[WIP] ctf_Aerospace

Arhurt

L6: Sharp Member
May 7, 2008
315
140
So, as promised, here is my ctf_Aerospace map WiP thread and my semi-intro.

I'm a slightly not-sane person who likes games so much that I want to make my own. I chose the Source engine, and especially TF2, as my starting point because:

  • Valve rocks and HL, HL:2 and The Orange Box are superb.
  • I am a half decent modeller/texturer/artist and TF2 offers me the chance to exploit these skills.

I have mapped for HL in the past, back at 1998, but never came close to anything good. I then took a hiatus from mapping until may this year, when I started working on this map.

As I said, I'm not a totally sane person, and I like to detail, report and show off all my work. So expect this thread to be, literally, stuffed with pictures, descriptions, sketches and anything else I may think is important to the making of this map.

I started doing this map at Made in Brazil, that's where I am from, and you can find the original thread in here. There should be some more images and step-by-steps there, but most of the great stuff is already here.

Anyway, I guess you want to know what this map is all about after so much reading eh?

Well, there's more reading then!

Yea, I mean the map's context, story, description:

ctf_Aerospace

Story

"The Government has issued a contract for the creation of the new line of combat planes that are to be the standard for the near future. Two rivalling companies, Red Aerospace and Blue Aviation, are now battling for the contract.
After many months of lawsuits, legal actions and speculation, the The Government has decided to let both companies create a prototype, and has given advanced funding to both. At the end of the deadline, both prototypes will be analyzed and the best one fully produced, giving it's parent company will recieve the funding of a gazillion dollars for it.
Unfortunately, the production must be carried out in a secret location, and both companies have been given one half of the terrain to estabilish their facilities.
After many months of hard work, espionage and peeking over the walls, they each have their own prototype ready ahead of time. They could use this extra time to make their plane better, but stealing the opponent's blueprints and sabotaging their planes seems like a better option.
And so their facilities have became a warzone."​

Research and inspiration

Following the great design of TF2, I decided that each base should have their own unique look.

  • Blue would use a lot of concrete, metal and angular lines. Their prototype would be based on the early jet fighters of the end of WWII.
  • Red woul use wood and copper, curved lines. Their prototype would be based on the famous Fokker DrI plane.

Blu_Ref02.jpg


Blu_Ref01.jpg


Red_Ref02.jpg


Red_Ref01.jpg


First Sketches

Bases.jpg


Concept_Blue.jpg


Concept_Red.jpg


Blu-BaseSketch.jpg


The two structures that I decided would be most important where the Control Tower and the Hangar. I also liked the first sketch so much that I decided to use it as my point of start for the whole base layout.

Level Layout

These where the first layouts I created.

Layout_02.jpg


Each base would basically have two exits, one trough the Office building and into the Yard area. The other trough the Sewers.

Layout_01.jpg


The Intel and Spawnroom would be inside the Hangar.
The Sewer has two entrances/exit, one behind the Hangar and another behind the Tower. A third passage would be an open sewer cap near the lower corner of the base, but it would be only a way in, the only possible way to enter the base trough this hole would be to blast jump your way up.
The Office would offer the main connection between the base and the Yard, with sniper platforms and places for spies and pyros to get their game going.

Layout_03.jpg


This height map shows where ascout can double-jump (light grey, the barricades), a soldier can go with a rocket-jump (mid-grey, the Hangar ceilling and the first level of the Office) and where a Demoman can get with a standard Sticky-jump (black area on the top of the Office, but not the top of the Tower).

Layout_04.jpg


Finally, this gives an idea about the size of the entire map and feel of the two airports.

Airplanes

As central pieces to the map's look, these demand careful planning. As I said, I was more a modeller than a mapper at this point, so I needed to make at least one of these complete models to get myself togheter and start mapping the beast.

Blue_Jet.jpg


Red_Baron.jpg


RedOriginal.jpg


bluoriginal.jpg


These two last are real pintings, I like to go from digital to real as it gives me creativity freedom.

Visual Identity

Blue_ID.jpg


Red_ID.jpg


Red Baron Model

RedBaronNot01.jpg


OMG!!! That's awful!

Baron01-1.jpg


My eyes burn!

Baron405.jpg

Baron406.jpg

Baron407.jpg

Baron401.jpg


Now we are talking!

I got to the end and made this a full Source model, with shadow models, LoDs and all:

lodc5.jpg

lodc2.jpg

lodc4.jpg


Hammer sketches

ctf_aerospace0006.jpg


ctf_aerospace0009.jpg


ctf_aerospace0010.jpg


ctf_aerospace0001.jpg


OMG! That's awful (remember that I only have been back to mapping for a few weeks).

More sketches

ctf_aerospace07.jpg


ctf_aerospace03.jpg


Where I am now

ctf_aerospace_030009.jpg


ctf_aerospace_030008.jpg


ctf_aerospace_030013.jpg


ctf_aerospace_030012.jpg


ctf_aerospace_030011.jpg


Fence Model

I'm still more a modeller than a mapper, so I must create and finish a model now and then.

ctf_aerospace_030005.jpg


ctf_aerospace_030004.jpg


Well than, that's it for now, I'll be posting here more regularly with updates, and a truckload of questions!

Thanks for watching, comments, criticizm, or random posts of praise are encouraged!
 
Last edited:

DJive

Cake or Death?
aa
Dec 20, 2007
1,465
741
holy.. wow just.. wow..

I'm highly impressed at your creative process and I will certainly be watching this
 

Spike

L10: Glamorous Member
Feb 13, 2008
716
82
Holy s***... looks amazing
 

TheDarkerSideofYourShadow

L10: Glamorous Member
Apr 12, 2008
792
286
The amount of thought that you've put into this map is astounding. Usually my maps are just scribbles in the margins of my notebooks for when I get bored during class.
 

Fireman

L4: Comfortable Member
Mar 21, 2008
150
59
Your sketches put the scribbles I've done to shame...makes me want to rethink my whole design process.

The concept you have here is outstanding, I'm going to be waiting impatiently for your first release!
 

Arhurt

L6: Sharp Member
May 7, 2008
315
140
Hey! Thanks a lot for all the replies, I'm very happy that you like what I have done so far.

Hopefully my way of doing things has inspired you as well. As I said on I sure am rusty on my hammer-fu and there is a lot to study on the source engine. Heck it took me a few tries to get the Phong shading working on the Redbaron model!

If I could have more hours a day and the energy to keep up, I'd create every map, illustration, sculpt and text that crosses my mind. But alas, I only have 24Hrs, and I have to sleep, eat, work and more in between my current obsession.
I've found out that keeping notes, documenting, and sharing my work is the best way to keep my interest in a single project, or at least a manageable number of projects and feedback such as this is what really gets me motivated, so thanks again!

Sure I'll release all my models for free use after I'm done, but not before that, sorry, at least not the big ones such as the planes. Heck I'll even give you the .obj files o you can tinker them yourself. I'll be putting the fence up soon, just need to get a few more junctions and variations done.

About Blu vs Blue. Is it Blu in every other map? I haven't really noticed that but maybe it's one of those things your brain filters automatically...

Vander, I see you play Guild Wars. Great game, I love it. So much indeed that I ended up in there myself (check under Trivia). Add Gerhalt Abinhood to your friends list if you want.
 

Vander

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Feb 16, 2008
506
215
Thats pretty awesome! I added you in Guild Wars as a friend. You can find me as Mr Vanderbilt.

btw, how did you know I play GW? Did somebody *gasp* actually go read my blog? :D
 

Arhurt

L6: Sharp Member
May 7, 2008
315
140
Yes, definately, playtesting is a must! I'm still building the whole sewer area, as soon as I finish it I'll start testing it while I model the blue plane. Should be ready by next week.
 

Arhurt

L6: Sharp Member
May 7, 2008
315
140
jet.jpg


Will hopefully texture it over the weekend :)

And here is another sketch. One of the guys over at MiB tought that the platforms over at the hangar where too thin, and I explained it was something I saw at the Aerospace museum where the structures inside the hangar are all attached to the ceiling by cables, so that if a plane has to go trough there, they can "lift" the whole thing up to free space for the wings. The stair is retractable.

This:
ctf_aerospace_030008.jpg


Hopefully will resemble a batter looking version of this:
009.jpg


The stair detail:
ctf_aerospace09.jpg


I don't plan on animating the stair at this point, simply because I don't want to go trough all the fuss of getting the animation into the .qc file for studiomdl, will be on a future update though.

Take care.
 
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Half-Life_Maniac

L3: Member
Nov 30, 2007
122
89
Looking good so far.

I've only 2 complaints at the moment:

1) As already mentioned, "Blue" should be "BLU".

2) I'm affraid that the sewers are going to be too long. I imagine it could be pretty boring going through sewers all the way from one end of the map to the other. I'd suggest making something more interesting, which would also fit in more with the airport/secret base thing. Maybe it could be more secret base (with plenty of inacessable rooms behind windows) to make some more playable area. Perhaps a short bit of sewer could be used in the middle to seperate RED and BLU.