Exentia 2

I've been reworking this map for some time now because I was never totally happy with the original.

Here are some screens of reworked areas. I'd appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

No download link yet, sorry. Map is only about 50% done.

Thanks

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Well the map has some okay archeticture, needs a lighting lift. But its the same old HLDM map with the same old textures.

But i suggest working on your lighting. Its a bit bland

I like what I see doc. two complaints though, #1 I agree with Crack; #2 The overall textureing is qute bland. I especialy dislike the textures you have used on the floors. on thing that looks particularly tacky IMO is to let wall texture tile verticaly when such is obveous as in pic #6.

In short:

Archatecture is dead on

Lighting is emotionless and sucks atmosphere from the level like the giant maid in spaceballs.

Texturing is technicaly good, but not artfull and painstaking as it should be.

hope this helps :smile:

actually, for using the "same ole textures", it looks pretty damn sweet doc....gj....but i'd have to agree, a different texture set would do wonders, as well as a little more work on the lighting....but wht do i know..... :dodgy:

Doc B... :dodgy:

ps....if'n ya'd like a diff set to use, gimme a holler....im having a blast making new ones these days.... :heee:

I hope you didn't replace the teleporters - they were my favourite part. Also, as others have said, the lighting looks very bright and flat in places.

A new set of textures would help elevate this map significantly, though I don't know what kind of theme you are going for particularly. It seems a little disjointed from the screenshots - with some bits looking like your typical Black Mesa labs, and other bits looking like a futuristic train station. I'd suggest going for the latter as I can see that working really well :smile:

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Mucho appreciated.

Yep, it's the same map :smile: I'm trying to do a pre-exentia effect, other words, before the Xen troops took over the place, so things would pretty much be the same...I have been spiffying up the lighting and adding bits of different architecture, but the general layout is exactly the same as the original...no teleports this time, Gollum, sorry :sad:

Now, you guys suggesting a new texture pack is a super idea...and there's plenty of good ones to choose from out there, so I'll do some retexturing and improve the lighting and get some fresh pics up soon.

Again, thanks for the feedbacks :smile:

Also, I'm considering making this a Counter-Strike as well as a DM map. Any suggestions about that?

I think if you were to make it as a CS map, you would have to make a lot of the architecture to make it more contemporary, as at the moment it has a lot of abstract 'futuristic' architecture and shapes being thrown about.

Unless you go for the novelty theme and make it some kind of 'mad scientist' secret base thingy in a volcano :smile: Check the map de_batcave for ideas in that respect...

de_batcave is a bad @$$ map. who ever made that did a fine job.

I dont recall seeing the map your basing this one off of, so I have no idea how o help.. but I will say it is looking good.. I will agree that you need better lighting.

($)

i reckon just turning the env lighting down would make a lot of difference. there seem to be a lot of light fittings that dont show to there full potential, solely because the ambient light is too bright. and a few well placed spots in the last pic, with an evening sky, i think would look awesome (even with the vertical tiling :razz: )

The one thing I can see that looks odd is the train track in the 4th picture - how does the train go round a corner that sharp! :smile: Looks like some nice work overall though.

Here's a link to the original
http://docrocksmaps.homestead.com/files/exentia.zip

Thanks again for the feedbacks. Yea, I've played de_batcave. I really like it alot, especially the batman model in the case..wow.

I think I'll do what fishy suggested and turn down the env_light. I think now it's at its brightest...and also try a night sky..that may do some of the trick.

The sharp corner...um, er, the trains never do move, they're just for visuals :wink: but yeah I don't like the sharp corners that much either...

Thanks :smile:

1st, i am a die-hard stock HL texture nut, i think most of the best maps made used them.

2nd, i get really suspicious when i see all save one shot with the r_speeds on.

3rd using the stock textures are very cool, if you use the right combinations.. the freezer ones in pic 2 will be a pain.. they already clash with the flooring in that shot :sad:

4th exentia, was one of the few maps that needed little improvement, making a #2 is cool, but do so for the right reasons, you have many other maps in dire need of a #2 this was not one of them.

5th i already see borderline epolie counts, are these full compiles or fast ones? (there is just to little reason in some of those shots to warrant numbers like those)

6th, IMO this map would look better as a night theme.

Pic 2 if Fugly, pic 5 is bland... I really agree on the lighting issue. I think you should make the sky a night one, use more sprites on lights and use them well to spotlight certain areas.

Night time and spot lights sound good to me as well :smile:

Light_Environment is out. Texture re-work has started. Night sky has been set. Epoly lowerage has begun. Light work in process.

Thanks for feedbacks. I will post updated screens later this weekend.

Here's a few screens of re-texturing.

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screens show a marked improvement indeed..

Yes, they look alot better than before. But, for some reason... it just doesn't look "polished" to me.

Yes, much better. however, I still feel that it lacks character. I think the lighting is too monochromatic. you need some red warning lights, yellowish spot lights, ect. even the difference between incandecent lights and flourescent lights is quite noticeable and might add quite a bit of life to the map.

That's a good improvement, although as others have said some more variation in the lighting might help too.

I like this version better as well, but looking at screenshots 1 and 3, how is the 'window' to the sky so bright around the edge?

Again, thanks for the feedback.

I'm going to add some sprite glows here n there on the lights, and even some colored ones, probably a green sprite under the LJ and a red exit light inside the tram in screen 1.

Dunno why pic 3 has such a dark area by the skybox?? I put a dark light env in with a slight angle...could be that. I'll dbl check around there.

Unless those images are adjusted, I would definately make the level a bit darker,

Get some colours in there. At the moment I just see white/grey/red/black everywhere. Little tinges of blue/yellow/green/orange/whatever will do wonders, as long as you keep it reasonably tasteful.

looking damn nice Doc....bigtime improvement....the sky looks much better this way i believe........something about it bothers me tho....i cant quite put my finger on it....its not the aforementioned lighting so much......itll dawn on me.....hopefully soon... :smile: used to ride the subway to school damn near every day in germany before i became a "licensed" driver....

but really, i definately like this version much much better....gj :biggrin:

Doc Brass... :dodgy:

AHA!!!! GOT IT!!! 2 things....one.....the dirt and grime is back asswards....should be from the ground up instead of the other way around....(see last screen especially)

two...THERES NO ADVERTISEMENTS!!!!

whew....im not losing my mind, and i can sleep tonight...

Doc Brass... :dodgy:

Well Dr, I've used some of your textures in the map, and it's making it look alot nicer.

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well ill be damned..... is my face red?...

i like doc..... :biggrin:

im thinking tho, that after seeing this one in that lighting, i should even up the shading a bit from side to side....wanna lemme rework it for ya a bit? i have a couple of crete textures that might fit in there too man....

Doc B.... :dodgy:

Good to see these textures being used in a map :smile: Dr B, this is exactly what various commentators were talking about when they said the textures were "already lit". The shading on the textures causes the tiling errors that you see in those screenshots.

See that 1st shot? I say make the texture lighting from the lights themselves much darker, then do a light_spot for each of them. Also change the light glows from env_sprite to env_glow. I like the new textures :smile:

if you are going to use glow sprites with textured lights, place the glow halfway inside the texture, make it appear to emit from the light, not form outside in the air..

yep yep...i understand full well what they were talking about....and until i saw them in THIS light, it hadnt made that large of an impression on me admittedly....but it really jumps right out at ya there doesnt it....? /// me makes bigtime notations for future reference.... :smile:

Doc Brass... :dodgy:

Again many thanks for the inputs.

I redid the sprites already :wink: saw that in the pic and went back and moved em up. I'll also do that...darken the lights a bit and put the lightspots there and make the env_sprites into env_glows.

Really like the textures too Dr, and sure, I'd love to see the crete textures too.

im truly very glad man... :smile: the new ones are sent, i used my wifes again (cant figure the damn email client prob with mine) kernsbe@cox.net hope ya like em...

Doc Brass... :dodgy:

I love em!!

Just sent ya a PM about them. :smile:

:biggrin: ....BIG smile....

Doc B.... :dodgy:

[color=white]Here is a beta for the map. Please post comments and suggestions here.[/color]

Thanks

<a href=""http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/docrock/b4_exentia_b1.zip">http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/docrock/b4_exentia_b1.zip</A>

Like this doc:

http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/docrock/b4_exentia_b1.zip

ok cool, thanks :smile:

Ok, I liked the map. My only complaints: The tracks were func_illusonary, and that could get annoying at times, because being able to run and jump on tacks is good.

Also:



Needs aligning :biggrin:

Those are the only problems I saw, other than that, 4/5.

Also..



LOL!! I love that WC box, and that PC screen of b4_exentia