The Great Outdoors

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I just started working on a new map and was looking for some suggestions on how to improve what I have so far... Here's some screens of the CT spawn:



(Note: the screen above was taken before the two below.)





I'm trying to get those walls to look a bit better...

Go easy on him, ladies. :biggrin:

1. Downsize them properly, they're a bit slow to load

2. Don't use the default skybox. Because it looks bad.

3. Seems way too cramped for a CT spawn, let alone a CS map

4. It seems on the last screenie, on the left, two plant brushes aren't aligned up properly i.e. one is longer than it should be.

5. It looks too easy to jump out of the map over the plants. Best put a wall behind them.

To be honest, it just looks way too unifinished and a bit rushed. Spend a bit more time on it and refine it some more, taking design into consideration a bit more. It's not enough to really comment on.

CS player size is smaller than HLDM size, and think about the scaling when you look at the pictures - the bushes should be just under 1 1/2 times the player height.

Looks pretty good for a start. I like the way the trim extends into the arch. You might want to mess with the lighting since right now the lighting looks pretty bland.<!-- Kerio Popup Killer - script has been appended by KPF -->

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I say a dark setting something like a night sky with stars. The complementary crickets.WAV noise and maybe some over head lighting or try a "moonlight" effect.

Looks great to start your map with ... but the map looks a bit to "narrow" ... Try to hide the edges of your map by placing bushes or walls or something.

The bricks on the inside of the arches should be aligned horizontally not vertically. I like the general architecture, could be a good theme to continue with.

I'm trying to get those walls to look a bit better...

IMO thats a bad idea, do the overall layout first, set the bomb/hostage locations, work on the choke points etc. and then concentrate on the details.

There's no point spending a lot of time on an area at an early stage only to find later on that you have to scrap it.

Looking good, build some more!

:biggrin:

beer hunter said:

I'm trying to get those walls to look a bit better...

IMO thats a bad idea, do the overall layout first, set the bomb/hostage locations, work on the choke points etc. and then concentrate on the details.

There's no point spending a lot of time on an area at an early stage only to find later on that you have to scrap it.

Each to their own I say - personally I build concept areas, detail them, decide if I like the theme and THEN continue. Working on a big layout and then deciding the theme isn't gonna work out can ALSO lead to maps being scrapped, and it ends up giving you nothing. Even if you end up scrapping the map after only the concept area, at least you gained the experience of building an area to the best of your abilities, and I can assure you that early in your mapping career that will teach you a lot each time.

I have to say I prefer the brick texture you used in the first shot, but that's probably just my personal preference. I also agree that a night-time setting would really set the scene with hooting owls and such :smile:

The way the trim merges into the archway is very nice and the arch's shape is slightly different to the usual standard half-circle. Pretty cool, are you going for a realistic setting or a more fantasy, cartoony feel? I think it would suit a cartoon setting really well with the exaggerated arch shapes :smile:

GJ

Nope not personal preference Adam, general preference I think, as I agree wholeheartadly, the old texture was better. You should also have a trim of some form along the top of the wall I reckon, but I wouldn't extend the height of the wall anymore with is, so drop the wall height and make the trim max at the same height the wall currently does (I'm sure that could have been explained easier). This kinda reminds me of Rampart for some reason, I guess its the fantasy castle theme.

Even if you end up scrapping the map after only the concept area, at least you gained the experience of building an area to the best of your abilities, and I can assure you that early in your mapping career that will teach you a lot each time.

True enough, either way you do it, you're going to learn something from the experience.

needs some custom textures

Hmmmm as Reno said each mapper works his own ways... I tend to build my map, if r_speeds are high I fix em at all costs, otherwise I tend to leave the map to rot :razz:

I lost patience with mapping long ago :sad:

Yea, I have no experience texturing and can't really find any online that I think will suit this map. Anyway, I'm wonedring if I should scrap the wall and go for some terrain brushes instead? I just can't figure out how to gget that to look a little more exciting.

ReNo said:

beer hunter said:

I'm trying to get those walls to look a bit better...

IMO thats a bad idea, do the overall layout first, set the bomb/hostage locations, work on the choke points etc. and then concentrate on the details.

There's no point spending a lot of time on an area at an early stage only to find later on that you have to scrap it.

Each to their own I say - personally I build concept areas, detail them, decide if I like the theme and THEN continue. Working on a big layout and then deciding the theme isn't gonna work out can ALSO lead to maps being scrapped, and it ends up giving you nothing. Even if you end up scrapping the map after only the concept area, at least you gained the experience of building an area to the best of your abilities, and I can assure you that early in your mapping career that will teach you a lot each time.

Amen to that Reno. So many people in the mapping community, on NS in particular, look at 'map the layout first' like it was one of the Ten Commandments, when in fact both methods end up being roughly equal. Though it's bad to have a good looking map with terrible gameplay, it's just as bad to have a map constructed completely out of one texture in vague patterns. These two elements combinded is what mapping is all about.