WiP in WiP, post your screenshots!

[Fruity Snacks]

I don't quite understand what you mean, could you try to explain a bit better?

I'll do my best.

The goal of a level designer is to create levels that emulate the environment set by the game. If the game you are designing for has a lot of rounded corners and ups and downs, it's going to be really weird if you make a map that is kind of flat and square corners. The square corner map might play really well, but it's not a good map for the game because it doesn't fit the environment of the rounded-circle/hilly map.

For TF2, you're emulating realistic environments. Things that we could see almost picture in the real world. I'm sure you've walked around somewhere and have gone "Huh, this would look really cool in TF2" (Just me? nevermind :c) ... thats the environment part of mapping.

Maybe that helps?

 

[Berry]

I'll do my best.

The goal of a level designer is to create levels that emulate the environment set by the game. If the game you are designing for has a lot of rounded corners and ups and downs, it's going to be really weird if you make a map that is kind of flat and square corners. The square corner map might play really well, but it's not a good map for the game because it doesn't fit the environment of the rounded-circle/hilly map.

For TF2, you're emulating realistic environments. Things that we could see almost picture in the real world. I'm sure you've walked around somewhere and have gone "Huh, this would look really cool in TF2" (Just me? nevermind :c) ... thats the environment part of mapping.

Maybe that helps?

I don't know about thinking X would look good within the game, but I've found myself thinking certain roofs would be annoying to clip or complaining to myself about real life sightlines.

 

[Crash]

cough cough

Personally I'm always looking for places to hide skybox edges when I'm driving through a nice scenic landscape.

 

[xzzy]

Real men rip off Viaduct's skybox setup and make the map appear more open than it is.

 

[Fruity Snacks]

When looking at rolling hills in the distance, I always think how nice of skycards they are.

I'm not kidding.

 

[Ælement]

When looking at rolling hills in the distance, I always think how nice of skycards they are.

I'm not kidding.

Glad i'm not the only one.

 

[puxorb]

Sometimes when I walk around my university I imagine myself rocket-jumping to a higher floor in the open gathering spot of one of the buildings. It would actually make travel so much shorter.

And one time a girl held a door open for me and I said OUT LOUD "Z2". I have never face-palmed harder in my entire life.

As for mapping I often critique the floor plan of many of the buildings I walk around and see how they could actually affect gameplay in tf2, so you guys aren't alone.

 

[radarhead]

Now when I go on a bike trip/road trip though the country I now look at every farm and think, "Wow, that's really neat detailing". TF2 has changed my perceptions forever.

 

[Shanghai]

nerds

 

[EArkham]

More non-map crap (and/or shameless vote plugging) from me:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=263164232
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=263167606

Side note, but the scaling thing in SFM is really nice (the crates are scaled down so he can do the Captain Morgan thing).

 

[Pocket]

I paid a lot more notice to the phong shading in real life after I played BioShock the first time.

 

[SSX]

Anyone know how to fix the black static prop in game thing?

 

[Arne]

After a time of hibernation. I felt like that I would try mapping again. Despite that I'm terrible at layout, that's my opinion.
By the way. This time I'm trying to create an asymmetrical koth or possibly an A/D cp map, considering the layout.

 

[ManBeaR]

After a time of hibernation. I felt like that I would try mapping again. Despite that I'm terrible at layout, that's my opinion.
By the way. This time I'm trying to create an asymmetrical koth or possibly an A/D cp map, considering the layout.

Seem very open to snipers.

 

[Fantaboi]

Something a 'lil different. Tale of 2 skillsets phase 2 showcase preview.

 

[Lampenpam]

Anyone know how to fix the black static prop in game thing?

what are you talking about

 

[Arne]

Anyone know how to fix the black static prop in game thing?

Try compiling with -StaticPropLighting and/or -StaticPropPolys in the additional parms.

 

[Berry]

Anyone know how to fix the black static prop in game thing?

You can probably do what others suggested, but you can add and name an info_lighting close to said prop and specify the info_lighting's name in the Lighting Origin parameter of a prop like so:

 

[Fruity Snacks]

I would highly suggest the lighting compile options before using an info_lighting.

 

[Arne]

Useful lighting parms for props as explained here.