[WIP] CP_Avanti_District

[grazr]

A little bump, wow, 4 pages back! :crying:

A little preview.

Compile coming this week.

Clipping: 90%
Lighting: 80%
Hints: 90%
areaportals: When i get around to it%
Layout 100% (undergoing tweaking around 4th cp, having trouble with sniper tower access).
Capture system 100% working (just need to sort out central advanced spawn to switch teams without rounds.
No 3dskybox yet, I'm making it with the map and then reducing it's size, atm probably 50% constructed but i'm working on it.
The map is 90% enveloped in skybox and nodraw.

I wont state a date because everytime i do i get bored or hit a block and leave it for a week. but hopefully within the week.

This is playable, but it wont be good gameplay without the advanced spawns set up, so i am not releasing this untill that is done.. which will probably be the last thing i do >.>

Sorry for more boring hammer shots.

 

[YM]

Get on with it man!!!! Get it released already it looks stunning!

If you've got lucky with the layout (don't know if you've tested it yet) then this will go right up there with the fastlanes and the steels. What you've posted so far really does look great and I just hope the layout is fantastic so people actually play it.
Its definitely one I'm looking forward to.

:thumbup1:

 

[grazr]

The 2nd cp deffinately looks like it would be a fun battelground :love:, easy for a mobile defence, but not so good for sg's.

Right now i am worried about the first area containing cp's 1 and 2 because i have an extensive extension to the side of the map. Unfortunately the props i've used don't have skybox versions (when they should!!!) so I'm really worried about the performance since i cannot place them in the 3dskybox, and displacements have a tendency to ignore leaf nodes and render regardless. I may have to shove in some massive buildings in the end and ruin a very nice skyline at the blu's spawn.. but if performance is really that bad i have no choice.

I'm sorry i've been drawing this out for you guys. You were probably expecting to finally see some ingame shots.. not yet though

I'm doing my best :bored:

soon.. so very soon.

edit: I think i'm going to go with the cp_avante suggestion for the name. I hope the layout is good too, i've made changes from the first compile for good sg positions. Though i am worried the layout is a little open/large and basic. Whilst the 4th cp seems rather complicated.

I would love for it to go up there with the fastlane etc. But i hold out hopes as this is really a remake more than anything, and valve seem to be touchy on these things.

 

[grazr]

First, apolosgies;
for all the images
For unbuilt cubemaps
ss's of fast compile

This is mainly to show whats happening.

jugdements; i need to increase fog distance, and revert to my old sun direction.
Improvements; I need to change some prop fade distances after copy and pasting withing updating them. Some prop shadows still exist in places like tracks. It appears i'll need to try harder with 3d skybox stuff, seems awefully enclosed in some area's (though this might just be the effect of the shadows.) Also need to make a few doors transparent.

There are other general things i was going to comment on but i'm kinda tired.

 

[TheDarkerSideofYourShadow]

Looking good grazr. ETA? I want to give it a whirl

 

[YM]

:woot:

Whats the sun spread angle? I'd advise making the sun higher in the sky and reducing its spread angle so shadows are shaper. Then add the sun prop to the skybox. Then when you compile it with HDR it will look sexy :thumbup1:

oh, and your rooftops need chimneys and smoke!

 

[grazr]

I plan to have a copy out ready for play testing for friday. It'll be interesting..

The old sun angle was higher in the sky (as you recommend), I'll grab it from my older copy. i wasn't aware of that ability to sharpen shadows. I had considered using the sun prop in the skybox also, i guess it's for sure now.

I have tried using chimney's but they often look too big (in hammer). There are a few around, i must have missed them in the ss's. I will add more and see how it goes.

 

[Ida]

Wow, this looks great! I don't think I've even heard about it yet...what a shame! :O

Looking forward to having a look at this when you release it.

 

[Dan2025]

This map has the appearance of an official valve map which I just manage to somehow not...play...yet.

It looks good.

 

[grazr]

Thanks for the compliments guys. I plan to throw out a play testable version Friday, but i'm out that night so it'll probably be saturday if i can't get it out before the evening.

I've fixed the sun angle now, i believe the spawns are also in order. But now i've had to add rounds i'm unsure of how this will play out. I may have problems with the second round not running properly. For some reason, the second cp also capped instantly, though i havn't changed it's properties since i placed it.

I'll come back with some nicer ss tomorrow hopefully.

 

[Snipergen]

Euhh how did I miss this thread? Look brilliant man! But yes like youme said, place the sun higher

 

[grazr]

Yea, this thread does get knocked back onto the next page pretty quickly but as youme mentioned in steam chat, it would probably have been better to tease people with images now and then rather than just "BAM" here you are, a massive update.

I managed to set my sun to how it was before but it appears that still isn't enough, i think i might need the sun practically right above since there are very high buildings and cliffs in this, enclosing the map.

Here is what it looks like now.

So i need to raise the sun even more. A few more props i need to increase the fade distance on just after the second spawn.

At the moment the cap times are very long, it is kind of a feeble attempt to make the level last longer as it is only 4 cp's over 2 stages. That'll have to be resolved through play testing, as will setup time (which is defualt).

I compiled it, and all is ready other than some lanterns that should apparently be prop_dynamic rather than static, the odd fade distance for a prop and the spawn doors not opening (>.>). Oh, and an areaportal that wont turn off when it should. The lighting around the 4th cp is sketchy at best but, it's ready for beta testing really.

I'll address this all tomorrow and put it up here for download. It's to late for gameday this week, maybe next.

 

[TheDarkerSideofYourShadow]

Ah, checkered dirt in the background of the first picture.

 

[00000000000000000000000]

I think the roof in the last picture (the bit that sticks out) needs to be a bit thinner. Everything else looks better than valve work, nice job.

 

[grazr]

Ah, checkered dirt in the background of the first picture.

Yea, i havn't been building my cubemaps yet, since i'm not releasing this version or trying to show the map off, it hasn't seemed necassery.

Yes, that bit that sticks out has been bugging me a while now. I'll get on it.

 

[grazr]

A little update on the lighting.

I apologise for the monotony of the images. Is the lighting to the approval of the locals here?

 

[Vander]

/approves!

Very nice change!

 

[Ida]

I think the lighting is very nice. Well, maybe except in the last pic, that building roughly in the middle seems to be really dark, but I guess my eyes may be playing a trick on me.

Your map looks lovely otherwise, the only thing that sticks out as a bit odd to me is how square and flat those cliffs look.

 

[grazr]

I know what you mean about the cliffs, it was kinda unavoidable unfortunately, the layering of the texture only emphasises it's squareness. The reason it's like that is because this is supposed to represent a quarry, where the cliffs are artificially cut out.

I've placed a light in the building in the background there so it should look better, when you see the inside you'll probably be more forgiving as to why it looks the way it does if not.

When you're walking around the cliffs don't appear as flat as in the ss's, or atleast, as flat as the cliffs on dustbowl. It looks rounder because of the way the cliffs have round "tops". Mine don't. i'm tryig to remedy the top but i'm worried it'll detract from a quarry like illusion.

I think perhaps i need to include some overlays that say "quarry something or other".

 

[grazr]

double post :O

Anyone know what this is?
waterindices 53247/65536 106494/131072 (81.2%) VERY FULL!

It's not a problem.. i was just wondering what the hell it means.

Spawns are working, the whole thing is set up properly now. I'm about to build cubemaps and upload it to the site so people can have a look. Lighting is sparce around the 4th cp, bare with me, i've just heald off enough from releasing this bugger.

The next release will contain full lighting and full hint brush optmisation (both of which sit around the 90% mark. Along with any constructive suggestions to gameplay and details etc.