In the screenshots the mad highly reflective looking orange material
seems to be used in some odd places (as a trim on pillars?) but maybe
it looks more natural in game. Does it move like water? Looks like it
should for some reason. I think you went a little overboard with
point_spotlights, which are fast becoming the most overused thing since
func_illusionary light fades :wink:

the golden refract texture shouldn't be seen as water, but more as
"tentacles" of this surreal presence. thats why they appear on edges
etc. and indeed it moves and changes refract intensity.

about the point_spotlights, well, they shouldn't have made them this
pretty then :razz: Nah, i used most of them by the ground to create a
ground-fog effect feeling. When it comes to using a spot light and you
want to create a foggy atmosphere, nothing beats them in this, so i
dont see why not use them then.

And when i count it out i have more lights that dont use them than
lights that do use them. for my large ceiling lights i use the good old
env_sprite :smile:

im currently compiling a new version, with less point_spotlights,
harder shadows in that one corridor, more concentrated walkways in the
orb room, and added detail in the RPG room.

i'll release it somewhere tomorrow if all goes well ...

cough UrU cough

Until Later...

Errrr, eh? Whats myst got to do with an FPS level? Strange comparison
:biggrin: Map looks pretty crazy, which is good given the competition theme :smile:
In the screenshots the mad highly reflective looking orange material
seems to be used in some odd places (as a trim on pillars?) but maybe
it looks more natural in game. Does it move like water? Looks like it
should for some reason. I think you went a little overboard with
point_spotlights, which are fast becoming the most overused thing since
func_illusionary light fades :wink: Anyways, good to see an entry, I'm
thinking you
will be one of the few :sad:

Well, i must say, well done. Your beginning to match the quality I expect from the Myst series.

Until Later...

Crono: making the loops pathways isn't really what i'm going for, cause
i want it to be an "untouchable presence" in a way. i would also have
to alter those "pillars" so that you can get to them :s

Smith: i agree that a few rooms can be made more atmospheric, but the
main reason for not doing so is the deathmatch aspect. i heard a lot of
people say that it gets frustrating if you cant see your opponents
clearly in the whole map. I can see your points though, i'm an
atmosphere man myself, thats why i used to make sp / coop maps.

I have another opinion about the ladder; lifts generaly break
fastpacedness and ladders work both ways compared to an anti-grav tube.

About the larger areas; since i'm a preformance junkie i couldn't
afford to go ultra high detail there, instead i opted to make them
interesting by the general architecture and lighting, and another
reason why they're there: gameplay. the room where the RPG is provides
good gameplay with it's strategic position and 5 entrances. The room
with the orb is for the long-range-weapon-lovers and provides vertical
gameplay. i made the platforms grates for extra vertical visibility.
The reason why the pulsating texture is very present in that room
compared to the others because i wanted to make some sort of heart /
core room there.

I'll try to darken that corridor and see what else i can do in one day.

thx for the input

Gotta say I love the map, or at least parts of it. The shots 1, 4, 5, 6
and 7 are great, I love the architecture and style. The sound really
sets the mood, and I think this map would be exceptionally suspenseful,
particularly if playing with a small amount of players. These sections
I've pointed out are damned near perfect, absolutely great, and would
be perfect for an alien style ship or something.

That being said these area's are let down by the larger areas, which
are generally very low on detail and lack the kind of mood seen in the
tunnels. There is also another tunnel, a very square one, which lack a
lot of the style seen in the others. The ladder also seems out of
place, something like a lift or anti grav tube would be much more
appropriate for the type of map.

The large central area with the big orb is probably the weakest area in
the map. The orange reflective surface is over used here, I'd recommend
keepings it useage down so it acts to highlight features like in the
tunnel. This area could also do with a lot of detail to make it more
interesting, and I'd probably vary the walkways some more so they
aren't all on the same levels, maybe even make them solid/thicker
rather than that see-through grate.

Apart from that its very cool. The layout isn't too bad, could do with
some work though. The tunnels really set a great theme/style for the
map, and are by far the strongest parts. More detail and attention paid
to main large areas also. Nice work :smile: .

It's be very cool if there was a way to make the player stick to a platform, so those loops that go up to the ceiling could become pathways.

That'd make it that much more disorienting.

thx. it's not standard, i drew it and fiddled around with the refract shader.

other suggestions apart from lighting?

Some great ideas in there. The pulsating texture is great with thwe custom sound loop. Is that a standard HL2 texture? if not where can I get it?

Interesting design. I think you are overusing the point_spotlights though. The lighting is somewhat bland overall. Otherwise, great job.