Oasis

klossi

klossi

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Sep 9, 2009
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Hello everyone!


This is my first post in this forum but i've been reading for quite some time here now. I really love well done custom maps and i think the work that is done here is awesome.

So anyways, like 4 years ago i did some minor mapping for cs 1.6, although i never finished a map, nor was i really happy with my results. Now after this long time and after playing TF2 and falling in love with some customs (off the top of my head: pl_frontier, pl_great_heights, pl_beerbowl, cp_glacier and so many others i don't remember right now) i decided to launch hammer again and tinker around.


I'd like to introduce to you cp_oasis, a CP map that has the same cap point structure as gravelpit. Since this is my first Tf2 map, would you mind not being too harsh to me?;)

I didn't take any ingame pictures yet, but will get some tomorrow i guess.



Thanks for reading this and thanks to anyone who takes a look at my map. I hope the download link works, i never uploaded anything before and if it not works please tell me and i'll see if i can fix it.


Greetings
 
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klossi

klossi

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Sep 9, 2009
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ok i get your point. so i added 3 pics to it. first one shows blu spawn, 2nd shows cap point B and 3rd shows cap point A. there's not much to say about cap point C yet, because i didnt do anything to it by now.
 
Darth Gman

Darth Gman

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Aug 25, 2009
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Real nice =D
I suggest you use more (well, lots of) displacements because that will make this map top-notch ;)

Also, change the skybox texture to a middle-day one please, because the current one doesn't fit with the scenery. Try the Goldrush sky texture.

For future reference, go here: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Team_Fortress_2_Sky_List
 
Terr

Terr

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Jul 31, 2009
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You may want to look into putting func_nobuild in the water, since it's annoying being shot by a sentry you literally can't see due to the water refractions etc.
 
klossi

klossi

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Sep 9, 2009
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thanks for the very first feedback of my very first map :)


ya i just put the default skybox texture there, didnt look at it yet.

can you explain what func_nobuild does? i know what you mean, you only have a very limited range of view when being under water. it's annoying, i'll try to improve it.
 
Terr

Terr

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Jul 31, 2009
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func_nobuild is a brush-entity which prevents engineers from building things which are inside it. (It needs to cover the floor and be tall enough above the floor that engineers can't do some jumping tricks to avoid it.)

This would allow you to keep sentries from being built underwater, because those sentries wouldn't have any problem "seeing" through water players can't.
 
klossi

klossi

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Sep 9, 2009
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that was not the solution i was aiming for. building stuff under water is not too bad in my eyes. i'd like to increase visibility when one is under water instead.
 
Terr

Terr

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You can alter the visibility with the per-map water_lod_control entity, but there can be a performance cost to people who play your map, if you use the water with ripples in it. It controls the reflective/refractive surface of the water, rather than the murk inside it.

To control the amount of underwater "fog", you'll need to pick a different water texture or create your own.
 
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klossi

klossi

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Sep 9, 2009
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so i was playing around with water_lod_control and figured it doesn't do anything. the black fog is still there. if there's really no other way to fix it, i'll have to use the nobuild. would be really a nice addition to build sentries under water but does not appear to work properly
 
Terr

Terr

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klossi said:
so i was playing around with water_lod_control and figured it doesn't do anything. the black fog is still there.
Click to expand...
It controls the reflective/refractive surface of the water, rather than the murk inside it.
Click to expand...

water_lod_control basically sets the defaults for r_cheapwaterstart and r_cheapwaterend, which you can tweak in-game to try to get the effect you want.
 
Freyja

Freyja

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Jul 31, 2009
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Yeah water_lod_control is the settings for how far away water looks pretty. It doesn't change the water itself really, you could always make a custom water texture.
 
klossi

klossi

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Sep 9, 2009
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added some new screenshots (last one showing cap C) and new version


feedback appreciated
 
klossi

klossi

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Sep 9, 2009
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i just uploaded a new version of the map. a big part of A is done now. i will upload better looking screenshots within the next 30 minutes.



however, the glass texture i am using is really causing trouble. i tried all kinds of stuff and it still has those purple squares on it. i connected an env_cubemap with it, i tied it to func_detail, i used a different glass texture, still not working. i looked at gravelpit and how they built the glass windows there and i couldnt find any difference to mine


edit: put the new images in

edit2: just noticed that whereever the water brush touches any other brush there's an ugly looking black line. can i somehow fix that without using a low res water texture? you can see the problem on the left most screenshot
 
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Terr

Terr

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Jul 31, 2009
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You'll get the purple-square reflections regardless of what you do in hammer. There's an extra step after compiling you need to do.

Terr said:
Don't worry about it, everybody has to deal with it. It's not really a matter of where your env_cubemap entities are (although proper placement is still a good idea.) The problem you're seeing is that the defaultest-of-default reflection cubemap isn't present, so it uses the pink-checkerboard.

Basically, you just need to do some extra steps. Every map .bsp file actually includes (almost like a .zip file) some other smaller files within it, and the cubemaps (tiny pre-rendered snapshots used for reflections) are part of that. What you need to do is generate them.

_______________

There's a command in tf2 itself called "buildcubemaps" which runs through creating these snapshots, it then saves over the map file and packs them in. The trick is to turn off reflective shininess with mat_specular 0, then build your cube maps. The reason you turn off the specularity first is that otherwise you'll get reflections-of-reflections which contain the pink-checkerboards. (Like when one shiny surface is next to another.)

You need to do it seperately for HDR and LDR settings, if your map is compiled to use both. Use "mat_reloadallmaterials" to avoid needing to restart TF2 to see the changes.

  • Load up the map.
  • mat_specular 0;
  • buildcubemaps;
  • Wait until it's done flickering like a mad photographer.
  • mat_specular 1;
  • sv_cheats 1; to allow the next command,
  • mat_reloadallmaterials;
Click to expand...
 
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klossi

klossi

L1: Registered
Sep 9, 2009
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i have some problems with my map.

i added lights to it (prefabs from that one downloadable file from this site). this makes the cave areas look really nice. only problem is that everything outside the lighted areas is completely black. so i added a light_environment as i found it in the valve developer community wiki thing. now i have light (even though it's very dark) but the water is not visible. it's like i had a leak on the map. i am pretty sure i have none, cause iirc the map is fullbright when there are leaks.

so how do i fix this no water problem?
 
klossi

klossi

L1: Registered
Sep 9, 2009
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hey folks, i fixed the thing with the lights and stuff. i now have lights on my map and they seem to work fine in the cave areas. only problems i have is with the light that comes from the sky. my intention on the daytime was, that it's set in a desert at mid day time. so it should be really hot, and the sun should be in a high angle right above the players. right now however, the sun from the skybox seems to be in a low angle so that there's way too much shadow. can someone help me set up the env_light in a way that fits my ideas?
 
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