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dm_nighthawk
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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by haikeebah on Fri Jan 21st at 4:46pm 2005

Well I wasn't too quick on the uptake here when I registered, and didn't even realize that it was common to start a forum thread to discuss maps in progress, when my map WAS in progress. :/

This might be a bit unusual but I'd like to start one now, with the goal of tackling the issues the "final" release had, and planning for a release of a 2nd version with the problems fixed and recommended changes made. If it weren't for the Snarkpit, it would have been ALOT worse, much much much thanks to everyone who DLed it commented along the way, and after release.

After all, I would have kept working on it longer to make the fixes, if not for the contest deadline!


The poll: Is a second release "worth it"? If you have seen it, is fixing and releasing it again going to be worthwhile? Would you download a dm_nighthawk02?
Map details page is here: http://www.snarkpit.com/maps.php?map=1510


Known issues with release #1 (stuff ppl have told me!):

Needs better physics-obj clipping so phys objs cant be tossed into zones that make them unrecoverable

Needs optimization for framerate in exterior areas

Needs sound fixes - ambient_generics are b0rked in MP

Electrical "trap" needs more oomph to be effective in an actual game

model problem error messages in console on load

Sprites used for flame effects are either very slow or stationary for the client, when map is hosted on a server

Map actually crashes some servers it's loaded on - saw this at Steampowered forums

street to sewer transition (crater/hole in the street not the manhole) is sketchy (some have called it a "jumping puzzle" and that was not my intention) and only works one way - down to the sewer.

Things I know are problems:

interior rope entities sway from my wind entity that is outdoors (? this is a mystery to me how this works)

Very little use of hint brushes, and no use of occluders , due to the my lack of knowledge of how they work in HL2 at the time

generally boring architecture in some places :/

some prop_physics behave oddly and are stuck in place until they are damaged by weapon effects

weapon and item layout is not the greatest and may be unbalanced

OK, that's it for now. I think I am going to break it out this weekend and try and make the changes neccessary to be able to release something good for the HL2DM community as a whole, now that the contest deadline and all that is out of the way.

So, if you would be so kind, please post map problems and gripes/ideas and your opinion on a 2.0 release, and thanks!




Quote
 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by Orpheus on Fri Jan 21st at 4:56pm 2005

under:

100k....100k....100k...100k...100k

[addsig]



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by haikeebah on Fri Jan 21st at 5:13pm 2005

? quote:
under:

100k....100k....100k...100k...100k



Que?




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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by Yak_Fighter on Fri Jan 21st at 7:54pm 2005

I ran through it a bit earlier, and the only fixable thing I noticed was that it was rather easy to lodge a car into the top of the sewer. If you do it right it's impossible to get the car out of the hole, and that sorta screws with the connectivity. [addsig]



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by haikeebah on Fri Jan 28th at 9:37pm 2005

Well screw it. 7 days and no useful comments except for Yak_Fighters (thanks btw) ... this bitch is toast and there will be no 2nd release.

On to new non-HL2 projects.




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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by Leperous on Fri Jan 28th at 11:04pm 2005

The secret is to give as well as receive you know, i.e. comment on other peoples maps as well and not expect people just to crawl to your feet for the honour of playing your creations!





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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by haikeebah on Sat Jan 29th at 12:08am 2005

Understood, but honestly I've had nothing to say about most ppls work, that other people haven't already said by the time I read about them.

I never read the forums before I "finished" this project ...ad then when I did, I guess I just felt that either beating up on newbies for making killboxes or chiming in with a "looks cool!" just wasn't worth it.

And on the other hand, at a site like this with members w/ postcounts in the thousands, and a dozen maps completed or in progress, and all, who the f is going to take anything I say seriously? This was my 1st project in Hammer, and my 1st "completed" map ever.

Sorry I was following the n00b etiqutte rule of lurk first, post later. As I said I didnt know I was supposed to make a map thread while the map was in progress, or I would have... :/




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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by Leperous on Sat Jan 29th at 12:13am 2005

You don't have to do that at all, feel free to post finished maps (and if you want more publicity, post a front page news item). I'm quite surprised at the lack of attention this map has had really, but I think this forum hasn't been getting a lot of love recently for some reason I'd take a look at it myself, the screenshots look good, but am too busy to even finish up my own map right now!



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by ReNo on Sat Jan 29th at 12:30am 2005

The glows around your light fixtures look far too brightly rendered - they should really be done with a bit more subtlety I reckon. Otherwise the screenshots look not bad, though some of the buildings are suffering for being a bit too dark perhaps. [addsig]



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by Andrei on Sat Jan 1st at 9:11pm 2005

Wow, this looks very good. It reminds me of my hometown.



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by mike-o on Sat Jan 1st at 9:38pm 2005

Take out that random hl2 symbol <br> <br>either put the fire outside, or make it have a greater impact on the indoor environment <br> <br>otherwise, this map has great potential gjgjgjgj



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by Andrei on Sat Jan 1st at 9:44pm 2005

Yeah, it's kinda out of place. But you could make a custom texture out of the HL2 logo and put it in the map as a publicity board (or something).



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by KungFuSquirrel on Sat Jan 1st at 9:52pm 2005

Ooh, but the Shacknews stuff HAS to stay. smiley <br> <br>Maybe see if someone can whip up a model of each logo and put a sort of marble/statuish texture on them. smiley



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by haikeebah on Sat Jan 1st at 10:01pm 2005

Heh, yes the logo-statues may be cheezy, but they're staying for now. eventually I might be reducing it just one of the two - and a note for everyone - they're physics objects that behave much like the broken-down vehicle phys objs. I should just post a file to DL - will likely do so later today or tomorrow when a few obviously borked or missing elements are added in. <br> <br>and thanks for the comments/crits, of course



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by Random on Sun Jan 2nd at 7:10am 2005

Looks cool keep going



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by haikeebah on Mon Jan 3rd at 12:37am 2005

Spent the afternoon and evening reading up on optimization. <br> <br>probably going to add a &quot;dogleg&quot; or two to some hall-connecting-zones to speed up things. converted about 30+ physics objects to physics_multiplayer (dont know why I didnt do this originally) and looking at making more of the map func_detail brushes and planning some hint zones, and maybe a couple areaportal_window brushes. <br> <br>reasonably sure the big silly statue things in the &quot;square&quot; are out the door. I think I can whip something up in Maya and import it that will have the same effect of having a big roly-poly physics object, w/out harshing the speed at which the map runs. func_physbox entities are apparenty CPU &quot;expensive&quot;. <br> <br>beta 3 out the door tomorrow night most likely. <br> <br>- hai



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by DrGlass on Mon Jan 3rd at 5:46am 2005

I cant play it yet, but it is looking good. From the screen shots I'd say; make it a little brighter becuase people always bitch about maps being too dark (I like the dark mood personaly) <br> <br>tone down the plugs, make something small. The model idea is good, but make them smaller. Perhaps you could place them on a desk inside. Think about making them phys objects too so we can kill other players with them. <br> <br>looks like some of your walls could use some kind of brush work to break them up a bit. <br> <br>keep it up, looks great.



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by SVIN on Sat Jan 15th at 2:14pm 2005

Make this map for cs!



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by Tactii on Sun Jan 16th at 3:55am 2005

This is the best custom map I've played yet. A good blend of visual, technical, and gameplay excellence. Here's why it's not perfect: <br> <br>- There are many places outside where you can throw physics objects and make them unrecoverable. On the internet, you can expect people to grief with this. <br> <br>- Many error messages about missing vphysics models. You can fix this by turning off collisions for the affected props. Do you really need collisions on your 3d skybox props? This is just a nag. <br> <br>- The electric trap guarding the magnum is weak to the point of being useless. This trap is underpowered. If I were next to the button and saw someone running for the magnum, I would not bother with it. The potential is wasted. <br> <br>- A nodraw on the wall molding next to a door.



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 Re: dm_nighthawk
Posted by DrGlass on Mon Jan 17th at 2:54am 2005

The map looks great, though is some places it seems to rigid. I thought the transition from sewer to surface was very good. The map was authentic. It could have been a real place. <br> <br>some negatives: <br>-brush work could have used some work in areas, it seemed too square and too much like a hl1 map <br> <br>-The fire in the blown up building looked like crap becuase the frame rate was so low. <br> <br>-I did not like that jumping puzzle at all, the hole in the ground one. It slows you down so much. DM is about speed and that puts a hold on you. Also the ladder to get out got me stuck at the top. <br> <br>I played through 5 maps and that one was by far the best. good job.




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