(bit off-topic nostalgia)

Castle,
noted you worked on Sin Episodes... I really really loved that game and the design. In general I always liked the way the Source engine presents maps (e.g. lighting), but Sin Episodes really was a showcase for Source. Back then I even created an imaged list of all the secrets, fun times. I was very sad when Ritual had to give up on the project.

Alas the whole episodic content concept (Sin Episodes and Half-Life 2 EPs) never worked out.
I have to out myself as a Ritual fan, loved Heavy Metal FAKK²... Ritual's level design was always that extra bit more creative... but apparently that did not translate into sales ... sad.

The "ultimate secret" sounds scary, like press a switch in some hidden corner under crates and garbage in the first level, and then press some obscure set of switches, hidden as fence grates (technically invisible) in a much later level, to open a underwater door in the dark, just before the boss level .

I remember reading a quote somewhere where someone (probably Carmack) said that they never intended to license out their technology in the first place, unlike Epic who seem to have made it their core business. They weren't really interested in offering a whole lot of direct support to third party developers. Rather, every now and then someone would call id and offer them a pile of cash.

I just watched your "EpisodeXX TF2 CTF The Damned" series... I really was hoping to see how Hammer turns brushes into terrain meshes. Because that was one of the things I always wondered about with Hammer.

Having to redo the map several times, would have made me scream, and probably cry... but it's the same with Q3A, one simply needs to have done several maps for that game/gametype to get the feeling of required space/paths.

I liked the comment about requisitioning content from other maps ... have been doing that with my own maps... why try to re-understand how something works, if you can just copy/paste it between editors (Radiant).

The dam central part of the map I especially liked. Relatively simple use of some curving, and you immediately understand the function of those "water slides". It is interesting to see the prototype textures that Source games come with in Hammer, and to use it to prototype the maps so quickly. I imagine the "ramps" have pretty much a certain angle that lines up with grid and lets you later copy/paste in "good finished stairs". Very efficient. A good Q3A tool like Mirix (IIRC the name) to mirror bases, that replaces texture sets and even the light colours might have helped for Hammer as well.

The fast forward of the videos actually hides how very darn quickly you are mapping. IIRC your total mapping time was something like 20 hours?

However its not healthy to make a full quality level in less than 3 months.

That actually sounds ominous, as in: "don't be too fast as a mapper in the industry or "they" will expect nothing less from you", thus totally burning you out over time.

Anyway, I found watching you mapping interesting. Just watching someone create something, glimpsing a useful idea or mapping technique here and there is quite inspiring. And I really hope to get another map started sometime soon again.

Just re-found one of my later maps, in this case for Portal 2 using their "simplified block editor" that was relatively easy to learn and fun to use. I went all out to give the map design and look... my puzzles were pretty crummy. But I think, I was one of the very few who ever created such a cubist look for that game:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... d=80879331

I mention this, because in your videos you were talking about various editors, and the Portal 2 one was certainly an interesting thing for Valve to develop to make mapping for "dummies" so much more accessible.

Alright here is a video of me doing a walk through of the crazy dope fish secret.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkoLOjDsm_s

Enjoy!

In before Eraser reverses course and complains about background toilet flushes, cat mews, police sirens, farts, etc.

I remember reading a quote somewhere where someone (probably Carmack) said that they never intended to license out their technology in the first place, unlike Epic who seem to have made it their core business. They weren't really interested in offering a whole lot of direct support to third party developers. Rather, every now and then someone would call id and offer them a pile of cash.