Quake3World

q4hexdm2beta2 is a drab colored 3-8 (ish) player FFA.

[lvlshot]http://mhgaming.com/forums/q4hexdm2beta2@1.jpg[/lvlshot]


aas32 included for the bots. Load it up and give me your crits!

download: ftp://files.mhgaming.com/quake4/pk4s/q4 ... 2beta2.pk4

OR just join the server at q4.mhgaming.com:28004 and the autodl will do its thing. The server has a quick 3 map rotation so the beta gets some play time.

I think the layout/placement is mostly final, with planned improvements in the aesthetics. (still blocky and boring in spots) but as time this weekend allowed, I wanted to push out beta2 now. Looking especially for any suggestions for item placement changes. Of course anything else you want to mention is also welcomed.

Thanks for taking a look.

Hex wrote:planned improvements in the aesthetics

Yeah, the layout's cool for the most part, but the look of the map is pretty much brown rust...and metal...and brown...and metallic brown...and rusty. The sky is pretty and helps, but IMO you really need some other sort of contrast mixed in, just to break things up a bit more. Not sure what...some effects of some kind? Funky lighting? Glass bits? Just some contrasting color(s) of some kind? Dunno.

I love that one jumppad that flings you toward the tele via HB. Fun and speedy, especially with the ramp jump.

Re: item placement, the dark matter gun maybe seems a little too easy to get, and the RA seems a bit hard (unless I'm stupid, and I missed some method that doesn't involve rocket-jumping).

Thanks, pjw.

Yup about the DMG, I actually had the RA and the DMG swapped. Maybe will put them back. I figure they only get 3 shots with that DMG with one grab and if its equally accessible to all, fair is fair.

Rocketjump, or NG or plasma climb across from that RL spot to get to that platform, that was the intention.

About its brownness, sigh, yes its turning out to be very brown. Maybe a brown sky will make it even browner. So brown that it circles around to be "cool". heh.

To that end (and to satisfy the name "Canyonland.."): custom terragen sky testing:

[lvlshot]http://mhgaming.com/forums/q4hexdm2beta2skytest.jpg[/lvlshot]

I'm not really sure about the "make a map in a skybox" thing, really.. But since we're here. Yes, it needs more visual variation, but it's clearly one of your earlier attempts, so we really don't need to pick too much on it -- you've picked a theme and stuck with it.

It's better to do something simple well, then really putz something up. (And Q4 is kinda hard to learn mapping for; the engine's visual fidelity kinda makes really simple brushwork look extra weak.)

Easy things to try adding: try making SOME of the floor surfaces a little different.. Maybe make the bottom layer from a different texture, experiment with trimming it out around the edges, etc.

Walls and skylines: insert the odd variation here and there, and not just "flat" additions.. Chop brushes up to make angles.. it'll make stuff more interesting to look at, and it won't change the gameplay of the level unless you want it to.

It'd be really cool if you were to work in alot of rocks/sand/whatever, specifically around the edge of the map, so that it's not just floating in the middle of nowhere. A darker-toned skybox would also pull things together, IMO.

On that last screenshot, it looks like there's a light source coming from the right, but the sun is almost in the opposite direction

You're absolutely right. Like I said - testing skybox.