Spark Detailing Exercise #1: Snowed-In

Flaterectomy

PURPOSE AND RULES
This is a creative, visual exercise that is meant to help you get better at lighting and detailing your levels. There is no need to make your entry abide by unwritten NS2 mapping rules such as limited lines-of-sight, avoiding tactically OP hiding spots, etc.

When submitting your level in this thread, please post enough screenshots from various angles to show off your work, include links to the .level file (or the Steam Workshop page if you published it there), and links to any source material you used. You are free to use concept art, photographs, sketches, or any other sources for inspiration as long as you include them in your submission post. Please try to include your thoughts and motivation for what you were trying to accomplish; point out what you were happy and unhappy with, etc.

Use this thread to post questions, discuss the theme, and eventually post your submission. Once submissions are posted, please try to discuss and post constructive criticism on each entry. If your submission isn't completely done by the end of the specified period, don't sweat it. Just post it, and we will try to provide feedback on what's there.

The rules may change in later exercises.

The theme of this first exercise is:

SNOWED-IN
"A small room on the outskirts of a derelict facility, at least partially exposed to the frozen wastes outside."
Restrictions: floor surface no bigger than 256x256 units (inches). Exterior map, outside of the room, can be as big as you like.
Earliest due date: saturday the 24th.
Latest due date: monday the 26th of october.

GameOver

Units? Inches, Meters?

Flaterectomy

GameOver wrote: »

Units? Inches, Meters?

Inches, edited OP to suit. Thanks!

SamusDroid

I'll give a little help to anyone who isn't familiar with all the cinematics or assets, you can find a snow cinematic here
"Natural Selection 2/ns2/seasonal/holiday2012/cinematics/enviroment/weather/snow_gentle.cinematic"
As well as other general snow stuff here
"Natural Selection 2/ns2/seasonal/holiday2012"

Also, I will hopefully be entering in this

Saffron_baker

nice very nice
but when i open spark editor it's all working good and nice but if i wanna put down a model/entity i can't see the model and when i click on one of the unloaded pictures it lags like crazy a minute or two.
has anyone else experenced this?
if you have please help me!

Flaterectomy

I clarified the room size restriction a bit, adding "Exterior map, outside of the room, can be as big as you like."

BeigeAlert

lussebull wrote: »

nice very nice
but when i open spark editor it's all working good and nice but if i wanna put down a model/entity i can't see the model and when i click on one of the unloaded pictures it lags like crazy a minute or two.
has anyone else experenced this?
if you have please help me!

I'm not quite sure what you mean. You mean props aren't showing up at all?

What do you mean "unloaded pictures"??

Saffron_baker

Like this

And this

Flaterectomy

I believe it should start loading the thumbnails after a while, and the first time you do this it can take a long time as it's generating the thumbnails.

Saffron_baker

Flaterectomy wrote: »

I believe it should start loading the thumbnails after a while, and the first time you do this it can take a long time as it's generating the thumbnails.

ok so i just leave it on for a sertan amount of time?

Flaterectomy

Unless there's something else going on, they should start appearing. I don't think it should take super long, though. If it takes more than say a few minutes, something else might be happening.

EDIT: My own entry is coming along well. I've been recording it, so I will have a new video by the end of it.

SamusDroid

I've wanted to cache those thumbnails and ship it with the game but it seems that will never get done unfortunately

Saffron_baker

Im working on it and it's Goin great but it's hard to get right textures and so on couse the wierd glitch or what ever it is.

BeigeAlert

lussebull wrote: »

Im working on it and it's Goin great but it's hard to get right textures and so on couse the wierd glitch or what ever it is.

Also, to texture, you should use the texture tool, not the texture replace tool. Texture replace is for making large changes to existing textures, not setting textures and aligning them.

Saffron_baker

BeigeAlert wrote: »

lussebull wrote: »

Im working on it and it's Goin great but it's hard to get right textures and so on couse the wierd glitch or what ever it is.

Also, to texture, you should use the texture tool, not the texture replace tool. Texture replace is for making large changes to existing textures, not setting textures and aligning them.

Ok i will do thank you!

Saffron_baker

could the problem be that i don't use the delux verision of ns2?

Flaterectomy

No, that should make no difference at all.

SamusDroid

@lussebull download this https://www.dropbox.com/s/aqlzke7hu3y3ond/cache.zip?dl=0 and put it in %AppData%/Natural Selection 2/Editor and replace the cache folder with this.

Flaterectomy

Stuck? Not sure how to continue? Need some inspiration? Concept art to the rescue! Of course, feel free to ignore these.

Source: inetgrafx.deviantart.com/art/Concept-Snow-Slum-455194120?q=sort:time%20gallery:inetgrafx&qo=0

Source: http://drawingnightmare.deviantart.com/art/Frozen-Corridor-274975529

Source: http://www.bladfx.com/blog/?page_id=1535#prettyPhoto[gallery1]/7/

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/378161699932030400/

Source: http://theguardiansofdestiny.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Scrapers-under-Snow-e1364530235836.png

Source: http://phade01.deviantart.com/art/Big-Hunting-Game-on-an-ice-planet-516021059

BeigeAlert

Just make sure your inspiration is limited to 256x256.

Flaterectomy

The floor surface of your room, yes. :P

Saffron_baker

SamusDroid wrote: »

@lussebull download this https://www.dropbox.com/s/aqlzke7hu3y3ond/cache.zip?dl=0 and put it in %AppData%/Natural Selection 2/Editor and replace the cache folder with this.

Unfortenly it didn't work...

BeigeAlert

lussebull wrote: »

SamusDroid wrote: »

@lussebull download this https://www.dropbox.com/s/aqlzke7hu3y3ond/cache.zip?dl=0 and put it in %AppData%/Natural Selection 2/Editor and replace the cache folder with this.

Unfortenly it didn't work...

Do you see any messages in the output? (Window -> Output if you don't see it).

SamusDroid

Did you restart the editor after doing that

Saffron_baker

Yes i restarted the editor.
And no beige alert.

Flaterectomy

There's one week left to the earliest due date when people can start posting their results. I'd love to hear how you guys have been doing so far. How far along are you? Did maybe have to restart it a few times? Are you struggling with anything? No need for screenshots, that's what the earliest due date is for, but let us know how you're doing.

Saffron_baker

Flaterectomy wrote: »

There's one week left to the earliest due date when people can start posting their results. I'd love to hear how you guys have been doing so far. How far along are you? Did maybe have to restart it a few times? Are you struggling with anything? No need for screenshots, that's what the earliest due date is for, but let us know how you're doing.

I gues you allready know about my problem.
Otherwise it's going okey.
I've got no textures up as of yet.
And need some more
Props out just unsure wich.
Im going with delerict/biodome textures and props if possible.

Asraniel

It has been soooo long i mapped last time! Trying out spark the first time for real for this thread.

I like it. I also know i would never be able to make a complete map, but i really like it

Having real trouble doing the finishing works now, including lights. Really the most complicated part. But i guess that was the point of this thread

BeigeAlert

lussebull wrote: »

Yes i restarted the editor.
And no beige alert.

Sounds like the editor isn't being allowed to read/write from the texture thumnail cache location for some reason...

Have you tried running the editor in administrator mode?

[=Alex=]

256x256 is very small room


Well, I am working on my very small room.
After all it is an exercise of detail right?

Flaterectomy

It's all about the detail! Glad to see you're joining in, Alex!