artpass_draco18s

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
Starting to get to the point where I have some fairly impressive screenshots. Still got a long way to go, but I figure a little bit every day (I get about three hours weekdays) and I'll have something really nice by September 25th.

I was really having trouble trying to figure out what this map was supposed to be, the construction is all over the place, but after a day or two thinking about it and reading the giant 23 page thread and people asking about the swamp theme I thought that'd work pretty well.

Point A doesn't have nearly as deep of water as I'd have liked, but raising it up any loses some of the displacement work, and stops being subtle.

The weird cave wall behind it near C I textured with a custom texture I created some time ago (actually before I had to upgrade from Windows 7 RC) so I no longer have the original png image that went into it, but I'd saved the vtf when I backed up my mapping exploits (you can see the texture in the second screenshot, although blurry from the distance).

I also had a lot of fun under point C, even though there's almost no other detail work that's been done in the area! And no, falling onto the boat won't actually save you, though for a while you could avoid the kill brush by triple jumping down that tunnel. Humorous, because you couldn't get back out again; thought about adding a health kit down there just to tease people.

The stairs lead up to another "hole in the wall" passageway that goes no where, and while I have yet managed to jump onto it (without using the dock, though I did just think of something else to try) it doesn't go anywhere and features another kill brush. I may eventually lead it into red spawn for something to look at (separated by a gate, or somesuch).

My pit needs a gator. Gator got.

Bayou tours! Don't feed the animals!
 
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Detattol

L1: Registered
Jul 25, 2010
43
4
...........Amazing. Truly amazing. Although that tunnel.......Wow. Maybe you should maek the entire area down there, save a few feet of clearence to C, Trigger...Kill? xD

I love this map man! I hope mine turns out as original. Then again, Mine has more Nukes than the US Military and the Spetsnaz put together! XD

Keep up the Epic job man!
 

Jetti

L5: Dapper Member
May 2, 2010
226
111
Not sure if I like the thing under C. Not only is it misleading, it also seems to be using a HL2 prop (the... heh, Jetty.) Try putting it deeper underground maybe?
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
Maybe you should maek the entire area down there, save a few feet of clearence to C, Trigger...Kill? xD

Oh, it is. The trigger_hurt is actually under the water's surface, but the effect is the same (asside from falling through non-solid props :p ). Moving that up could work, but I think it'd be less interesting.

Not sure if I like the thing under C. Not only is it misleading,

I see your point, and it is a valid issue. I'm going to try and work on it a bit, but I wanted the point over C to actually be something to fight over, rather than a point over an open pit.

it also seems to be using a HL2 prop (the... heh, Jetty.)

Hey, limitations on props. You look for a dock, you get a doc. Sometimes you can't help it. Though I will try out the jetty from the swamp pack, but I don't think it'll be long enough. I'd model my own stuff if I could, but I refuse to deal with XSI and suck at 3D stuff in general anyway (I am going to regret having to create and alter my own displacements).

Try putting it deeper underground maybe?

You mean farther down, or pushed down the tunnel?

I could probably do either. Pushing it farther down means it's less visible (less interesting) and that it might break immersion for the water height to vary across the map. The pit's water is already something like 150, 200 units below another nearby bit of water (that cave wall area), but is still close enough to be believable.

I've also been thinking about moving the point itself down so that it is (on) the dock, utilizing the stairs to get back up again, though I worry about altered gameflow at that point.

I'll probably make that kind of change late in the process so I can have two "versions" of the map, one without possible gameflow alterations, and one with.
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
Quick and dirty screenshot of the alterations to point C I'd mentioned.

Questionably alters gameplay, but does remove the need for the dock prop and the strangeness of having stuff under the point.

I still want a gator in the water though, to justify the instant death.
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
Never use something from HL2 in a tf2 map... It's going to look cool but it destroys the "TF2" part of the map.

Textures are easy to replace. I posted the picture for other kinds of feedback.

Hell, nothing else in that entire room is textured.
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
Nice retexture of the map

I'm not entirely sure if you're being condescending or not.

And I am doing more than retexturing. I go through multiple passes as I decide that things are out of place or could use more detail (I'm planning on completely redoing point A as I've figured out where exactly my theme is).
 

Goombac

L4: Comfortable Member
Mar 27, 2010
172
84
Did you move Point C down to the dock? Because I'd say that changes it too much. Players can no longer jump over the gap off the point. But I'd say everything else is lookin good (except for the HL2 Textures of course :p).
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
Did you move Point C down to the dock? Because I'd say that changes it too much. Players can no longer jump over the gap off the point. But I'd say everything else is lookin good (except for the HL2 Textures of course :p).

Yeah, I moved it down. I do agree that it does change where you can go from the point, which is why I don't want to do it.

But at the same time, it does look better (and the textures have been replaced).

Attached is another (via Hammer) section I've been working on (and I'm starting to get used to the displacement tools). Includes a new custom texture, blending the one rock type (existing) to another (mine). I didn't want to keep using the same limited set of textures and having to find ways of hiding the edges. Doesn't look entirely realistic, but it looks natural.
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
Screenshot dump.

14c4lrr.png

ibxg1s.png

316w9b7.png
 

Jetti

L5: Dapper Member
May 2, 2010
226
111
You completely ripped the style of that last image from J4CK8, you copycat.
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
You completely ripped the style of that last image from J4CK8, you copycat.


I borrowed what he did with the room for inspiration ("generator room"), but I built it in my own way, as I have with a number of other areas. I'm not done in that room either.

The construction of my room is closer to the Valve layout, I didn't create a lowered area, different textures, etc. I've also done a lot of "oh, yeah, that prop. I need that prop" when I see things that I haven't found on my own; there are simply too many props and many of them that aren't named as something I'd think to look for them as (for example, the red metal barrier near A that came with the map: I'd never have looked for that by typing "sniper" or "fence").
 

J4CK8

L11: Posh Member
Mar 4, 2009
820
243
Yes it is similar style to mine, but it's also quite different. I don't mind if someone makes a similar looking area to part of my map, I'll admit I've looked at others and thought "yeah, that looks nice, maybe I'll incorporate it somehow in my map" but I make sure I don't making it look exactly the same. The only real similartity between our two rooms is the generator. (And tbh, I'm looking at that texturewise and thinking "hmmm....yeah maybe" :p )

Just so long as it doesn't look the same as mine, (as in, windows where mine are with similar rooms, supports like mine, a lower area etc) I'm not bothered :)
 

Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
(And tbh, I'm looking at that texturewise and thinking "hmmm....yeah maybe" :p )

There aren't many red metal textures. :p

And it's used all over the staircases in the map anyway (check the backsides of the metal stairs Valve textured).

Some rough screenshots.

2nujamc.png

2hi76dk.png
 
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