Looking for texture artists for the PMX project

[ix-ir]

Hey all, we're looking for good texturers comfortable with making normal and specular mapped textures for a new game based on the CPM gameplay using standalone assets. The setting is a range of future urban and rural designs for fast, competitive gameplay but pushing the visual side in ways that work with competitive design. We're a stable team, having worked on CPMA since 2000 and are now building a free, standalone game based on an enhanced Quake 3 engine for fun and competitive gaming use. Message me or contact ix-ir on Quakenet IRC if you're interested in being involved.

[Fjoggs]

Yes! Join our friendly crew. ^_^

[bon]

I'm a13n and I'm banned.

[fKd]

"Why do you pursuit fun and competitive gaming?" zaa?

[ix-ir]

The real intention is to make a freely distributable first person gaming platform that caters to fast-paced DM play as the games companies no longer seem interested or (UT3) capable of designing them. We're also building it as an experimental and mod platform for people who want to do so to build new gameplays on.

"Why do you pursuit fun and competitive gaming?"

Huh? Well it's a game... what should it pursue? Competitive design actually enhances fun by keeping modes interesting rather than being played out quickly.

Does it matter? No in comparison to global events no. It's a game project...

[speaker]

The real intention is to make a freely distributable first person gaming platform that caters to fast-paced DM play as the games companies no longer seem interested or (UT3) capable of designing them. We're also building it as an experimental and mod platform for people who want to do so to build new gameplays on.

You should rather call it 'YAQC' meaning 'Yet Another Quake Clone'. Honestly, is there a need for the Nth version of Quake 3? There are already free versions (Openarena, Alien Arena, there may be more, I don't know) and countless mods to play. IMHO this fragmentation is not good for the free gaming community. Each project struggles along with maybe 3-4 developers trying to do an impossible job. Then, when the result is released, it is rather mediocre and is used maybe by a few hundred people worldwide.

Developer communities should pool resources and try to make a professional quality game for a wide audience. Yea, I know that this is going to happen about the same time when Iran joins Israel to create the USM (United States of Middle-East). Too bad, it would be a great thing (I mean getting game developers together). I am sad when I see so much good stuff (textures, models, maps, engine code) wasted.

[ix-ir]

Clones are copies made without understanding, what we make is better than id's design. That will sound very arrogant but it's justifiable- id haven't had the time to understand the gameplay in as much depth, their gameplay is less well balanced than our designs (see the gradual increase in interest in CQ3, our modification of Q3's gameplay for example) and we try to examine every detail very carefully to enhance the gameplay, for example we've enhanced step ups in two ways to allow smooth movement across maps- you can jump while stepping up (in Q3 this doesn't work, making uneven surfaces unreliable) and we have step downs, so again if you step off a very small height change you will still have control. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the kinds of changes we make. There are large and small gameplay changes leading to a more polished whole. I don't agree that for example if Warsow, Sauerbrauten and Open Arena didn't exist Alien Arena would have those players or that developer interest, it's not how people operate.

The free projects you've mentioned are doing different things and catering to different audiences to us and have very different aims. It'd be great if developers pooled resources, we're willing to share the assets we produce but of the projects you've mentioned none are using similar assets nor settings so there is no overlap.

[o'dium]

But people dont want this kind of stuff chap... People like games with flaws.

Quake 3 is flawed in many ways, but its those flaws that make it such a good game. Over the years many more polished games have come out, but they just dont work because they are polished TOO MUCH.

So fixing things that don't need fixing is a bad first step. In the end the most you can do is enhance the engine, but make it the same game, flaws and all. By which time all you are left with is a better working Q3.

[ix-ir]

o'dium you don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about. This is going off topic in any case. If you're not interested in the project or disagree with its aims that's your prerogative.

[fKd]

i say good luck to ya, more content, more fun i say. if i could dotextures i'd be into this. if ya need mappers give me a shout, im getting better, promise

[o'dium]

o'dium you don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about. This is going off topic in any case. If you're not interested in the project or disagree with its aims that's your prerogative.

Well thats certainly lost myself helping you. Good luck with... whatever it is.

[fKd]

dude, change ya attitude...

[bon]

Still a13n.
Still banned.
Just sayin'.

[fKd]

sure, but doing the "ïm taking my toys and going home" routine is just a little weird imo. we need to stick together and help each other out where we can. after all, we dedicate a lot of time making content for no rewards or anything, just for the love of it. so this kinda negativity is just odd to me... but i could be reading this wrong, if so full apologies to all

[ix-ir]

It's certainly a fairly specific target audience, which we would like to grow. We have a niche that we're good at and that games companies aren't serving, it makes no sense to attempt to move outside that niche and compete with the industry and what many other mod teams are doing.

[pjw]

I'm curious--in what way(s) is the gameplay going to be significantly different from CPMA? Note that "That's getting off-topic, and I'd rather not." or "We're not ready to talk about that." are perfectly acceptable answers.

[ix-ir]

It isn't going to be significantly different, it's the next iteration so we're attempting to further improve the refinement and add some new movement ideas, improve the balance and change the weapon set a little. Basically doing what CPMA does better. To a non-player it would seem very similar, to a player they'll initially wonder why the change then they'll start to see all the incremental improvements along with the free asset base. We're not reinventing the wheel, it's the new model in the line. Why bother would be a slightly strange question, we've done CPMA, now to progress a fresh base is required and we enjoy modding so we continue. I'm avoiding specifics of most of the changes because we're still moulding the gameplay right now and until we release something I'd rather keep most of it under wraps.

[pjw]

Cool, thanks for the clarification.

[jal_]

ix, even when I'm not a huge lover of CPM gameplay, I do like it, and you know that I always try to bring up positive feedback on it and now on pmx, but mate, when I read these things I jump on the seat.

Clones are copies made without understanding, what we make is better than id's design. That will sound very arrogant but it's justifiable-.

It doesn't sound arrogant. It is arrogant. Which gameplay is better between CPM and Q3 is very debatable. CPM moves the accent from aim to movement, and that's good for many people taste, but it's possible to argue that first person shooters essence is at aim, precisely because they are first person. It is usually argued that CPM increases strategic playing because of the items pickup setup, and it can also be argued that the high speed of movement and fast switch makes correcting strategical errors very easy which removes the importance of strategical decissions...

There are lots and lots of things we could debate about the cpm concepts, and both of us would be right. Because CPM gameplay is different. Not better nor worse.

At the end, all it matters is if each gameplay is well balanced and solid on its own. And that's something I am sure you can do, so I'm sure it will be a very good game. I just don't get why the promode team feels the need to bash q3 gameplay instead of just saying that, and it's those kind of comments that upset me sometimes.

[ix-ir]

What users prefer is entirely subjective. I don't think it's unjustified to say a design that's carefully considered after a decade of play could improve upon id's original. id's designers hadn't had that time to play the game and most of them can't strafe jump nor aim beyond a beginner level. Regardless, that is our aim, we think we achieve it and others can judge for themselves.

[wattro]

Good arguments ix-ir and jal_, you've both got good points. Gameplay is subjective and to each their own. And I personally like the more options for control [eg: down stair control has always bugged me but I can see why id never addressed it].

I'm interested if there are any new game modes or meta-games being considered? The same philosophy of quake being 10 years old doesn't just apply to the game's play.

[v1l3]

I happy to see you guys doing something..as I've always thought that a standalone Cpma would be cool. I had more of a thought of it being an actual game that people buy though..but eh whatevah. While there seems to be a little friction to some in this thread about this idea, I would agree if the project was just Cpma in a different box, then it would somewhat pointless to do it I suppose. If you guys are re-doing the whole thing with less bling in graphics compared to Q3, then it would obviously be something way different in the concept of gameplay and reaching higher fps. Cpma has already reached the pinnacle of that higher than anything else. A freeware game might possibly hit a larger crowd in thought of that idea though, rather than a newb buying Q3 and figuring out how to install a mod in it, along with everything else someone else has to learn about Q3 to become a huge Cpma player. I'm a Q3 player so...

Amongst all that, I've been playing Cpma since it's near beginning...and I had such a shitty computer that I loved Cpma because it was based on gameplay...I couldn't enjoy the games graphics, so it was the best thing I could get. Now...I have a good computer(not the best..but good enough)and now that I've been able to enjoy the graphics, the game has changed quite a bit for me. I've been playing r_picmip 5 or higher for so many years that it doesn't bother me to see shitty looking walls and weapons and whatever..but if I want to play gameplay I'm pretty happy with my Cpma..minus the suicidal bots.

The only thing that I think really killed things off in Cpma, was all of the promode map makers just up and disappeared when Q4 came out. Get that back and the crowd returns imo. ...well that's my take.

I always thought that ID should have made a Q4 with promode physics for it's deathmatch gameplay. Um..or not

[Electro]

Well thats certainly lost myself helping you. Good luck with... whatever it is.

That's a pretty big assumption that you have a skill that we'd be after.

As for everyone else, this thread was intended to seek out texture artists. It looks like there hasn't been any actual replies regarding texturing. It's understandable that people would like to know more about a project before signing up, but there also hasn't been much indication of that either.

If there are no environment texture artists actively interested in participating in PMX, then there's really nothing more to be said here. If someone at a later date stumbles onto this thread and is interested, feel free to contact ix or myself.

[o'dium]

Hey, I wasn't the one asking for help, was I?

But yeah, I've never done textures before... Course...

*Keeps adding to 4,000+ texture resource list for OD*

[Hipshot]

Odium, you don't need to tell people how good you are - ALL THE TIME.