[WIP] Observatory

Reaper Man · Post by **Reaper Man** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:08 pm

metkillerjoe wrote: I'm guessing that you're one of those elite persons that think that their
maps are awesome, beautiful, and skillfully crafted, and I'm not doubting that. In fact, I would love your critisizm.

No really, I would.

Sir, if I thought this map was a complete and total failure do you think I would even waste my time with it? Not my time is valuable, that is not the case I assure you, but I still consider a waste of time a waste of time.

Now, back to the topic at hand. I'm going to redo the bump maps and of course the geometry of the base and the mountains.

Again, if you don't like it the least you can do is contribute ideas and thoughts.

roflmfao. To be honest, I've never bothered to finish a map. I think i am only slightly above average with my modeling skills, even though people tell me otherwise. However i do have a good idea of/sense of design. But whatev. Go on and finish the map.

However next time you make one, try to fit one of the three architectural designs of halo: Forerunner, Human and Covenant.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:24 pm

I am still very new with the concept of building on a certain architecture.

I am planning some other things for the map that will probably look forerunnerish, though.

I am not great at design, in fact I suck at it.

So, if you are good at it please advise me as you seem to know a bit more than me.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:28 am

I have some good news and bad news.

Bad news is that I didn't work on the geometry last week because I was too busy studying for 4 quizzes each in two subjects and one test. And when I tried to edit some last night 3ds crashed and didn't even save a recovery file

.

Good news is I have the whole of Sunday and some of today to finish up the base.

Another piece of good news is that I will release the map for testing on November 25/26. Whatever gets done until then will get done.

I decided I might not include the floating base because I cannot figure out where the errors are originating from. I will however find a way to get those roads in game.

More updates coming soon

.

The science of Kaboom · Sat Oct 14, 2006 12:26 pm

i hate school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anyways keppuo the goodwork.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 1:17 pm

lol. I'm not the average teenager, I like school.

But yeah, the base will be updated tonight

.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 4:34 pm

While I write this I am filled with sorrow.

I fixed the errors that made glitches in the base geometry, but I have not fixed the errors that came after simply because I had no time.

I have to confess that I just got hooked on HL2 EP1 and I had to study for 2 quizzes and 1 test in Spanish 2. My brain is so tried from memorizing about 100 vocabulary words, phrases, and formulas (Chem) that I just want to go to bed. Actually that number is more like 125-150 (all that in a day).

We all have to make sacrifices and this weekend I just did not have any good amount of time to work on the map and again I apologize for this.

I did work on the map some to make it cliff-ish, though.

But again, I apologize

. I actually want to get this thing done now because I want to get ready to start a new indoor map (I didn't play much multiplayer but I started playing some over the weekends and have seen good ways to make a good map.) But all I have to say is: Damn base geometry!

.

The science of Kaboom · Sun Oct 15, 2006 5:21 pm

i can see why you have tests and that, (i had a test on memorizing the periodic table of elements was uber dumb.) no one can blame you for getting bored and playing hl2.

rossmum · Post by **rossmum** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 9:43 pm

Take your time. No deadlines.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:45 pm

Small Update:

* Base Geometry FIXED NOT TESTED
* Level Geometry FIXED NOT TESTED

Figures. Thirty minutes of work and all of the errors on the base were finished. I still have some but I did some renders and the base looks fine. If I see any glitches in game I will still have some work to do, though.

The map itself is completely free of errors (no bases included).

This week was a tough week. I had to put aside the map for 2 tests, 5 quizzes, and the PSAT.

I came home, usually my mom bugs me about homework, and just started working on the map. My mom comes in and says that I deserve the break

.

So, hopefully, I haven't let you guys down. I will post in-game screen shots soon.

-MetKiller Joe

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:50 pm

Sorry for the double post.

I hate how I correct and correct and yet more degenerates keep popping up (and they aren't listed in tool either

). I'm going to take out the bump maps because when you are moving from hither to tither it looks like there is static all over the base

Because of these I decided I will have a private alpha testing of the map.

Only those who have Nvidia Geforces or lower (or the equivalent) can participate.*

Another reason why I am holding a private alpha testing.*

*Now to explain. I have a Radeon X1300. It can render ANYTHING that Halo engine can render. These cliffs and the roads in between them are obviously tessellated to give it a more smooth appearance. The map itself is under 50,000 polies (manual says it is ok if you have 50,000 per scene which I am guessing is scene = what you can see

). I still want to see if the map, on this part in particular, lags since I don't want to release the map and a bunch of people with older generation graphics cards tell me, "Way too laggy to be playable!!"

So, in order to maybe fix this problem in advance, I will give it to people that say they have the types of graphics cards and let them test it out.

If you tell me that you have a bad graphics card and you don't your not doing yourself any favors. This map isn't alpha but it isn't beta. There are no flag stands or anything so you can't play any actually multiplayer games.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:50 pm

The base looks Halo-ish

The map looks pretty cool, but those hills don't look natural.

rossmum · Post by **rossmum** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:22 pm

Demosthenes wrote:The base looks Halo-ish

The map looks pretty cool, but those hills don't look natural.

I agree, fix the hills and the ground texture. Way oversaturated.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:05 am

Natural in the way of color or geometry?

Edit:

I would like to know if anybody could test this map.

fishface617 · Post by **fishface617** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:20 pm

i might be able to this weekend, and my computer will be able to run it fine. ill talk to you on aim

rossmum · Post by **rossmum** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:42 pm

metkillerjoe wrote:Natural in the way of color or geometry?

Edit:

I would like to know if anybody could test this map.

Both - the hills just seem too steep and uniform, and the ground texture is way too saturated. Rough out the hills a little and add some variation so they look a lot more like something you'd see outside in the country or whatever.

Leiukemia · Post by **Leiukemia** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:10 pm

I'm liking the idea, but not the hills so much. Kind of looks like someone took a stamp and pushed it into the dirt, the hills are just to high. If they are going to be that high, try making them have more of a gentle curve upwards, with possibly flatter spots around it. Would make it look more natural, and also provide higher ground to lob nades off of and snipe. Also, the ground textures look too, how can I put it, differant. It seems so sudden from bright green to bright brown. Maybe try to lessen saturation like Rossmum said, and blend the roads into the grass a little more.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:36 am

They are supposed to be cliffs by the way. That is why they are so high. Sorry, I never meant them to be hills.

I just fixed the saturation on the ground texture last night:

Top image is the map w/the corrected bitmap. Sorry that took so long.

rossmum · Post by **rossmum** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:55 am

The green is still too bright and saturated tbh - looks kinda silly. Play around with the colours and try get it looking like the ground in the standard maps. Detail maps for grass would come in handy, too.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 3:58 pm

UPDATE:

Some pictures of the actual interior of the base (I say base because the red base has some really bad UVing which I'm fixing).

I don't know about you, but I like that one

.

And yes, I know that ladder is double sided and I am going to fix it.

And for rossmum and everybody else that didn't like the saturation:

Hopefully that is good. If not, I'll fix it

.

Leiukemia · Post by **Leiukemia** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:05 pm

So far, I like the shape of the map. And I think I figured out why those cliffs don't look right. You need to put some rock textures on them. It just doesn't look right with grass on it, becuase if its dirt and grass then it's a hill, and hills don't look like that. Cliffs=rocky.