j3st3r's New Layout

[j3st3r]

Lol, I seen the suggestions coming. I do like the idea of moving the mg tp to the end of the stairs and removing the hall. WIll give that a go and see how it works. I decided on the backtrack from ra to tp to kind of set up a trap of sorts. If you are going for the ra you might just have to pay for it. I do need to work on the grate for ya, was just put in as a quick sketch of sorts to see how it would work. I do have plans on an angle cut into the ceiling above lg, just haven't gotten there yet. Maybe if I would stop messing with the layout so much!

[AEon]

I love how the map changes, and yields new ways to play it... though I could imagine you are pretty much ready to start working on the details by now.

As with all changes, often one really needs to test them out, i.e. the MH connected TP might be a good thing, or not. I liked the corridor, but paths serve a purpose, especially in Tourney.

[j3st3r]

Download updated with new changes.

[AEon]

Looking at that shortly... presently finished SolarAE... whee...

[AEon]

To be honest I am not sure if this is better than the previous corridor or not. The TP location is fine though.

What I noted with this design was this:

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When on the PG side and you want to make the direct jump (green) to the TP you will miss, well I miss, a proficient strafe jumper will probably make it. So I would suggest adding a GL/RG-like grating marked in pink. That would also make the area PG to ammo a bit more generous navigation-wise.

The first idea I had was to round off, in yellow, the whole edge with the grate. Though I still like the rounding off idea, it would not necessarily need to be with grating.

Up to you if you like the TP here. I will need to do some more bot playing though to test this. Maybe that will clear things up.

[AEon]

*Bump*... waves... how is the map coming along?

[j3st3r]

sent you a pm...

[AEon]

I chatted with Jester on a possible path for his map concerning textures, and he let me try out a bit. With the detail design he was going for I was thinking of Romanic marble with sandstone... I collected a few cgtextures.com textures and tried to use only those. Obviously that fails to a certain degree since I would need some "proper" trim textures. Anyway here my attempt...

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  This first one almost looks OK...
  
  
  
  

A few things turned out OK, some of the marble and sandstone is sorta there. But it would take very much more work to make it look usable. Lighting is relatively crappy, since my test map did not have proper lighting, had to add some "200" strength lights and a skybox to get some light in.

And again I am finding out how really difficult texturing of a map I did not build is...

Jester you might like to post your texturing version... could be quite instructive for interested mappers.

[j3st3r]

First off let me say I am digging where you are going with your take on the textures. Here is what I came up with after messing around a bit.

[AEon]

I might then play around with the textures some more, might need to edit the geometry a bit though... e.g. you seem to have done that for the half-columns along the wall to get 5 textures placed, where presently my version only is 3-part.

Then again, your version looks a *lot* better, and much like a finished map... e.g. I like the texture you used for the back of the JP.

[j3st3r]

Columns are the same just the texture used. I hope you do continue the texture work you are doing, looks more original than what I have.

[AEon]

I was thinking the textures used in the Egyptian set (that was by Sock IIRC) could also help... will see what I have on HDD and try those.

[j3st3r]

Wish Sock would release his palace set. I think that would work great.

[AEon]

Yeah... I was actually probably thinking of some of those textures when going for the marble idea.

[AEon]

With a newer version of the map, the lighting now is more what Jester is actually using. Re-textured the map completely. This time using Sock's Egyptian Texture Set. I avoided using any textures that hinted at anything Egyptian, i.e. motives, mainly using sandstone and wood.

The map, IMO, is still too dark, and would require more work to brighten it up. I fixed a few small light sources (i.e. copy/pasted them along the walls) to add more of what Jester will be doing in the next versions presumably. Also cut up the columns along the wall letting me use more textures.

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I like this version a lot better than my cgtextures version, Sock's textures are just a lot better. As mentioned needs more light, and a nice skybox... sandstone mountain sides, very eroded would look nice, and a clear blue sky.

[j3st3r]

Digging this texture set.

[AEon]

Hehe... you are darn fast to adapt things... some stuff simular to my choices... some different. I see you liked my wooden main beams.

[Kaz]

+1 for egypt

[Eraser]

It is actually kind of cool to see the same section of map textured in different ways. It's great to see how the same geometry fits different styles of texturing, while the texturing creates a completely different atmosphere.

[j3st3r]

Few more shots of this section. Pretty much done here and moving on to next area of map.

[AEon]

In the MH arena you added a YA... hehe... interesting. Looks good... though I still think it all is slightly dark... maybe it's the screenshots.

Update: Ah... and good that you changed the puddle's water color to more or less transparent... the previous reddish color was not so nice, IMO.

[j3st3r]

Not sure if the ya will stay on the small ledge, might be just health in the end but wanted something up there for the shot. I changed out the ground under puddle to 1 of Sock's textures which made the area look nicer. Still working on the lighting but this is not a final compile so....
Anyways here is a new section, though small, that leads to the lg area. Still thinking of changing out the floor texture. They can be so repetitive it seems.

[AEon]

I like the view out... the columns work nicely... just ensure that the view height of the player can look out of the "window" easily, without having to jump. Hope you will add several of those, in different designs around the map, to give it that windy/airy feel.

Personally, I would try to go for sandy floors in all the lowest parts of the map, much like in the MH area... as if the desert has crept into the building on the lower floors... e.g. broken tiles, sand, and also sand in corners... IMO, it would help make the above screenshot look less clean and sterile. Maybe look into adding a few plants in possible tile cracks in the floor. Sock's POM also had some fern-like plants, the dried up ones might fit quite well in corners, and those near water would then be green.

You started to add the rock theme outside of the window... this introduces great possibilities for the rest of the map... e.g. for a theme that the map was cut into a huge rock, and that rock walls become apparent all over the place, i.e. intruding into the otherwise orderly geometry. Maybe a ceiling is even broken, and water or more likely sand is drizzling through that rock opening in the ceiling into the the rooms.

Basically anything that suggest some wear and tear. An earthquake might make broken a few walls here and there... if the structure is old, lets say 500 years, that might also be likely.

In "Arabian" design (e.g. El Hambra), water plays an important role... so you might add some fountain-like, water path along the sides of some of the wide paths (1/4 path width approx.)... e.g. from the upper level... PG, down to the RL... maybe break a channel through the PG TP wall to continue to LG and down to MH... and if not actually running water... a dried out water channel mostly filled with sand might look interesting too. Just something to break up the "boring" normal floor texture, but toned down to not make the floor too noisy visually.

Amazing what one screenshot of a window with rock and a waterfall can do. Come to think of it... maybe add a deep well at the center of the map, grated off, but with water falling from above...

[j3st3r]

Did a little breaking up of the tile in the new area to help with the repetitiveness. Funny you should mention the water as I had already had the idea of canals of sorts throughout the map. You can see 1 in the screen below. I had it there before but without the water in it. Helps explain water in the mh area i suppose.

[AEon]

In shot 1, there may be too much grating IMO... might be better to put one grate in the middle to not overdo the canal thing. As mentioned, it is good to break up the floor, but the visual noise must be controlled...

In the second shot some light sand would look better than the darkish brown dirt, IMO.