sf_void
 

So I just turned eighteen, and I figured as a little birthday present to myself I'd go ahead and release my first Sourceforts map, which I've been working on for a while now.

sf_void


Now comes the text. If you're bored already, there are more screens toward the bottom.

My goal with this was, a) to learn how to map, and b) to create something visually and technically interesting. Not having much experience with this, gameplay was left on the wayside (as I'll cover below), however I think I succeeded at least somewhat with my goals.

All of the materials (save the lighting effects) are entirely custom-made (by me). They're packed in, which accounts somewhat for the horrific file size. There are a number of other neat little features as well.

Here's the short version:

• Your team spawns in a room overlooking the map, and can then choose which teleporter to go through. I've tried to make the teleporters as clever as possible, but I haven't really tested them with multiple people.
  
  
• The block spawn is something I like to call "always-on"; it spawns a new block when you remove the old one. At the time I made it, I thought I was very cunning indeed-- I've since seen Euphoria, but I still like my implementation.
  
  
• The light bridge will not support anything but players and the flag. This is not only a cheap gimmick to test the concept, but also protects players somewhat from rockets and grenades to try to mitigate the unbelievably horrible tactical situation they represent.

On to the cons:

• Performance. One of the things I've learned is that optimization starts with map design. On a map which is essentially one massive room, with all meaningful vertical surfaces made of glass, there's not a whole lot I can do. Additionally, I do many things with brushes which should by all rights be modeled-- I had plans to, but it turned out to be more of a hassle than I was into.
  
  With a goodly number of blocks, my framerate can sometimes get down to 30. I run on almost max settings, but I have a fairly modern computer. It should stay playable, but I can't guarantee it'll be pretty.
  
  
• Size. It's hard to tell from the screens, but this map is massive. I don't know how to put it into perspective, but as soon as you load it you'll see what I mean. Does it work for a large number of players? I dunno. I have had fantasies of simply scaling the entire thing down to about 80%, but we'll see.
  
  
• Gameplay. I have some serious doubts about playability due to several design flaws. Those flaws, and possible solutions, will for the time being be left as an exercise for the reader.
  
  
• Lighting. The map is "dramatically lit", which is a nice way to say "dim". With my settings, it is attractive and fully playable, but I can't speak for yours.

There's more to say, but I can't really think right now, so I'll leave it at that. Hope you guys enjoy it, I'm very much looking forward to your criticism.

The promised screens:

From the middle platform:
http://www.realitymachine.net/source...bluebase_t.jpg
http://www.realitymachine.net/source.../redbase_t.jpg

The spawn:
http://www.realitymachine.net/source...pawnroom_t.jpg

Teleports you to these lovely contraptions:
http://www.realitymachine.net/source...eporters_t.jpg

The flag platform, whose nofreeze is exactly where it looks like:
http://www.realitymachine.net/source...mbs/flag_t.jpg

The hot and cold running blockspawn:
http://www.realitymachine.net/source...ockspawn_t.jpg

And last but certainly not least, the somewhat ironically named light bridge:
http://www.realitymachine.net/source...htbridge_t.jpg

And that's ten. I hope you get the idea.

Looks nice and interesting, I'll try it out first chance I get.

Wow. Looks amazing

Reminds me of a quake3 map. Looks absolutely amazing though, uploading to SR :O.

Cool brush work there ^^

That is absolutely amazing work for a first map! Most people will tell you to never release your first map, but I think we can make an exception for this one :wink:

The light bridges sound like a very interesting idea - I can't wait to see what gameplay opportunities they present, although a good gravnader will still be able to wreak havoc and dominate in that area. I like your maps architecture - it reminds me, as said before of a quake map.

Just a few quick questions: do ammo crates, health, and suit chargers work only for their intended teams? Is the void (not the real void, but the fake void that you have created) a disposer?

Just a suggestion: If you ever plan to re-release to fix things, woukd you put a trigger_push entity surrounding the tops, and sides of the map? Because you have used the tools/toolsblack texture (presumably) for the walls of your map, it will be hard for players to tell how far the walls extend from the platforms, and when they do reach this edge they will be abruptly stopped. Putting a trigger_push here will make the stopping smoother and will eliminate the 'boxed in' feeling. It's more of a feature than anything else, but whatever.

Nice map anyway, and happy 18th! Be sure to get plenty drunk!

Fuck yeah! Very ambitious, I love it. Welcome to SourceForts.

Looks nice indeed -- being on a school pc at the moment, I can't do any playing, naturally. If you're getting slow framerates, which seems a little unlikely even for a big "room map" as you describe, I'd suggest this:

• Did you use func_details? I believe those are the best brush entities to use for microscopic brushwork, particularly stuff that can't be seen from any notable distance.
• Scale up your lightmap grid? You know that strange "3D LightMapped View" in hammer? If you have not, I suggest turning that view on, and scaling UP the light map grid on any brushes that do not recieve much direct light. Such as, detail brushes, faces on brushes that are hardly ever seen, etc.
  
  Remember: Bigger light map grid = less polies yet uglier lighting. Naturally, the converse of that results in more polies and prettier lighting (at least I think that's how it works.)
  
• Did you use the nodraw texture on faces that would never be seen?
• And of course some models. Those brush-based lamp posts look a bit... well, ugly I s'pose. Those were the only real eyesores I saw in all of the screens, and chances are, a low poly model would have looked much better, and done better justice for your framerates.

So yea. Hopefully I'll get a chance to play it today, since it looks damn good. I think the gameplay will come off just fine -- the ingenuity of players must never be underestimated!

nice

but it's almost a copy from q3ctf4

http://i16.tinypic.com/4gzerzt.jpg


still, nice work ! :)

Lol. :D (Meant to be taken in a positive way.)