Map test

[Ultima]

I've been working on this map for the past week or two.. on and off.. mostly off images/icons/wink.gif

What do you think of the idea? It's at a early stage so don't expect much, but I'm thinking of making it a CTF map. Play will be restricted to the street and underground, except for maybe some of the lower buildings (the sniper rifle can't hit the ground from the really high ones)

As for the street level, its a little too open, so I'm gonna have to limit that as well. Probably close off the outside streets and make a box using the center streets. Maybe it won't be too bad, then.

in the upper left corner there'll be a nightclub, which will be the base for say, red, while in the lower right corner would be blue's base. Players would have several different routes on street level, and a couple more underground.

I dunno if this will ever be worth releasing since I'm really just making it for fun and I'm not thinking too much about that, but anyways, just download and tell me what to do images/icons/smile.gif

Edit:

Map (http://ultima.unrealpc.com/cityblock.zip)

[ 10-05-2001: Message edited by: Ultima ]

[Bean]

Try making the level more to scale so a jump off the roof of a building won't kill you and try to make it more realistic.

Looks beginner. Work it up man! make cars drive the streets, add cool architecture.

[Ultima]

heh, the buildings ARE to scale. I'm gonna move the spawn points off of there cause even the unreal guy can't survive a jump of >10 stories images/icons/wink.gif

as for the "beginner"... well, I AM a relative beginner so no shit. Nevertheless, apparently you didn't read my post images/icons/smile.gif

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>It's at a early stage so don't expect much, but I'm thinking of making it a CTF map. Play will be restricted to the street and underground, except for maybe some of the lower buildings (the sniper rifle can't hit the ground from the really high ones)<hr></blockquote>

that was in my original post, and thus the reason that it looks so unfinished.. duh, it is! images/icons/smile.gif The buildings should be more than cubes in the end, although in reality many buildings really are just cubic shapes. After lighting and texturing the outside should look a lot better, and a lot more like the city in the intro map.

Anyways, thanks for trying the map, read my first post and tell me what you think in reference to what I wrote there, thanks images/icons/smile.gif

[Bean]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Ultima:
but anyways, just download and tell me what to do images/icons/smile.gif

<hr></blockquote>

[quote}Work it up man! make cars drive the streets, add cool architecture. [quote]

i did. i wasnt trashing you map. geez images/icons/rolleyes.gif

[Ultima]

Hey, I've updated my map (although not that much.. been busy with college) and just wanted to hear some constructive criticism images/icons/smile.gif

lights
architecture
ideas for new stuff
etc..

thx images/icons/smile.gif

Download links:
cityblock0079.rar (1.65MB) (http://ultima.unrealpc.com/cityblock0079.rar)
cityblock0079.zip (2.07MB) (http://ultima.unrealpc.com/cityblock0079.zip)

Oh.. while you're on the streets watch out.. sometimes a car will come by at 50mph and squish you images/icons/smile.gif
Also, don't play with bots. I haven't added extra starts or any path nodes yet. Still early for that, the level layout isn't near complete.

[Bean]

-pretty damn wide open, going to make running from one of the map to another boring
(insane occlusion times to boot)

-I dont like the idea of walking to the end of the map and seeing a skybox. Try adding some brick walls or smth

-add more to the sky box. Make stars a little less noticable, more subtle. Add clouds and all that good junk

-the cars driving down the road is a pretty cool idea, makes you think twice about walking the road images/icons/grin.gif

-needs more little deatil touches

-BIG level, hope you didnt bite off more than you could chew images/icons/smile.gif

overall, good base/start.

[Ultima]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Bean:
-pretty damn wide open, going to make running from one of the map to another boring
(insane occlusion times to boot)

-I dont like the idea of walking to the end of the map and seeing a skybox. Try adding some brick walls or smth

-add more to the sky box. Make stars a little less noticable, more subtle. Add clouds and all that good junk

-the cars driving down the road is a pretty cool idea, makes you think twice about walking the road images/icons/grin.gif

-needs more little deatil touches

-BIG level, hope you didnt bite off more than you could chew images/icons/smile.gif

overall, good base/start.<hr></blockquote>

Yeah, I'll likely limit play to the four main streets inside the intersections with concrete barriers or something. A stone wall on the outside would look dumb, but concrete walls with something like "Danger: Tournament in progress" might work.

Although the street level is pretty big (1/6 mi * 1/6 mi), with the barriers to restrict play to inside the four intersections (with a bit of a passage so that the cars can still get through, at their own risk of course images/icons/wink.gif ). Besides, the map is gonna be CTF, and right now the surface area is about the same as LavaGiant's. Actually, lava giant is bigger since it doesn't have huge buildings taking up a lot of space.

Maybe I'll fence off the subway tracks too, and leave a few gaps here and there. With some warning saying "No service, tournament in progress" or something like that. When the players try to go thru the gaps to the other side, and the train comes along then they're screwed, cause they won't be able to jump out cause of the fencing images/icons/wink.gif

Another problem I've realized is that there's too many ways out.. it'd be damn hard to corner a flagrunner. So with the restricted street level and a max of 2 subway exits for each side, there should be only 4 paths from one base to the other: Low street, high street, subway exit 1 and 2. With enough players, it might work.

[Tip]

I played the original map of yours to keep an eye on my competition.
Before you had posted this I had already started work on my very own city CTF map.
Well, your map looked like you really didn't plan it out.
Your texturing work looks a bit haphazard and it doesn't look like you are making much of an effort.
Your lighting is rather monotonous and fails to create enough contrast.
I tried your new version and it doesn't look much different.
I suggest you scrap your current version of the map and think about each element long and hard.
Plan everything out.
Observe real locations to get ideas of how buildings should look. Your buildings are mostly one brush with one texture and no entrances or exits.
This isn't very convincing.
All building have an entrance, whether it be a door or a garage type entrance.
Also, most buildings' first floor looks different from the higher up ones. UT has textures to transition between these looks.
Another thing you might think about is incorporating some z-axis play.
Give people ways to get on top of lower buildings.
Brainstorm.

Tip

I hope you aren't offended, I'm just trying to constructively criticize in a very honest way. I hope everyone will do the same for me.

[Bean]

http://www.cliffyb.com/art-sci-ld.html
Level Design as an art and a science.

Very interesting (albeit year old) read for newbie mappers. Thought someone here may be able to use it.

[Ultima]

Well no, I guess I haven't been making much of an effort cause like I said I don't work on it much, not enough time for that. I'm not competing with anyone either, just doing it for myself.

The lighting is somewhat colorless I'd agree but that's cause I hate disco maps. as for contrastless, it looks fine on my screen. Well maybe that's the fault of my video card cause most UT maps are really really dark (although its only UT that's like this), so I'm creating the lighting as it looks good on my system. It might look bad on other systems, but I have no way of telling. I tried it on my friend's banshee once and it looked the same (ie it looked good) as on my PC.

Concerning the buildings: You're never gonna be going in there. I haven't really touched them since I created them, eventually I'll be fixing them up so they look decent.

I didn't really plan it out other than the initial layout of the street and buildings. The whole underground bit was sort of a make-up-as-I-go-along-thing. If you have any suggestions for how I could improve my layout I'd love to hear 'em.

I wonder if my map would get more than one if I posted it to nalicity images/icons/tongue.gif

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Tip:
I played the original map of yours to keep an eye on my competition.
Before you had posted this I had already started work on my very own city CTF map.
Well, your map looked like you really didn't plan it out.
Your texturing work looks a bit haphazard and it doesn't look like you are making much of an effort.
Your lighting is rather monotonous and fails to create enough contrast.
I tried your new version and it doesn't look much different.
I suggest you scrap your current version of the map and think about each element long and hard.
Plan everything out.
Observe real locations to get ideas of how buildings should look. Your buildings are mostly one brush with one texture and no entrances or exits.
This isn't very convincing.
All building have an entrance, whether it be a door or a garage type entrance.
Also, most buildings' first floor looks different from the higher up ones. UT has textures to transition between these looks.
Another thing you might think about is incorporating some z-axis play.
Give people ways to get on top of lower buildings.
Brainstorm.

Tip

I hope you aren't offended, I'm just trying to constructively criticize in a very honest way. I hope everyone will do the same for me.<hr></blockquote>

[Ultima]

Don't wanna reply, Tip? images/icons/smile.gif

Erll, thx for the reply (which wasn't very helpful to me, but Nutwrench PM'ed me some kickass suggestions and I think I know where to go with this map now. images/icons/smile.gif )

[smattbac]

The only thing I wanted to say was that the girl in the soap add (Fetz Soap was it?) looked like she was no more than 13, 14 years old, which is kinda sick.

About the map, well I don't know. I would like to see a more playable map.

[Bean]

Tip, post your map, ill critique it.

[Tip]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Bean:
Tip, post your map, ill critique it.<hr></blockquote>
I'm finished with the architecture but I need to clean up a bit of the texturing in one spot, make my ocean, make my skybox, and place items and weapons.
Once I make the ocean and skybox I'll post it and see if you guys can help me decide on weapons. It is a really small map so choosing the right weapons is important...

Tip

This has to be the smallest map I have ever created, but at least it didn't take forever to make. images/icons/grin.gif

[Tip]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Ultima:
Don't wanna reply, Tip? images/icons/smile.gif

Erll, thx for the reply (which wasn't very helpful to me, but Nutwrench PM'ed me some kickass suggestions and I think I know where to go with this map now. images/icons/smile.gif )<hr></blockquote>
I didn't think there was a whole lot more to be said until I see the next version of your map.
I hope that with Nutwrench's suggestions this map turns into something that is quite a bit of fun.
BTW, I am almost finished creating a small deathmatch map and I'll be interested to see what you guys think.

Tip

I can't believe I slept through my alarm for 5 hours.