<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 13 2004, 08:55 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 13 2004, 08:55 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->and left a text file with the words "Don't be naughty!"<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->Hehehe.. oh yes that is a classic. Given'em what he deserves. I applaud you.
<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 13 2004, 08:55 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 13 2004, 08:55 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->mostly cause I work from home (graphic design) I really have priorities that go beyond map reviews at the moment. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->Mm... i feel your pain on that one. I'd say that's a fairly good reson to not post reviews. One would think you would keep backups though.
<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 13 2004, 08:55 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 13 2004, 08:55 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->And also let you know about the new mapping competition I will be running <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Intriguing desu..... Get your stuff together so we can hear about this spiffy new interraction you have planned for us.
<!--QuoteBegin-Some tall guy+May 13 2004, 05:25 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Some tall guy @ May 13 2004, 05:25 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->how tall are you belg? <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->Doesn't matter. (actually i don't really know. short in compairison to you)
I got an email off the guy yesterday saying that he was going to report my "malicious behavior". I sent him a log of his entry into my computer. He didn't reply.
heh, I do have backups..about 30 odd dvd-r's...of my work that is..didn't think to backup my documents (as in word and excel etc) - don't usually need to use those..
The mapping contest will be multi-tiered and very very intriguing for you mapping elite..
<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 14 2004, 08:41 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 14 2004, 08:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I got an email off the guy yesterday saying that he was going to report my "malicious behavior". I sent him a log of his entry into my computer. He didn't reply.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->MMmmmm.. i bet that felt good eh?
<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 14 2004, 08:41 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 14 2004, 08:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The mapping contest will be multi-tiered and very very intriguing for you mapping elite..<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->Ohhhh yes. we wants it we does. Gives it to us! How is this thing gonna be multi-tiered tho... O.o...
and John... answer your PM's dangit. i sent you something about hosting those pics.... he never responds to his pms. ... lol no pun intended.
LOL sorry <b>Belgarion</b>, I've been reformatting my HD and generally re-installing (just scored a 250GB!) these few days and browing the forums as guest, didn't get to PM's. But yeah, I'll AIM you as soon as the weekdays roll around (and my dad gets off my back and goes to work <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> )
<!--QuoteBegin-john_sheu+May 14 2004, 11:24 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (john_sheu @ May 14 2004, 11:24 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> All righty then, anybody feel like hosting the pics for my review? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Sure, email me the pics and i will upload them. clem@readyroom.de
After being nagged by shentrax, I'm gonna redo the other two reviews and get them up here.. Just sitting down to do it now..so give me an hour and they'll be done..
Cheers!
p.s. Shentrax didn't nag me but he did keep me up till 3:30am mapping with him...lol
/edit p.p.s I'm doing naigels now..and I'll do STG's tomorrow..
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b>Hanz's Long Winded Map Comments</b></span>
Well. Welcome to part two of my monster reviews. In this part we will hear my thoughts on Naigel's map.
It's interesting the way the competition turned out. Most people would have noticed my low scores compared to the others. I don't apologise for this. I think it's fundamental that people understand that there is always room for improvement. That said (I said it before I think) I should also bring to your attention that I didn't actually rank Naigel's map above STG's. I thought Naigel's was good but I didn't think it deserved to win. But that's a different story altogether. Let's get on with this, shall we?
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Naigel</b></span></span> Naigel, before we get started - You may notice that this review is a little shorter than Belgarians. I was a little more ruthless with my comments for you and STG. I did this because I believed you both have sound mapping skills but with simple little things you blew it. Now, I'm not like John, I'm not gonna try and blow sunshine up your butt and tell you how great everything was. You know your map is good because you won - I hope what you get from this is an understanding of the areas that let your readyroom down. As I've said numerous times already (and I'll say it again, I'm sure) - I don't give 10's.
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Lighting:</b></span> (14/20)</span> Out of the main scoring areas, this was your lowest score. I thought it was good lighting, just not great. Given the chance, I'm sure we would all add or take some things away from maps once we are done - when I originally saw your screen shots (whilst not a good example of what it really looks like in map) I really wanted to say "try this" or "maybe you should brighten that up" but as a judge I couldn't really help you without helping the others. Anyways - here we go.
In the last review I mentioned colo(u)rs and shadows seperately but there is a reason why you got 7 for both and it's a joint thing. So I'll mention them both together:
<b>Colo(u)rs & Shadows:</b> (7) You know what stopped you getting the million dollars here? It was purely a lack of intensity. You had such awesome ideas for lighting. What really impressed me was the "observe game" room. All I could really see were the monitors and a few flashing lights. I wanted to know what else was in there because the light was giving me a little bit of an indication but not much. So I walked in. Dammit! now I'm observing! But hey, that's what it should do. You created a really intriguing light scheme. BUT, I would have gone 1/2 more intensity again. The main room (with the light behind the grate in the roof) didn't really have the shadows to reflect the kind of lighting we were seeing on the walls/roof/floor/etc. I don't know if it is because your gamma was set on 1.0 or whether you had no bounce set in the radiosity (in compiling) but it struck me that the lights didn't bleed very far into the level. They were bright - yes, but they didn't effect things enough. Hope that makes sense.
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Architecture:</b></span> (15/20)</span> Essentially this was your best area - but sadly was let down by movement issues. I don't give 9's lightly - and you got one for architecture - so you must have done something right here. If you had of corrected the movement things - you would have been looking at 18/20 <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Movement:</b> (6) You get a bit of a slap on the wrist for this area because I felt that it was a bit congested and (whilst not being able to test it) with such small team join areas it would be easy to block movement to them. It only takes 1 or 2 idiots to ruin a game for people and so we should do our best to avoid this sort of thing. Keep in mind however, I penalised both you and STG for this same thing. With a couple of big onos running around, it would pretty much suck to get anywhere.
<b>Design/Geometry:</b> (9) It doesn't get much better than this. All over it was quite brilliant. Not really much I can fault you on here. From the actual layout to the flow - it was really good. I liked the fact that you generally spawned in the gallery area above the joins - which gave it a good feeling. Can't really find the words to describe it. Was very impressed. I'll tell you that much. But I don't give 10's - so 9 is the best you can get from me <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Texturing:</b></span> (15/20)</span> Again, a pretty strong area that was let down by a few little things.
<b>Usage:</b> (7) I felt, obviously different to the other judges, that you choice of textures were good but not great. You got a 7 which is pretty good in my books. I'm struggling, again, to find words to associate my feelings to the scores. I think I felt a bit overwhelmed with the number of textures in such a small area. If you look at the readyrooms of maps such as eclipse (I think) you'll see it's one set of textures but it is still quite interesting and pleasing to the eye. If you look at a more elaborate readyroom like ns_nothing's you'll see that, whilst having more textures, there was a certain level of continuity throughout the readyroom. In your readyroom it seemed as though each room and corridor had it's own theme. It was interesting to look at but seemed to be a little confused. You really have to tell your readyroom who it is and stick with it on a texture level. You would have a got a 8 or 9 if you had of used a smaller texture set I feel. Hrmm, don't like how that sounded - big texture sets aren't bad but I feel in such a small region of the map you don't want to overload people with a mass of textures when a smaller set would do just fine. I think that's why you got 7 - using heaps of textures isn't bad, I think it would have shown greater skill to keep it interesting with a smaller set. Look at STG's map for inspiration in this area.
<b>Alignment:</b> (8) Only found 1 or 2 alignment problems in your map. You get an 8 - next best thing to a perfect score <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
You included some. Instantly you are a champion in my books. If anyone knows me around this forum - you would probably know how much I respect people who use the particle system. From a usage and functionality point of view - they worked and were quite effective at what they were set out to achieve (though I question the water drips behind the grate - quite hard to see the particle effect. And also the two steam systems didn't seem to originate from the sources convincingly. Perhaps with the steam, especially in the main room, you should have used a rectangular source entity to get a bigger emition base). I think what let you down was the creativity. I think we have all seen steam and rain drips one too many times. I don't think it is just you either. I think the whole point of specifying PS's as a scoring area (and especially the creativity part) was to get people motivated to try something new. I don't want to come down too hard on you though - you included a number of systems which is good in my books. Perhaps, I was just hoping that people would go that extra step and do something beyond the normal PSs we see.
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Judge's Discretion:</b></span> (8/10)</span> You got an 8 - That should reflect my overall feelings. Not quite a 9 but pretty close.
<b>Last words: </b> Please don't be discouraged by my fairly blunt review. I'm hoping this will help you (that's my intention anyway). You've got so much going for you as a mapper, there are just some areas which need work. Congratulations on winning, I hope you go into the next competition cause you are definitely a talented guy.
/edit So much for this review being shorter and more direct. I think it's actually longer. Damn it.
Great review, and I'm not discouraged by it. You exactly pointed out what things I need to work on (mostly lighting and shadows). I take this as advice for my next map (if there is any next map of mine <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> ).
I should thank you for writing this review... so: THANKS!
<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 16 2004, 09:42 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 16 2004, 09:42 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> p.s. Shentrax didn't nag me but he did keep me up till 3:30am mapping with him...lol <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Whos nagging? Me?
<!--QuoteBegin-Stavesacre+May 18 2004, 05:20 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Stavesacre @ May 18 2004, 05:20 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->That looks pretty cool Shentrax, is that yours?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> yes. It some of what i was working on while keeping Hanz up all night ...lol..
<!--QuoteBegin-Belgarion+May 18 2004, 08:43 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Belgarion @ May 18 2004, 08:43 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-ShenTraX+May 18 2004, 04:21 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (ShenTraX @ May 18 2004, 04:21 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> P.S. Hanz, func_trains are @#$#%. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> you bum. func_train is the spice of life entity. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> bah, don't call him a bum...func_trains are the bane of our existance... They are the masters of lag, the demon of timeouts, and the underling of the great server-crashes... THEY ARE EVIL....
<!--QuoteBegin-Some tall guy+May 18 2004, 07:41 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Some tall guy @ May 18 2004, 07:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Hows that review hanz? *anxious* <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> dude, my bad...the flu has got hold of me still.. I'm lagging here... I'll try and get it done for you asap...
<span style='color:red'><b>Lighting:</b></span> I'll have to say, very nice lighting. If we were running a map-lighting (or a map-<b>lightning</b> <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> ) contest you'd be a serious contender. The red-and-blue theme, in my opinion, was a nice contrast to the usual red-orange-yellow "interior of space station" lighting you find in NS-themed maps, and the red and blue shadows added interest to your floor textures. Plus all your lighting had a source, and the texlights weren't washed-out. Oh and yes, the lightning. I've always been a fan of de_aztec, by the way <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> . Points for you! However, I'd like to point out that as to shadows, the map was lacking. Unfortunately, the only variety to lighting intensities (e.g., shadows) was cast by the lightining.
<span style='color:red'><b>Architecture:</b></span> Of the three maps, this room had the best movement, of course. With some extension, it could become a whole Flaytona map. But while it was new and certainly unorthodox, it was perfectly symmetrical and rather bland in the layout/design sense of architecture. The outside detail was nice, though, and it's nice to see windows that aren't (for once) the plumb-vertical straight up-and-down deals like you see on the outside views of ns_nothing.
<span style='color:red'><b>Texturing:</b></span> With such a big space it becomes difficult to avoid texture reptition, but I think you avoided it rather well. The problem lies with the general texture set you used---pretty much the usual metal gratings/panels, which gets boring after a while. And there's no infestation anywhere! About alignment, there were some places which could have been aligned better. One part I'd like to point out is where the "path" curves; you made a relatively successful attempt at aligning all those "pie slices". Since that part's impossible to make perfect anyways, I didn't subtract for that, but if I were you I'd only attempt such a feat if I knew I could pull it off completely.
<span style='color:red'><b>Particle System:</b></span> Come on, where's the beef? It would have really added overall; I could imagine some leaking gas pipes outside or even a cracked window spewing atmospheric gases. But as this is optional, it doesn't formally detract from the ratings.
<span style='color:red'><b>Judges' Discretion:</b></span> One word came to my mind over and over again: "Flaytona." I'm sorry if that wasn't your intent, but that's how it struck me. Besides, the lightning was cool <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> .
<span style='color:red'><b>Lighting:</b></span> The lighting was quite nice. In the "team joining" section of the map, the texlights on the stairs and the recessed wall lighting was nice. In the "observe & random" corridor, the lighting under the grating I liked especially. As to shadows, there was quite a bit of variety between the different "zones" and on the "balcony," so the score was a solid. Overall, very nice lighting, every texlight in good shape, every light sourced..
<span style='color:red'><b>Architecture:</b></span> Firstly, I'd like to commend you for including those breaks in the balcony rating for those eager people (like me) who have no patience to go down stairs <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> . That was very nice, but when it comes to the teamjoining doorways, I felt that the entrances were rather blockable. And then there was the marine jointeam door. A good idea, but a major (but easy-to-fix) bug: after a player enters the door, he/she can wait inside until the door shuts without actually joining a team. And then they're stuck! There's no way to open the door from inside! An F4 would do the trick, but this plus some blocking issues makes this the worst category for your review. As to design, I like your quarter-spiral staircase(s) and was very pleased to see (in the "observe/random corridor") some non-vertical walls and well-designed recessed lighting.
<span style='color:red'><b>Texturing:</b></span> There were some minor texture alignment issues that you could have very easily fixed. Your texture usage, though, was superb; I appreciated your breaking up the usual shades of gray with some yellow and red highlights. One detail (which I did not penalize for) was the wires hanging down from the "balcony." One thing that annoys me about their usage in maps in any mod is how flat they are. It would be nice (but a bit of work) to actually model them.
<span style='color:red'><b>Particle System:</b></span> Very nice. That's about all I can say; I especially liked how you gave broken-pipe "source" to the one in the "Observe" room.
<span style='color:red'><b>Judges' Discretion:</b></span> Very nice lighting, but some movement issues. In addition to the aforementioned "stuck marine player" problem, there is also a problem with the doors themselves; if a player manages to get in their way as they close, the doors re-open as they should do, but the sound the door plays gets stuck in an infinite loop. Rather annoying, but easy to fix. Plus there is a bit of a problem with the fog sprites, as illustrated in the screenshots; when the player turns in the "marine corridor" the fog sprites get all out of whack. Lock them in a specific orientation and they should be all right.
<span style='color:orange'><b>Nitpicky screenshots:</b></span> <a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0000.jpg' target='_blank'>Questionable alignment</a> <a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0002.jpg' target='_blank'>Marine join team chamber, looking forwards</a> <a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0003.jpg' target='_blank'>Marine join team chamber, looking to the side</a> <a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0004.jpg' target='_blank'>Alignment (should this be symmetrical?)</a> <a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0005.jpg' target='_blank'>Nice fog, where does it come from?</a> <a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0007.jpg' target='_blank'>Minor misalignment (not penalized; major nitpick <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> )</a> <a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0008.jpg' target='_blank'>Bit-bigger-than-minor misalignment</a>
[edit] <span style='color:red'>Dad's home, the rest will have to wait for tomorrow <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' /><!--endemo--> </span> [/edit]
Hmm... I was just re-re-re-reading the final scores, and it seems that I have more overall "points" than naigel <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' /><!--endemo--> Just wondering how that works out.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Courier'><span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Infact, redo your math I think I won.</span></span></span></span>
<b>STG</b> - hey bud, still sick and I know you are anxious for your review..
as for the scoring - I scored you higher than the other two..so it wouldn't upset me if you won <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> ...I think, however, it wasn't based on a raw score...it was based on the weighted score...which may have hurt you..
Comments
<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 13 2004, 08:55 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 13 2004, 08:55 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->mostly cause I work from home (graphic design) I really have priorities that go beyond map reviews at the moment. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->Mm... i feel your pain on that one. I'd say that's a fairly good reson to not post reviews. One would think you would keep backups though.
<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 13 2004, 08:55 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 13 2004, 08:55 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->And also let you know about the new mapping competition I will be running <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Intriguing desu..... Get your stuff together so we can hear about this spiffy new interraction you have planned for us.
<!--QuoteBegin-Some tall guy+May 13 2004, 05:25 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Some tall guy @ May 13 2004, 05:25 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->how tall are you belg? <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->Doesn't matter. (actually i don't really know. short in compairison to you)
I got an email off the guy yesterday saying that he was going to report my "malicious behavior". I sent him a log of his entry into my computer. He didn't reply.
heh, I do have backups..about 30 odd dvd-r's...of my work that is..didn't think to backup my documents (as in word and excel etc) - don't usually need to use those..
The mapping contest will be multi-tiered and very very intriguing for you mapping elite..
<!--QuoteBegin-HanzGrub3r+May 14 2004, 08:41 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (HanzGrub3r @ May 14 2004, 08:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The mapping contest will be multi-tiered and very very intriguing for you mapping elite..<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->Ohhhh yes. we wants it we does. Gives it to us!
How is this thing gonna be multi-tiered tho... O.o...
and John... answer your PM's dangit. i sent you something about hosting those pics.... he never responds to his pms. ... lol no pun intended.
Sure, email me the pics and i will upload them. clem@readyroom.de
Cheers!
p.s. Shentrax didn't nag me but he did keep me up till 3:30am mapping with him...lol
/edit p.p.s I'm doing naigels now..and I'll do STG's tomorrow..
Well. Welcome to part two of my monster reviews. In this part we will hear my thoughts on Naigel's map.
It's interesting the way the competition turned out. Most people would have noticed my low scores compared to the others. I don't apologise for this. I think it's fundamental that people understand that there is always room for improvement. That said (I said it before I think) I should also bring to your attention that I didn't actually rank Naigel's map above STG's. I thought Naigel's was good but I didn't think it deserved to win. But that's a different story altogether. Let's get on with this, shall we?
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Naigel</b></span></span>
Naigel, before we get started - You may notice that this review is a little shorter than Belgarians. I was a little more ruthless with my comments for you and STG. I did this because I believed you both have sound mapping skills but with simple little things you blew it. Now, I'm not like John, I'm not gonna try and blow sunshine up your butt and tell you how great everything was. You know your map is good because you won - I hope what you get from this is an understanding of the areas that let your readyroom down. As I've said numerous times already (and I'll say it again, I'm sure) - I don't give 10's.
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Lighting:</b></span> (14/20)</span>
Out of the main scoring areas, this was your lowest score. I thought it was good lighting, just not great. Given the chance, I'm sure we would all add or take some things away from maps once we are done - when I originally saw your screen shots (whilst not a good example of what it really looks like in map) I really wanted to say "try this" or "maybe you should brighten that up" but as a judge I couldn't really help you without helping the others. Anyways - here we go.
In the last review I mentioned colo(u)rs and shadows seperately but there is a reason why you got 7 for both and it's a joint thing. So I'll mention them both together:
<b>Colo(u)rs & Shadows:</b> (7) You know what stopped you getting the million dollars here? It was purely a lack of intensity. You had such awesome ideas for lighting. What really impressed me was the "observe game" room. All I could really see were the monitors and a few flashing lights. I wanted to know what else was in there because the light was giving me a little bit of an indication but not much. So I walked in. Dammit! now I'm observing! But hey, that's what it should do. You created a really intriguing light scheme. BUT, I would have gone 1/2 more intensity again. The main room (with the light behind the grate in the roof) didn't really have the shadows to reflect the kind of lighting we were seeing on the walls/roof/floor/etc. I don't know if it is because your gamma was set on 1.0 or whether you had no bounce set in the radiosity (in compiling) but it struck me that the lights didn't bleed very far into the level. They were bright - yes, but they didn't effect things enough. Hope that makes sense.
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Architecture:</b></span> (15/20)</span>
Essentially this was your best area - but sadly was let down by movement issues. I don't give 9's lightly - and you got one for architecture - so you must have done something right here. If you had of corrected the movement things - you would have been looking at 18/20 <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Movement:</b> (6) You get a bit of a slap on the wrist for this area because I felt that it was a bit congested and (whilst not being able to test it) with such small team join areas it would be easy to block movement to them. It only takes 1 or 2 idiots to ruin a game for people and so we should do our best to avoid this sort of thing. Keep in mind however, I penalised both you and STG for this same thing. With a couple of big onos running around, it would pretty much suck to get anywhere.
<b>Design/Geometry:</b> (9) It doesn't get much better than this. All over it was quite brilliant. Not really much I can fault you on here. From the actual layout to the flow - it was really good. I liked the fact that you generally spawned in the gallery area above the joins - which gave it a good feeling. Can't really find the words to describe it. Was very impressed. I'll tell you that much. But I don't give 10's - so 9 is the best you can get from me <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Texturing:</b></span> (15/20)</span>
Again, a pretty strong area that was let down by a few little things.
<b>Usage:</b> (7) I felt, obviously different to the other judges, that you choice of textures were good but not great. You got a 7 which is pretty good in my books. I'm struggling, again, to find words to associate my feelings to the scores. I think I felt a bit overwhelmed with the number of textures in such a small area. If you look at the readyrooms of maps such as eclipse (I think) you'll see it's one set of textures but it is still quite interesting and pleasing to the eye. If you look at a more elaborate readyroom like ns_nothing's you'll see that, whilst having more textures, there was a certain level of continuity throughout the readyroom. In your readyroom it seemed as though each room and corridor had it's own theme. It was interesting to look at but seemed to be a little confused. You really have to tell your readyroom who it is and stick with it on a texture level. You would have a got a 8 or 9 if you had of used a smaller texture set I feel. Hrmm, don't like how that sounded - big texture sets aren't bad but I feel in such a small region of the map you don't want to overload people with a mass of textures when a smaller set would do just fine. I think that's why you got 7 - using heaps of textures isn't bad, I think it would have shown greater skill to keep it interesting with a smaller set.
Look at STG's map for inspiration in this area.
<b>Alignment:</b> (8) Only found 1 or 2 alignment problems in your map. You get an 8 - next best thing to a perfect score <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Particle System:</b></span> (20/30)</span>
<b>Usage:</b> (7) <b>Functionality:</b> (7) <b>Creativity:</b> (6)
You included some. Instantly you are a champion in my books. If anyone knows me around this forum - you would probably know how much I respect people who use the particle system. From a usage and functionality point of view - they worked and were quite effective at what they were set out to achieve (though I question the water drips behind the grate - quite hard to see the particle effect. And also the two steam systems didn't seem to originate from the sources convincingly. Perhaps with the steam, especially in the main room, you should have used a rectangular source entity to get a bigger emition base). I think what let you down was the creativity. I think we have all seen steam and rain drips one too many times. I don't think it is just you either. I think the whole point of specifying PS's as a scoring area (and especially the creativity part) was to get people motivated to try something new. I don't want to come down too hard on you though - you included a number of systems which is good in my books. Perhaps, I was just hoping that people would go that extra step and do something beyond the normal PSs we see.
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Secret Room:</b></span> (0/20)</span>
...
<span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><b>Judge's Discretion:</b></span> (8/10)</span>
You got an 8 - That should reflect my overall feelings. Not quite a 9 but pretty close.
<b>Last words: </b> Please don't be discouraged by my fairly blunt review. I'm hoping this will help you (that's my intention anyway). You've got so much going for you as a mapper, there are just some areas which need work. Congratulations on winning, I hope you go into the next competition cause you are definitely a talented guy.
/edit So much for this review being shorter and more direct. I think it's actually longer. Damn it.
I should thank you for writing this review... so: THANKS!
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Whos nagging? Me?
yes. It some of what i was working on while keeping Hanz up all night ...lol..
P.S. Hanz, func_trains are @#$#%.
<!--QuoteBegin-Belgarion Posted+May 17 2004, 12:01 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Belgarion Posted @ May 17 2004, 12:01 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
.... nani<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
dont 'what' me boy! j/k
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you bum. func_train is the spice of life entity.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
you bum. func_train is the spice of life entity. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
bah, don't call him a bum...func_trains are the bane of our existance... They are the masters of lag, the demon of timeouts, and the underling of the great server-crashes... THEY ARE EVIL....
dude, my bad...the flu has got hold of me still.. I'm lagging here... I'll try and get it done for you asap...
<span style='color:red'><b>Lighting:</b></span>
I'll have to say, very nice lighting. If we were running a map-lighting (or a map-<b>lightning</b> <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> ) contest you'd be a serious contender. The red-and-blue theme, in my opinion, was a nice contrast to the usual red-orange-yellow "interior of space station" lighting you find in NS-themed maps, and the red and blue shadows added interest to your floor textures. Plus all your lighting had a source, and the texlights weren't washed-out. Oh and yes, the lightning. I've always been a fan of de_aztec, by the way <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> . Points for you! However, I'd like to point out that as to shadows, the map was lacking. Unfortunately, the only variety to lighting intensities (e.g., shadows) was cast by the lightining.
<span style='color:red'><b>Architecture:</b></span>
Of the three maps, this room had the best movement, of course. With some extension, it could become a whole Flaytona map. But while it was new and certainly unorthodox, it was perfectly symmetrical and rather bland in the layout/design sense of architecture. The outside detail was nice, though, and it's nice to see windows that aren't (for once) the plumb-vertical straight up-and-down deals like you see on the outside views of ns_nothing.
<span style='color:red'><b>Texturing:</b></span>
With such a big space it becomes difficult to avoid texture reptition, but I think you avoided it rather well. The problem lies with the general texture set you used---pretty much the usual metal gratings/panels, which gets boring after a while. And there's no infestation anywhere! About alignment, there were some places which could have been aligned better. One part I'd like to point out is where the "path" curves; you made a relatively successful attempt at aligning all those "pie slices". Since that part's impossible to make perfect anyways, I didn't subtract for that, but if I were you I'd only attempt such a feat if I knew I could pull it off completely.
<span style='color:red'><b>Particle System:</b></span>
Come on, where's the beef? It would have really added overall; I could imagine some leaking gas pipes outside or even a cracked window spewing atmospheric gases. But as this is optional, it doesn't formally detract from the ratings.
<span style='color:red'><b>Judges' Discretion:</b></span>
One word came to my mind over and over again: "Flaytona." I'm sorry if that wasn't your intent, but that's how it struck me. Besides, the lightning was cool <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> .
<span style='color:orange'><b>Nitpicky screenshots:</b></span>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_belg0000.jpg' target='_blank'>Column trim misaligned</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_belg0001.jpg' target='_blank'>More misaligned trim</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_belg0002.jpg' target='_blank'>Pie slices misaligned (no penalty)</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_belg0003.jpg' target='_blank'>*More* misaligned trim</a>
<span style='color:red'><b>Lighting:</b></span>
The lighting was quite nice. In the "team joining" section of the map, the texlights on the stairs and the recessed wall lighting was nice. In the "observe & random" corridor, the lighting under the grating I liked especially. As to shadows, there was quite a bit of variety between the different "zones" and on the "balcony," so the score was a solid. Overall, very nice lighting, every texlight in good shape, every light sourced..
<span style='color:red'><b>Architecture:</b></span>
Firstly, I'd like to commend you for including those breaks in the balcony rating for those eager people (like me) who have no patience to go down stairs <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> . That was very nice, but when it comes to the teamjoining doorways, I felt that the entrances were rather blockable. And then there was the marine jointeam door. A good idea, but a major (but easy-to-fix) bug: after a player enters the door, he/she can wait inside until the door shuts without actually joining a team. And then they're stuck! There's no way to open the door from inside! An F4 would do the trick, but this plus some blocking issues makes this the worst category for your review. As to design, I like your quarter-spiral staircase(s) and was very pleased to see (in the "observe/random corridor") some non-vertical walls and well-designed recessed lighting.
<span style='color:red'><b>Texturing:</b></span>
There were some minor texture alignment issues that you could have very easily fixed. Your texture usage, though, was superb; I appreciated your breaking up the usual shades of gray with some yellow and red highlights. One detail (which I did not penalize for) was the wires hanging down from the "balcony." One thing that annoys me about their usage in maps in any mod is how flat they are. It would be nice (but a bit of work) to actually model them.
<span style='color:red'><b>Particle System:</b></span>
Very nice. That's about all I can say; I especially liked how you gave broken-pipe "source" to the one in the "Observe" room.
<span style='color:red'><b>Judges' Discretion:</b></span>
Very nice lighting, but some movement issues. In addition to the aforementioned "stuck marine player" problem, there is also a problem with the doors themselves; if a player manages to get in their way as they close, the doors re-open as they should do, but the sound the door plays gets stuck in an infinite loop. Rather annoying, but easy to fix. Plus there is a bit of a problem with the fog sprites, as illustrated in the screenshots; when the player turns in the "marine corridor" the fog sprites get all out of whack. Lock them in a specific orientation and they should be all right.
<span style='color:orange'><b>Nitpicky screenshots:</b></span>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0000.jpg' target='_blank'>Questionable alignment</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0002.jpg' target='_blank'>Marine join team chamber, looking forwards</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0003.jpg' target='_blank'>Marine join team chamber, looking to the side</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0004.jpg' target='_blank'>Alignment (should this be symmetrical?)</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0005.jpg' target='_blank'>Nice fog, where does it come from?</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0007.jpg' target='_blank'>Minor misalignment (not penalized; major nitpick <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> )</a>
<a href='http://belg.thezazi.net/misc/john/rr_naigel0008.jpg' target='_blank'>Bit-bigger-than-minor misalignment</a>
[edit]
<span style='color:red'>Dad's home, the rest will have to wait for tomorrow <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' /><!--endemo--> </span>
[/edit]
Just wondering how that works out.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Courier'><span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Infact, redo your math I think I won.</span></span></span></span>
as for the scoring - I scored you higher than the other two..so it wouldn't upset me if you won <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> ...I think, however, it wasn't based on a raw score...it was based on the weighted score...which may have hurt you..