Whatever happened to Orpheus?

Whatever happened to Orpheus?

Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Leperous on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 6:00pm
Leperous
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Posted 2005-08-30 6:00pm
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I'm sorry to say that Orph has gone, probably forever, though in a way he's still around... :wink:
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by satchmo on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 7:41pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-08-30 7:41pm
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Meeting people from a community IRL is more rewarding and great than you can imagine, I promise.
I guess it could be fun, but I just can't find the same captive audience that shares the same passion about gaming in the real world.

I haven't met a single person who maps in real life. None of my friends play Half-Life 2 (it doesn't help that I am thirty-something). No one except you guys understand the giddiness when you acquire a new weapon in a game, and you're trying to figure out the capability and the firing rate for the weapon on some monster around the corner.

Don't get me wrong, real-life relationships are paramount, but they can't replace you guys because they don't share the same passion as I do with you.

Besides, where else are you going to have an international group of friends who chat about their lives and their personal triumphs in a forum? I know some of you better I know most of my co-workers.

Getting new friends in the real world becomes much more difficult after you get out of school. When you're working, people dont' really socialize as much anymore. I wish it weren't so, but it's the sad and lonely truth.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Spartan on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 8:53pm
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Posted 2005-08-30 8:53pm
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The fact is that the whole mapping community has declined... a lot.
Most of the veterans are gone, a lot of really good mapping sites have
declined into nothing or dissapeared. People are trying to create
the best maps they can but are forgetting all about creativity and fun.
HL2DM sucked and a bunch of people don't map for it. I think that maybe
if some of the older sites such as Vlatitude and Valve ERC came back to
life with the addition of good mods being released then maybe the
community will spring back to life.

Also a lot of people don't like Steam. I remember the good ol' days of
playing TFC over WON with friends. Then going to Valve ERC to download
more kickass maps to play on. Those were the days *opens pringles
bottle and begins to cry*
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by French Toast on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 8:56pm
French Toast
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Posted 2005-08-30 8:56pm
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I have no problems with Steam. To me it's an intelligent system to make sure everyone is together...
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by satchmo on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 9:13pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-08-30 9:13pm
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Another reason for the declining mapping community is that the Source engine has pretty high hardware requirement. Not everyone can run HL2, so not everyone can map for Source.

Perhaps in a year or two, the HL2 mapping community will catch up to the HL mapping glory days.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by WarloK on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 9:21pm
WarloK
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Posted 2005-08-30 9:21pm
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I like mapping but i can't seem to get to total grips with hammer. I mean i like making big obstacle courses in the form of giant warehouse buildings.

I like modeling but i find milkshape confusing to use. So far i made i little ball with a flat face thats meant to be a little computer that floats areound beeping and following combine. Its's like a floating P.C. that follows you :smile:
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by French Toast on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 9:23pm
French Toast
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Posted 2005-08-30 9:23pm
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I started with a table and am now struggling valiantly to make a car.

Oh right, I should get to work on that again...
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Dark_Kilauea on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 9:45pm
Dark_Kilauea
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Posted 2005-08-30 9:45pm
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I also miss orph, from the few posts I saw him write... wish he'd come back and impose his wisdom upon us.
Dark_Kilauea
DVS Administration
http://www.dvstudio-production.com/
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Captain P on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 9:54pm
Captain P
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Posted 2005-08-30 9:54pm
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I agree that HL2DM is less than it could've been. Ok, we've got SLAMs
now and that's a nice addition but it still lacks compared to HLDM.
Physics are nice but, as some people already said before, the novelty
wears off after a while.

Well, Valve tried to raise interest for HL2DM with that competition,
but I think that one was way too fast for a lot of people to pick up
the required skills.

All in all, I can't really say where it went wrong but fact is, it's less interesting and all to map for HL2/HL2DM.

Heh, and still there's some good mods in production. Maybe those will rekindle interest somewhat. Would be good I think.
Create-ivity - a game development blog
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Spartan on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 10:47pm
Spartan
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Posted 2005-08-30 10:47pm
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I just finished writing this today. Take a read please.

http://forum.interlopers.net/viewtopic.php?t=5253
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by BlisTer on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 11:19pm
BlisTer
801 posts
Posted 2005-08-30 11:19pm
BlisTer
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I'm sorry to say that Orph has gone, probably forever, though in a way he's still around... :wink:
you want to elaborate on that ? :wink:

Anyway, it's true HL2 peaked interest levels at first but has quickly
lost all that interest compared to HL1. I think it was the huge amount
of great mods that gave HL1 editing such a long life. I dunno how most
of you ended up here but for me it was via one of these mods. Maybe
when, and if, HL2 brings loads of great mods we will have a revival,
just like how the ice ages are cyclic.

anyway, as Dred furst says:
apart from that, help people out, dont look down and say "what has this place turned into?"
this is one of the only communities that i really like, and im abusing
this opportunity to say i love you all, even though i dont post much
i'm here a lot.
These words are my diaries screaming out loud
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Agent Smith on Tue Aug 30th 2005 at 11:40pm
Agent Smith
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Posted 2005-08-30 11:40pm
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? quote: Cassius
AS

Newb :lol:
My apologies, but I thought you were referring to Alien Sniper. If not than I am in fact a newb :smile: .

THANK YOU ! :kitty:
Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by gimpinthesink on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 12:21am
gimpinthesink
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Posted 2005-08-31 12:21am
662 posts 176 snarkmarks Registered: Apr 21st 2002 Occupation: student Location: Forest Town, Notts
Well, Valve tried to raise interest for HL2DM with that competition,
Did Valve ever release the wining map cos I carnt remember hearing anything about it from them apart from them announsing the winner.

I miss orph he was a laugh sometimes apart from when he and Doc got into there little spats.

I havent done any mapping for hl2 really I have started a couple of maps but then lost interest and insparation in them.

Oh and cass and think you may have forgoten another from that list :wavey: I'm here I havent gone any where yet.
Tinterweb site
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Human knowledge belongs to the world
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Dark Tree on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 12:45am
Dark Tree
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Posted 2005-08-31 12:45am
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gimpinthesink said:
Did Valve ever release the wining map
Yes, they did.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Captain P on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 12:47am
Captain P
1370 posts
Posted 2005-08-31 12:47am
1370 posts 1995 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 6th 2003 Occupation: Game-programmer Location: Netherlands
Those maps were indeed released. The top 3.

I've started some HL2 themed (or close to that) maps but that quickly
left me without inspiration. So, I'm going to learn modelling for HL2
and sharpening my texture skills to produce a more unique level. I've
got a layout ready now (which is unique for me, I usually start
detailing a room and see where it ends up - usually in the trash can)
so we'll see... :smile:
Create-ivity - a game development blog
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Myrk- on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 12:48am
Myrk-
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Posted 2005-08-31 12:48am
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I just don't have the same love for HL2 mapping. HL1 mapping I was renowned for being a wizzard of bizarre unmappable ideas (which really were unmapable due to HL1's engine limits- just needed more w_polys!). I created environments like swamps, which looked good! And I created the first non-particle fog, which valve now use in thier maps.

Nowadays I find there are few ways I can baffle people with new ideas, the things which once let me be different and unique have gone because everything I created is now accessable to all... apart from me and Natus' black hole we created- genious I tells ya!

With the loss or Orph too, I just feel the snarkpit will lose its uniqueness, which it has been for a while now. Soon I'll probably leave (apart from general banter, which is a nice place to chill sometimes and ask questions).
-[Better to be Honest than Kind]-
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Captain P on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 1:04am
Captain P
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Posted 2005-08-31 1:04am
1370 posts 1995 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 6th 2003 Occupation: Game-programmer Location: Netherlands
Heh, that's true there, Myrk-. Back in the old days, say, volumetric
light was real good, now it's just throwing in another model.

I think it now comes down to creativity in themes and gameplay over
good looks. And with those HL2 textures bad maps are easier masked.
Fine textures, but that has a drawback that good stuff isn't noticed so
easily anymore. A map now almost has to have custom content in
order to be good, to stand out from the masses, concerning the look.

Or is it that with the current quality standards, maps look like
they're going to take so much time that it becomes disappointing,
rather than challenging?

Or... do we expect to be able what we did in HL just as easily as in
HL2, and was the transition smooth on the outside but on the inside,
things are more different? Like the model usage in HL2, that's quite
something to get used to I think, certainly if no HL2 models fit your
map you're left alone...

Well... what is it?
Create-ivity - a game development blog
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Nickelplate on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 2:08am
Nickelplate
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Posted 2005-08-31 2:08am
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I think lots of things caused the decline in quality.
  • HL2's less-than-fulfilling content
  • STEAM's nazism and annoyingness
  • the DELAYS made lots of people sick of it before it began
  • Valve's greed in wanting to cut out the publisher
  • ppl's Slow dial-up
  • HL2DM's stupid 2 maps
  • the gravity gun stuff got WAY annoying in online play.
  • proprietary textures and props, if you're gonna release textures and props, make some good ones that fit OTHER stuff besides a crappy eastern eauropean city!~

I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by fishy on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 2:13am
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Posted 2005-08-31 2:13am
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Nickelplate said:
I think lots of things caused the decline in quality.
  • HL2's less-than-fulfilling content
  • STEAM's nazism and annoyingness
  • the DELAYS made lots of people sick of it before it began
  • Valve's greed in wanting to cut out the publisher
  • ppl's Slow dial-up
  • HL2DM's stupid 2 maps
  • the gravity gun stuff got WAY annoying in online play.
  • proprietary textures and props, if you're gonna release textures and props, make some good ones that fit OTHER stuff besides a crappy eastern eauropean city!~
i'll vote for 4.
i eat paint
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Dark Tree on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 2:19am
Dark Tree
646 posts
Posted 2005-08-31 2:19am
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I still believe the grav gun should be a much less used
weapon....IE....have it be a weapon you have to find to use in
DM......instead of spawning with it.....

You spawn with FOUR freaking weapons.....just doesn't seem neccesary.
The gravity gun should be a special weapon and a lilttle harder to find.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by French Toast on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 2:24am
French Toast
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Posted 2005-08-31 2:24am
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Indeed, DT. However, I am completely useless with the Grav Gun, so it doesn't bother me :smile:
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 3:02am
Posted 2005-08-31 3:02am
3012 posts 529 snarkmarks Registered: Feb 15th 2005
<div class="quote"><div class="quotetitle">? quoting Captain P:</div><div class="quotetext">Heh, that's true there, Myrk-. Back in the old days, say, volumetric
light was real good, now it's just throwing in another model.

I think it now comes down to creativity in themes and gameplay over
good looks. And with those HL2 textures bad maps are easier masked.
Fine textures, but that has a drawback that good stuff isn't noticed so
easily anymore. A map now almost has to have custom content in
order to be good, to stand out from the masses, concerning the look.

Or is it that with the current quality standards, maps look like
they're going to take so much time that it becomes disappointing,
rather than challenging?

Or... do we expect to be able what we did in HL just as easily as in
HL2, and was the transition smooth on the outside but on the inside,
things are more different? Like the model usage in HL2, that's quite
something to get used to I think, certainly if no HL2 models fit your
map you're left alone...

Well... what is it?

</div></div>

I think its all the things you mentioned. It's funny I was going
to mention the custom content thing too, and its something that I think
I remember CJ talking about months ago. HL1 was great because
when I compared my work to something good, I knew it was crappy
architecture or a bad idea or poor texture application or laziness that
was holding me back --- and not the fact that I didnt have a team
making custom content for me. I'm not saying that's the only
thing that's holding me back now (because hell I haven't run Hammer in
months), but I can see how someone who was a great mapper in the HL1
age can get bogged down and frustrated because they can't create good
props or custom materials for their level.

I guess it's a move towards catering for the "development team" mapper
whose part of a mod, but I'm afraid it leaves the more casual or
solitary mappers in the lurch.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by DocRock on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 2:17pm
DocRock
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Posted 2005-08-31 2:17pm
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I think Orpheus' pride was bruised.

He loves the snarkpit and loves to help people.

There was a thread not too long ago where I released a map and Orph was upset that I released it at such a late stage (when actually it wasn't nearly half done); and even tho he didnt want to do it, he reviewed the map with some suggestions for fixes.

I fixed those things, did more work on the map, and then released a final. Orph thought that the map was officially released - in the readme of that final map, I didn't thank anyone on the snarkpit for their help and suggestions on the map - which hurt Orph's pride immensely, so he lashed out on me and anyone who stood in his way to make me look like a complete and total waste of a human being.

What Orph doesn't know is that there are 2 places where I officially release my maps. That is on Global Assault and my site.

The release he got so upset on wasnt a final official release, but if you look at the readme on my final official release you'll see that I thanked people on the snarkpit for their advice for fixes on the map. The map is on my site, called dm_mesabase.

Anways, this is all water under the bridge.

Orpheus, come back to this site. I know you're reading all of this, and have read every thread since you left. People need you here, and you are one of the most valuable members of this community.

Let's leave what happened behind us and go forward. I won't reply to this thread. I'll leave you alone, Orph. Do the same to me.
Condemnation without Investigation is the Highest Form of Ignorance!
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by rival on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 6:08pm
rival
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Posted 2005-08-31 6:08pm
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im starting to get depressed, its starting to sound as if the whole snarkpit is dying out.
im going to miss Orph, im actually quite sad that hes left.
Bullet Control: $5000 for a bullet.
"I would blow your f**king head off! ...if I could afford it. I'm gonna get another job, start saving some money... then you a dead man!"
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by French Toast on Wed Aug 31st 2005 at 6:32pm
French Toast
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Posted 2005-08-31 6:32pm
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Indeed Rival... indeed.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Captain P on Fri Sep 2nd 2005 at 1:32am
Captain P
1370 posts
Posted 2005-09-02 1:32am
1370 posts 1995 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 6th 2003 Occupation: Game-programmer Location: Netherlands
I was just browsing around the site a bit, looking for a review of my
map Detention, since I'm spicing up my portfolio site once more (I'm
actually creating more content for it, too... :wink: ). Orpheus did one but
the links don't work anymore. Anyway, browsing along came a whole host
of 'good old times', the times that the Snarkpit had, in my eyes, a
sort of elite status so I never really got to know the regulars here.

Most regs now have gone elsewhere, or stopped mapping, I think. It's a
bit sad to see all those familiar names gone, and it sure did gave me
feelings of nostalgia, but I also think there's other sites now that
house the newcomers. The VERC is getting deserted more and more, and
also some other well-known sites are dieing a bit.

But there's the Valve wiki which is actually quite active, though being
less personal without a real forum. There's quite some activity but it
seems new sites are taking care of that. Maybe it's sometimes good to
move on. Maybe just with a bunch of regs... or maybe we could get new
life into the site, though I really don't know how we would do that.
Advertising on the newer sites, perhaps, trying to get some more
resources for HL2 up...

How did this site establish itself as a top-of-the-notch HL mapping
site at first, bytheway? Got some stories about that, some insight to
give? I'd be interested to hear how things evolved from the start...

And I'm also interested to hear what plans Lep has for this site in it's current state...
Create-ivity - a game development blog
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by ReNo on Fri Sep 2nd 2005 at 2:42am
ReNo
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Posted 2005-09-02 2:42am
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Not sure if you've seen it, but if you haven't you might want to check
out the about
page to find out a bit more of the history. I've been around the place for
a fair while now and I don't think I could really pin down what caused
the snarkpit to become as popular and successful as it has been at
times. While its certainly got on many people's nerves on numerous
occasions, I think our unacceptance of n00bish behaviour and harsh (but
honest) feedback on maps were two of the things that defined the
ethos of the site, and set it apart from the "anything goes" other
communities such as the VERC forums. We had a good backbone "crew" of
people writing tutorials (Lep was a machine back in the day :biggrin: ) and so
the place would be linked to often on other communities. With the
addition of the somewhat more recent features like the complex user
profiles, lots more people signed up purely to take advantage of this
easy to maintain portfolio and news system, and some of those would
delve into the forums and get taken in for the long haul.

All in all I wouldn't say there is any one thing that can be attributed
for whatever success the place has had (other than Lep's persistant
improving of the place, that is) - reviews, tutorials, prefabs, maps,
help, profiles, and of course the wonderful community, all pulled in
their fair share of people.


[img]http://card.mygamercard.net/sig/Default/reno84.png[/img]
Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by rs6 on Fri Sep 2nd 2005 at 3:15am
rs6
640 posts
Posted 2005-09-02 3:15am
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member
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We need to revive that. We need people to start writing reviews for HL2 maps (there are only a couple HL2 map reviews and mmost are 0/10 killbox reviews.)
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by BlisTer on Fri Sep 2nd 2005 at 11:01am
BlisTer
801 posts
Posted 2005-09-02 11:01am
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easy to maintain portfolio and news system, and some of those would
delve into the forums and get taken in for the long haul.

yup, this was one of the main reasons for me at first. this combined
system that links maps with your profile, news and forum really is
unique afaik. most other mapping sites are just a forum + tuts. i also
like how everything is clickable, lets you navigate quickly.
These words are my diaries screaming out loud
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Captain P on Fri Sep 2nd 2005 at 11:23am
Captain P
1370 posts
Posted 2005-09-02 11:23am
1370 posts 1995 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 6th 2003 Occupation: Game-programmer Location: Netherlands
Sure I've read the about page, I was just wondering about the point of view of the regs on how this site got it's status.

I think it's also the activeness of the people themselves. A site only
doesn't make a community, people do. And the Snarkpit has always been a
great community in my eyes. Quality work, good tutorials... hey, that
2003 competition is what made me finish a map in the first place... :smile:
Create-ivity - a game development blog
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Yak_Fighter on Sat Sep 3rd 2005 at 10:34pm
Yak_Fighter
1832 posts
Posted 2005-09-03 10:34pm
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The reason this community is dying is because the HL2 mapping community is dying, it's as simple as that.

This is largely a consequence of improving technology and 'better graphics'. The very things that look great in pictures and make hardcore designers giddy are the same things that drive off the amateurs. HL2 has incredible textures that are really realistic, but are so realistic that they can't really be used outside of their designed purpose. Before you could interpret the textures in your own way and use ceilings for walls and etc whereas now it will look just wrong. With model props we can add incredible detail and complexity to areas, but it also requires modeling and texture knowledge to make your own. No longer can you make 'prefabs' and add your own custom detail to maps. These all combine to make maps all look similar and remove an important creative aspect to map making.

I've been saying this for f**king years to people who felt that the Unreal engine's unintuitive hollowing construction, the Doom3 engine's complex and restraining lighting system, or the upcoming Unreal3's superdetailed mesh 3d texture things were good ideas: all they do is shut out the beginning mapper. Source suffers from some of the same things, and add a tremendous loss of knowledgabe mappers to other engines because they viewed Source as not advanced enough and well look what we get.

Also, I haven't seen a single HL2 map reviewing site out there, no level of the week at PHL, no independent guy cranking out reviews, nothing. If you don't think Radium had a large impact on the HL mapping community then you are just silly. The TFC mapping community died the moment his TFC site was closed.

So there you have it, the glory days of mapping, custom content, and computer gaming are over. It's probably for the best if you go buy an Xbox 360 or something, get drunk, and argue with your friends about what weapons are best to tri-wield in Halo3 or something.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Captain P on Sat Sep 3rd 2005 at 10:55pm
Captain P
1370 posts
Posted 2005-09-03 10:55pm
1370 posts 1995 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 6th 2003 Occupation: Game-programmer Location: Netherlands
Hmm... I think that's mostly true, the amount of work and the skillset
required to make a distinct level is now beyond what most of us are
willing to put in it. The fun is gone somewhat, the workload required
has gotten larger and larger. It's becoming a bit too complex now to be
only a mapper.

Luckily I learned to do textures and models back in the HL days so I'm
starting to do some materials and learning how to compile models for
HL2, but it surely doesn't speed up my mapping process and all that.

Something to keep things alive would be the combining of texture
artists, modellers and mappers into one site, where everyone could
benefit from each other. But those are plans and they need to be picked
up by people.

Oh, bytheway, Minerva got released the other day and it gave me hope
for custom HL2 maps. It was actually a really good play and maybe that
inspires others to try to maintain that quality.

Also, there are being produced HL2 mods, and maybe it's now all moving
more into team-work instead of being a single mapper to mainain this
hobby...

But I surely can see this as a major reason to move on to other things in life.

I miss that simplicity, too. But I don't think I'll quit the scene. I
enjoy most area's of game-design and see it as an opportunity to
sharpen my overall skillset. If it then takes more time to finish a
map, so be it. I didn't release a lot before anyway...

Heh, just can't stop here. Back in the HL days we wanted more realism
and all that, and now that we have it we're drowning in it, loosing
that grip on what it finally is all about: a fun map to play...
Create-ivity - a game development blog
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by rival on Sat Sep 3rd 2005 at 11:55pm
rival
512 posts
Posted 2005-09-03 11:55pm
rival
member
512 posts 141 snarkmarks Registered: Apr 7th 2005 Occupation: being a pain in the ass Location: inverness
i have never mapped before in my life. back in feburary i just downloaded SDK, read a couple of tuts and tried my hand at a few SP. eventually i found this site and now im making a proper, official map. i love mapping for HL2, the workload is alot but its immensely satisfing when you create something really good.
Bullet Control: $5000 for a bullet.
"I would blow your f**king head off! ...if I could afford it. I'm gonna get another job, start saving some money... then you a dead man!"
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Gollum on Sun Sep 4th 2005 at 2:50pm
Gollum
1268 posts
Posted 2005-09-04 2:50pm
Gollum
member
1268 posts 525 snarkmarks Registered: Oct 26th 2001 Occupation: Student Location: Oxford, England
Hello everyone :biggrin: I'm a sucker for nostalgia, and it's nice to be missed.

I am very much out of touch with the Snarkpit, its members, and indeed
with games and mapping in general. I think it will stay that way.

I just don't have the time, energy or enthusiasm to rekindle my mapping
fervour. I hope at least that I may start having LAN parties
again, but at the moment I am barely playing games. Recently I
enjoyed a spate of single player gaming, following the purchase of a
new computer.

I'm trying to write a novel, and have some vague romantic notion of
creating a heady life of self-employment, freedom and the thrill of
creativity. Unfortunately it's not an easy thing to start.
I feel that I can only sustain one major creative project at a time, so
that's another reason not to map.

Besides, I would have to start all over again. The transition
from HL1 to HL2 (or other recent games) means that I shift from guru to
beginner. It would be hard enough to break out the old HL1 tools,
which I had finally packed away with a mixture of regret and relief; to
learn the complete, new, and larger toolset for HL2 would require much
time.

On the other hand, don't rule me out :wink: One day I might pop up
again, mapping for some game (HL2? HL3? UT2007? It
really doesn't matter). If I do, you can bet I will try to do
something slightly crazy with my chosen game.

When I was around, this place always had a strong sense of
cameraderie. It was full of interesting characters and talented
mappers. I expect it still is, and though some of the old names
-- such as myself -- have vanished, I hope that there is a new
generation to continue where we left off.

I don't think that I will hang around here much. It was great to
know you all, but I also recognise that the connection between us is
fragile. We were brought together by a love of mapping, and it's
artificial to preserve the connection after the mapping is over.
Yet I miss the whole strange lot of you, so perhaps occasionally
nostalgia will overcome my better judgement -- such as now.

If I could give a message (self-indulgently, pompously, but sincerely
too) to the new generation, it would go something like this:

Map for the love of mapping. Revel in your creation, but learn to
analyse its qualities objectively; Snarkpit members, especially the old
timers, are invaluable to help you do this. The same will be true
in other communities; you must seek them out.

Whilst you should always seek to gain greater understanding of your
craft, don't restrict yourself to following sensible advice and reading
the tutorials. Don't just build up a respectable, high quality,
boring portfolio. Be inspired. Dream, and make your mapping
an expression of dreams. Make something that excites you,
something that is uniquely your creation; make something that nobody
has ever made before. Make something that you can't wait to play
with your friends.

In other words, make it fun. Get carried away with the madness of
your mapping. The madness will sustain you. I know: it
sustained me for five years on one great, vainglorious project.
And if I may say so, the result was worth every moment. Yet the
best part was making it.

Sometimes, when I was making gmdm2, I would think of a gameplay idea
that excited me so much I would be laughing in front of my
monitor. Suddenly I had too much energy to stay sitting; I'd pace
or even prance around the room. Hell, I might do a little dance
too. And I would have to show my friends, even though they barely
understood what I was jibbering about.

Creativity is elusive. It is hardest to find when forced; I am
learning this with my writing. But if you find it, hold on
tight. Don't let it get away from you, whatever other people may
say to disenchant your dream. It's your dream, be it silly, be it flawed, be it painful to fulfil. Follow it, and create something amazing.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by ReNo on Sun Sep 4th 2005 at 4:18pm
ReNo
5457 posts
Posted 2005-09-04 4:18pm
ReNo
member
5457 posts 1991 snarkmarks Registered: Aug 22nd 2001 Occupation: Level Designer Location: Scotland
Just about brought a tear to my eye mate, very inspiring :smile: Great to
see you back too, albeit fleetingly. Its nice that even though the
initial reason that people visited the site has in many cases faded
away, the place holds enough fond memories to remind them to make a
return visit every once in a while.

Best of luck with your novel Gollum, keep us posted with your progress every once in a while :wink:
[img]http://card.mygamercard.net/sig/Default/reno84.png[/img]
Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by satchmo on Sun Sep 4th 2005 at 4:41pm
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-09-04 4:41pm
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
[size=13]The madness will sustain you....
And it's sort of like the Ring in "Lord of the Ring". As your
alias suggest, the Ring did sustain Gollum, but it also consumed him
and drained his soul until he's nothing more than a shadow.

Mapping can sometimes do the same to a person. We'll all have to
respect the power of the Map. Use it wisely, and we shall be ever
so powerful. Use it carelessly, it'll suck the lives out of us.

[/size]
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Dr Brasso on Sun Sep 4th 2005 at 4:45pm
Dr Brasso
1878 posts
Posted 2005-09-04 4:45pm
1878 posts 198 snarkmarks Registered: Aug 30th 2003 Occupation: cad drafter Location: Omaha,NE
***/// picks self off floor and places back in chair..... :rofl:

man o man....hello mikey.....long time no see, and yes, youve been missed....i myself dont hang here as much, for many of the same reasons...its changed, and its quite nice to see one of the "oldies" get put back in the stack... :wink: hope life is good, you and yours are well, and yer getting everything youve worked for bud.... and we wont tell if you feel the urge to drop a few lines here mate, whenever you like......just say hi... :wink:

Doc B... :dodgy:
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Gollum on Sun Sep 4th 2005 at 7:36pm
Gollum
1268 posts
Posted 2005-09-04 7:36pm
Gollum
member
1268 posts 525 snarkmarks Registered: Oct 26th 2001 Occupation: Student Location: Oxford, England
Cheers all :smile:

Satchmo, you have a knack for analogy. I hope, however, that
mapping did not have quite such a severe effect on me as the Ring had
on Gollum. Addiction can be a good thing, though hard to
control. If I can turn my writing into an addiction, then I will
succeed effortlessly. No sign of that so far.

These are still the friendliest forums in Christendom; I may have to be
disciplined to avoid checking them too often. When you're
writing, it's very easy to find ways to distract yourself.

Anyway, I'll be around, at least from time to time.

PS. My current email is mike.hopley[at]gmail.com . Feel free, but swap that [at] for an <span style="font-weight: bold;">@ </span> :smile:
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by WarloK on Sun Sep 4th 2005 at 8:18pm
WarloK
172 posts
Posted 2005-09-04 8:18pm
WarloK
member
172 posts 17 snarkmarks Registered: Apr 9th 2005 Location: Inverness
EDIT: bad post
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Captain P on Sun Sep 4th 2005 at 8:33pm
Captain P
1370 posts
Posted 2005-09-04 8:33pm
1370 posts 1995 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 6th 2003 Occupation: Game-programmer Location: Netherlands
When you're
writing, it's very easy to find ways to distract yourself.
Sounds like mapping... :wink:

Anyway, nice to see you back for today. Not that I was around a lot
when you were, but hey, nice to see an 'old one' back anyway... hehe
Create-ivity - a game development blog
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by French Toast on Sun Sep 4th 2005 at 8:57pm
French Toast
3043 posts
Posted 2005-09-04 8:57pm
3043 posts 304 snarkmarks Registered: Jan 16th 2005 Occupation: Kicking Ass Location: Canada
Geez Brasso, you're more and more distorting that picture of Jimmy :smile: Just don't take my picture of Freddie Mercury. I'm keeping him for myself.

Anyways. I started mapping, and made a fairly cool map for CS,
that took me awhile and was used at LAN parties. It was a hell of
a lot of fun, based of a Warhammer 40k table that me and my brother
made. When it was finished, it still had a lot of bugs that took
me forever towork out. However, following the rule of not posting
your first map, I never really publicized it.

I was going to keep mapping, but one thing that has really stopped me
is that I don't really find CS:S, or DM2 much fun anymore. I love
Battlefield 2, and after playing it a lot, HL2 really doesn't seem that
great :|
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by wil5on on Mon Sep 5th 2005 at 12:13pm
wil5on
1733 posts
Posted 2005-09-05 12:13pm
wil5on
member
1733 posts 570 snarkmarks Registered: Dec 12th 2003 Occupation: Mapper Location: Adelaide
Great to see you back here Gollum. Your map was most awesome. I doubt there will ever be something as ambitious and groundbreaking as that for Source, or in fact any future engine.

I had a time when I churned out a few maps for HL1. Those days of slacking off at school are long gone, now I put effort into academics I simply dont have time to map. I pride myself in my understanding of the science behind mapping, however. Concepts like cubemaps and visblocking seem to be beyond the grasp of so many, I just hope I can help the more artistic mappers out there understand the tools at their disposal.
"If you talk at all during this lesson, you have detention. Do you understand?"
  • My yr11 Economics teacher
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by keved on Mon Sep 5th 2005 at 12:46pm
keved
252 posts
Posted 2005-09-05 12:46pm
keved
member
252 posts 515 snarkmarks Registered: Jan 21st 2005 Occupation: Games designer, Rockstar Leeds Location: Leeds, UK
Yak_Fighter said:
I've been saying this for f**king years to people who felt that the Unreal engine's unintuitive hollowing construction, the Doom3 engine's complex and restraining lighting system, or the upcoming Unreal3's superdetailed mesh 3d texture things were good ideas: all they do is shut out the beginning mapper. Source suffers from some of the same things...
Also, I haven't seen a single HL2 map reviewing site out there, no level of the week at PHL, no independent guy cranking out reviews, nothing. If you don't think Radium had a large impact on the HL mapping community then you are just silly.
Good call, Yak. It takes forever to create good levels because of the increase in complexity and poly/etc budgets, the gap in the quality of finished levels is more pronounced than ever between those who are prepared to invest the time to create good levels and those who aren't, and there's no central location (like Radium for HL1) to showcase new levels & get the punters downloading them.

It's now getting on for a year after the release of the HL2 mapping tools so the "It's a new game...give it time" excuse doesn't wash anymore. I can't see the HL2 mapping scene picking up any time soon sadly, for HL2DM at least. :sad:
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Junkyard God on Mon Sep 5th 2005 at 1:21pm
Junkyard God
654 posts
Posted 2005-09-05 1:21pm
654 posts 81 snarkmarks Registered: Oct 27th 2004 Occupation: Stoner/mucisian/level design Location: The Nether Regions
/me agrees sadly to keved

it's a shame but i think it's true that hl2 mapping won't be as huge.
unless some mods are released witch are huge hits in and outside of the hl2 mapping community to draw more designers to the source engine, but that's unlikely.
Hell, is an half-filled auditorium
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by pepper on Tue Sep 6th 2005 at 8:00pm
pepper
597 posts
Posted 2005-09-06 8:00pm
pepper
member
597 posts 80 snarkmarks Registered: Feb 25th 2004 Location: holland
I have tried it more then once now, but source mapping just doesnt draw me to it, it isnt inspirering, remember the days that you could sit down and start with a simple cube and in a hour you had a nice room, nothing like you saw in hl.

To me, all hl2 maps look the same, the same destructive, boring theme. I lost my love for mapping in source, and that is why i only map for hl1.

As a guy wich name i forgot sung: music was my first love, music will be the last.

The same goes up for hl1 mapping to me....
RUST Gamedesign
pepper design

The strength of the turbulence is directly proportional to the temperature of your coffee.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Tracer Bullet on Tue Sep 6th 2005 at 9:11pm
Tracer Bullet
2271 posts
Posted 2005-09-06 9:11pm
2271 posts 445 snarkmarks Registered: May 22nd 2003 Occupation: Graduate Student (Ph.D) Location: Seattle WA, USA
BioPulse said:
/me agrees sadly to keved

it's a shame but i think it's true that hl2 mapping won't be as huge.
unless some mods are released witch are huge hits in and outside of the hl2 mapping community to draw more designers to the source engine, but that's unlikely.
whispers DOD:Source... if it ever comes out.
Some people are like slinkys...

They aren?t really good for anything, but you can't help but laugh when one tumbles down the stairs.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Junkyard God on Tue Sep 6th 2005 at 9:44pm
Junkyard God
654 posts
Posted 2005-09-06 9:44pm
654 posts 81 snarkmarks Registered: Oct 27th 2004 Occupation: Stoner/mucisian/level design Location: The Nether Regions
lol, asif that'll ever happen, people waiting for that will have given up on valve soon.

maybe some non-corporate mod, i think www.calibermod.com if it ever comes otu will have fans :smile:
Hell, is an half-filled auditorium
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by French Toast on Tue Sep 6th 2005 at 10:23pm
French Toast
3043 posts
Posted 2005-09-06 10:23pm
3043 posts 304 snarkmarks Registered: Jan 16th 2005 Occupation: Kicking Ass Location: Canada
DoD comes out this month and I'm damn well gonna buy it.

Instant LAN party hit, for shure.
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Nickelplate on Tue Sep 6th 2005 at 11:37pm
Nickelplate
2770 posts
Posted 2005-09-06 11:37pm
2770 posts 346 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 23rd 2004 Occupation: Prince of Pleasure Location: US
French Toast said:
DoD comes out this month
"...september 2003" sounds kinda familiar. LOL.
I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com
Re: Whatever happened to Orpheus? Posted by Tracer Bullet on Wed Sep 7th 2005 at 12:54am
Tracer Bullet
2271 posts
Posted 2005-09-07 12:54am
2271 posts 445 snarkmarks Registered: May 22nd 2003 Occupation: Graduate Student (Ph.D) Location: Seattle WA, USA
Gollum said:
Cheers all :smile:

If I can turn my writing into an addiction, then I will succeed effortlessly. No sign of that so far.
Oh, god. Tell me about it! I almost missed your post because I wasn't following this thread. Nice to "see" you around. :smile:
Some people are like slinkys...

They aren?t really good for anything, but you can't help but laugh when one tumbles down the stairs.