Monaster's Maps (MM) - now with thumbnails!

[monaster]

I finally got the balls to open up a thread that is dedicated to all the maps I'm currectly working on and that is a lot just because I'm too stupid to
(1) finish one map,
(2) release it
(3) and then go on to another map. At least I'm not the only one here having these sort of problems (hi there, *censored* and *censored* and *censored* and so on) you make me feel a bit better thanks! Plus, that way I can use any newely acquired knowledge to make every map look and play better thus delaying any possible release even further.
So this is an attempt to "force" myself at least making some screenshits (most of them probably look exactly like that) and perhaps working more efficient that way, which means "Dammit, just finish ONE SINGLE map, will you?"

RCPD:

The first screenshots are taken from my most detailed map up to this day, the recreation of the Raccoon City Police Department from Resident Evil 2 (the original by the way, not that Dark Side Chronicles shit). Yeah, texturing sucks but this is NOT the final texture work, I only wanted to choose something better than the infamous caulk/holo grid (personally I love that b/w texture but it looks awful on screenies):





(After some quite serendipitous discoveries) I know that this has been tried before, not with Quake but there were many other projects converting this game into UT/HL/...-like maps but I am dead serious about finishing this. My biggest advantage: I have built far more than just the damn main hall (it's the most detailed section atm though, that's why most of the screenshots are showing it), first outlines of the darkroom for example:

Clearly the main hall really isn't the only room accessible yet. I already got the whole building there's just some room specific detail left to be done:

Although this is far from finished and I can't listen to anyone's level design ideas this time because of the original my map is based on (as I want it to be as faithful as possible) I'll still welcome any form of suggestions, flaming and so on.
Final note: this is one of my most recent projects so I knew a lot more about mapping when I started that one compared to my first maps. So please have mercy with future screenshots which may be representing earlier maps which might convey an even worse impression.

[EDITS: Changed ???Map to RCPD, thumbnails added, same goes for every other post edit here.]

[monaster]

Here's some more to get a complete overview over the stuff/crap I'm mapping on at the moment. Suggestions and other kind of remarks are welcome! (Please!) Above the screenies I'll write the map's name so if you want to discuss a certain one you won't have to say "that blue-room-map-thing there is butt-ugly please stop mapping will you" or something like that. Last words: Me, not self-confident?

2ndTest:




By the way, is there a possibility to align lvlshots in any other way than vertical?

[monaster]

Babylon:

[monaster]

Castle:

[monaster]

City:

Textured/Untextured version with player model:




Quick test compile with light (looks better on darker monitors):




Crazy light test:

I LIKE that one :

As you can see there's much more space for my city to grow (theoretically):

[monaster]

RCPD:

4 more screenshots.

level overview:


yet again, the main hall, textured a bit differently (and yet again, not finally!):

nice fake-3D-effect after a vertex compile test:

[EDIT: Changed ???Map to RCPD; deleted the "what's that map built after?" question]

[monaster]

Ultra:

The very first map I've ever done (doesn't look a single second like it, but it's highly tactical gameplay-wise)

[monaster]

And here's the last one, something to make your eyes bleed the day it will become accessible and published (it's very experimental, be warned! )

Drissy:




Just saw, that I forgot some other two or three maps, screenshots will be uploaded in the next few days.

[obsidian]

The texture on this one is amazing. Is it normal mapped?

[monaster]

Yes it is (both the stone and the wood plank texture); unfortunately it has not been created by me (I found it in an old texture set download on my HDD) so I don't know if I can use it in a release version of castle. IIRC, that stone texture has been used a few times on different maps so I'll check if there were any copyrights cast upon it. If not, I'll upload it here. And yes, it's an amazing texture indeed, I already used it in two or three maps. Or is it the wood you're interested in?

[obsidian]

Stone please. Send it to me if you can anyway, I'd like to take a look at it so that I can create my own textures based on similar techniques. I assume you also cranked up the lightmap scale for this as well?

[monaster]

Finally sent you a PM, obs! Sorry for having kept you waiting.
@lightmap scale: Nope I didn't change anything except the light entity's colour, this is kind of the purest and most genuine form of a map that's possible.

[monaster]

Update to City:

One of what shall be the most impressive building structure in city:

The same building during a quick light compile test (which resulted in a ~10mb .bsp file )



How often something like this can possibly happen? Note: there are no items in that version so bots only move at seeing opponents:


Some more places in my city:


Guess what this screenshot means:

Right: going underground as well!


More HQ (that huge black complex) views to give an impression of building size vs. player model size vs. city size:
I'm no big big girl


in a big

big

world

and it's a big big thing

that damn fouuuuuntain...

Anyone remembers Emilia?

One last: try to guess how high Anarki's right now:

Solution: That skyscraper is more than 20 000 units high. Yep, 20k.

[Silicone_Milk]

I can't even imagine how crazy the vis data for city is.

On that note, you showed an earlier shot of "theoretical growth potential" but you'll more likely than not hit the max visibility data limit.

Your city shots that are textured reminds me of Sin. That's a good thing

[monaster]

Thanks for your reply Silicone_Milk, always happy to get some feedback!
About the MAX_VISIBILITY_error: Erm... yeah, I already hit it a few times, which is why I had to change some of the elements/buildings in city. I'll have to see what can be done about .bsp limits since 1.5.0. even refuses to compile that little monster (fortunately 1.2.1 has no problems with it).
I actually didn't intend to make the textures providing a "Sin" look, but now that you mention it... and since someone kinda likes it I'll stick with it.
[EDIT: corrected spelling mistake]

[monaster]

A few compiling facts about the RCPD map, just to show that I'm still working at it; in fact there are only 3 rooms left to be filled with interiors and some minor stuff, after that it's texturing time and probably time for an alpha version, if anyone's interested:
after a BSP -meta -vis -light -fast -super 2 -filter -patchshadows compile (all in all 913 seconds):
3258 total world brushes
305 detail brushes
1092 patches
1504 boxbevels
351 edgebevels
143 entities
7044 planes
0 areaportals
Size: -16, -16, -128 to 7232, 3344, 992 (-> appr.in-editor dimensions: 7160x3360x1024 units)

4080 portalclusters
11033 numportals
19046 numfaces
22066 active portals
0 hint portals
visdatasize:2088968

--- BasePortalVis (22066) ---
0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9... (46)
7 average number of passages per leaf
232 MB required passage memory

--- CreatePassages (22066) ---
0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9... (141)

--- PassagePortalFlow (22066) ---
0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9... (418)


Plus, I managed to get down to a maximum of 14k tris in the most detailled area (the average is 1000-3000, though), whereas earlier versions did have tris peaks of *cough* 53217 *cough*.

bsp file size zipped: 1.8 MB

[EDIT: Added "Plus,[...]";changed ???Map to RCPD

[Chretien]

The first screenshot is from RE!
First game I played on the PS

[monaster]

Wohoo, you're the first one who told me the right answer, thanks man! Not even 6 months till someone found out that it's Resident Evil (second part by the way). Happyhappyeaster.

Nice coincidence by the way: Just finished some more screenies of ???map aka RCPD (Raccoon City Police Department), one view from the east wing showing Marvin's office where he finally transforms into a zombie.



And now mentlegen: I bring you the power of the moon! (watch these in moonlight only, because they are quite dark, damn LCD monitors, sorry! There's quite a lot of detail to be seen in the first of these 3 pics, just brighten it up as much as you can.)





As stated in another thread, this map is nearly done with brushwork, now I just need to find the right textures. If there's anybody who's got the original RE2 textures at hand (not as seen in RE2's backgrounds - I mean something like 256x256 concrete texs or neat texs of posters with right angles and not that pre-rendered background caused perspective texs, if something like this even exists), or knows a way to obtain them I would REALLY appreciate that. I want RCPD to be as true to the original as possible, and making all this textures from scratch would take something from 2 years to a lifetime, which I (sadly) can't afford.

[monaster]

Just replaced all the "???Map" with "RCPD" to avoid confusion. Screenshots are on their way, should be there within the next few days (as well as some other stuff), this time it should be worth watching them. For all the people having problems (with bandwidth) to load this thread: would it be helpful to replace the first screenshots (a few 1600x1200) with smaller ones, although they are already lvlsht'ed? Will there any difference then?

[monaster]

Finally time for some mapping, the promised screenshots are on their way. Test-textured the main hall of rcpd some weeks ago, since I don't have access to any original textures (yet), and it didn't look too bad. Wait and see.

[monaster]

This and the following two posts might finally kill this thread for anyone with a slow internet connection, I don't hope it really does.
Descriptions alsways refer to the picture above. everything's lvlshot'd, click on the images to view them in their original size and glory.

Update to Babylon:


1: entrance to babylon (early stage)


2: entrance to babylon (recent stage with player model to compare the map size)


3: few babylon buildings


4: same angle greater distance this time


5: temple/sacral district


6: overall babylon shot (the most recent version has the whole map enclosed by the great wall seen in the front)


7: all about view point and shadows baby


8: this is what the most recent version of babylon looks like at the moment

[monaster]

Update to City:

1-4: fooling around with rockets:

1: one to the two...


2: to the three to the four...


3: one's just knocking at your door.


4: he who dances with rockets (look for anarki)




5-7: little test with a bridge (all brush/patch work, no model), look into "photos please" thread in General Discussion, doombrain's last but one post, nearly the same bridge only that my screenshot is like two months old


8: city hall.

[Edit: Changed 1st sentence to "fooling" around...]

[monaster]

Update to RCPD:

1-6: indepth look into rcpd rooms:

1: big eastern office with marvin's room - east wing 1st floor


2: waiting room in front of big eastern office part 1 - east wing 1st floor


3: waiting room in front of big eastern office part 2 - east wing 1st floor


4: library (books to be included, lighting fucked up yet) - west wing 2nd/3rd floor


5: hall in front of dark room/save room with stairs to 2nd floor part 1 - west wing 1st floor


6: hall in front of dark room/save room with stairs to 2nd floor part 2 - west wing 1st floor



7-8: entire level overview (S.T.A.R.S room and depot yet to be done)

9-16: main hall (test)textured: will keep these textures unless I get my hands on the original textures

9: without shadows







10-15: full compile, hahahaha!


16: retarded light test with surprisingly soft lighting result (uncounted hours of compiling included)

Extra screenshot:

Talking about stupid ideas: there were NO cheats (god, give all asf) used for this one. Neither was the map itself changed, it's a common id map.

That's all folks!

[Bliccer]

Update to City:




5-7: little test with a bridge (all brush/patch work, no model), look into "photos please" thread in General Discussion, doombrain's last but one post, nearly the same bridge only that my screenshot is like two months old

It would be nice if you could greet me if you already use my bridge.

[monaster]

Greets to Bliccer!
Couldn't remember where I had downloaded this thing from anymore, so thanks!
Since I have the information again I can ask you directly, keyboard-to-keyboard: what did you build this thing after? Since it looks SO much like the bridge on doombrain's photo... coincidence or is it exactly the same one?