Spark Layout
Thought I’d take a quick snap of the top down of the level so you can see some of the pathing. Obviously the left side is much harder to decipher because of the geo, and eventually the whole map will look that way, but at 50% done, it’s cool to take a look and see what I still need to do. Also, yeah the rough corridors are long and straight and they’ll never end up that way as a finished product, but I needed a basic grey box. This also does not include vent passageways, I already have ideas in my head but they relate so much to the props I use that they can switch positions slightly over the course of the room. The map is based off the guidelines and has been given the a-okay according to the mapping devs. Now it’s just a matter of finishing the beast.
Waste Disposal / Alien Start / 50%
Big day for me today. Finished v1 of the Waste Disposal tech point, which is where the aliens spawn. This is a really interesting room because its very large yet broken up so the combat is generally intense even though it has a sweeping background and a really defining backdrop with the waste transports ready to drop them down into the lava flows.
This tech point is very unique and has many height tiers as well as vent entrance/exits. It has dark spots, large open areas for lerking, and clever skulk ambush spots to protect their starting hive, much like how the marines have a ramp similar to eclipse to defend in their MS. It’s also the only other room in the entire level to have lava in it. The MS and AS are polar opposite on the map and the only two areas that are landmarked by that signature glow, which I think will set the pace and be an easy identifier.
I’m proud of this room and much like the marine start, I will probably go back and do edits as I continue to progress, but much of the major pieces of it seem solid. It’s kind of a relief to not have to tackle such a large room in the next segment of mapping, which I will most likely start the branching path off the other side of the MS to it’s natural res node going towards its natural expansion. (which will follow after this) The current gameplan is to do the following:
MS connecting hallways + natural tech point > AS connecting hallways + natural tech point > Double node > Final tech point, dead center, Generator Core
And anyway, onto the pics, because we all know that’s why you’re here:
Quick revisions / +3
ADDED 3 MORE REVISION PICS 7/19/2010
I wanted to take some time to snag a few screens of some revisions I did over the last 2 weeks. Mainly the marine start, but I also went back and added some detail to areas I felt were lacking to keep the overall detail level at a constant. I’ve been working on some big stuff with the alien start these last few days, and I hope to have it to show by Sunday. It’s a really awesome room, and it will be a major milestone for me at 50% map completion once its finished. I’m doing my best to make the AS as equally cool as the MS. I also can’t wait to play with a full tool effect editor to get some lava flowing out of the pipes in the MS, gonna look sick. Take a pic at the (should be near finished) MS!
Connections
Finished all of the connective hallways between the alien start and the Dig Site Extraction today, so I’ve got a few more screens for you guys to see. The next big project is finishing the AS. (Waste Disposal) Since it’s a tech point it’s going to take some time for me to design and build. Hallways and passageways are quite easy, but when you have so much more space to work with I find it challenges me creatively quite a bit. It’s an exciting area though, and I can’t wait to get on it.
I chose the color scheme for the screenshots because it’s very industrial in a room that’s pipe-laden. It also adds an interesting color based approach to the aliens main base if you are a marine. It’s as if as you descend you can tell it’s going to get more tense, and the vent frequency is getting higher and higher as we approach it. There’s 3 vent entrances in this room alone, and 1 near the res node.
Hope you guys enjoy!
The arm
Progress absolutely few this time. This next area is called “The Arm”, and it’s the connecting passageway between Dig Site Entrance (previous entry) and the alien start, Waste Disposal. (which is next, yeahhh) The area is a U joint suspended over a huge chasm that provides some pretty cool skulk/lerk options. It’s a junction for 2 major secondary routes, one leading into the Dig Site Entrance as well as one connecting towards Generator Core. (the center tech point in the map) Take a look at tell me what you think!
Dig Site Entrance
FINALLY! I am incredibly proud of this area, and it’s taken me a good chunk of time and a lot of moments of inspiration to get moving and figure out how to tackle such a complex room. I REALLY hope you guys like it, there’s a lot going on so I want to take a bit of time to explain more about this area and then…get to the barrage of 30 PICTURES. Yeah, 30. I know, some of them may not be necessary to have, but I wanted to be thorough as the room is big and for those who enjoy my work I wanted you to see it from all angles possible.
This area is a neutral tech point and is the farthest away from both spawns. It has 2 major entrances and 2 secondary entrances near each other coming from different directions. It’s an expansive area, but very LOS driven, so it’s not very “open”. There are tons of hiding locations or places to duck behind.
I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out landmarks in this area, and one of the first pieces I added to this area was the mine cart dumping rocks into the tram storage container. It’s a very centralized focus in this area, and really leaves the player knowing exactly where they are. It’s also laden with mine cart tracks, carts themselves, and really interesting small level over level pieces that add ambush routes as well as height focuses.
Some of the ceiling and rock structure (which I spent a godawful long time on, this is definitely not an easy thing to make look gorgeous, props Barlow) are great skulk hiding spots, as well as an interesting top shelf grating hiding area they can perch on.
This location also has a res node very near the tech point for protection sake. It also has a heavy focus on a very distinguishable blue hue that I’m really falling in love with, but realize I need to leave it at the door when I move on to other areas to differentiate lighting to landmark areas. Please, your feedback is appreciated. Huge milestone for me! Without further a due, the pics:
Still Alive / Remakes
Hey guys, been awhile, real life’s been in the way the last few months but some inspiration and time happened to creep up on me. I’m 95% done with an entirely new area called Dig Site Extraction. A new tech point that’s a neutral point equal distance from the MS and AS. All I have to do to get it shot worthy is to finish the lighting, so I expect to have a load of brand new shots by the end of the week.
However, lately I haven’t been too happy with the layout of the marine spawn in terms of movable space as well as the death trap lava with no railings I had going on. So i decided to rework a large portion of it and this is the final result. I am 100% happy with it at this point sans gameplay tweaks that may come in the future. Quite a few new things have been added or changed, so take a look and compare to the previous shots on an older post if you want to see the evolution. There’s also two new shots, one of the completed natural res node off the marine base, and the other one of the more foreboding secondary paths towards Dig Site Extraction.
Feel proud enough to say that progress is now sitting at 35% as opposed to 25%. Working my way up slowly, but I hope editor optimizations happen soon, or I’m gonna be in Barlow’s boat and not going to be able to edit properly due to framerate issues. Hope you enjoy!
NS_IRIDIUM
You know I’ve been tooling around with a name for awhile and I think my gut has always been right on this one. Pretty much from the very start with the naming of the marine start Iridium Extraction. Eventually I will whip up a backstory and a theme relating to the purpose of the name as well as the maps purpose and location. Looking forward to playing ns_iridium with everyone this fall on a server near you.
Also, sitting pretty at a grand total of 25% done with the map. Yeah.
Secondary Route Room off of the Dig Site
Pretty close to pulling all entrances into the Dig Site together right now. Once I’ve accomplished that I’m heading full force into finishing it up. It’s definitely going to be a challenge. It’s been awhile since I’ve attempted a tech node room, and this one is full of scale. All and all though, I’m really happy with how the map is coming along. Check it.
T-Junction
Here’s a quick screen of a T-Junction hallway comprised of multiple secondary routes traveling between Dig Site and Generator Core.
Orange
Found a bit of time to knock out some more of the map. This is the connecting hallway that leads into the Dig Site tech point which is next up on the list of getting finished. I went for a foreboding dark vibe in this room. It’s got a moderately tall ceiling for lerking and spotted lights for ambushes.
Finally starting to feel like a map
Big milestone. Now that I have connecting rooms, the map really is starting to feel like it’s coming together. This area is a natural res node off of the marine star which branches into multiple paths to 2 different tech points. The center Generator Core and the farthest tech point from both teams, the Dig Site. I’m going to be doing the connecting passage to dig site next, which is the dual door path (tram and walkway) that extends north. This room is going to be really cool, and have a zigzag shape.
However, I gotta put mapping on the back burner for the next few weeks as real life has some priorities. Thanks for the feedback guys and hope you enjoy!
Engine Test, hell yeah!
Alright so first and foremost the engine test told me one thing. My MS is friggin’ MASSIVE. It really needed to be toned down. After looking at the two example levels shipped with the engine test, i set out with an idea on how to downsize and generally improve my current map.
I’ve made some pretty drastic changes in terms of architecture and lighting. The node area wall has been gutted and redone, and the top half of the marine area where the original tech point was has been removed and downsized tremendously. I also spent a great deal of time trying to simplify some things. Ultimately I am much happier with this tighter revision.
Really the largest change was the fact that I pulled down the ceiling almost 10 feet and removed random piping. There’s more order and the room feels more believable due to the roof being more shallow. Finally, the touches of some different shading lighting adds a nice touch, particularly down the secondary hallway and above the tram doors.
Gotta say, I’m pretty sure I’m done with this room sans the obvious small textures fixes and then the particle editing for the flowing lava once that is in the game. Enjoy!
U-Hall/2nd Route Finished
Alright, this directly ties into my last post as this is a combination main route/secondary route in somewhat of a U shaped joining. Here is the completed hallway with pictoral run through in hopes that you understand the flow. Comments appreciated! Next up is the Node room off this junction. Who knows when I’ll get that done, but I am excited to check the map out in the Engine Test tomorrow.
Also, I tweaked the lighting in these portions of the marine spawn. I love it, I hope you do too. It definitely has a smooth transition from the lava lighting into the cleaner whiter lighting of the marine spawn.
Progress, wtf?
Yeah it’s been a billion years. Real life, and patiently waiting for the Engine test to mess with all this in the reals. I present to you, a hallway! This is a secondary route that offshoots and connects to a primary route that is weldable through and through. In some of the screens you can see the connectivity to the marine start. Refer to other pictures for perspective. Hope you enjoy!
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