other at the end.
I also detail things as I go, because otherwise I would probably forget to go back to detailing certain parts.

Hey, I love paint too.

These are two pics from the progress. Maybe 1/3 of the shaping done, then textures and entitys left. But it's great fun, never made this big a map before.

In editor
In game

Btw, what weapons are good on relatively small maps for HLDM?

Looks quite nice.

The texturing is awesome.

Manko: Leave out the crossbow, egon, tau and RPG.

The texturing is awesome.

Yeah, and I'm planning on keeping it this way too.

Leave out the crossbow, egon, tau and RPG.

Thanks, will try your advice.

Whoah! Maybe I'm just a slow worker but it seems like you did a lot in one day. You know, came up with the plan, implemented ~1/3 of it.
Well done.

The texturing is awesome.

That made me laugh. How can that be awesome? The architecture is only made with one texture. Still, looks nifteh. ^^

Yeah, and I'm planning on keeping it this way too.

I think ZL was sarcastic. If you intend to make a one textue map then don't use that crete texture, it's one of the blandest textures in the game. The c1a4b_w3 texture is usally better.

I highly advice you not to use only one texture, it might be hard work to use many textures but it's much nicer.

It looks okey... But its a bit boring... to little detail...

>_< SAY HELLO TO CAPTAIN SARCASM!

"Hellooooo!! :nuts:"

Anywho - the architecture is really nice.
And I love the intense dullness of the gret concrete textures... They make me wanna say "The texturing is awesome!"

Lol! When I said

Yeah, and I'm planning on keeping it this way too. nuts -

I was sarcastic back but maybe I didn't make it obvious enough.

Of course I am going to texture it as well, as soon as I am done with the solids. The lights are just there for now too and will be changed, as will the "white" which I'm just using to block the maps from leaks for now.

It's the way I work; create first, texture after.