so download my silly little map

[Theseus314]

Rachel Station is essentially my first released creation using the Unreal Tournament 2003 toolset. I've learned much whilst making it, and hopefully future maps will show this.

The level info text was taken from a random book from my bookshelf, guess the title, win a cookie.

For this map, at least, I've aimed to create something that will run fast on most UT2003 configs, as such polycounts are relatively low, and the map is aggressively zoned and I've tried to use anti-portals in appropriate locations.


Like download it and shit.

http://www.unrealplayground.com/maps.php?mapid=3429

[widowmaker]

DL'ing now.

[widowmaker]

Well it isn't bad but it seems to lack a bit in flow. Since I play with out the translocator certain things like the sheild up on that one ledge was not just an easy pick up. Nice to have at least one skill jump in the map.
The lighting is relatively bland. I see you have tried to liven it up but it still feels very flat.

Pretty good for a first effort.

[Nessus]

It didnt work on my system. When I went to launch it it said, Failed launching URL cant find file for DEBPCHECKER.

[Theseus314]

darn, I thought it was good for standard ut2003.. ..must look into that.

Seems as though it requires the DE bonus pack to run.

[widowmaker]

Ignore my comment about the lighting. I had not reset it after testing another map that was so dark all I could see was pitch black darkness.

Having replayed the map with my general display settings I might suggest a few more lights in the really dark areas.

[jimbob]

what are antiportals for anyway?

[widowmaker]

They are like holes in reallity. The engine does not reder anything that is on the otherside of an antiportal. Since BSP does no Occlude like it did in UT, the antiportal was created to do the job. Stuff liek terrain does not occlude anything and to keep you from seeing through a hill an antiportal can be add in the hill. Although the texture on the terrain keeps you from seeing through, the engine continues to reduere the stuff on the other side anyways. So to improve performance when used properly Antuportals cut off the players line of sight allowing the engine to rendure only what they can see and let the map run faster and smoother.

With out them some Epic/DE maps would run at like 10 fps.

[Theseus314]

Back facing terrain does occlude. Though placing anti-portals in terrain peaks does vastly reduce the number of polygons rendered further... ...whilst on the note, you should really use the terrain editor more Widowmaker, CTF-IceFury2 would have been much better had you done so.

[widowmaker]

IceFury2 was built mostly over a weekend on short notice. It begs to be redone with terrain, no arguement there. I had the same idea the otehr day. Maybe when I am done my current mapping project I'll go back and redo it, or build a much better sequel.