de_mentalhospital
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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Orpheus on Wed Jan 24th at 2:44pm 2007


? quoting Bender
Is it possible to spawn players with nightvision? how'd ya do that?

I am nearly positive that this question was asked, and answered in the HL2 editing forums.

Player equip or some such perhaps. Search it out.





The best things in life, aren't things.



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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by FatStrings on Thu Jan 25th at 1:20am 2007


why bother, it would ruin the whole idea if everyone had nightvision, the poor unfortinates who forgot would just be s**t outa luck <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_evil.gif">



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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Sat Jan 27th at 4:12pm 2007


UPDATED BOTH DOWNLOADS to Version 5!
Your Download-Link:hospital_beta5.bsp http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/69827/hospital-beta5-bsp.html

Your Download-Link:hospital_beta5.nav
http://www.sharebigfile.com/file/69824/hospital-beta5-nav.html

This latest one is nearly ALL textured with MORE models. Still not finished but nearing 65% complete I'd say. I've added:

-Tons of textures (most thresholds still need work and 1 area is untex)

-More spawn points (16/16)

-added some much needed lights w/models, will probably STILL add even more before final release so dont worry.

-refined some areas in terms of available cover

-added furniture to side hall "sitting area"


I got TONS of new Screens for you to drool over (hopefully).

ENJOY!

Two overviews
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Basement is TRASHED!
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Side Hall
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Near T Spawn entrance
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Until Next Time....





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Wed Jan 31st at 5:45pm 2007


Recently got this put up on my clan's server and did some playtesting of the version pictured above (v5) and was getting some RAVE reviews from my clanmates and some other people who just happened to be in the server at the time. Yeah they are my friends but they can be tough critics let me tell ya.

FPS were good for everyone and the map provided fast paced gameplay with a VERY even balance of T/CT wins. I think by the time we moved on to a new map it was somethign like 22/24, very close.

The only complaints that came in was that the map IS still pretty dark, and I do plan on putting in MORE lights still. The only other complaint was that it wasnt finished! They liked it that much! Praise for a map by fellow players who are on the game day in and day out really is the payoff for all the time you spend clawing your way through the map-making process, Feels Great!

Some loose ends still to tie up over the next couple months and this project will be in the books. (Lights, models, minor brush work, sounds...**sigh, I wanna be done!)





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Sat Feb 10th at 9:41pm 2007


Ok haven't had much time to update things in the hospital but i have spent most of my free time the last couple days making some changes and adding more goodies.

-ITS SNOWING! I added a func_precipitation brush snow in the map. Its now gently snowing in all outdoor areas of the map. KEWL
-Added 3d Skybox although alignment and models/textures/lanscape within still need adjusting
-add half a fence in front of the building by CT spawn
-Completely textured two staircases (main lobby and stiars going up by T spawn) added alight by the same T spawn stairs as well
-Added bathroom with blown out wall by T spawn, that square opening now looks blown to pieces. SWEET!~
-Began dressing up exterior of building by CT spawn (windows, concrete abutments...). There was too much white before, too plain.
-Added broken halfwall along roof top so you dont have to stare into the void now
-extended walls near rooftop eliminating wall "see thru" exploit.

That pretty much sums it up for now. Not much major stuff left to do. A few more staircases need texturing and the room off the courtyard is still bone empty and in gray_measure texture still. not sure what to do with that room yet. Added some screens to spice up this post. enjoy!

Its Snowing!
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Textured stairs
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Blown out wall
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Broken halfwall on roof
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Just cuz i thought this screenshot was cool all red n such
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till next time....
BENDER OUT!





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Stadric on Sat Feb 10th at 10:56pm 2007


You really need some slanted roofs for those buildings.


Also change the texture of the dock. Docks are rarely tile. -Facepunch
As I Lay Dying



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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Mon Feb 12th at 6:21am 2007


not really what i was thinking, but i will attempt to give the roof some more character. The exterior of the bldg needs more immediate attention thatn the roof does imo. But its a good poin tworth making, i hadnt considered the roof. my reference shots for this map were mostly flat roofs i guess thats why.

anything else?





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Myrk- on Mon Feb 12th at 2:54pm 2007


Too blocky. I'd advise adding in some chairs too, if you haven't already- I mean the strap down dental type chair, with examination rooms. Also think about if it was real:

Power sockets. Skirting boards, emergency lights, ventilation, structural support, exits, etc.

These need to be mapped in, for instance, on some tall ceilings you may have a support holding the ceiling up, like a beam or several, and then a ventilation duct (not one you can get in) can be suspended. With it can then be a nice model of of those ceiling mounted fire extinuishers. You could even make it so you could trigger them off...

Also think about signage- very important for locating yourself with radio commands and just general orientation and spacial awareness. Emergency lights (not necessarily on), and emergency exit signs.

Think about what your making again and look at your map, you'll just see what I mean. Also, CRATES?! Bigger than the doors in some places...

Finally, scale. Some of your rooms look far too huge, you might need to chop them down to size.




-[Better to be Honest than Kind]-



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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Mon Feb 12th at 5:53pm 2007


? quote:
Power sockets. Skirting boards, emergency lights, ventilation, structural support, exits, etc.
All excellent points. the entire level needs those kinds of details everywhere. I have plans to add vents and the ceiling support beams you mentioned too. I like the exit signs idea too. I want to grafitti up the walls as well, add garbage to the floors and other nitpicky props.The dental chair is sweet i forgot about that prop.

I'm not sure how blocky the levels feels when you are in it, but it does feel sparse in areas and is in need of the items already mentioned above. I consider most real buildings and structures to be quite blocky. I know the proportions arent perfect, but they work well enough for the game IMO, and at this point in development, are too involved/integrated to be changed. And i dont mind the crates at all really. they work well as cover and i dont think they look horribly out of place.

Thanks for the feedbakc i really appreciate it and will make some improvements from your comments!





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Mon Apr 30th at 8:21pm 2007


Figured I'd post a brief update since i have been spending a considerable amount of time working on this map again. I am at work right now so i cant post screens of this progress, but will do so when i get the chance. Here's whats new:

-Skybox is 90% finished and lined up
-added second upper hall (not accessible, just for looks and to add depth to map)
-finished texturing 2 more sets of stairs
-textured and added models to t spawn
-added models and decals to back-way dead end that is adjacent to courtyard
-added security room that is attached to area described above. no access, is there only for show and depth. if you look in the security window you can see the security station model, blood and a dead body. Uber spooky
-extended t bathroom to include shower area
-added electro-shock type chair to one room in upsstairs hall complete with blood trail and wires. Uber creepy.
-added window sills and details to courtyard windows
-Enlarged t spawn
-added some door threshholds

What next?
-complete skybox
-complete large sideroom near courtyard (its still untextured and lit only with light entities (no models) UGH)
-SOUNDS (there will be tons, I'm not looking forward to that, but i am in a way)
-Minor details, trim, more threshhold work, add some "brokenness" to some walls, door details, add more props, add graffitti, add debris, dirty the place up quite a bit more.
I have been optimizing as i go, so i dont think that will be a separate activity in of itself, but ya never know.

Like i said before i will post some new screens in a day or so when i get around to it.
I am pushing final release back to July 4.
Beta version by June 1. -PEACE

Those that express interest can receive advanced copies of test versions in progress (current links to DL map r gone). Any and all help during development is best, I will even put you in the map's credits. thanks.




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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Wed May 2nd at 12:55am 2007


Enjoy the new screenies! Critics always welcome!
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till next time kiddos...





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by RedWood on Wed May 2nd at 5:36am 2007


I can't download it. The link your site said file not found.



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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Riven on Wed May 2nd at 12:01pm 2007


He already noted that the DL links were gone, and if you wanted a copy, you must "express interest" which I take to mean asking him through a nicely titled PM with a cute kitten or something enclosed.





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by RedWood on Wed May 2nd at 11:49pm 2007


Ahh... Yaa, there it is. Allll the way up there. My bad.

FYI: Don't try mailing a kitten. It turns out the receiver just receives a "mess". Poor little guy.




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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Thu May 17th at 7:46pm 2007


oops



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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Sat Jul 7th at 10:32pm 2007


Too much new stuff added to list. Check it out for yourself. In my opinion its damn near finished. Some very minor details left at least for me to be happy with. I'd like some collegue opinions. bsp and nav zipped up for your pleasure at the link.

******de_mentalhospital_beta DOWNLOAD HERE******

-Bender

decent advice/critique will get credit in map .txt file i appreciate the feedback. some of you will already be listed.





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Sun Jul 8th at 4:49pm 2007


I thought I would post a pretty thorough review from a friend of mine on another board. He's an excellent player, and been playin awhile. He makes some good points. Thought it might be a good jumping off point to get some discussion started. I responded to some of his comments at the end that i thought were valid. check it out.~BENDER

-------------------------------posted by ten animals

played both T and CT (20 rounds each) and here's my initial impressions:

The level of detail in this map is unreal. The sound effects are great, and totally add to the overall level of immersion (the screams of the patients are one of my faves). While the map itself is overall VERY dark it uses light sources in a clever way so as not to have too many hidden camper areas. Just keep an eye out and make sure to look in the corners.

Upon first playing it, I thought the map was too large, due to the large number of access points and back ways which connect points on the map. However, as I grew to know it better I was surprised at how quickly you could travel from one part to another. If the bomb was planted up top and I was below, I could get to it with plenty of time to defuse.

The upper bomb site is about perfect, what with the large number of access points to it, choke points (not the same as access points), and the HUGE number of spots to either cover the bomb (T) / cover the bombsite (CT). A fast rush will get to the bombsite just as the opposing team gets there, which makes for some interesting firefights what with the large amounts of cover.

However, the basement area needs work. Due to the large number of choke points, stairways, and camper spots the T's would almost always win when bomb is planted down there. As an experiment I did the following: mp_limitteams "9" , mp_autoteambalance "0" , bot_difficulty "3" , then played alone as T against 9 CT's while planting only in the basement. I went 67-4. Very very easily defensible - the only hope the ct's have is to stop the rush to the basement. BUT I may be wrong - I want to play with human teams to see for sure - the bot CT's almost never rushed basement well, so maybe against humans the timing would be different enough to give the CT's more of an edge.

Here's a small thing I noticed which made me a fan: the back stairway which leads to the second floor (near the bloody "experiment" chair"). It was hard to defend from inside and above (camped near the chair/in the hallway/near the windows). The rusher coming up the stairs has a clean field of view, plus can move side-to-side and up-and-down, while a person camped above the stairs is pretty much stuck in place due to the large amount of debris and small doorways. At first this frustrated me, but then I realized the camper too often has the advantage, so kudos to you for not using a ladder at that point and ruining people's stairway rush. If people are always camped out above the courtyard the back stairs are the way to go to get to them!

Overall I would say the map is designed for experienced players. Newer and/or worse players will quickly get overwhelmed and frustrated. It is also the kind of map where if one guy is left alive it could literally take the clock running out to end the round, as hiding and avoiding is easy as hell on this map. I would also recommend playing with at least 5-7 people per team MINIMUM. Also be aware there is a learning curve due to the large number of pathways.

8/10

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ok couple comments from me

? quote:
The level of detail in this map is unreal. The sound effects are great, and totally add to the overall level of immersion (the screams of the patients are one of my faves).

This is something that i was TOTALLY attempting to achieve with this map. Immersive is definitely what i was going for. looking at this map day in and day out I always feels it to be UNDERdetailed, but 3rd party perspective is nice to hear that its VERY detailed. There will be some more sounds coming in the final release (basement, sidehall sitting room, T storage area...). The "patient screams" are just fun fluffy stuff that can take a first timer by surprise, i thought it'd be fun (but not annoying when played many times) thats key.

? quote:
Upon first playing it, I thought the map was too large, due to the large number of access points and back ways which connect points on the map. However, as I grew to know it better I was surprised at how quickly you could travel from one part to another. If the bomb was planted up top and I was below, I could get to it with plenty of time to defuse.

I think the map is deceptively large, as you said getting from one place to another (especially bomb areas) is essentially quick. I personally think the learning curve for the ins and outs of the map is pretty swift. I purposely didnt want it too complex, or to have players pidgeon-holed in to the same thing every time.

? quote:
The upper bomb site is about perfect, what with the large number of access points to it, choke points (not the same as access points), and the HUGE number of spots to either cover the bomb (T) / cover the bombsite (CT). A fast rush will get to the bombsite just as the opposing team gets there, which makes for some interesting firefights what with the large amounts of cover.
I agree. There was a lot of time spent getting that interaction point just right. and there are a million ways to defend and attack the courtyard bombsite.

? quote:
However, the basement area needs work. Due to the large number of choke points, stairways, and camper spots the T's would almost always win when bomb is planted down there.
Hmmm. I havent noticed this issue, but will possibly try your approach and see what happens. I've noticed personally that the bots do not make proper use of things like, flash, smoke and nades in quite the same way as real people do. and I think those weapons are the key to a successful defusal in the basement. MY logic too has been that with all of the entrances and such to cover down there, it is difficult to cover and "seal" all areas, CTs can leak in from many different directions. its one of those things that only human player will be able to flesh out (pardon the pun).

? quote:
I realized the camper too often has the advantage

Ahh, so true. This map could be a camper heaven or hell. lots of opportunity, but plenty of vulnerability to possibly offset. Snipers can have some fun too, but with equal consequences. I would also like to stress the importance of smoke, nades, and flashes. A personal fav move of mine is (when going T) to toss a smoke grenade right onto the courtyard A bombsite and plant in the haze. no one has a shot and when the smoke clears, the bombs tickin away.

my overall goals were to give experienced players a challenge while offering the newbie some shadows to creep around in, all he while giving everyone something "new" for counterstrike, namely, a map with some atmosphere and spook.
~BENDER





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Bender on Sun Aug 12th at 3:52pm 2007


Lots of updates to the map lately. Many new light sources have brightened up main combat areas, and a bunch of minor (but much needed) cosmetic touch-ups. In preparation for a map release in september, i made a brief promo/teaser/trailer video that i will be putting up at bunch of CSS forums to begin pimpin my work out. enjoy the video! I had fun making it. lata!

de_mentalhospital Teaser Trailer

New Promo Pics too:

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~BENDER





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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by Captain P on Mon Aug 13th at 11:16pm 2007


I think the map is still quite dark, even though you've added more lights to it. A bit of a dilemma probably because the athmosphere looks good, but, it's gameplay that keeps a map living longer, so yeah.

A note on your screenshots: the shiny title overlay makes them look darker than they are. Tone it down to give a better impression. <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">






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Re: de_mentalhospital
Posted by $loth on Sun Sep 23rd at 6:04pm 2007


Very good progress Bender, i'm impressed <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">
I wouldn't say it's too dark, I think the darkness gives a great atmosphere.

Keep up the good work <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">





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