When to build cubemaps

[Jeremy]

So in the recent test of my map, one of the complaints was that the map had unbuilt cubemaps. I'd always been led to believe that cubemaps should only really be built for maps in the RC stage, and my map is currently in early alpha. And while some people apparently build cubemaps about two or three versions into an alpha, I've seen many late-beta maps with unbuild cubemaps with no noticeable difference in terms of general gameplay.

So my question is this: When is the best time to build cubemaps?

 

[Bloodhound]

In my opinion you should build cubemaps as soon as you have water, glas or a prop with a reflectiv texture in your map.
The pink-black-textures are annoying and (in case of glas) manipulate gameplay.
To place some cubemaps in needed places and build them for hdr and ldr is an extra timeeffort of ~10 minutes,
so please spend our eyes some nice reflections.

 

[Ravidge]

I build cubemaps for every single public release I make. It takes no time at all, and I do it the same time I take screenshots for the thread update.

It's about impressions in my opinion. A player will feel that the map is worse than it actually is just by seeing those checkers constantly. That's just my theory though. Why intentionally give people something to complain about?

 

[grazr]

Pretty much what Bloodhound has said. Doing cubemaps becomes a simple routine after you've done it a couple times already. At first i wouldn't do it fully until late beta because my computer didn't like HDR. But when i got a new computer i had no excuses. If you're gonna have reflective surfaces you might as well have a couple cubes. Maybe it's acceptable with only your first release, but perhaps that is encouraging a bad habit of you not wanting to do cubes.