My Map Pics

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

<div class="IPBDescription">I hope this works</div> REDONE!

I worked a bit using the tips given here, and I think it looks a little better.

I'm still working on getting updated shots... and I'm hoping to start getting some compiler shots soon (no lighting done yet still... sorry to say that)

I tried compiling the ready room and when I couldn't fix the leak, I scrapped it (it sucked anyway) and made a small temp rr... kinda small and sucky, but hey, it works!

New pics

<img src='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/MAP1.JPG' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
This one is the entire map from the top thus far (around 5% completed now)

<img src='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/HallwayOneBattle2.JPG' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
This one is of a spot where the previous inhabitants had valiantly tried to hold back the kharrah infestation... with little success

Rest of the pics here... not all are up to date (I just got back from my trip to south carolina saturday at aroudn 11 pm... and it's now 1:47 am on a monday morning... so yeah... been up too long w/o sleep)

<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/OfficeBuildingInsideTop.JPG' target='_blank'>The Office Building, inside and top</a>
<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/OfficeBuildingElevator.JPG' target='_blank'>The Office Building, lift elevator</a><a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/UnfinishedRR.JPG' target='_blank'>The UNFINISHED ready room</a>
<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/ExitArea(exploded)1.JPG' target='_blank'>The Top Room exit (exploded view)</a>
<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/ExitResNode(topdown).JPG' target='_blank'>The Exit res node TOP view</a>
<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/ExitResNode(sideview).JPG' target='_blank'>The Exit Res Node, SIDE view</a>
<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/TopRoom1(unfinished).JPG' target='_blank'>The UNFINISHED freefall egress</a>
<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/TheEgress.JPG' target='_blank'>The Egress to the hallways</a>
<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/BattleHallLastStand.JPG' target='_blank'>The Last Stand in the Battle Area</a>
<a href='http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Images/BattleHallLeftSide.JPG' target='_blank'>The Left Side battle hallway</a>

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

Oh, yeah, still stable after a few hours... I think I found a winner finally!

Naigel · July 2004

Hammer shots... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif' />

blueman · July 2004

i know its a fun map, but it wins the "crappy" award of the week.

sorry.

AlienCow · July 2004

looks a bit bland and repetitive....need in game shots though.

Jezpuh · July 2004

HOLY SHI--

/me runs of to the toilet.

Crappy idd.

Inafiscisis · July 2004

craptastic!

Someone stab my eyes out. please.

Hypergrip · July 2004

Is it just because of the perspective or is that really one lange single, 20x scaled light on the first screenshot <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' />
Also note that hammer shots (unless you are asking about help with a mapping problem or for tutorial reasons) are generally considered "crappy".

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

Well.. actually, they have no light entities whatsoever... as I suck at doing lights... if not for that I'd show compiled shots...

if anyone would be willing to do the lighting for me (we only have one other mapper ATM in our clan, and he's newer than I am) I'd greatly appreciate it... I've just never been able to get the affects I wanted from the lighting... *sighs*

It's not a funmap... dear god stop saying it is XD I've decided NOT to do a siege room at all, and the hives are NOT in the same place... it's not nearly done, these screens are just to get feedback... and saying it's craptastic doesn't really help... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' />

What would help is telling me WHAT is so bad about it <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tsa.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tsa.gif' />

also... just a side note... I got some good comments from the G4B2S, SpyderS, and DEAD clan people about my map... and I know G4B2S has 3 servers in the top ten, one in the top 5... so... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' /> what's up with that... they like it, and ya'll dont? *ish confused*

Hypergrip · July 2004

Well this might be because have different standards than most of the people here. I know a lot of clan-people that would say "wow nice" if you present them a big hollow cube with the same texture on all 6 walls - simply because they never tried mapping (or gave up after a few hours) and therefore want to show their "respect".

However most people posting on this part of the forums have been mapping for quite a while now and therefore are not easy to impress. We usually pay attention to things the "casual" player doesn't (that much). Just an example:

In your first picture have a look at the wall with the light on the left. The light itself is streched a lot to fit the whole face. The rest (the "case" of the light if you will) of that block however is covered in a similar texture that has a scale wich is a lot smaller than the light. Then have a look at the wall where the texture is scaled up a lot again. Look at the ceilling - the texture is smaller. This is just one simple example of details people here may pay attention to.

Also, as already mentioned by AlienCow, your texture usage seems to be very repetative. Please do not mix that up with "you are using the same texture all the time"! There are maps that use a certain theme without being too repetative (just have a look at ns_eclipse or ns_veil, that make wonderfull use of wall_lab and still do not look too repetative), however if you rely on a texture to make up for missing architecture you might get some negative feedback on that.

Last but not least: Try to learn how to use lighting - Having other people do the lighting for you will not help you in the end. Usually this is only effective in mapping teams. Just start with a small room with done achitecture. and add a few texture lights. When you have modifired the lights.rad so it looks ok for you, go for the next step: use light spots to create contrasts.
Tweaking lights is very difficult and usually takes quite some time, however once you have found out 3 or 4 good "light templates" you can basically use them to light a whole map quite fast. After all it's just a matter of experience.

I hope you can now understand the negative feedback from us here. Good luck with your mapping, take your time and show us your results. You might also want to join #nsmapping @ gamesurge to get some help/hints.

/Hyper

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

THANK YOU HYPERGRIP!

This is the kind of feedback I needed! See... I'm still very new to mapping... got quite good at it on my laptop during thes chool year, but when it died I gave up for a while... I'm just trying it again

Light spot... whazzat? I hate to sound stupid... but I am

And as for the texture sizes... i never even thought of that! Lol, I'll try fixing that up, then re-posting it when I'm done

As for the ready room... it's kaput.. had an irreperable leak in it (fixing the leak would have meant re-doing the ENTIRE thing...) so I'm going to make a new... simpler one.

Kester · July 2004

it shudnt of ment making it a new, theres never a time, when a leak means u have to do it again, u shud always be able to find it

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

I knew what it was... just the geometry of the brushes would have meant re-building it either way... 0o'

Caboose · July 2004

Some advise.
Work on small parts, make them artistic and don't worry about making a full map.

Just learn to make good architecture before you attempt to make a full scale map.

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

Good idea... only problem is I only know what about half the tools in hammer do.. the other half i try to use and either nothing happens or the brush winds up delteted... 0o'

Ripzaw · July 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Jean Luc Picard @ Jul 2 2004, 07:38 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Light spot... whazzat? I hate to sound stupid... but I am  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
Create Entity - Properties - Light_Spot

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

oh... ^__^()

Coblet · July 2004

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' />

Sorry man but this is going to need a lot of work before it's worthy for a release

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

Oh, it's only like, 25% completed... I got no particle systems, no lights, nothing! Lol

MeanMrMustard · July 2004

Im gonna be Positive..

My eyes felt like Kinder Eggs being ripped apart by 1000 children.

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

Ok... I tried a re-vamp... the pics aren't really up to date yet... explained again in my first post... but I'm just too darned tired to fully finish updating... that and I've got a lot on my mind (my g/f is VERY sick right now... and I'm worried...)

bbl

perso · July 2004

I noticed no one has mentioned this yet, but don't use hammer prefabs (sandbags, crates in one shot). There are already too much maps using them.

<b>Tools I find useful and therefore recommend practising:</b>

<b>Brush tool</b> to create brushes.

To manipulate brushes I use <b>Clipping- tool</b> and <b>Vertex- tool</b>. In simple taskes I use clipping- tool, because vertex tool might lead into invalid brushes if you're not careful.

<b>Texture application tool</b> to browse for textures and then apply them to selected face. (the <b>"the apply current texture"- tool</b> is also useful as it textures the whole brush with selected texture)

<b>Entity tool</b> is used to create entities, in example lights. You select the tool, left-click where you want the entity be placed and then right-click it, select "create entity", right click again and select properties. Then, in example, you select <b>light</b> from the dropdown menu. Then close the window and you have light placed! From properties you can change it's settings.

You can also make entities from brushes <i>(brush based entities)</i>. Select the brush, right-click it and select <b>tie to entity</b>.

website I found useful when I started mapping:
<a href='http://countermap.counter-strike.net/Tutorials/' target='_blank'>Counter Map Tutorials</a>

(edit) some corrections

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

AH, thanks for the sandbags thing... unfortunately I tried my hand at making an infested looking sandbag... and it didn't work out... if anyone could do that for me I'd be greatful....

meh, I need to learn the ins and outs of mapping, including making my own .wads... anyone have a good tuit to teach wad making?

Lt_Gravity · July 2004

and I say it again:
please, forum moderators, SWAP THE FORUMS!!!
PLEASE!!! *cries like a baby*

little help for the newbie-mapper (in general):
- take your time (we are not talking about hours, we are talking about YEARS!)
- get yourself a lot more maps than the mods give to you. loads of maps!!!
- explore this maps, make screenshots whenever you think "wow!"
- study this screenshots, what was the cause of the "wow!" ?
- this may sound odd but try to imitate this effects

Im not talking about copying but about trying to think like the author of the map.
you will then slowly create your own workstyle, avoiding some problems you saw within other maps. its compareable to the evolution, one small step a time.

finally, when you watch yourself open the editor, when all other people are asleep, when you are carrying a piece of paper and a pencil wherever you go and last but not least give tipps to the next generation of mappers: you had become a mapper...

-=Lt. Gravity=-

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

Lol, I already did two of those

I'm trying to teach my clan leader to map XD

And I made my mom draw me 4 renders of the house we stayed in at South Carolina with some... interesting... angles <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

BTW- I finished updating the pics, check the front page <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

Naigel · July 2004

Why...

Why Hammer shots?! C'mon, give us some ingame shots.

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2004

I can't give in game shots without doing the lighting can I?

It'll be pitch black if I do (I think)

if you REALLY want in game shots... I'll add a few white lights... and just show you that way... tho I got no PS's, none of my transparencies are set... nadda yet <(^_^);

TGRanger · July 2004

I think that if u use a lot of half-life textures it doesn't look like an ns map at all...
And no, without lights it wont be pitch black, it will be full bright, which looks crap anyway, so just add some lights <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

Lt_Gravity · July 2004

ever heared the expression "texlights"? it stands for "texture lights", that are specific textures that emit light. so you wont need light entities, just place the texture on a surface and voila! but the standart lights.rad file only consists of one light: white.
EITHER: search for the advanced lights.rad in this forum
OR: just write down te name of the texture you want to emit light. now add the four lightvalues behind...

kow · July 2004

hey, it's a start. my honest advice: keep adding on and building to it, but don't release it. Yes, it's a horrible map. But you've got the basics down, textures, walls, shapes, etc. after you finish the map, or get bored of adding on and perfecting it, start another one. keep doing this over and over until you've made something people will like. The map sucks, but don't let that bring you down. Keep mapping, mapping, and mapping more until you've got something you're really proud of. The key to making good maps is LOTS of practice.

My Map Pics

Comments