New Old Home

D: i don't think i can see a single prop in the screenie

Ok, it's a lot better than the screenie makes it out to be. I liked a lot of things, and for a first real source map - superb.

However, my original point stands:
There is literally not a single physics prop in the entire map. Not one.
Well, actually, even weirder, there are some, but they're set to motion disabled.
why?!
The thing that makes HL2DM any different from any other game is the gravity gun. You didn't ignore that entirely, leaving weapons out of reach so that they require being pulled into the playing field by the grav gun, but there is no place it can be used for combat.
This also makes the whole map just seem... fake.. Plant pots that won't break, and stuff. Just odd.

The biggest annoyance is being raped in the face by invisible walls, and I really worry that that will cost you in the competition results. It seems lazy to mark out the layout with nothing more than a rope and a playerclip.
I guarantee that any non-mapper who played it would immediately rage about the invisible walls.

Also, in Source, 3D skyboxes are generally a must-have in all maps, but to be honest - just having the nice wind turbines in the foreground is good enough in this case.

Lastly, this is a WCD map. Where is the obligatory secret room?

3 stars, but only because i know you will improve greatly and rapidly, and i want you to know how much of a difference i feel there is when i rate your next map higher.

Ropes were the only thing I could use that made sense given the theme. Any kind of door, wall, or gate was out of the question for most clipped off areas. I think it's a bit harsh saying "raped in the face by invisible walls", because they are, in fact, very clearly marked as places you can't go.

As for no physics props, it's because the map wasn't really built with gameplay in mind to begin with. The competition is supposedly based on visuals with "gameplay being nice but optional".
You're right, though. Had I built it with gameplay in mind, all those motion-disabled physics props WOULD be grabbable. But I put them there for visual aesthetics, and as such, I didn't want them to go anywhere.
It would be a real shame if it cost me any award because I neglected gameflow in a competition about eye candy.

Edit: What I'm trying to say is that I wanted to build a very clean map with a clean theme. And I guess that makes it feel barren from a gameplay point of view, but heavy physics props littering the ground everywhere would only hurt the "peaceful" feel that I wanted from the beginning.
And that reminds me that I forgot to put the pipes on the last two buildings that are missing them.

The map looks beautifully constructed to my eyes, especially for your first source map. Point of the compo, it seems to constrict to the prescribed layout pretty well as far as i can tell.

I love the design and the interior section is very nicely constructed. I do agree with huntey the outside areas are quite barren and unnaturally empty, and also too about the lack of phsyics props and the invisible walls issue.

I also get a weird hdr reflection off all the weapons and static props, as well i see the aaa texture on pole part of the windmills. Besides those, and the lack of detail items outside, this is a really nice-lookng work imo, which i would expect nothing less from world crafter.

since i am a total noob at source mapping, i don't really feel right about rating, so i won't. in my noob i would rate a 4 probably, or withhold it until you make improvements, as i would probably disable ratings altogether for my first map in a new engine.

Nice map and compo entry bravo!

Yea the map is very clean and well put together. Lighting is a little bland and im not sure how well gameplay would go. I personaly don't like any parts of maps to be blocked off like the balcony you couldn't jump over the railing onto. The ropes blocking off parts of the map seemed fine to me. The windmills and area were really cool aroung the map but the texture "all over" the windmill was aaa for me. The clock was really cool and I liked how you could walk through it and see it from other parts of the map and of course that it was real time. Sorta reminds me of the town from majora's mask. Whats up with all these maps reminding me of zelda? Good job at your first source attempt and good luck!

I tested this map on completely vanilla HL2DM, and I never saw the pink checkerboard that I'm assuming you're talking about when you say the "AAA texture". You must have not been running it in HL2DM.

Yea, I just ran it from console in single player. That is prolly why.

yup that was it.. = )