AndyW wrote:
Re-Texturing is finished so far. I have to put some more lights and Models in and switch some textures.
Andy, I think you should consider putting some more time into texturing this. Your base is solid and you have rich brushwork and geometry to work off from.
Here is a few things you could consider as next steps:
- consistency of texture density and resolution: This is often neglected but I think it makes a huge difference for a level's overall look and feel. What I mean is your mix of sock's high quality and high resolution textures and the quake 3 stock textures. The q3 textures are good but they really shout 1999. Now this is not a bad thing but you should settle for something.
This mix of dense downscaled high res textures and old q3 textures make the map look very unfinished although the diversity of textures is rather high and complete.
- the practical context of materials: What is wood, what is brick, what is concrete and what is favoring the use of one material over the other? In middle age, buildings were often made from natural stone because people did not have the knowledge to use cheaper and faster materials. Nowadays, natural stone in a building is quite a luxury because using it is time expensive and the amount of people that know how to work with it has decreased compared to the old days.
If you use natural stone, like the q3 gothic brick - what is the statement you want to make? Why do you use concrete and metal in other areas? Maybe some parts of the map are fictionally older than others? Is there a clear separation of those areas that enable the player to understand your visual idea? This topic is pretty advanced and it does in some cases make more sense to consider it and in some cases it makes less sense. In any case, it's a good way to think about texture choice because even if you ignore the matter, you will have considered multiple aspects and you will have gotten a good idea about what you really want to do.
- how do materials work? If you got a lot of curved geometry, you won't rely too much on tiled floors because rectangular elements and curves (in theory) mean lots of cutting and extra work which defeats the purpose of a modular floor material. Now this is nit picking but it's only one of the things that add up to what makes a map feel unpolished. Simular things go for stair steps, brick, metal plates. Every material has a purpose that makes its use favorable.
Concrete can't easily be produced in infinite lengths or shapes. Remember there is wooden formwork and that concrete is poured which causes joints between pieces. You can choose wether to care or not to care about this. Personally, I see it as a chance to enrich your map with information the player can consciously or unconsciously pick up.
- lighting: is not just an accessory. Places of importance and high frequency of usage should be highlighted by the lighting. This doesn't mean you should place lights above major items but leave the rest of the map dark. Try to create a lighting hierarchy.
When a player enters an area, he subliminally interprets the lighting for his virtual floor plan. What is the key point of this area? Where are the exits? Where is HP? All this can be carried by the lighting and if your map is consistent with lights it will support the learning effect players have.
new brushes move right and down by one grid in the 2D view. If you are sure you did not hit the spacebar, then try to recompile the map, if the bug disappears, it was just flaw in the compile progress making these brushes nonsolid.
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