Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Sat Jun 11th 2005 at 3:34am
I gave your map a runaround and I don't think the theme is as ambiguous as the screenshots may suggest. It definitely felt like a dirty, stench-ridden, waste processing plant from the moment I spawned. Some of the architecture was nice (the central room and the fan room come to mind) and while it seems fairly simple in the screenshots, its not too dark nor too boring. It's just not flashy and sunny like a map like dm_island. I think you did a good job with it, and I hope to be able to play it sometime to see how the gameplay holds up... there seemed to be a lot of potential for vertical combat.
Posted by Campaignjunkie on Fri Jun 10th 2005 at 9:57pm
I disagree. Maps have to have definite themes, and communicate that (visually) to the player. For something to be surrealistic, it needs something realistic to compare it to. The Citadel looks strange only because it is compared to the rest of City 17. If it was a Citadel on, say, a barren alien planet, then it would obviously have a very different effect than in City 17. I feel that some degree of realism is needed as a "control" for surrealism.
Imagine you're trying to pitch the theme of your level to someone in a single sentence. How would you pitch this map's theme? It's vague, ambiguous, and ultimately uninteresting as a result. I'm not saying it has to be a realistic place, it just has to be a specific place.
Posted by Bl1tz on Fri Jun 10th 2005 at 8:53am
I appreicate you taking the time to comment.
First the fog is coming off the slime...to give it a chemical nastiness. Secondly, I've never believed in making maps that are definite pieces of architecture -- I like to let the player use their imagination instead of sucking at the teat of obviousness. I'm not a big fan of emphasis on realism in recent games, and I think HL2 was a good platform to map for, because the game did an excellent job of blending real with surreal, and I sort of hoped to do that with this map instead of making dm_WALMART or whatever.
? quote:
Sorry if I'm a bit blunt, but here's my appraisal:
Way too dark for multiplayer and kind of boring (visually). I suggest finding a real, definitive theme that anyone can look at and say "Wow, that definitely looks like a ____ !" As of now, it just looks like a fog-filled concrete bunker. Why is there fog there in the first place?
Emphasis on gameplay is great and everything, but it is all ultimately useless if it isn't visually interesting enough to engage the player! Visuals have a lot to do with gameplay - people respond to lighting cues (red maintenance lights for vents in Natural Selection, for example) and architectural cues, and need strong definitive visual landmarks to navigate a map easily.
Looks like you have a good grasp of the editor, now you just need to branch out more!
Way too dark for multiplayer and kind of boring (visually). I suggest finding a real, definitive theme that anyone can look at and say "Wow, that definitely looks like a ____ !" As of now, it just looks like a fog-filled concrete bunker. Why is there fog there in the first place?
Emphasis on gameplay is great and everything, but it is all ultimately useless if it isn't visually interesting enough to engage the player! Visuals have a lot to do with gameplay - people respond to lighting cues (red maintenance lights for vents in Natural Selection, for example) and architectural cues, and need strong definitive visual landmarks to navigate a map easily.
Looks like you have a good grasp of the editor, now you just need to branch out more!
I appreicate you taking the time to comment.
First the fog is coming off the slime...to give it a chemical nastiness. Secondly, I've never believed in making maps that are definite pieces of architecture -- I like to let the player use their imagination instead of sucking at the teat of obviousness. I'm not a big fan of emphasis on realism in recent games, and I think HL2 was a good platform to map for, because the game did an excellent job of blending real with surreal, and I sort of hoped to do that with this map instead of making dm_WALMART or whatever.
Posted by Campaignjunkie on Fri Jun 10th 2005 at 5:16am
Sorry if I'm a bit blunt, but here's my appraisal:
Way too dark for multiplayer and kind of boring (visually). I suggest finding a real, definitive theme that anyone can look at and say "Wow, that definitely looks like a ____ !" As of now, it just looks like a fog-filled concrete bunker. Why is there fog there in the first place?
Emphasis on gameplay is great and everything, but it is all ultimately useless if it isn't visually interesting enough to engage the player! Visuals have a lot to do with gameplay - people respond to lighting cues (red maintenance lights for vents in Natural Selection, for example) and architectural cues, and need strong definitive visual landmarks to navigate a map easily.
Looks like you have a good grasp of the editor, now you just need to branch out more!
Posted by Bl1tz on Fri Jun 10th 2005 at 1:40am
Hey everybody, here is my latest mapping effort for you all to enjoy.
dm_ortho was named boringly enough for the orthographical windows in any map editor, but ended up taking a painfully ironic meaning, as I went to the ER at 4 in the morning for extreme dental pain a few weeks ago.
screenshots
http://blitz.circa1984.com/dm_ortho_b10000.jpg
http://blitz.circa1984.com/dm_ortho_b20001.jpg
http://blitz.circa1984.com/dm_ortho_b20002.jpg
download
http://blitz.circa1984.com/dm_ortho.zip
Hey everybody, here is my latest mapping effort for you all to enjoy.
dm_ortho was named boringly enough for the orthographical windows in any map editor, but ended up taking a painfully ironic meaning, as I went to the ER at 4 in the morning for extreme dental pain a few weeks ago.
screenshots
http://blitz.circa1984.com/dm_ortho_b10000.jpg
http://blitz.circa1984.com/dm_ortho_b20001.jpg
http://blitz.circa1984.com/dm_ortho_b20002.jpg
download
http://blitz.circa1984.com/dm_ortho.zip
Posted by mike-o on Fri May 20th 2005 at 6:21pm
to give you an idea of what i think, i thought it was hl1 for a sec. everything in it is so boring and flat.
Posted by Bl1tz on Thu May 12th 2005 at 5:29am
Beta is out! Comments and public server hosting are welcome!!
Beta is out! Comments and public server hosting are welcome!!
Posted by Orpheus on Fri May 6th 2005 at 12:04pm
I critique maps, but the author contacts me personally via the PM system here at Snarkpit. I figure, if the author wants me, he knows where i live. I got past that soliciting my wares ages ago, I do not send email request anymore.
Another tried and true method is to post a link and allow anyone interested to critique it with no strings attached. You tend to get much better feedback than you would otherwise. Open critiques in the forums are always preferable. You never know if a private one is honest unless others see the same mistakes/perks.
/2 cents
[addsig]
Posted by Bl1tz on Fri May 6th 2005 at 6:23am
Bumping for renewed interest and nearing completion. Anyone interested in beta testing leave me an e-mail at lolleyballz@gmail.com
Bumping for renewed interest and nearing completion. Anyone interested in beta testing leave me an e-mail at lolleyballz@gmail.com
