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EDIT EDIT EDIT! LONG POST FOLLOWS! ALL OPINIONS ARE ENTIRELY OBJECTIVE AND ARE MEANT IN THE BEST POSSIBLE SPIRIT!
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I notice you have acknowledge the bugs in your map already, so I will
not focus too much on them. You seem to have grasped the basics fairly
well, lighting, construction etc - but there are a few errors of
brushes overlapping/dead ends and holes in the world.
I like how you have included vertical combat already, even if it is a little limited.
I had a look round, and this is what I saw to fix, or improve
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/1.jpg" target="_blank">
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First thing I noticed - the underground areas, are too dark. It was
difficult to navigate around the collapsed road area. A few more
ceiling lights are needed, and the red should be toned down a little.
Notice also how I can see behind the road into the sky. It needs a pile
of rubble underneath it to make it realistic, and to block out the
access to the skybox.
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/2.jpg" target="_blank">
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More of the same - too dark underground and the sky is showing through again.
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The building on the left looks odd with the half slanted roof - and the
building next to it too. You can include things like support struts,
door frames, window frames to add detail. Try perhaps cutting it in
half just above head height, and using a different texture for two
different floors.
Notice how the light above the door is off, but is giving off light
also. And the crates? They were nicely stacked in a tower (I presume to
get to the top of the building), but you should really cut down the
number of prop_physics. Including the cones and barrels, there was at
least 20-30 physics objects in an area not really suited to it.
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/4.jpg" target="_blank">
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The road is too dark again - it might be my settings, but I have played
other maps where the lighting was adequate. The biggest problem
outdoors was the use of those buildings - I presume they are props ?
When you approach them, the textures and scaling is completely off.
I would suggest building houses by hand, and setting back those blocks
of flats further where they cannot be reached by the player.
Might also be nice to have the lampposts have the beams coming from.
Look again also at the park on the right - the statue is not lit in the
same level as the map, Im not sure how to fix it, but it sticks out.
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/5.jpg" target="_blank">
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See what I mean :smile: a few brick walls made from brushes with houses in
front of these will hide the ugly prop textures. They look good
as part of the map, but you shouldnt be able to get this close. They
are designed to be things on the landscape :smile:
http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/16.jpg<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/16.jpg" target="_blank"><a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/16.jpg" target="_blank">
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Why I took this, I don't know :smile: </Orph syndrome> I think it is
because of the darkness, and the use of prop buildings again.
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/7.jpg" target="_blank">
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The stairs - they look wrong. At least cut back the opening in the
floor, or give them a handrail. They look like lego at the moment!
Once again, there was too many props in here - 2 radiators, a couple of
tables, and some cabinets all on the bottom floor. Oddy enough there
was hardly anything upstairs.
Look to the right, the textures on the wall are misaligned - also, I
would use another texture, or at least split the wall into two where
the texture has the "damp" marks on it. At the moment it looks a little
odd.
The door - is openable, something usually avoided in deathmatch. Remove
the door altogether and leave it as an open frame. I didnt find this
building right away because of the door being shut, and in the dark.
One more thing - where is the light coming from? God? :smile:
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/8.jpg" target="_blank">
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Again, texturing issues - this doesn't feel like a real room or
building when I get inside. The damp is in two different places on the
concrete wall (right hand side) and the corrugated wall... I couldn't
understand. Try to think realism when creating city levels :smile:
The hole in the roof is a nice touch BUT! perhaps thicken the ceiling,
or add roof supports/broken truss material around the broken part.
Again, where is the light coming from? Get some light fixtures in here!
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/9.jpg" target="_blank">
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I can't remember what I was going to say here, bar the texture issues.
You need window frames! Or supports for the ceiling, or walls. At the
moment it's a box with two windows, not a room in a building.
The glass windows are overlapping with the surrounding wall, and it causes flickerg in game (just remembered!)
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/10.jpg" target="_blank">
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I got trapped down here - it is near or behind the park. Go read up on
clip brushes to stop such things happening. Notice again the blurry
prop textures.
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/11.jpg" target="_blank">
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Clip brushes needed - at this point I fell out the world, and saw some
of the bigger construction errors. Your work needs to be tidier, a lot
tidier, without wanting to sound horrible (and I know its your first
map) :smile:
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/13.jpg" target="_blank">
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Darkness! Please, please adda little moonlight or some more streetlamps :smile:
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/14.jpg" target="_blank">
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Props need to be cut down drastically - considering the layout problems
(i'll talk about that later), there is far too many, and servers suffer
from lots of physics objects being thrown around.
Also, why is there barrles stacked in the middle of the road? As I say, try and think realism and making the level feel "alive".
<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/15.jpg" target="_blank">
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Mars attacks. This green light is horribly coloured, and looks odd
shing upward like that. I would suggest. Remove it and two smaller
lights slightly above the shop sign, and at at either end (like this
(o) ____________ (o) ((o) being lights).
Window frames, door frames, again are needed. I would also raise the
building off the ground a little more, so you can add a step or two up
into the doorway.
http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/16.jpg<a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/16.jpg" target="_blank"><a href="http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/gwil/codenamedeath/16.jpg" target="_blank"></a></a>
Long sight lines and fighting areas, but this is pretty much all there
is too the level - I note it is 50% complete. Perhaps add another road
on the other side of the buildings, running parallel to the one you
have already. It would add a reason for the connection alleys you have
between the buildings.
Box room, odd choice of textures again - light fixtures, texture
alignment and variation and detailing made with brushes is needed to
give this room soul.
Once more, too many props that can be thrown (including those odd
looking file cabinets stacked skew wiff on top of each other - fix
those, or delete them I reckon)
[simg]http://www
