Flakey

Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
This is my first release map. A Spytech, Christmas themed, Capture the Flag :p Fast, small and fun - hopefully.

backstory :
Flakey is set in the Alps at the Spytech Executive offices. The Head Spies, from Red and Blue, have their offices here, and are supported by a key team of operatives. This is the pulse of Spytech.

The world of espionage is small, and they long ago put their differences aside - working together and against each other most of the time.

Unfortunately, when they invite their mercenery mates over, the two teams are not always so agreeable.

Latest Pics and community release poster:
flakeyposter.jpg
 
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gamemaster1996

L13: Stunning Member
Sep 30, 2009
1,064
134
Nice like the original image on the main page of the windows.
I would however try and make the windows looks slightly misted up, snowed on, or icy on the windows though however this shouldn't be difficult, but that's just one picky bit of my opinion.

However overall it looks very good and you shouldn't be nervous with this map as it follows the 10 commandments of mapping. :)

Good job :thumbs-up:
 

Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
you shouldn't be nervous with this map as it follows the 10 commandments of mapping. :)

Thanks - pure luck :) though i've searched and read now and they seem solid 8)

Good idea re windows. I've had to swap them from fishtank to reinforced glass already due to their expanse / clarity. I think i'll try using snow overlays, or try to make an ice one....

I'm sorry i've not got the actual file up yet. Been working on it for 18 hours solid now, sorting skybox displacements (wow - they are as easy to get wrong as everyone warned me....), player clipping signs/props, but most of all - and this has killed me, I can't get the snow to fall for some reason. It's custom snow made with the particle editor and it's worked in a1-a4.....so why it isn't working now i've no idea. My friend Jim made the snow for me so it was nice and flakey. I tried replacing it today, because it was beyond me and i'm extremely new to mapping, following the dev wiki and various googled links (couldn't find one here, but I am a little senile).

I really must stop soon - but i'm just going to try a few more ideas. At least I got my overlays and custom models (credits all to follow) pakratting fine :)

So...that's the present state of play. As soon as I can, it will be up for download and feedback (i'd be very grateful), as well as running on the Map Lab at our community - playstuff.
 
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Exist

L6: Sharp Member
Oct 31, 2009
306
136
Nice overlay useage

in the 5th screenie, is that an overlay over an invisible textured brush?

:O I'm jacking that idea!
 

Nutomic

L11: Posh Member
Feb 7, 2009
888
177
in the 5th screenie, is that an overlay over an invisible textured brush?

:O I'm jacking that idea!

Looks more like a glass texture :p

Looking nice, but move your lights a bit away from the ceiling to prevent those light dots you have.
 

Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
Cheers guys! What a nice feeling after all these hours work :) Am slowly getting there. Got the snow working - it was as totally stooopid error on my part - so simple I hadn't checked it. Thanks to the particles Jimbomcb made me, it's nice big Flakey snow :D Lets hope the gameplay stacks up - there are changes in this version that haven't been tested (extra route to intel for one)

For some reason i'm now crashing on compile of VIS, but there are no leaks left and the area portals are sound...hmmm. At least i've grabbed a nights sleep now....back to it.

@Exist - It's just fishtank glass with an overlay - i'm going to make a bold frame for it though as it is VERY hgh quality and therefore not well defined.

@Nutomic - Thanks. I will do that. I plan to replace alot of the light soon - been having great fun playing with the lighting prefabs that I downloaded - just wanted to make sure how they work in a test map before sticking them in here. Don't plan to be so shy of prefabs once I understand how everything works...why reinvent the wheel :)
 
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StoneFrog

L6: Sharp Member
May 28, 2008
395
81
Very nice, clean design. One of the numerous quickie maps that I'm sure will be great fun over the holidays! May I suggest modifying the tree's lights so that there's multiple colors at once? Hell, perhaps you could do something nifty such as switching all the lights to red/blue when the respective team caps. :p
 

Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
Cheers :)

The lights are pretty modded already ;) There's 8 different patterns and combinations of colours... red, blue and green. I toyed with them reflecting capture, but i preferred it flashing tbh. Me and Jimbomcb - who's built the christmas lights logic for me, will tweak them once we're doing the final pretties - it would be good to make them stop what they are doing at cap and flash as you suggested though :D

I plan to add some custom speech - for caps etc - just sweet talking my wife to do her best Christmassy Announcer impression for my mic :p
 
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Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
Damn, i'm having huge problems getting it to compile with vis :( Switching Area portals off does nothing to help - vis still hanging at 3..

The more bugs that get thrown up, the more I procrastinate over adding details - which means at this rate this is going to be uploaded as b1....for which I apologise.

Here's some Flakes - at last!

ctf_flakey_a50000.jpg

ctf_flakey_a50001.jpg
 
Aug 10, 2009
1,240
399
quick question, what is the power of those displacements, they look REALLY smooth especially the tunnel in one of your screenies. Also, what's the snow texture you are using? is it custom?

As for the optimization, make sure the skybox isn't a literal box encompassing your map, and make sure you have func_detail'd where necessary :)
 
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Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
Cheers for the advice 8)

Re displacements, The skybox ones are x4 - though they don't need to be, my bad as I had thought I was going for more angular mountains but they didn't look good.

The main 'map' mountains, around the buildings, are poor little 2s, and the tunnel is a 3 - just gently coaxed and shrunk a little. I'd love to claim credit for the Tunnel - it's a sweet displacement - but it was a more experienced mapper - Jimbomcb - that redid my originals and did a fine job 8)

If I tell you the snow texture I'll have to shoot you :p

......ok then, shoot me, it's HL2 snow - believe me, I tried every other option first, TF2 wasn't reflective enough to give a special christmassy feel....erm, a custom painted job looked as bad as you'd expect a texture to look when it's the first one anyone has made :p It's the only non tf2 texture in the map and I've decided I have to be bold - with the excuse that it's Christmas :p I felt it worked - looked good. Whilst I personally am not a fan of non tf2 textures or models in maps, sometimes I believe there are compelling reasons to veer. It compliments the custom snow flake particles in the map nicely too.

I've func detailed pretty much everything I can think to. I have a fair number of area portals - especially with all the glass - I've sorted the fps issue I had - skybox leak - and brushed off all the bits anyone could get caught on...


Bit of a frantic schedule tbh but worth it for Christmas : right, gotta go and work my butt off detailing and making some Spy Boss furniture :p I've firmly decided there's no point releasing an alpha for download - it's so close to 'the season' that i'll detail to a point and get the beta out. It's not like I haven't tested the layout - which hasn't changed since a4 that we have on our servers.
 
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lana

Currently On: ?????
aa
Sep 28, 2009
3,075
2,778
Those tunnels need more buttresses. What's holding them up?
 

Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
for sure. about to start adding lots of spytech girders and buttresses for b2. was a struggle to get b1 out today and I wanted to as I did an interview of a podcast about Playstuff. 20 hours solid hammering away and couldn't get happy with lighting. it's pretty bad in places , so there are lots of things i had to sacrifice to meet the deadline.
 

Colt Seavers

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 30, 2007
288
82
cheers :) lots to detail yet though.

Screenshot wise, i'm glad you asked :p A friend - Sleeper Service - wrote us a program - we're releasing it as a Playstuff app soon - but you can get a sneak peak - in full working (albeit alpha) form, here Playstuff Steam Screen Shot Viewer

You then take your screenies in high quality TGA format and use the Playstuff Steam Screenshot Viewer to convert them all, i usually go for .png, reduce their size, erm, batch upload to ftp....

We're currently building in dropbox to take advantage of it's awesomeness.