I hate to say this, but you should consider putting in a few crates, to add cover for the players to hide behind.

Some of these areas are way to open for those that like short range combat :smile:

the tiles look better at their original size. though making them more grubby with some 'stain' or 'blood' overlays to break up the monotony, would lead to fewer complaints. the walls could probably use some in places too.

For z-variation with the floor you could put something underneath it and a grating texture on top. The parts underneath had to be very dark or otherwise in the background so it doesn't distract too much.

Just a thought.

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@Cpt P; maybe, but then TF2 would have to be as fast as FF, otherwise the dimensions would be too large.

Reno said:
My big complaint is about the floors really, as you have these really interesting ceilings throughout, but absolutely nothing going on on the ground. To make matters worse, one of the textures you are using a lot on the floors is extremely clean and near featureless, which doesn't sit well with the fairly crisp and detailed concrete texture used frequently alongside it.

I see your point, and it has equally been brought up by other ppl. The problem with floors is that you can't vary in the z-direction too much, otherwise it would hinder movement and line of sight. In contrast, this is possible on ceilings and walls. So I experimented a bit with XY variation and a concrete, non-shiny texture too match the walls better. Plz share your feelings about the screens below.

Gwil said:
the tiles on the floor look hideous, they bring the whole map down. I'd suggest maybe scaling them up to 0.50 or using an alternative colour.

i used that colour as it comes back in the wall and ceiling panels, hence improving style harmony. I tried experimenting with .5 scale though, take a look at one of the floor tile stripes in the screenshots below.

I'd actually be a little more brutal and say that the tiles on the
floor look hideous, they bring the whole map down. I'd suggest maybe
scaling them up to 0.50 or using an alternative colour.

I'd reckon you could go with some more lighting to neutralise the
"circles" effect you have here - it might be personal preference on my
part, but I prefer spot lighting such as that to be used sparsely.

Yup, thats a big improvement mate! My big complaint is about the floors really, as you have these really interesting ceilings throughout, but absolutely nothing going on on the ground. To make matters worse, one of the textures you are using a lot on the floors is extremely clean and near featureless, which doesn't sit well with the fairly crisp and detailed concrete texture used frequently alongside it.

Looking very distinctive though mate, keep it up :smile: Have a nice time in India!

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beta 2 is online

While i still stand by my brightness on the floor, there seemed to be a general consensus that there wasnt enough contrast. so overal i changed most lights to light_spots to have more contrast on the floor. Light on ceilings and walls is dimmed somewhat. I think there's a nice balance between "being able to see fast enemy" and "atmosphereic contrast" now.

Furter changes include some minor issues Reaper mentioned (i wasnt able to make your requested transition (yet) though), and the airlift that propels you somewhat horizontally into the upper corridor now. The dusk nightsky is a fact now too.

I'm going to India for a week, i'll be glad to receive more feedback when i get back. Cya!

Hmm, I think it's a good balance now. Not too opresssingly dark, not too bright and contrastless.

Are you planning to convert this to TF2 when it gets released bytheway?

update: did another iteration with a slightly brighter & more varied skybox, i think it's a good middle ground. check 1st shot in its profile.

Thx for going through it with a toothbrush Reaper :wink: i'll try to fix most of those. i'll also try to shift the concrete texture a bit downward to make the upper edge of the texture visible. that will hopefully give it enough of a transition effect, as i can't afford to put in seperate brushes at every transition, and i also don't want to lose the detailed normalmap of the concrete.

Baron von Snickers said:
[*] I'm sure the movement in Fortress Forever is (will be?) faster than HL2DM (which is like clodding through mud with your shoelaces tied together), but there's a fine line between 'spacious' and 'over-scaled' and I'm afraid this leans more toward the latter. I feel about 2-4 feet tall running through this level, depending on the area.

</LI> i first was affraid about this too. The "clodding through mud with your shoelaces tied together" really gives that feeling about us being small and the rooms too large, because it simply takes some time to cross them. However i suggest you take a look at the latest FF gameplay video. If you even look at medium classes like the sniper, he runs very fast. For a true feeling about dimensions and time needed to travel them, run through Flare with the boost on. I feel it's just about right. Also i feel the high ceilings and "wide" corridors aren't too high, but just high enough to conc/trim/double jump freely without feeling cramped. For gameplay reasons i implemented two bottlenecks (top ramp and T) for defense to put a halt to all this free movement.

I'll see what i can do about the LOD and airlift, thx for the feedback :wink: