WiP in WiP, post your screenshots!

[Shaar]

Just a few photos from a map that I am working on with someone else (CBC's Kukri). Most of stage one is done, stage 2 and 3 need to be touched up. the payload is unprogrammed for the time being.


blue spawn stage 1:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40004.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40005.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40006.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40007.jpg

Stage 1 part 1:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40008.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40009.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40010.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40011.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40012.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40013.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40014.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40015.jpg

stage 1 part 2:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40016.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40017.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40018.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40020.jpg

red spawn stage 1:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40019.jpg

stage 2 dam:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k52/ulf2/pl_mountain_40021.jpg

 

[YM]

This doesn't exist yet.

 

[ProfFiendish]

Ooh, is this the beginnings of a 5-point linear cp map? Would love to see more custom maps of this gametype.

 

[YM]

Its not 5 point linear, its an rr (rocket riot) which is a new gamemode that chrono and magic potato are developing, so far theirs is similar to the DOM gamemode that thebladeroden developed but with an extra bit at the end. I however intend to merge their mode with a linear cp map.

 

[The Asylum]

My first serious attempt at Spytech.

I just don't know what the put on the walls though

Yep, still workin on MeleeFort.

Finally got my Areaportals working too. You've come along way, baby.

My first displacements! Hooray!!

 

[drunkie]

Blue Intel room for ctf_waste

(i only really have the lighting for the inside of it, thats why the surroundings are so dark.)

 

[The Asylum]

How did you get the intel tilted up like that?

 

[drunkie]

How did you get the intel tilted up like that?

Just transform -> rotate the entity Although it might not be the greatest thing. After a player drops the flag its tilted like that only more snug to the floor. So the flag model clips through the flooor as it rotates.

 

[Username]

Have you tried moving the center of the intel entity to make so it doesn't clip when it rotates?

 

[Trust]

Bump lol.

 

[Cerious]

Bump lol.

This is an overload of trees, this will be a royal pain in the ass to optimize. Move the mountain up closer, and reduce the number of trees. One way to do this is to line trees at the top carefully so you don't expose the bottom of them, and sparsely place a few at the base of the tree.

 

[Rexy]

This is an overload of trees, this will be a royal pain in the ass to optimize. Move the mountain up closer, and reduce the number of trees. One way to do this is to line trees at the top carefully so you don't expose the bottom of them, and sparsely place a few at the base of the tree.

B-B-But, without trees, how will we have oxygen to breathe?!?!?! :crying:

 

[Vigilante212]

B-B-But, without trees, how will we have oxygen to breathe?!?!?! :crying:

Fear not the spy behind you shall ease your suffering.

 

[Vigilante212]

Yea if you want to keep the trees make a 3d skybox with them. I believe someone released a skybox tree model pack in the models section. another thing. Trees will always grow straight up not on an angle like some of yours it just looks goofy.

 

[Sgt Frag]

So harsh on the trees.

I contest some of those remarks and agree with some.

True alot of trees and you can use the skybox ones. BUT Valve didn't put those rocks in skybox vers so recreating that exactly could be tough.

The reason it would be hard to optmize isn't because the amount of trees as much as how open the area is. Really that IS an area and might not need to be optimized. It looks about the size of an arena map and those are almost drawn in full the whole time. Lumberyard for exm, I can see bots in wireframe fromspawn to spawn.

Trees don't grow crooked, but wind and errosion and age do cause them to lean.
Valve also leaned trees. Although maybe not to that extent.

As for the skybox trees optimizing it more than non-skybox trees, that's just not true. The skybox version I believe are exact copies. Same polys, same tex. Once the tex is loaded it is loaded. If the polys are the same then the same poly count is on screen.
in fact the skybox trees are always drawn if I am correct but world trees have the possibility of being not drawn due to area-portals. So it might actually be better to have them in world space.

The real problem is the amount of leafs used to make such a large mountain. Skybox helps cut that down.

 

[Trust]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! And Frag for that quite useful info! Speaking of optimization, I don't really see any problem on that part when I played. In case any of the people I play with will notice any performance drop, I'll cut down on the trees.

Get it, get it? CUT DOWN on the TREES! Lol!


Aaaaanyways...Some trees do indeed look a little out of shape, I might make them more stable. And goofyness? Isn't that whats TF2 about, eh!

Speaking of performance, it's a quite small and open arena map, so I'm living on the edge right there. But hell, who are we if not man who want to make open maps with ridiculous amounts of trees? Free oxygen to breathe! Distraction for everyone so that the spy can backstab them! Oh, all the good stuff that comes with that! Maybe even a place for demoman to see if he can fire sticky all the way to the trees! The possibilities for that are endless! Long live the trees! Tree friendly maps for the win!

Am I right, guys? Who's with me!

Guys?

 

[Ian_Suffix]

EDIT: Whoops, I forgot which page I was on and made a rather obsolete statement. As an apology, here's how I'm fixing the too-long elevator in Platform 1. Notice that a floor has been removed and the side elevators have been replaced with spiral stairs. The side elevators were cool, but they weren't an efficient method of ferrying the Offensive team.

 

[Dustoxx]

My first (arena) map for TF2... It's something like mp_showdown.

The "inside" of the building

A little overview

 

[ClydeJr]

Obligatory "first map" post incoming. I originally tried to create some giant grandiose payload map. Unfortunately after getting only a short distance in, I realized that I was way over my head on this since I was spending less time mapping and more time sticky-jumping around what I had built. I then read on these forums a couple pieces of advice for first time mappers:

1. Keep it simple, stupid (aka the KISS concept).
2. Your first map will most likely be crap since you're still learning the editor so there's a good chance you'll never release it.

I decided to start over with a basic CTF map. I know a lot of people don't like CTF maps but since this will probably just be an exercise in learning the mapping editor, CTF will work. Almost all CTF maps (and some CP maps) are mirror images so once I get half the structure completed, I can just copy/paste, flip it around, and connect it to get the full map. That means I really only need to design half a map.

I thought about a concept for a while, something that might make this map different from others. One thing that kept coming back to me was elevation. Having one player higher than the other creates interesting scenarios. Since I was doing a mirrored map, I couldn't make one side higher than the other. Even if it wasn't mirrored, it would still create a big imbalance. I could make the center high. When you come over the center ridge, you wouldn't really know what to expect. You'd also be silhouetted against the sky for snipers. I could make the center low but that would also give snipers a complete view of the area, plus there wouldn't be many surprises since everyone can see the field. So I decided to take the elevation and turn it 90 degrees.

The map is built on the side of a mountain with the two bases which house the intel across from each other. That means when you stand in the door of the blue base and look at the red base, uphill is to the left and downhill is to the right. When you stand at the red base looking at blue, its switched. Right now, that picture is just the basic outside structure. Crap texturing, bases non existent, no bridges or anything.

Down the middle there will be a canyon that will need to be crossed. There is going to be three tiers to the outside area. The high tier is narrow and should have a lot of obstacles so you can't just run straight through. The gap on the high tier is small so anyone including a heavy should be able to jump it. The middle tier is wider and more open. The gap is too wide for most characters to jump except scouts, soldiers, and demos. There will be a bridge so people can cross but it won't provide much cover. The lowest tier will be the widest and most open. The gap is very wide but will have a protected bridge crossing it.

The elevation difference between the tiers will prevent most classes crossing from a low tier to a high tier. Soldiers/demos can rocket/sticky jump up. I'm going to add some platform areas where a scout can double jump up to a higher tier. For all other classes, there will limited transition ramps between the levels.

The uphill side will have a nearly vertical wall there that can't be jumped over. I might put a couple ledges up high where a enterprising demo/soldier could go. There won't be any cover so they should be sniperbait. The downhill side will be a dropoff. Anyone that runs off/gets blasted off will fall to their death. I am planning on adding some barricades at the edge by the bases. They'll be tall next to the base and get shorter as they go away from the base.

Other items:

• Basic story behind the map is that a large supply of the rare element unobtainium has been found in the mountain and both sides are trying to get to it. The intel is the plans to their respective mining machines.
• I haven't even started on the bases. No idea how they will be. Probably going to have them carved into the mountainside. One thing I'd like to have in the bases is a room with the actual mining machine inside. Probably will be sealed with a large glass wall. I'm thinking BLU will have some sort of laser miner while RED will have something more mechanical with spinning blades of doom.
• I'd like to add a foggy layer to the dropoff so you can't see the bottom.
• Alternate path #1: Create a tunnel that starts on the high tier, goes underground, crosses the canyon (you have to jump), and then comes up the other side.
• Alternate path #2: I'll probably have a path that runs from the bottom on the canyon by the dropoff and work its way back to the top along the edge.
• I'm also thinking of ways to block the line of sight for snipers. While there should be some good LOS avenues for them, I don't want them to dominate the wide open area. Besides rock formations and buildings, I've thought of maybe having some sort of rock arch that crosses the gap which blocks a lot of the view.

That's it so far.

 

[HeaH]

Damn ClydeJr, it really looks like your on the right path

Actually my story is very similar to you. I too started on a huuuge PL map but realised it would be too much work. I also spend most of my time stickyjumping, lol
Right now I'm not really working on a map, mostly just trying to get a picture of a map in my head