Quake3World

Finally, I have a pretty much a working version of the map that will run well with bots. Items should be mostly there...

• AEblocks r180 beta1

Download:

• map-aeblocks_r180_beta1.zip (43MB)

Todo

• Add a bit more clipping to cover some of the rounded walls.
• Actually clip for movement, you still get snagged in a few areas.
• Fix any "sparkly holes" still left.
• Add decals and plants for decoration.
• Further optimize hint brush placement, e.g. for green area. May possibly require rebuilding parts of the map to improve vis.
• Optimize item placement... will need more testing.
• ...

Any feedback / suggestions welcome.

Fun level, I liked it, played it a few times with bots just now.

One thing I don't really like, is the ramp that leads up to a platform from the ground, both me and the bots got stuck there =( =)

The ramp is probably the rounded one, near the LG? I think I did something there to help the bots... but that apparently could use more work. I am presently at r194, having added a huge amount of greenery.

Presently, figuring out how to create my simplified modules for AEmod... will get back to this map after some more thinking about what needs fixing... another 2 days should finish the map off... possibly. Will release a second (pretty much final) beta then.

Glad you had a bit of fun playing... ironically I only played the map against bots about 8 times... since bot support was only available so very late in the build.

I actually had this version done on February 1st, and I have not updated it since. It should look much nicer. I'd estimate that the map needs another 3-4 days work... though I have trouble focussing on that...

Added plants and vines. Clipping should be mostly there, but the tris counts are still pretty up there.

• AEblocks r194 beta2

Download:

• map-aeblocks_r194_beta2.zip (44.6MB)

Todo

• Actually clip for movement, you still get snagged in a few areas.
• Further optimize hint brush placement, e.g. for green area. May possibly require rebuilding parts of the map to improve vis.
• Optimize item placement... will need more testing.
• ...

Any feedback / suggestions welcome.

Dreadfully sorry Pat. I am so used to editing into posts directly on wiki pages I did so into your post, thus accidentally overwriting the original post. I hit "edit" instead of "quote". My browser cache, alas did no longer contain your original post. AEon

hipshot's miramar skybox
I think its more of the dilemma of having a very limited set of really wonderful assets... so anyone wanting to use something nice will pretty much have to use the same resources. So, no problem. With Miramar, I immediately felt at home in your map .

water dripping ... shader ... higher res though
I may simply try to scale down the textures by a factor of two again, to make them look slightly more detailed. Or "beg" Hipshot to create a more hires version of them, he created those for SolarAE initially.

ramp by the LG/50 health is really weird
Hmm... that happens due to the geometry requirements in that area... though it just occurred to me of using my normal unramped curved blocks as a "filler" might indeed be a better way. Shame that the more complicated non-trivial shape is not liked. Hipshot pointed out that bots have problems here as well, getting stuck. So, I'll have to change it I guess, oh well.

can shoot through the glass
That must be a left-over of clipping that still needs work. Good reminder, weapon clip all the glass areas... though I wonder if I should not simply change the glass shader, though I seem to recall that clipping added to shaders did not always work... IIRC I had this problem with glass in AEneon.

It seems to clash with the green in the vegetation.
This is THE FUTURE ... I like it, it stays. Though, changing the green tone of the textures might be something to look into.

the teles/bouncers don't stand out
I'd say it's something you need to learn. Though that does remind me that I wanted to have floating transparent cubes as JP effects to make those stand out more... and possibly use something like that for the APs too. Hmmm... maybe I can come up with something for the TPs... though I doubt it.

launch pads in the center room would go through the RA
Tried to do it, did not work... one could argue that this is a feature that you have to take a certain AP to get the RA... I think to not be able to grab the RA directly coming from the Quad is unintentionally actually a good thing.

i think this map, like mine, has a bit of an identity crisis.
Abstract map with reality seeping in... no conflict at all... since the abstract is just the backdrop. The more abstract a map is the easier anything of detail fits with it. If you had mentioned the tubing... I would have possibly agreed... the tubing is a bit strange in regard to the rest of the map, probably due to their brownish colour. I might try to recolour it... or use the tubes I created for the philipK texture set... hmm... might give that a try.

i am getting an AAS not initialized error
I had been wondering what speaks against just uploading my latest version of the map... and I seem to have forgotten to create an AAS file. Drat... will fix this.

Update: Added AAS file for bot support, had forgotten to add it in beta 2.

• AEblocks r194 beta2b

Download:

• map-aeblocks_r194_beta2b.zip (44.8MB)

Todo: (mostly Pat's suggestions, or reminders to myself)

• Add another vine shader, a narrow one, to better fit the more narrow vine areas in the map, presently the wider vine texture is cut off.
• Add JP and AP effects or some sort. Possibly reuse the "wooshing" sound used in SolarAE.
• Weapon clip all glass.
• Finalize the player clip... for movement... to avoid getting snagged anywhere.
• Possibly tone down the neon-ish look of the green wall textures, to something darker.
• Replace the "strange shaped ramp" near the LG, using my non-ramped modules instead, should also help bots not to get snagged here.
• Possibly make TPs more obvious... unlikely... maybe use some colour-coding.
• Replace the brown textures of the tubes with a more white/grey-ish one I created using philipK's texture set... since the textures are the same size, I only need to rename my versions to replace Socks for a quick preview (e.g. via external overriding 2nd .pk3 file).
• Try to update the cascading water shader. Or try to scale it down by a factor of 2 (had done that IIRC, was so so)..

no biggie. item placement seems pretty solid to me. the only thing i'd suggest is swapping the GL with something more powerful. there's very little to grab over there. on that note, the GL side room is probably my favorite part of the map. it's very cozy behind those arches.

good job

Glad you like that area... I initially had the wall at the GL closed, now with a view it feels slightly more open and part of the structure.

About swapping in a weapon... I placed the RG as "far away" as possible in the map, in front of the TP on the bridge, and put the GL where it is to let the player dump grenades into the arena... so I am not too sure what to "improve here". I could potentially swap the GL with the RG... that may help.

I was indeed struggling with making that area significant in some way. And one thing that IMO did make is more significant were the APs... especially that they let the player collect the RA.

you could probably leave the GL out entirely. i never even thought about using it.

I remembered the bad old days of GL spamming in Quake ... and there it worked amazingly too well. Testing against bots, I did some GL spamming into the arena and the area of the LG under the bridge, scored quite a few random kills... so the GL should have some use for some types of players, even though I am more of a RL and RG player.

Nothing major... but ever since Reflex has been getting meshes to use all over the place. The day may come when Blender meshes can be created by us users and used in Reflex... when that happens I might give this map an alternate life in Reflex. Just to see how massive use of meshes fares in that game.

And hopefully, I will get back to finishing this map... sigh.

Is this map some kind of botanic garden in the clouds? Why?

While playing I thought about Talos Principle, and I don't know why. (Maybe those synchronised water drips or the clouds.)
I've waited for that to hear Elohim to say something obvious.