Quake3World

Hey,

After working on some pretty big maps recently, I needed a little break and decided to try another duel map.

Screens:




I am working on a shiny new texture set for this map, but I wanted to get the layout bugs worked out before I began uploading a huge map file just to test. (that, and the textures are only half done)

Download:

http://www.quake4files.net/beta/index.p ... pid&id=143

Let me know what you think!

That d/l site is a pain in the ass. I could only get the pk4 to download as a text file into my browser (Firefox 1.0.7), and r-click just grabbed the php redirect. Bleh. I finally had to grab the actual redirect from my browser bar and drop it into a little html page and then load and r-click from there.

For anyone else having the same problem, this should work:

r-click, save-as

Feedback to follow.

I agree, the download almost crashed my browser the first time I tried. The PHP script was trying to load the pk4 as text into Firefox and I couldn't stop it. I finally ended up just saving the index.php to my desktop and renaming it to the correct pk4 file. Very annoying though. Maybe zipping up the pk4 would alleviate this?

I like this layout--lots of vertical variation and sorta over-under combat. The slope jump up from the MH level (near the shells) to RL is kickass. I love the slopejumping in Q4 and I really wish more maps would make more use of it. Good stuff.

So. I started looking at the map and thinking about the layout, and I kind of got a little carried away. This has just made it obvious to me that I need to open up the editor and start working on my own stuff again. The following is purely my opinion and what I would try were it my map, and probably a lot more than you really wanted, so feel free to ignore the crap out of it.

I'm offering it anyway, on the chance that part of it might be helpful.

1. This might impact performance a bit much, but a little window to allow seeing (and railing) from RG through to MH would be cool and evil. Here:



I'd also make the RG plat a bit smaller, 'cause I'm an ass like that, and don't forget to either make the blood/acid/stuff shallower, or fill it with fog or something, so it doesn't look bleh when you crouch or die in it. Maybe consider some other effect? Electric or something? The lack of liquid splashy sounds is a sad thing.

2. The map feels a tiny bit big for 1-on-1, and I think it would be much more intense to play if you were to tighten it up just a bit. I'd lose the YA room, and move the YA behind the pillar near RG. Here:



You'ld have to move the HB somewhere too, or else just take it out. Maybe the little nook with the health across from RA? Finally, so there's not just one way out from RG, you could make the passage that previously went to YA room just hook around to the left and pop you up to the new YA spot...

3. Finally, I think RA-->MH is a bit too quick, and I think both of them are a bit too easy to just pick up and be on your way. I would address this in two ways:

a. You could make the RA a bit more difficult to get by forcing a slope jump up the stairs trim to get it (put it on a ledge/crate/something that's just a bit too high to jump up normally). Maybe even put something else nearby that you can hop off to get the height--wall fixture or whatever, but I'd make it so you can't just walk over it.

b. You could make RA-->MH longer and MH more dangerous by blocking off that direct passage. Either just put bars across the RA side, or block it off entirely to help performance. Lose the jumppad up to RL as well. Then put a tele in that dead-end passage that previously led to the RA room. Like so:



Then, if someone grabbed MH, they'd either have to do the slopejump back up (which you could duplicate where the jumppad was), or else take the tele. You could make the tele a one-way, and have it come out in a short passage off the pool o' doom around RG somewhere.

What's the little circular dealie on the floor in the hallway off RG?

Okay, I'll shut up now.

Sorry about the DL. I usually don't have a problem with the site, but I forgot to zip the file up this time. :/

EDIT: Download should be fixed now.

PJW: Whoa! Slow down and let me jot down some notes

Actually, I like a lot of your ideas. I wasn't sure how big the map would be as I can't properly playtest it, so the addition of the YA room was kind of a guess. I like your idea of placing it in the RG room. The proximity to the RG shouldn't be a problem then, cause of the layout of the room.

I really like the window idea, but I'm afraid it will impact performance a little to much. The layout started off having the RA and RG rooms interconnected, and the flow seemed rather good, but the performance hit it created was too great imo.
Another goal of this map will be visual quality, and the effects I am planning for the map require nice performance to begin with, which I think I have been able to achieve.

Now that you mentioned it, the MH-->RA run is a little short, huh?
I believe I will implement your 3b solution for this. I think it is far more creative than the RA-on-crate method, and would make the MH just that much harder to grab.

The bloodpool is extremely temporary. I envisioned it originally as a lava flow around the RG, but I'm definitely digging the electric pool idea. If you have any ideas on a shader I can either use or modify, I'm all ears.

The little circle dealie is actually a circular whatchamajiggy. A level designer of your caliber should know better than that!

Thanks for all of your advice, and for you time. I will probably wait for a little more feedback before I rip into the map, but everything you mentioned will be taken into serious consideration.

And a final thing...you do need to open up the editor and start working again!!

phantazm11

phantazm11 wrote:The little circle dealie is actually a circular whatchamajiggy. A level designer of your caliber should know better than that!

I'm so ashamed. All this technical stuff just makes my head spin.

Glad the feedback was helpful.

Also just realized that "Lose the jumppad up to RL as well." should have been "Lose the jumppad up from MH as well." For some reason I was thinking there was a jumppad at the shells late last night...

Download no workie.

If someone will shoot it to me, I'll host it as well.

wow, what a headache!

Sorry about that. Download is now working. I must've screwed it up when I tried to add screens to the site.

I am working on getting some web space soon, so hopefully I can avoid these kinds of problems in the future.

Thanks for the offer to host scourge34.

phantazm11

With the lights on, performance seems pretty good at the moment, good job for that, I haven't dropped below 63 fps so far. (fx 5600!)

Got a fair bit of z-fighting in some places, but that goes without saying at this point, I think. I'd watch out for doorway curves though : the outer border is a bit ill-shaped at the moment.

I really like the little ramps under the slime at rail, great touch.

I have the feeling the RA room's a bit large, not to mention the passage w/ jump pad behind it, leading to rl, feels a bit empty/useless to me as is. I'd add an ammo box or a little health there.
In fact, that'd be an overall feeling - there could be an extra few pickups all around the place.

At a quick glance, seems like it could be fun to play. There's good connectivity and some vertical action there.
The slightly larger rooms will probably work fine now that we have 1.3, but remain a *tad* large to me for duels.
I think you could well slap a quad damage that shows up in TDM and the map could work nicely for that gametype, in 2v2 and 4v4. It can probably work for CA as well.

(for some reason, some rooms remind me of e1m3 - played in qw tdm )

hey,

I have been doodling with the map a bit. As pjw suggested, I decimated the YA room and placed the YA in the RG room. I also blocked off the passage from the RL and replaced it with a one-way tele. It has certainly tightened up the map.

I redid the RA room a bit, and placed the armor on a platform extending out from the rounded corner of the room. Also, I added some additional supports to the space and it has really chopped up the lines of sight, and should make that room much more fun to play in.

I still don't know what I'm going to do with the short RA to RL hallway as it is very bland atm, but I'm sure I'll think of something.

phantazm11

Hey,

I just finished the 2nd alpha version of this map and was wondering what you guys thought. Here are the basic changes to the map:

__________________________

-------- Alpha 02 Changes --------
__________________________

Upgraded to 1.3!

Scaled the map down a little bit.

The level now has very rudimentary texturing.

Reconfigured the RA room and added a GL.

Added the Napalm Launcher.

Added a YA to the RG room.

Added support posts in the YA room.

Blocked off one exit from the RL room and added a teleporter.

Placed some additional pickups.
____________________________________________________

I left the YA room. It seemed like ppl liked it on another forum, so I'll leave it in for now.

http://www.quake4files.net/beta/index.p ... pid&id=143

Let me know what you think of it.

phantazm11

This is really starting to take shape.. the basic texture job makes it easy to look at and explore.

Opinions Feedback:

1) I have a general dislike for OVER using ramp jump gimmicks in maps, and there are a few spots (like the alley-oop back up from the megahealth) where I really feel that we're taking a fun gameplay element and stretching it too far, because it just "looks wrong" when somebody goes pogoing up a wall like that. I also dislike the double ramp-jumps-to-RA in "Man Called Sun", though, so this could be one of those things that is Just My Preference.

2) It occurs to me that the GL is in a really harsh spot. I find myself wondering if the RG might be better in the GL spawn? Granted, you have done a great job of adding pillars and obstacles to make it harder to dominate with the rail gun... But I would simply never GET the grenade launcher unless I was sure my opponent was bleeding in nine places AND far away.. the bounce pad leading up from the GL is a really dangerous route, given the likelihood of an opponent with RG/LG above you.

3) There are some really FUN crouch slides on this map, and crouch to ramp transitions.. Assuming you're essentially done with the layout, and in detailing the map you don't end up with player snagging unclipped alcoves, etc.. This will be a fast map to play. The vertical heights between floors struck me as a little high at first (kind of like some of my own previous maps) but having played a quick round on the test map: the action remains pretty constant, given the speed with which a skilled strafe/sliding player can boogie around.

4) It would be so cool if you could SLIGHTLY more easily strafe from the top floor to the little round caps in the RA room...

Godlike: Thanks for taking the time to look at the map again. You always have great feedback!

1) I think I'm going to keep the ramp jumps. Although I'm not the hottest on them either, they are popular, and the one you mentioned fits better than a jumppad in that space. Hopefully I can integrate them into the architecture so they won't be so blatant.

2) I agree with you totally. Actually, I had the RA down there at first, but realized that was kinda easy to snag from the RL room. I also added the NL to the map, and was going to put it down there instead, but decided to wait see if the NL is even a good Duel weapon first. If enough ppl like it, I will probably switch the NL and the GL.

3)Don't worry, the map will be clipped heavily. Especially the doorways.

4)You can get to the little round caps?!? Maybe I should put some health shards up there or something

phantazm11 wrote:1) I think I'm going to keep the ramp jumps. Although I'm not the hottest on them either, they are popular.. (snipped)

I noted with some sense of irony that I've just been convinced to throw an equally logic-defying ramp jump into my new level.. So be braced for my double standard when I release the beta..

GODLIKE wrote:

phantazm11 wrote:1) I think I'm going to keep the ramp jumps. Although I'm not the hottest on them either, they are popular.. (snipped)

I noted with some sense of irony that I've just been convinced to throw an equally logic-defying ramp jump into my new level.. So be braced for my double standard when I release the beta..

lol! I'll be looking for it

Hey guys,

Sorry about the delay. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to put this map on hold for a few weeks because I need to make a new CTF map for a project.

For fans of the map, don't worry; I will be back to this ASAP. I have already started texturing (I need to tweak some of the textures and create a few more) so it isn't really that far from beta status.

In the meantime, I would personally suggest downloading the new beta maps from Godlike and Stormshadow. These are two great maps and deserve some checking into!

phantazm11

Status?

Damn... /me wishes he had a good enough computer to run Q4... I'm missing out on all the mapping ackshun.

Sorry about the delay. After I started the map I was asked to make another CTF map for our mod. And I'm trying to squeeze that in between work and night classes...

I will get back to this in the next few weeks or so. There are still a few textures to make and then I'll start texturing the rest of the map.

If you have any suggestions for the map, please post them. I am excited about all of the feedback this has received so far and can't wait to release a beta version.

phantazm11