Base 16

Initial idea...

Ok, I have this little problem of being able to actually start a map. I have 2 ideas here, and I want to see:

• Which one looks better
• Which one would develop better gameplay
• How to improve the one that looks best
• Some ideas for new sections/layouts

Thanks in advance, here they are:

'Steamzone' and 'Base16' (which one's which is obvious)

[simg]http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/neural scan/Screenshots(beta)/steamzone0001.jpg[/simg]

[simg]http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/neural scan/Screenshots(beta)/steamzone0000.jpg[/simg]

[simg]http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/neural scan/Screenshots(beta)/base160004.jpg[/simg]

[simg]http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/neural scan/Screenshots(beta)/base160003.jpg[/simg]

[simg]http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/neural scan/Screenshots(beta)/base160002.jpg[/simg]

[simg]http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/neural scan/Screenshots(beta)/base160000.jpg[/simg]

It would seem everyone is better at mapping than me...

The tope one is good, but a little blocky, so I would say go with the bottom one.

Your maps seem very repetitive and lacks shadows and contrast with the use of lights... meaning they are way to bright. I think I would need to see more of a completed piece to critique properly. I see plenty of potentail in your maps... I suggest going through and reading alot of the architecture tutorials here at Snarkpit. Their are some really nice ones here.

Good luck mate

matt said:
It would seem everyone is better at mapping than me...

haven't looked at my crap then i guess.

as to the question at hand, i suggest #2, a lot of girders to clip on are never a good idea in MP maps.. so i think #1 is a poor choice.

Base16 it is :biggrin:

I'll update sometime in the week. I've added a lot more things to it. The small building with the grating over it is now covered by a kinda makeshift roof thing. The large building has had a few lights turned out, some wiring and a pillar going through the middle. The very top section of that has lights and a few gadgetty things.

Not sure how all this looks compiled, but I'm gonna change the light_environment so it's more angled, so there'll be some nice contrasting shadows just for crackerjack :smile:

Go for Base16 ... the first one would be damn difficult for inside combat and stuff ... with all those pillars.

I prefer the 1st one.

I think the first has more atmosphere, but the second would make a better map. I'm somewhat concerned that you are just gonna box in a set of buildings however, judging by what you have so far. I hope you have an idea of where you are going with the map, and aren't just gonna say "here are some random buildings in a box to play in".

I actually don't have much of an idea of what I'm gonna do. What you said about just having some random buildings arranged around in a box is exactly what I would've done without everyone's help.

You see at the top I asked for ideas on a good layout etc. This is exactly where I need help. Should the road lead up to a base built into a cliff? Should it go down underground to a hidden military base? So many ideas, but my mind's still foggy.

I'm asking for this because I've read some of the reviews of the map I entered for the competition (Track_Control). I entered that ages ago, before I knew this community well and how you could've helped me make that map so much better. Now I know and I'm asking for the help I need.

Now where the hell can that map go? :biggrin:

its all a matter of personal taste as far as what the theme should be for any map....occasionaly you can get away with just laying down some brushes and seeing where it leads.....but not usually, as i know from experience....when i hit a mental block, i start foraging thru old pics....magazines...etc etc etc.....i usually can get a kick start that way.....

but the best way imho, is to start with an idea, cultivate it, research it, and lay it down. put it on paper....drawings, sketches etc.....lofty goals are great to have, but not always easily to reach....so.....start small, and add to it....

my 2 cents...

Doc Brass... :dodgy:

just played false_accreation, which although not that good Orpheus, is still not as bas as my pile of excrament "Tower_watch" better add to that post about awards....

why not use the indoor area as a basement for the other area?

That's a superb idea! If I find a way I'll combine the two maybe. I was gonna make some of it go underground anyway. This sparks loads of ideas. I could have the above base16 level, then below that some kind of generators and stuff.

Ooh the possibilities :razz:

<Thinks real hard>

Thanks a lot, by the way :biggrin:

Yeah cool idea ... just make the transition not t? brutal ... if you manage to combinate those 2 maps, would be great !

Hm... appears I have a slight problem. The above ground area is looking pretty bare. I don't know if I should remove the road to add some more stuff or leave it and find a way to fill the space.

Well, I took a screeny of what I have in VH at the moment, any ideas?

[simg]http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/neural scan/randompics/whattodo.jpg[/simg]

Id really prefer to see some ingame pics.. i cant really make any comments on this

All I wanna know is how to fill that space though, no need for lighting and stuff to come up with a bit of inspiration :rolleyes:

I just thought of a very geeky name for your map. I looked at the thread title (base 16) and thought "hexadecimal" just a thought...

You could lose the big open areas and make the buildings much closer to each other to give some nice tense crampt alleyways. It would still give the impression of being outdoors, and would also solve any r_speed issues which I image you might come across with such an open area :smile:

Oh, and the top building on the right...make sure you clip all those angled 'pillar' things as I imagine they would be very easy to get snagged on.

Mmm looks pretty sweet, remember the sky boxes though, and is the stuff underneath the road like below ground areas?

Not too shabby, get a new sidewalk textures and do some height variance on the road (maybe some stairs to raised areas, etc). Also try to keep the space between the buildings from becoming too large, because it tends to kill not only r_speeds but also gameplay.