Ns_horizon screenshots

CallMessiah · September 2002

<div class="IPBDescription">First screenshots</div>After working on this thing forever (I'm porbably the slowest mapper in the known universe), I finally decided to put up some screenshots, because I really need some advise.
What I want to know is, what you thing of the light level, if the shots are bright enough or even to bright, because depending on the time of the day I work on them, I think of either one of the two possibilities.
I didn't use an env_gamma on these, I tried, but I didn't think it looked good at all, so I took it back out.
So, now here I give you the first picture of the room directly in front of my shuttlebay hive...

CallMessiah · September 2002

This second picture is of a hallway, one of the few, leading to the hive. The watertexture below the floor comes from a post mecha made ages ago, from where I, to say the truth, ripped it without asking. It may therefore be temporary, although I really like it.
So, back on the lighting... of course any other criticism is welcome too...

realityisdead · September 2002

The lighting looks great to me... I can see things just fine, yet it's plenty moody. I really like the creative design of your stuff here. Looks totally unique. If I had to find a thing to criticize here, it would be that some of the geometry looks a bit plain/boring in some places. Like the upper wall in that first shot or the raised walkways in the same shot. Some angled or otherwise interesting brushes might help these areas out a bit.

Overall it looks really great though. Like I said, I like the design and style you've got in this one. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

CallMessiah · September 2002

Well thanks, that was a quick reply...
The left side of the first shot I think I'll have you change, as you said. Actually I wanted to put something like a computer terminal along the wall, just somehow got distracted by something else I guess. Now that you point it out, I wonder how could actually leave it like that...

Trane · September 2002

some of the infestation looks akwardly cut off, espeacially the ceiling in the first shot. I dont know how you would go about fixing it, but I'd try to make it not end so abruptly. The shots look really good though. Maybe we could see the layout?

C0nan_The_Librarian · September 2002

Looks good and fun!! i like the curcuit board on the left of the second picture.

CallMessiah · September 2002

Trane, the layout is somewhere back in the depth of the forum, just search for it, I'd hate to start another topic for something I already posted and I guess, other people wouldn't like that either...
The layout is somewhere... once I get to posting more screenshots I will repost a dev_overview, which is labeled with the different screenshots' names, so you actually know, which part of the map the screenshot you're looking at, is from...

Trane · September 2002

I just wanted to make sure you had a working layout thats all. Its a shame when a talented mapper gets hung up on layout problems. Since you've already posted it and probably discussed it no worries here.

SentrySteve · September 2002

Nice work! If you map slow - so be it - I really like what you have here! I just _love_ the hallways in your first pic. Becuase of the amount of alien infestation - I suggest you make this room _darker_ then add some light spots here and there. In your second picture - I really like how you used those blue lights next to the ciruit texture. Depending on how far away this is from the hive ( I am assuming its not far becuase in the lower left corner is some infestation) this hallway should be darker. Once darkened, I think you will great a really nice effect with those blue lights on the left, and white light spots on the right!

Good mapping - keep it up!

TychoCelchuuu · September 2002

I think this thing looks great. Aside from you being slow, I'm not sure why you aren't famous and up there with alot of the other best mappers (most of which happen to be working on this mod). Your lighting is a bit one sided in the first shot though.

CallMessiah · September 2002

Oh, thanks Tycho, but I don't think I could match up with the big mappers, simply because, like you pointed out, my lighting there is a bit dull. That is because my lighting skills are sadly lacking.
Most of the rest of my map is still completely unlit, because I do all the architecture first, then the textures and lighting and details last. When I get to that point though, I usually don't have a clue where to pt the lights or which color they should have...
Guess I should change my working rythm, shouldn't I? <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

Carbon14 · September 2002

Hmmm, Mecha eh. I was wondering who it was that had done that, because I read how he did it in one of his posts, and decided to have a go myself. I will release the textures in my WAD and maybe even the program itself, when I'm finished <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

Battousaix · September 2002

I also suck at lighting <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>, but you gotta keep experimentating with it until you get the nifty effect <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>.
To make experimentation easier, i do this: i make all the room, then i copy and paste it in another map, then i add the lights, and then your compile times won´t be of 30 minutes to check a simple light spot <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>.
Edit: lol i almost forgot <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>
NICE ARCHITECTURE U BISHNISH <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'> KEEP IT UP!!!.

CallMessiah · September 2002

Carbon: I used his texture because I needed a water texture I could place on walls, behind glass, kinda like the Star Trek Tubes (don't kill me for taking an idea from Star Trek), so an animated texture was the only solution and I was lucky enough to stumple upon this one in his post.
Though it is not, what I really wanted the final look of it to be like, I guess I'll stick with it, because I don't have a clue about creating custom textures, except for the very, very basic stuff (like copying bmps into a wad).

Battousai: I thought about that too, copying parts of the map, but I didn't care about the lighting to much so far, since I wanted to finish all basic architecture first. But I guess I'll do what you said.

doctopepa · September 2002

1:st shot is nice but i like the 2:nd shot more. you need to uhh... (i'm gonna say this in three ways so i can be sure you'll understand)
melt your level together with a flametorch!
make the environment more homogenic!
make the walls, floor and ceiling look like one piece!

see?
I need sleep...

CallMessiah · September 2002

I get what your saying doctopepa, I have always had a little problem with that, usually I start building the walls and pillars and end up having no idea how to work the cieling or the floor into the whole thing. Add to this my lack of texture-vision (ability to pick a decent texture and put it to good use) and you get to the point where you really need a flametorch.

Anyway, here is another shot, this time from the shuttlehiveroom itself. The lighting isn't actually what I want to be and I'm quite unsure f I want to keep the pit in the middle, you tell me...

Battousaix · September 2002

wow it looks awesome <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>
Dunno about the pit...
Leave it like that for now and see how much it affects the gameplay......

Rival · September 2002

I like the infestation everywhere, really cool room.
As for the pit, i dunno if a pit is something you'd find in a shuttle..
If you're gonna keep it, maybe make it shallower. It could turn into a pit to provide cover, or a death pit.

Kaine · September 2002

is this map meanty to be based off the ship in the movie Event Horizon? (i'm not critising, just asking) if not, HINT HINT to other mappers <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

CallMessiah · September 2002

Rival: Sorry, I said that wrong, this not supposed to be a shuttle, but a shuttlehangar. The infested water somehow makes the pit appear a lot bigger.
I like your idea too, but I think it would be rather unfunctional to have a shallow pit in the middle of a hangar, but then, you didn't know that is was supposed to be that.
Kaine: It is not really based on the movie concerning any of the design so far, just maybe a little bit storywise, but that is yet to come. The only thing that will be in this map, that I remember in the movie, is a rotating hallway, a tube that completely turns around while you walk over a small catwalk.

stephen · September 2002

Its maybe a lack of coloured lighting, nothing heavy just a few red or green tinges in the corners, maybe some more shadows too. By the way the first shot, id reduce the infestation on the hive bay door?..the big bit in the celing looks wierd with no infestation around it, also id like to see a nifty door and it would add contrast

Rival · September 2002

Oh, I'm sorry Messiah, it makes much more sense to have it in a hanger. I guess i shoulda known that from previous posts though.. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('>

Keep up the good work.

CallMessiah · September 2002

Time for more screenshots...
As I slowly progress through my map and make some major layout and desgin changes, I always found the time to "finish" up another area, a glasswalkway through a room.
It is a level deeper than the rest of the surronding area, so two elevators lead down there, as well as a vent for our little wallcliming friends.
The first shot is out of the hallway you allready saw in the second picture into the elevator:

CallMessiah · September 2002

This second shot is one elevator ride further down, in the actual room. Broken glass in the middle section although it looks kinda strange now in the screenshots, its okay in game, I guess.
There should be fog here, but for some reason the env_fog doesn't work, maybe I'll figur it out later...

CallMessiah · September 2002

Adn this is the lat one for now, from outside the glass walkway. Particle system spraying steam into the darkness, rotating thingies left and right of the glass and the entrance into the ventilation system lost somewhere left, outside the picture.
Comments as always welcome!

Forgot to say... silvery texture replacements done by Hanz and straight out of ns_wad.wad. I love em, but I'm missing the replacements for the pillar and trims, that's why they're still pink...

Battousaix · September 2002

jeez looks amazing, every new screenshot i drool even more..... OH ##### KEYB04rD M4lfuncion argh the drool screwed the circuits!!! D:
heh. Nice new stuff, the only thing i can say is: Try to make the glass a bit more translucent because it doesnt looks like a glass in the current way it looks, a bit more translucent and voila! <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

CallMessiah · September 2002

Okay, guess I'll make this a little walk through my map as I finish up parts. This room is the central hub, directly in front of the marine spawn. I guess I'll have to make it a bit brighter and some more details would be cool, but I have an r_speeds problem in this room, I'm really close to 700. I was even higher before I changed the complete look of the room to this, but this will be the final look texturewise, as I like the silver replacements and am going to use them for all of the marine start, which I'm currently reworking (deleted everything and made a new one).
Now, the elevator coming up from the Glassway is to the left and there are 4 more doors into this room, and three that don't work.
Comments welcome...

TychoCelchuuu · September 2002

Looks pretty good, the upper right seems a bit plain though. It's hard to get a feel from screenshots.

stephen · September 2002

One thing id suggest is maybe making the glass a little more transparent, youd still want to know its their but thats a little heavy (in my opinon ofc).

Windelkron · September 2002

Cool!

I noticed in your second picture (second post) that the lights on the wall got abruptly cut off by the wall... you might want to stick holes in the pillar thingies so that the light can continue unheeded... here...
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Code Sample</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">
original passageway (head on view)
/~~~|
| |
| | } -- pillar thingy
| |
\* | <-- * = light
| |
| |

New passageway:
/~~~|
| |
| |
|__ |
\* \|
|_/|
| |
</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
it may be a little hard to discern what I'm getting at, D:

oh and your first pic, it doesn't look infested enough. I saw the broken pipes and those looked infested. but that room was really just infested texture on the walls of a normal room. D:

Besides the first 2, I found the other pics to be AWESOME!