"Take a look at real life places, a photograph of an interesting place and try to rebuild it."

The best advice you'll ever recieve about making CS maps is this. Real life places aren't symetrical, sure it may make it easier to complete but it will look bland and uninspiring, I know, i've been there a few years ago and I can remember where I took the chance to create something where both sides didn't look the same.
I'm creating a map at the moment which is a scaled down version of a train station, the reason for this: profesional architects made it, created it, thought about how it would look and it's got the most beautiful ceilings. I'll admit that this version won't look like it, but the layout is similar (if this goes well i'll be making a full scale version, this one is more of a test but you get the idea i'm trying to make).

hmmm... Try to think less geometrical/symmetrical. The blocky nature of the architecture looks a bit too artificial for a Source Map. Take a look at real life places, a photograph of an interesting place and try to rebuild it.

There are many parts that are wrong in proportion, for example the thin wall in this pic that's even smaller than a brick of the texture it uses. Try to avoid that.

I am being forced away for a day or two, so maps on hold temporarily, but ill be back soon :biggrin:

Thanks for suggestions, my main problem atm is figuring out things to put in the main ground area, im playing other maps to get ideas of things to hide behind out there like you suggested. Also, I just updated the bsp, I redid all the textures, but plan to redo them even move to vary them. And all those empty spaces im filling in inbetwee the other stuff, thats was one of the problems I listed above, im horrible at decorating Ill increase the thickness of those stair walls, I didnt notice at first, but I think that would look better if they were bigger. As soon as maps done compiling ill get some new screenshots and update the ones above

Thanks again for suggestions :smile:

woops sorry, I missed the source catagory =/

By the way, this is in the wrong category. You put it in Half-Life -> Counter-Strike and it should be in Half-Life 2 -> Counter-Strike: Source.

I didn't play the map, but just looking at the screens...

The entire map is way too stark and plain and empty. It might provide an acceptable foundation as soon as you begin to start filling it in, but it looks really blank to me. Somewhere between 25% and 40% seems where this map should be. Start adding props and details, places to take cover... if you need to rethink the outside area a bit, so be it.

As you already mentioned, texturing is pretty bad in some areas (the entirely brick room stands out as really bad to me) - good to hear you're working on it.

Maybe a few shot-by-shot critiques as well:

The wall here between the stairs and the room looks horrible, it's like two inches thick. I'd break through that accidentally within the first day of living there.

Bland, bland, bland! These areas are way too open and visually uninteresting.

Across the last several screenshots it becomes truly apparent that 90% of this map is textured with the same blurry red-and-white brick texture. Nowhere will you find floors and walls and ceilings textured brick. Varying the brick texture won't help - use some actual interior textures. Plaster walls and concrete walls, tile and carpet floors, plaster and concrete ceilings. Vary it up! Nobody will ever know where on earth they are when you just have a massive network of brick rooms. Each room should try to have its own style and textures (don't just replace ALL walls with plaster textures and ALL floors with carpets). Keep distinctive textures and props so people know where they're at and where they're going.

A lot of this stuff distracts from the actual layout, so I'll leave off here and simply say that you need to work a lot on texturing and variation and just detail overall. Use common sense - nobody has massive empty rooms bounded by brick walls and ceilings all over the place. Put some work into texturing and realism, add some detail, add some cover, vary it up and then let's see some more shots. :smile: