Re: 4x density, am I understanding you correctly that that would make your typical texture size (for, say, a square floor texture) 512 square? Or 1024 square?
The latter is certainly overkill, IMO, and really bloats the download needlessly. I'm using one of Evil Lair's sets for my latest Q4 level (which I should release later today), and I actually opted for the low-res (256) version of the texs after seeing that the difference in-game wasn't really all that dramatic, and realizing that it would cut the d/l size by about 75%.
Yes I agree with this.
I'm going to bring the average texture size down to 256 myself.
Currently the average texture is at 512 and the terrain is 1024. its too much even if it does seem to run decently on my machine right now.. It most likely would run better.
My goal with the level is to make something that looks different from anything in quake 4 as it is right now. I am aiming for a cold and clean look to the level that has a very different feel from most of the other levels.
That's looking cool. It's hard to tell just from screenies, but maybe a little monochromatic? Lots of gray there. Maybe some color of some kind mixed in (other than jump pads and such)? Like I said, it's hard to really tell just from screenies. I look forward to a beta. I like the RA (I think?) area.
I think that the color lighting might be a little too subtle for screenshots to pick up on. Its possible I should give it a little more to it. Mostly the color scheme is just cool blue tones offset by warm purple metal beams and texture details and orange lighting from tech lights I have created. One common problem I run into with levels where I do my own art is that I often am a bit too careful with color lighting. Though I am pretty sure this time I got a good balance of color into the level. Maybe not!
Ill try to have a good beta phase for this level none the less.
It will take me some time though since I am also working on my web page too. Also all of the remaining tasks in the level are things I'm not typically good at. Mostly art related things such as getting correct UVs on complex cave pieces and doing high poly models with proper texture projection.
I'm really fast when it comes to make fun maps but I'm a fairly slow artist... if I had an artist working with me on this the level would have been done last week lol..
I like the RA (I think?) area.