AEdm7 - AEon's DM 7 Redux - Final!

[AEon]

Strange how a room can evolve... added a JP on the left that takes you to the RL2, added a TP exit on the right of the room as well... this one (on the right) is now open, the one left was closed, because too much was happening at that end of the map.

• 

Also replanted the tree in the main path, it now has more skylight.

[Pat Howard]

Some visual things:

- That white concrete texture looks too clean or something. Everywhere I see it I think it looks seriously out of place. I'd suggest replacing it with something grungier.

- QUAD room's lookin' good. That tree is a little weird though, just sprouting right up out of the concrete like that. I think it was more natural they way before. Can't quite tell because the back of the room has gotten bigger, but it might be disrupting gameflow a bit too.

- You have loads of colored point lights without actual sources. I'd make them real lights instead. Also, you should probably choose between yellow and red. Both of them alternating looked a little tacky to me.

- Maybe get rid of those weird angled lights facing the walls while you're at it. Not only did the edges feel way to sharp to me (retro-esque), but they also aren't very realistic. Why point light at a wall? Move them up to the ceilings or embedded in the walls instead?

[AEon]

I experimented with Tabun's moss texture and placed it on the eX crete textures, darkening the crete via black layer 10% opacity... the floor has a larger moss texture placed on it (black layer 5% opacity). This should make the map more gritty, and make the crete stand out slightly less:

• [lvlshot]http://aemap.hugelaser.com/aedm7_r227_crete_moss.jpg[/lvlshot]
  (Image at 60% JPG, but 1680x1050 resolution to better see the effect).

The theory is that the crete interacts with plants, the metal does not so on most surfaces... If it looks too crappy I might need to ask Tabun (an artist) if he could make the moss + crete look better.

About the red lights... yeah... I have been making the red darker and darker but it still looked "tacky". Will replace all red lights with orange ones, only the blocked doors have red.

The tree is fine, trust me

About the point light sources... no way around them... need them to brighten the corridors... alas presently I have no idea how to replace those "angled lamps". Need to come up with a better design, and use that as ASE. Why light walls? ... because it's cool .

[monaster]

It definitely is; as well as your whole map, congrats!

[cityy]

BTW:

What did evillair say about using his q4 texture set in q3? Did you contact him via mail or are you just generally allowed to use the set for q3? These textures look pretty nice :S

[AEon]

What did evillair say about using his q4 texture set in q3? Did you contact him via mail or are you just generally allowed to use the set for q3? These textures look pretty nice :S

I just asked him, if the usage for AEdm7 is OK... it is... and if others could use the eX texture set for Q3A... and that was also fine with evillair. As always just credit him in the map readme.

The only thing *special* with AEdm7's eX textures are the shaders... I created them for the lights and grates. So it might be helpful to look into the AEdm7 shaders if you are planning to use either. Also note that AEdm7 is using the the lo-res (256x) version of his texture set, he also provides a hi-res version:

• evillair's eX texture set

[cityy]

Thank you for the info. That's pretty awesome because I am currently looking for some nice concrete textures!

[cityy]

Another question

Could you post a screenshot or explain how these jump pad smoke rings look in the editor? I am currently trying to understand these...

[AEon]

Note that Hipshot created those for Solar, and that I then only used his shaders, scaling down his swirl to create these fan effects.

You can look up the shaders (4 of them) in aedm7.shader, called textures/aedm7/movesquare1 to movesquare4.

I simply place the same four square brushes (about 4u high, height does not matter though), covered with nodraw on all sides, at the exact same position above the fan, only the top side of each brush is then replaced with one of the shaders. Hipshot is using movement vectors (deformvertexes move) to make them move up, and at the same time rotate *and* fade. This is how the effect was created.

Code: Select all

textures/aedm7/movesquare1
{
	qer_editorimage textures/aedm7/jumpring.jpg
	qer_trans 0.3
	surfaceparm noimpact
	surfaceparm nolightmap
	surfaceparm trans
	surfaceparm nonsolid
	surfaceparm nodlight
	cull none                        // Make swirl visible from above and below
	deformvertexes move 0 0 200 sawtooth 0 1 1 .8
	{
		clampmap textures/aedm7/jumpring.jpg
		tcMod rotate -250
		rgbGen wave sawtooth 1 -1 1 .8
		blendfunc add
	}
}

[v1l3]

I wanted to request that you take out the Dinosaur sound(863_memexikon_dinner.wav) that comes from touching the door. It just seems unrealistic(to me). Everytime I touch that door and it goes off, it just sounds like there is a very Bored Dinosaur just hanging around there, and he gets really pissed off if you touch his door...hehe. I don't think that there are Dinosaurs on Stroggos?

[AEon]

I think the trigger was set to not go off, but every x minutes. But, alas, I could not find a better sound, that would really frighten the heck out of folks.

Since I am not working on the map presently, I might just as well release another beta, that shows off the new areas I created... this way there is enough time for feedback.

[AEon]

AEdm7 - AEon's DM 7 Redux - r234 Beta 3

• [lvlshot]http://aemap.hugelaser.com/map-aedm7_beta2.jpg[/lvlshot]

Changes:

• Closed a gate as a test near GL1 (Pat's idea).
• Shortened the corridors around the Quad room, should be must faster now.
• Quad room re-done in "cave look".
• Quad room connected to RL2 via a JP now.
• Accidentally created a weird brush in the Quad room (near wall).
• Beams of light from some cracked glass in ceiling.
• Redid most of the vines on the ceiling.
• Moved tree in Quad room, and opened up the ceiling for more light.
• Corridor near RG, now has a rock face.
• The RL1 TP exits in front of the gate of the LG arena.
• Hope the pk3 is OK, I simply zipped my last "build". These are normally ready to use at any time.
• Was too lazy for a new shot above, probably forgot some other things that changed...

Download:

• • map-aedm7_beta3.zip (10.1 MB) @ hugelaser.com
    (Install: Unpack the .zip into your baseq3\ folder, run the map via in-game skirmish button. The BSP is named aedm7.bsp.)

Todo list:

• Add more vegetation, place rock walls in several corridors, turn the Quad arena into a cave.
• Start hinting.
• Cleanup .pk3 and shader.
• Add team location markers.
• Quite a few other things...

Feedback:

• What ever

[v1l3]

Your link for beta3 is coming out to your beta2.zip link.

[AEon]

Oops... fixed.

[v1l3]

It's amazing. I like that you put up some closed doors in certain hallways..it was way to connective before, so I was wondering how or whether you were gonna change that...nicely done. The one question that I do have is..what's up with the floating small platform in the Quad room? There isn't anything on it either.

[AEon]

If that is the only question I seem to be off the hook... that's a LMB-drag bug ... no idea why I created and forgot to delete that brush.

Something I am thinking of trying out is this: When you walk the corridor with the MH, on the opposite end there is a closed gate. Since I closed off the gate up were the GL1 is, I was thinking of connecting the lower gate with a JP exiting behind (other side of closed off gate in GL1 room), adding a passage to that corridor up there (SG1 to GL2). Might be interesting gameplay-wise.

[Pat Howard]

Hey, I played a couple games this morning. You've really gotten this map playing a lot faster! I have just a few gameplay ideas to jot down here.

Item Placement:

OK, I think you have the opportunity with a little item reworking to give each significant area it's own distinct purpose.

RL arenas: You have YAs here. That's good. Decent power, balanced, they should stay.

PG cave: I think if you want players to take this third arena seriously then putting the QUAD there is a bad idea. Think about it, who would go out of their way to travel there simply hoping that the QUAD will spawn under their feet when they arrive? You need something powerful and reliable, so that going there is a consistently rewarding investment. Sounds like the RA to me.

RA hall: Now that you've closed this hall to the center this has become a very specialized path. Kind of a back door entry from one RL arena to the next. I think the MH is good here. Slightly longer respawn time, but powerful nonetheless, making this an interesting control point both strategically and item-wise. Just make sure you center it, (where the hall opens up slightly) which will balance it between the two bases.

GL center: Potentially a really cool control point but currently I don't have enough item incentive to stay there. Maybe the RG could go here (see path advice for what to put in its place). Also, load it up with ammo and throw in some health or armor shards. In a gametype like TDM I bet you could imagine the kind of fights that would take place in here. One guy camps, another guy from the other team swoops in from one of the upper platforms raining rockets from above.

Lower central tunnel: I think this is where the QUAD should be relocated. There's a lot of traffic in that hallway so anything you put there is gonna be a total crapshoot, and I've always thought if you're going to have a lucky pickup, it should be a powerup, because powerups are usually picked up by luck anyway.

Paths:

- OK, if you've followed the GL center suggestion you now have the RG in the center. The problem is we don't really have any items left to give the old RG hallway its incentive back. So what if you reopened the door behind the old position of the RG? This would connect the center area and the PG cave without actually creating a new entrance to the center and confusing things. Then get rid of the now redundant adjacent TP and voilà, the old RG hallway has purpose again! If you take my other advice, I really suggest you do this, otherwise you'll be left with at least one underpowered area AFAICT.

- Only one RL arena can TP to the other. This doesn't make much sense for TDM games. I think your map is well connected enough already. I'd lose it.

- I noticed you added a giant vent (at least I think it's new) with a path from the armor shard vent to the GL center area. It looks really awkward and I don't actually think that connection needs to be there. (People usually just run from end to end without stopping to take an alt. path.)


Hope that helps. I'd be really interested to test out some of those changes above (you'd barely have to rework anything structurally but they are potentially huge game changers). What do you think of all this?
-pat

[fKd]

hay man cool work. 2 things.

1 r_showtris leak at this door. think the door might be a detail brush. could save lots a tris in this room i think....


2 would be cool if ya made it look like this crate had smashed through that ceiling glass.



looks cool so far man. not sure about those q4 textures tho... they look weird without bump/spec mapping imo. oh and use a custom music track. something which fits the theme better.

have not played a bot match yet. looking sweet so far

[cityy]

Lower central tunnel:[...]I've always thought if you're going to have a lucky pickup, it should be a powerup, because powerups are usually picked up by luck anyway.

I can't agree here The PU is one of the most important items in TDM and usually it is the most contested item.
Though I like all your other ideas Pat.

I wonder how you are going to turn the QUAD area into a cave. I think it is a nice idea, looking forward to it. Besides I can't say much - I like the map (:

[AEon]

- I noticed you added a giant vent (at least I think it's new) with a path from the armor shard vent to the GL center area. It looks really awkward and I don't actually think that connection needs to be there. (People usually just run from end to end without stopping to take an alt. path.)

Could you make a shot of this, I am not completely sure what you mean here. Thanks.

Noted the other ideas, will rethink them when back mapping.

fKd,
yo... that gate is a bit strange, it is structural, but did does not perfectly touch the floor it seems thus the vis leak. This area was about to be reworked, so adding the door was a temp test, that seems to be interesting though.

Interestingly, opening the RG door again, one could loose the GL1 area TP, and if one also removes the TP in the RL1 the map would not have any TPs at all ... I was never really happy with the TPs, may be a option to loose them completely. Hmmm...


BTW, how do you folks like the beams of light?

[Pat Howard]

I can't agree here The PU is one of the most important items in TDM and usually it is the most contested item.
Though I like all your other ideas Pat.

Perhaps you're right here. I was thinking more about FFA when I wrote this. There's always the option to move it in TDM games where it's more important.

Interestingly, opening the RG door again, one could loose the GL1 area TP, and if one also removes the TP in the RL1 the map would not have any TPs at all ... I was never really happy with the TPs, may be a option to loose them completely. Hmmm...

Yes, this is kind of what I was thinking too. While I do like the jump from the central to the back of the cave, this was the best thing I could think of as far as balancing items across all the areas goes. Maybe I'm just being narrow minded though. I'm sure there are more possibilities if you don't like this exact setup. One thing I'm sure about: the connection from the center to the cave (third arena) is a very important one.

BTW, how do you folks like the beams of light?

I know you spent a bit of time on them getting the shaders right and everything, but I must say I don't like the glass at all in this map. Considering how weathered everything else is, it just looks way too clean. It looks even more out of place when next to rock. Maybe it's just because I've seen this map go through so many changes, but the glass to me feels like something out of a past rendition. Maybe fencing instead? Or keep it but dirty it up a lot like sumatra did here.

Here's that vent I was talking about:

Has it always been there? Maybe I was just being braindead. This map is my Kryptonite.

[AEon]

Pat Howard,
about the "vent"...

Ah... that square tube has been there a while, it is mainly meant as cover between RL2 and GL2, i.e. from the RG.

The metal "ledge" on the tube is just a fun shortcut, that folks can take if they need to be very fast. If most ignore it that is OK with me.

Yes, the glass is terrible. Good thing is, I primarily set it up for the toning down (absorption) of light on some of the floors, so any better more "dirty" texture on it is fine by me. Kazdm4 has pretty cool glass, but that would be a bit too "gritty"... the environment mapping on the glass may also be an issue, i.e. making it too glossy. Maybe Socks SP map will be out soon, and I can "borrow" his glass *schmeil*.

[cityy]

I can't agree here The PU is one of the most important items in TDM and usually it is the most contested item.
Though I like all your other ideas Pat.

Perhaps you're right here. I was thinking more about FFA when I wrote this. There's always the option to move it in TDM games where it's more important.

No, idea. I still think Quad is an advantage - also in FFA. You take it 2 times and get 15 frags where you normally get 5.

I know you spent a bit of time on them getting the shaders right and everything, but I must say I don't like the glass at all in this map. Considering how weathered everything else is, it just looks way too clean.

Agree. I like the beams but I dont like the glass.

[cityy]

Where did you go AEon?

[AEon]

I seem to be dwindling... out... again...