Cap'n: I've based the design on the coal mines from Transport Tycoon:

I find that so cool.

I'm still adding stuff to the map.. I've given the mine it's own
generator. I mean, the thing's basically in the middle of nowhere and
is running alot of heavy machinery.. why wouldn't it have its own power
source?

Also, the mine having its own generator helps the story given to it a
little -- the rebels wouldn't need to rely on weak generator trailers
to power their little base thing.

Captain P said:
(just don't tick that dynamic flag or your performance will skyrocket... the wrong way - caused me some trouble a while ago :wink: ).

Could the word you are searching for be... Plummet?

giggles

"Skyrocket the wrong way... Thats killer.

Heh, Rollercoaster Tycoon. Great stuff. Now put in one of those hotdog stalls. :razz:

Well, if you had a hollow box and the sky_camera inside it (and not accidentally left a sky_camera within the map), it would work.

As for spotlights, use light_spot for the actual light, and point_spotlight for the beam (just don't tick that dynamic flag or your performance will skyrocket... the wrong way - caused me some trouble a while ago :wink: ).

You should add more artifictual lights. The sky's light can still be dark, night maps are sometimes nice, but make the central area brighter. Death Match maps aren't sepposed to be dark, it's annoying when you can't see anything 5 feet away from you.

The skybox and the areas around the center are really boring. I suggest that you add bolders, pools of water and trees to the areas around the center. Trees in the skybox will be nice too. Also add the power lines that lead the electricty from the power plant(not in the map of course) to the whole mine.

Victor-933 said:
And I started work on the terrain before I even read these suggestions :razz:

Then WTF good are we then? Stop asking us to suggest in hindsight.

I highly doubt the mini scenery was leaking -- I built a cube around it and hit control+H

As for the lightness, I experimented with a sunset skybox but didn't
really like it. I'm sticking with the night skybox -- sort of gives it
that Ravenholm theme. But I'll add some spotlights or something, if I
can get the damn entities to work right, that is.

And I started work on the terrain before I even read these suggestions :razz:

Cap'n: I've based the design on the coal mines from Transport Tycoon:



Thanks for the input, all of you.

The whole 'center-of-the-map' thing all those 3D skybox tutorials talk about is nonsense imho. Sure, it's a nice way to make sure your 3D skybox is aligned well with the map, but other than that I've seen much confusion happing through this method.

The skybox camera entity serves as the center of the map for the 3D skybox part. Just make sure this box is sealed off from the rest of the map (and from the void) and only contains the things you want to have in your 3D skybox. Then everything should be just fine. You probably had this area leaking or such.

About the new shots - they're still awfully dark, that would be the very first point to work on if you want better feedback. :wink:
Besides that, the buildings do look like mining buildings so that's a good thing, but as Orph pointed out, the terrain needs work.
Do you have any shots or drawings that depict the layout you're going for bytheway? I believe it's a usefull thing to know (after all, you want to know if your map plays well before putting a few months work in it).

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Victor-933</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>wtfever. I didn't ask for an asshole's input on my second attempt at source mapping. I haven't even made any "screw around" maps like the 300-or-so I've done for HL1 yet.

</DIV></DIV>

Chill Victor.. No one is being an asshole.

The buildings and machinery are top rate. I love a good set of machines with a purpose.

Your area is HL1 with a vengeance. It looks like a box, with stuff in it.

I would put the buildings on hold and work on the terrain for a bit.

wtfever. I didn't ask for an asshole's input on my second attempt at
source mapping. I haven't even made any "screw around" maps like the
300-or-so I've done for HL1 yet.

On another note, I've posted new screens..

And Cap'n, about those skyboxes.. I don't know what I'm doing wrong --
I tried putting the damn thing at the origin of the map and moving
everything else and I still get a replica of the map itself and not the
miniature scenery in the skybox. So I just said "screw it and built a
fence around it with some displacement hills