Temple

Well, it's about done after AGES. There are still a lot of things I don't like about this map, but most can't really be fixed without starting a new one. I guess that's the problem of working on a map you started a long time ago. But it will be in Action HL 1.0, so I'm pretty pleased since that means it will actually get enjoyed by some people.

I just took a lot of screenies; if people would like to take a closer look, I can put up a final beta tomorrow. Although I welcome input, this map is pretty much done; I can't do any major reworking, I just don't have the time or energy at this point. I just wanted to share it with you guys, since your input on the map, and some of the special effects in it, helped me a lot.

Central Room, upper level:


Central Room, lower level:


Lower Tree Room:


Crystal Generator:


Pyramid:


Long Hallway:


A small room with a lava pit trap:


Spike Pit room (pretty fun stuff mwahaha!):


The Balcony/Fountain:


 

Well, that's the Grand Tour I guess. The map plays really well in AHL, which is what it was made for. AHL has fast player movement, and it connects well, so it scales down to small games okay. Also, in rounded server modes doors start sealing off the big central room after 80 seconds- those who remain outside get nuked. The keeps rounds from lingering too long. And yes, that was a bitch to set up :biggrin:

I think I'm most proud of the special effects, though. I developed the sunbeam, water fountain, and cinder effects specifically for this map, and I've never seen them used before. Maybe I'll make 'prefabs' of them once the mod is out.

Anyway, hope it was an interesting tour

Looks GREAT!!!! Wish more maps were as original and nice looking as this one. Though I'm busy with Escape Velocity.

Reminds me of a sort of Archealogical wonderland or somewhere you'd really wanna play tig in as a kid, dunno why, it's sorta nice and cosy near the sun, cold but not nasty down low.

I like the blues, though the main room lower level does look a bit square. Do like the strange ceilings you've done though, looks good. :biggrin:

What makes it look so good I think is the originality of the look and architecture.

:kitty:

jinxy, i'd kinda like to see this map this time, with its own mod turned on..

you got a link?

 

also. since i critiqued it once (i did,didn't i ) i think this time we need to see what others can dig up first..

i'll wait till tomorrow afternoonish and see what comes up..

i see a couple nice additions tho.. very sweet :biggrin:

Orph, here is a full installer for Action HL 5.6:
http://actionut2k3.ngz-network.de/pa/files.php?load=5&mirror=1

or you can get 5.5+5.6 patch separately if that link is slow: http://www.action-halflife.com/

Can you give me till tomorrow for the Temple beta? I just have a couple small things to fix, then it will be a 'final beta' I can give to the mod team as well. If you start a Teamplay w/rounds game with a couple bots, and wait the 80 seconds you can see the door-closing stuff in action (no waypoint file yet, though)

Glad you guys think it looks good. It was meant to be a quickie Goldeneye conversion like that little basement, map, but it bloomed into something more. Still, most areas are actually pretty blocky- I just put a lot of brushes INSIDE the blocky room or corridor to try to hide that lol. And since there were a lot of open areas, I created that angular 'style' of architecture to add some flavor without doing anything horrendous to the rspeeds.

what's really fun- getting on top of the doors in that first pic, then diving off, through the glass, and into the water pool below (preferably with guns blazing!)

edit: I'm also about done retexturing Monorail for Bulletbait... there are few pics of that here. It's also for AHL 1.0. Phew! I was gonna show those too but I thought this was enough pic spammage for one day.

Jinx said:
Can you give me till tomorrow for the Temple beta?

truth? i didn't even notice that there was no link to the map.. i just assume it was there..

sorry, my bad..

of course you can take as long as you need, i was just pointing out that someone else needs to go first this time.. lets get a fresh set of eyes on this.. i am almost sure i already critiqued it once..

step up to the plate guys.. show us whatch'a gots :smile:

at this point I'd love bug-hunting and tweakage ideas. like I said, though, I'm not reworking whole parts of the map at this point. I just wanted to share. Besides, UnrealEd beckons!! 

btw, whoever mentioned that I should use floor trim around stuff- thank you so much, it made a huge difference!

oh, and there IS a beta around somewhere, it just seems pointless to have people look at it and point out all the stuff I already fixed. :rolleyes:

You know how I feel about all the triangley-ness, but hey, its pretty anyway.

/me downloads AHL specifically to see this map :smile:

Too quake 1-ish for my taste, but it looks totally-f00king-awsome..!

 

plots to steal jinx`s mapping talents

Gollum said:
/me downloads AHL specifically to see this map :smile:

dammit, now I can't whine about having to download Spirit of Half-Life to look at yours!

I'm tweaking a few things, I'll have an updated beta in a few hours.

Steady on, you may not have to download Spirit to look at my map :sad:

/me explodes in a frenzy of aggravated "coding"

So, did you ever get that animated fade to work properly? I can't remember if that worked out.

for the setting, i personally feel this map has a "too clean" feel....but man, the architecture and texturing is outstanding sir.....and "triangly" or not, i am certainly impressed.....my only other observation, and it is truly nit-picky, are yer hanging vines......in a setting that would be conducive to the growth of said plant "entities", there would be either alot more of the growth, or none at all.....but as i said, this is a damn impressive piece of work.....well done sir. :wink:

/withdraws thoughts of hurrying thru a quick map for contest......

Dr Brasso... :dodgy:

[edit: fixed the bug]

I agree with all your comments Brasso. maybe I should just take out those vines? I know I should add more "greenery" but this map makes me ill just thinking about it at this point lol. That is a problem with my maps though- they tend to be too clean, perfect, symmetrical, etc.

and this map isn't for the contest lol

edit: oh, no, the animated fade wouldn't quite work right. I need to have 2 layers going in opposite directions for it to look right (imo), and I couldn't get the func_conveyors or whatever to scroll the other way. no matter what value, they went the same direction as I recall. these still look pretty good, though.

Temple Beta 21

Still doing some minor tweaking, but that's about it. I'm trying to decide between the wind and bird sounds that you hear on the balcony and at the windows. Seems like I should choose just one or the other.

If you want to try the map in Action Half-Life, here's the AHL 5.6 Full Installer.

oh, and if you are really feeling crazy, you can take a look at Monorail, too, the map I retextured for BulletBait:
PIC and DOWNLOAD.

yes I'm a mapping madman!

sighs

seems no one wants to tackle this baby jinxy :sad:

if its ok, i will critique it in the morning...

be good

lol Orph it's not a big deal. like I said, the map is 99%done, and I'm not going to change anything major at this point. I may not have time, either, if Borg decides he wants the final tomorrow. Besides, it's been playtested to hell and back and people enjoy it, so that's what's important.

I just wanted to share and see what you guys thought of it.

/me has to reinstall AHL. I'll look at it as soon as I can.

i hate to sound stupid here, but i never realized you were so ingrained into the AHL scene as to have been included into the mod install..

there are already folders named "jinx"

hmmm.. reckon i am really out'a touch.. :sad:

i did notice, hullu has converted one of his better maps over :smile:   i suppose i should look around more often..

will post a critique soon..

this is very frustrating jinx.. the capture screens seems to be disabled in this mod :sad:

i noticed a few niggles, but most important was the tree, the render mode is wrong, i can see all the brushes used in the construction of the leaves.. looks really aweful..

i will attempt to get a screen somehow.. and post it.. but i would really prefer the conventional method of capturing them.. :sad:

[edit]

also, even tho i love to add custom sounds, and added a song to Double_Trouble, i feel that said song should fit the theme.. as my choice had, but your song, altho a good one, doesn't fit IMO... no offence..

but if you could tell me how to capture those screens, i would greatly appreciate it..

The problem is not the tree/map, it's that you need the new DoD dlls that support transparency in models to view it properly. This update will be included in the next HL patch, and I'll see about mirroring the DoD dlls separately for people if AHL v1.0 is out before then.

It's an annoyance, but the tree is much better than anything brush-based I'd prefer to use it even if people have to get the DoD dlls or wait a month or so for the new HL patch to fully enjoy it.

AHL supports screenshots, I dunno what you are talking about. Just go to console and type

bind x snapshot

where 'x' is whatever key you want bound.

ok, thanx, it is rather annoying that this AHL had no config of its own.. i literally had to set up everything :sad:

still i now have screenshot access, so i will try to do the critique now..

excuse my ignorance, but all mods i have ever used (which admittedly are damned few) had the controls pre-set, i just had to edit them to my liking..

I love the music track, but I agree that rock doesn't quite go with a map like this. But Borg made it for just for the map, so it stays :smile: .

Here are the DLLS for transparency:
http://www.cryotank.net/remote/transparency_dlls.zip
they replace the dlls in your normal Half-Life folder. you might wanna back up your old ones, but there are no compatibility issues afaik and more mods/maps are using these kinds of models lately, figuring people can just get the dlls.

also, did you ever wonder about the etymology of the word "niggle"? look at what other words are beside it in the dictionary. actually, it looks like the "N word" was derived from it and 'niggardly', not the other way around, but it still doesn't quite sit right with me.

[edit] it should have the weapon slots and whatnot pre-bound. dunno about the movement/fire keys. I always have to change all that crap anyway, easier if it's blank to start  of course, I've been copy-pasting my old ahl configs from old betas so I probably didn't even notice lol.

[edit2] I am very engrained in the AHL scene, it's where I learned to map. I did Stormvale for the last beta, and worked on Snowmax some as well. That's part of why I'm going to UT stuff, the new Action mod is for Unreal.

supply the word to replace it, and i will gladly adopt it for you.. altho you may have issues with it, i used it in reference to small issues usually unworthy of mention otherwise.. not racial..

my findings are few, and will post comments soon.. grand son requires my attention ATM and refuses to be 2nd place to some old map :biggrin:

nothing strikes me as blatant, but the repetition of the textures is uppermost, specifically the flooring..

anyways.. check back later :smile:

hehe sounds like trying to get me to stop using the word "gay". there's just nothing right to replace it with :sad:

screw the map, go play with your grandson. grandson. children. *shivers in fear*

Jinx said:
Besides, UnrealEd beckons!! 

I don't think that's possible for something like that s**tty to do...

I have had no complaints with it so far. It's more complicated, but UT2k3 is a lot more advanced than HL so what do you expect? And there are things about it that are a LOT nicer than WorldCrap.

Some people are just afraid of learning something new... :rolleyes:

Jinx, you seem to be awfully angry and condescending of late :razz: Not an admirable quality I must say..

[edit - I dont mean it in a nasty way, just something I picked up on. I preferred the old, mellow Jinx :smile: )

I really like this map; it has that clean, professional feel that often comes with the better temple maps included with games :smile:

The screenshots give the impression of a lot of boxy rooms without good connections, but the map is actually really well connected and doesn't feel like "rooms + corridors" at all.

I liket the features you've added too - especially the sealing doors.  Good job.

Gwil said:
Jinx, you seem to be awfully angry and condescending of late :razz: Not an admirable quality I must say..

hmmm, i noticed it back when cass and you were trying desperately to coax me and doc back into scrapping.. but since it was dropped after my last post, i felt it not worth bringing up.. but since gwil noticed to... i concur..

anyways as promised..



i dunno if any of this game is intended to be in the 3rd person, but it is how i initially loaded it for viewing and this was my first view.. quite ugly IMO..



video card glitch? i dunno, but at a certain level in this waterhole, the screen yellows out..



one definitely does not wanna fall outside map :biggrin: ... intentional?? maybe, but if not, you might consider clip brushes

IMO the map succeeds admirably in theme and layout, but fails miserably in atmosphere and ambience..

1) if you are going to have plants, don't give a token effort, increase the level by 20 or 30 times.. why would any temple have 2 plants in a 4 foot long trough/pot???

2) keep the music, but why localize it to a tree? and whats its source?

3) why do some trees/bushes require your DLL's and others not?

4) the textures are just to repetitive IMO.. put some dirt on the floor for christ sakes :biggrin:

5) you can spare the r's, make the water look like water.. clear it up some..

6) add some insect noises or at least some wind..

7) the temple looks as if it were built yesterday, but was deserted.. add some clutter.. broken brick-a-brack maybe.. bust a damned crystal at least :sad:

8) whats with the lava? it doesn't suit the map..

9) increase the sunlight level out doors, and bounce it a time or two more during rad.. your indoor areas have a few light glitches..

10) i know you hate them, but some environmental sounds would fit.. you have large hollow areas with no noise echo's..

anywho's.. it would be nice to have a fresh perspective guys.. someone else needs to look this one over.. maybe someone who's map jinx has critiqued.. winks repeatedly..

tis a very nice map jinx, but a bit thin.. it needs a bit of clutter..

 

Gwil: yes, I'm bitchy of late. mostly it's the severe depression etc. etc. so.. sorry. although, my reply to Cassius wasn't nearly as nasty as his post about UnrealEd being "shitty". but i guess we're all used to it from him.

Gollum: thank you very much :smile:

Orph:

*the third person stuff only works in 1player atm and is kinda limited/buggy

*that's world water, not entity, and you do get a little visual bug occasionally if you hover in the wrong spot

*yes you can fall off the cliff... but how are you still alive down there? the trigger_hurt should have obliterated you.

and to the other comments:

1) if you are going to have plants, don't give a token effort, increase the level by 20 or 30 times.. why would any temple have 2 plants in a 4 foot long trough/pot???
**agree. too bored with map to care.

2) keep the music, but why localize it to a tree? and whats its source?
**it's a singing tree. kinda like the singing bush the The Three Amigos!

3) why do some trees/bushes require your DLL's and others not?
**it's only the MODEL that requires them.

4) the textures are just to repetitive IMO.. put some dirt on the floor for christ sakes :biggrin:
***agree. too sick of the map to care.

5) you can spare the r's, make the water look like water.. clear it up some..
***it used to be transparent func_water ages ago.. pretty, but it was laggy as all hell.

6) add some insect noises or at least some wind..
***there are birds outside the windows, wind on the balcony. to be honest, players don't even seem to notice this stuff when I ask them, it's probably all the gunfire drowning it out lol

7) the temple looks as if it were built yesterday, but was deserted.. add some clutter.. broken brick-a-brack maybe.. bust a damned crystal at least :sad:
**I agree, too bored to care.

8) whats with the lava? it doesn't suit the map..
** I agree, wasn't my idea, no comment.

9) increase the sunlight level out doors, and bounce it a time or two more during rad.. your indoor areas have a few light glitches..
** I'll add a bounce or two.

10) i know you hate them, but some environmental sounds would fit.. you have large hollow areas with no noise echo's..
** you may be right for this map, but I don't have time to mess with this right now.

Anyway, I'm sorry to sound so apathetic, I just don't feel too hot right now. I have to get it done and zipped up in the next few hours, so.. yeah. :sad:  I appreciate the comments, though, Orph. I just don't have the energy or time to do much with most of them now (as I warned you).

Jinx said:
Gwil: yes, I'm bitchy of late. mostly it's the severe depression etc. etc. so.. sorry. although, my reply to Cassius wasn't nearly as nasty as his post about UnrealEd being "shitty". but i guess we're all used to it from him.

 

Aaaah okey Jinx, I knew there must be a good and proper reason behind it, cos I know youre a nice guy at heart :smile: Hope things cheer up for you soon, see that old Jinxeh mofo again, loving his music and his ladies :wink:

I'll do my best. I'm moving back home in a week, that should help I hope. I've been pretty bored, miserable, adn lonely here in Buffalo.

Jinx said:
Orph:

*yes you can fall off the cliff... but how are you still alive down there? the trigger_hurt should have obliterated you.

that screen was taken as i backed over the edge milliseconds before impact with the trigger from hell :biggrin: