Here's a few pics of some recent changes. Two areas I was not totally satisfied were the starting area for Blu and then the final deck where the ending pit is. I made some changes based on some of your comments here and I do like some of the changes. I kept the wood decking around the pit but made the actual flat deck of the pit with concrete rather then wood. I also changed the entry area to the pit. I kinda like it but but I was thinking of changing that to some kinda wood platform, maybe. I also used more red wood texture in the red base as recommended, I do like it better. I also changed some of the lighting at the red base but it still needs more tweaking. I also added another sniper fence to the ending platform to give red another sentry location near the pit, but from another direction. I also added some little stairs to the endpit platform for some detail and because it was a little too tall and you had to jump up on it, so the stairs are nice.
On the Blu side, I like the changes but there is one major thing bugging me and not fitting my eye right. First, the changes, you can tell from the earlier screenshots what was changed. I thought the first turn was good but the 2nd turn going into the first checkpoint I felt was too narrow and not enough structural uniqness. I did not like the stairs going to an upper level from the small rock cliff so I removed that entirely. I like the new route much better. There is a small area of rooms just off the track and you can enter in two separate areas (the steps nearest the checkpoint before the 2nd turn or the stairs at the first turn). That area leads right to the checkpoint itself. I also made the area where the 2nd turn is larger, I felt the scale there needed to be a little bigger. I also extended the map further for not only viewing but also to let some more natural light into that area but used the fence to keep the playable area to what I wanted. I also lowered the building right near the tracks at turn 1 and 2 to also let in more sunlight, since it comes from that direction.
As you can see, alot of the roof tops are different in Blu area due to the changes but the one thing that surely isn't fitting my eye right now is the small set of dark blu towers between 1st turn and 2nd turn. I didn't want to use angled roofs because they are more of the sqaured brick type of buildings but I don't like how the tops look. I thought of raising one higher to break up the look but it NEEDS something more then that. I could really really use some ideas for that area right there.
As usual, there still are alot of lighting tweaks needed and details to the rooms so no need to comment on those. I think I finally settled on a skybox and sun angle that I like which looks good in all parts of the map.
As soon as I can fix these blu roofs I am talking about, and fix my ending explosion along with some lighting tweaks, it's ready to release for beta early next week. Everything else is working fantastic (train moves and captures all points, logic's are working just fine, forward spawns, reverse spawns, gates, cart, triggers). I just can't seem to get my explosion to work. The carts caps the final point and the round ends, just without a boom...........doh. I will get that fixed.
Thanks guys.
