AEcantw2 - Beta 2 d/l

[AEon]

• [lvlshot]http://aemap.hugelaser.com/aecantw2_old_beta1.jpg[/lvlshot]

Working on AEon's Canyon Tower II (AEcantw2) again. The map was originally intended as a Half-Life 2 MP map... only I stopped caring about creating it for that game (I also hate using WorldCraft). Now adding Q3A specific stuff like JPs. The very brush-based map in DSI texture set, has no patches... probably won't get any either. r_speeds of 4K and less, just one case of 5K (no hint brushes, no mitering ), will let me add more geometry-based details now.

@Sock... this might be a map to add nice earth textures and plants as deco, to turn it into a modern "sky resort". Suggestions for good textures / models appreciated.

Presently I am enlarging the central arena to give the bots/players more space to work with.

Alas, we used to have a thread for this map, with feedback, only that must have been before 2005... those threads are gone .

[Hipshot]

Give us a link!

[AEon]

Old beta has too many things I need to fix first, to make feedback meaningful... 2-3 days beta 2 should be done.

[AEon]

I use glass to light the map, after removing some of it, and enlarging the central arena, some areas now are way too dark, so I am using Hipshot's "trick" and comping the map with the -gamma and -compensate settings used in SolarAE.

Left, normal light compile using:

• -light -v -fast -patchshadows -samples 3 -bounce 8

Right, light compile with gamma and compensate:

• -light -v -fast -patchshadows -samples 3 -bounce 8 -gamma 2.5 -compensate 3

• 
  

I am not completely sure about the results... the gamma certainly helps to make the dark areas less dark... hmmm...

[WHAT!!]

I'd tone that down a tiny bit. It looks pretty evenly lit, but also kind of bland.

[Hipshot]

Try and use some dirt into the light. Might give this level a kick.

-dirty -dirtscale 3 -dirtdepth 32

[Kaz]

Try and use some dirt into the light. Might give this level a kick.

-dirty -dirtscale 3 -dirtdepth 32

I second this, it helped alot with my latest compile tests.

[AEon]

Testing the dirty settings for the light compile.

Left, "normal" light compile, using:

• -light -v -fast -patchshadows -dark -samples 3 -bounce 8 -shade -gamma 2 -compensate 2.5

Right, light compile with "dirty" settings added:

• -light -v -fast -patchshadows -dark -samples 3 -bounce 8 -shade -gamma 2 -compensate 2.5 -dirty -dirtscale 3 -dirtdepth 32

• 

As the Q3Map2 wiki states, it subtly darkens the shadows in corners... very nice.

[Silicone_Milk]

mmm that lighting looks nice. I've never compiled a map with anything but a normal -light compile but then, of course, I've never actually released anything past alpha

I'm not sure how I feel about the pictures in the hall. They seem extremely out of place to me. I personally think they would look better as holographic displays being projected from the ground.

It would also be nice to see some of that orange from the outside of the structure on the inside. Maybe a muted dirty gray/orange to replace some spots where the darker gray is used as trim.

I definitely want to see a beta soon though A HL2 Q3 map sounds interesting to me.

[AEon]

@Silicone_Milk
... well I like the Far Cry images... they add a bit of deco... but you are right, I still need to come up with some sort of deco texture that contrasts the grey. I was thinking of earth/green tones, plus using plants everywhere.

"holographic displays"... no idea how to do that, but if someone has suggestions, I'll try that out. Projections? or was that a Quake IV thing... forgot

[Hipshot]

"painting"
texture with add
same texture with add and with a fast flickering
subtle scannline texture with add and scrolling slow

"projection cone"
gradient texture with add that flickers at the same speed as the second texture stage as the one above.


Just a quick brain storm, don't know how good it will work, needs to be tested.

[Fjoggs]

Hmm, looks kinda.. dull? Boring textures and not much brushwork. Only saying this since I know you can do alot better, not trying to be mean or anything.

[Silicone_Milk]

"painting"
texture with add
same texture with add and with a fast flickering
subtle scannline texture with add and scrolling slow

"projection cone"
gradient texture with add that flickers at the same speed as the second texture stage as the one above.


Just a quick brain storm, don't know how good it will work, needs to be tested.

Exactly what I was thinking with the scrolling scanlines and the flickering.

[Silicone_Milk]

@Silicone_Milk
... well I like the Far Cry images... they add a bit of deco... but you are right, I still need to come up with some sort of deco texture that contrasts the grey. I was thinking of earth/green tones, plus using plants everywhere.

"holographic displays"... no idea how to do that, but if someone has suggestions, I'll try that out. Projections? or was that a Quake IV thing... forgot

I feel that using warm colors (red, yellow, orange, etc...) to contrast the gray would be a better choice personally as the green in the plants is a colder color and would also add to further contrast. I think that the plants and contrast texture would get lost in each other should you go with an earthy tone.

[AEon]

Alas warm colors don't really work when you use -gamma ... It is a real pain trying to set the proper color, having the gamma mess it up again.

Presently experimenting with a more orange sky: Gritty Residue by Mighty Pete.

[Hipshot]

Then don't use gamma =)
It tend to wash things out. If you don't build the level with gamma and compensate from the beginning, it could come as a shock when it changes that much, you need to rethink your entire perspective of lighting of the level.

[^Ghost]

i have a large amount of textures that are based off of dsi_textures on my computer from thousands of defrag maps. when i get home i could post an attachment on here for u. to give ur map some more color to it.. if ur willing to keep it the sort of black and white theme to it, theres a really nice skybox you can find on wadfather called At Sea.. its actualy this skybox here in this map http://q3a.ath.cx/?mapdetails=pornstar-bored

from what i can your map is missing vibrance. try adding some shaders around the trims, also the wall textures are very repetitive

also if u do wanna use the idea of holographic display. i would use flares.
heres a basic flare shader that i use

textures/ghost-flare/fat_white_flare
{
qer_editorimage textures/ghost-custom/fat_white_flare.tga
cull none
surfaceparm nolightmap
surfaceparm nomarks
surfaceparm nonsolid
surfaceparm trans
q3map_surfacelight 200
deformVertexes autosprite
{
map textures/ghost-custom/fat_white_flare.tga
blendfunc add
rgbGen identity
}
}

EDIT: heres the texpack with the accompanying shaders. http://www.sendspace.com/file/yr9dsh

[AEon]

^Ghost,
thanks for the textures... I don't really see anything I could use, but your textures inspired me to look into other texture sets for more material, i.e. a "good" grate, to then possibly build my own grate from that using DSI textures. I am also looking into directly using other texture sets, e.g. Andromeda or Evil8.

I have this very strange aversion of adding textures from other texture sets... we'll see how this turns out. The skybox I am using is "ely_Nevada" by Colin Lowndes (see the lvlworld, skybox pk3).

[AEon]

I think I finally have the grips on the lighting. May not be brilliant, but I can live with it. Started to add new textures to the map. Note the boxes in the first shot, are tests. Still trying to come up with a DSI texture set vs. other textures style here though. Enlarging and rebuilding several areas.

• 

Beta download is, alas, still off. Need to recreate too many things.

[^misantropia^]

Digging the 'sunny autumn afternoon in the museum' feel, AEon.

[AEon]

Now that you mention it... it does have the feeling of a gallery. And since then I added some more "art"

Presently reworking all the "drab" areas, adding detail, new textures, etc.

[^Ghost]

i would put up the beta now to give some feedback regardless of what is messed up

[fKd]

the skybox light does not match the skybox. looks to be the wrong colour. weird. feedback is tough with out something to give feedback from, apart from screenshots. like ^ghost said, gizz us a look aye?

[AEon]

Yes, the light of the skybox is an issue. It should technically be pure white, but I tried that and it made the map look very "dead". Though I may try toning down the yellow, i.e. a hint of pastel yellow.

BTW, I am actually hoping for some more feedback on the almost final SolarAE, go play-test that map in till beta two of this map .

[AEon]

AEcantw2 - r133 Beta 2

Been almost 5 years since I last edited this map... I thought it was pretty much done, but I was wrong. Changed quite a few things, prettied it up, optimized many things.

• 

Changes:

• Introduced the Andromeda texture set by Speedy for additional decoration. This developed into an interesting, IMO, theme.
• The r_speeds started off below 5K, and still are around there, by adding efficient hint brushes.
• The bots should play the map really well.
• Changed the low level design in a few areas. It turned out not to be useful, so I deleted those "lower" (RA arena) or "upper" (LG room) areas, only using them for deco now. This made the gameplay more concise.
• Central arena completely redone, much larger, has walkways, central 3xJP.
• All the areas that used to be very cramped are now much more generous to navigate.
• The vertical JP effect is by Hipshot from SolarAE, the JP ring and shader is from AEsafe (Sock's original). I created new white respawn pad textures for most weapons/armor/items based on Hipshot's designs (again from Solar).
• Skybox "Nevada" was created by Colin Lowndes (download the skybox pack from lvlworld). The more attentive player will notice the "crappy" floor skybox texture: I had to "re-create" one, because it had never been created... alas less than optimal.
• "Oil barrels are the new boxes" (tm)
• Play it in FFA or Team DM.
• Hundreds of other changes... so much for the map being done .

Download:

• • map-aecantw2_r133_beta2.zip (5.62 MB) @ hugelaser.com
    
    (Install: Unpack the .zip into your baseq3\ folder, run the map via in-game skirmish button.)

Feedback:

• Feedback welcome. I am aware of a few clipping issues, where you can see another part of the map, need to rebuild those areas to fix this, but this is presently more cosmetic.