Lost at Sea - Maverickservers Competition Entry

[Kaz]

This is the essentially final version of my entry into the Maverickservers Mapping Competition. It's a medium-sized map designed for 1v1, but generally is fun with 1-4 players in FFA. The theme is "underwater facility", and I've tried my best to make it feel underwater. If you find any errors that I should know about, by all means let me know. A big thanks for Maverick for running the competition, and to everyone that has provided feedback throughout the process.

http://student.cs.appstate.edu/freemanc ... kazdm5.zip

[lvlshot]http://student.cs.appstate.edu/freemanc ... ot0240.jpg[/lvlshot]
[lvlshot]http://student.cs.appstate.edu/freemanc ... ot0241.jpg[/lvlshot]
[lvlshot]http://student.cs.appstate.edu/freemanc ... ot0242.jpg[/lvlshot]
[lvlshot]http://student.cs.appstate.edu/freemanc ... ot0243.jpg[/lvlshot]

[v1l3]

I'm impressed ... that turned really well.

[Anthem]

Indeed! Very nice.

[phantazm11]

Really nice map Kaz. One of my favorites.

[nitin77]

lovely lighting but too much of it looks a little plain. Is that because of time or by choice?

Havent played it yet, but layout looks decent.

[Kaz]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Nitin: I'm not sure which specific areas you're referring to?

[nitin77]

kaz, a lot of the walls just seem bare and plain. Lighting and texturing cover it up somewhat, but it does seem a bit sparse. Not a bad thing but I was wondering whether you had time constraints due to the competition.

[Kaz]

In the case of the shotgun hallway that connects the RG and RL atria I had relegated that particular area to "add decoration if there's time", which I just ran out of at the end. akm had suggested that on curved catwalk above the curved stairs in the YA atrium that I convert it into a water tank, which I also would have liked to have done time permitting. In the center atrium, I would have liked to detail the curved walls a little more, and I also wanted to decorate the concrete mid-level platform some more. Otherwise I hadn't perceived a particular lack of detail in many areas, that's probably from having stared at the same map for 2 months straight.

[Pat Howard]

Kaz,

Judging by your last two maps, you seem to have more difficulty than most when it comes to adding detail. I think it's because your layouts tend to consist of mainly open spaces. You are obviously a great artist, but there is only so much detail you can add to your walls and floors and you will ultimately need more surfaces to keep things interesting.

I think it's because of this that I often end up with a vague feeling of emptiness when walking around some of the playing spaces in your maps. Here's a good example:



Great floor and wall detail throughout but there are still some areas (like the RG platform and floor below it) that feel very barren. The only part that saves this room is the pipes you added in the middle. They break up the floor/wall repetition and even add to the gameplay. You did the same thing with the MH room by adding the submarine (sweet model btw); that room would have been totally empty without it. Perhaps you realized these rooms needed something extra?

I would try in the future to plan for more supporting architecture in your maps from the very beginning The id Software maps are great at this (see below). You'll find that it does wonders for the gameplay as well.



Anyway, don't take this as a hugely negative thing. It's only a significant factor in a few areas and this is definitely one very fun map regardless. Just thought it might be a good concept to think about while you're planning your next layout.

Good luck in the comp.,
-pat

[Anthem]

Also, remember that too much detail can be a bad thing. I enjoyed the simplicity of your map because the architecture was precise and not riddled with unnecessary, pointless details. The atmosphere was compelling in your map, and I enjoyed the refreshing theme.

[nitin77]

I dont think this needed too much more detailing, just a few bits here and there to make it more interesting.

Anyway, played it and its an absolute blast. Definitely one of the better maps in the competition so far (although I have a soft spot for phantq3dm3).

Kaz, posting this as a news item over at Func Msgboard, check for comments if you want.

[Kaz]

Thanks for both the positive and critical comments, as well as for the x-post at func

Pat: That is definitely something that needs to be addressed in future maps, it was particularly evident in kazdm4, although I think primarily for different reasons. One common reason is the construction methodology. If you view the first couple of posts in Maverick's forums, you'll see some of what I am referring to. Basically the entire map is set up in a big grid, with a 64x64 pillar every 256 units. If you look at the map with this in mind, you'll see how each room is sort of "carved out" of this framework by removing interior pillars. I did this for a number of reasons - namely because many of my early maps exhibited (in my mind) a lack of cohesion, and I'd often run into the "super thin separating wall that wouldn't exist in real life" syndrome which I wished to avoid.I think the framework idea is not inflexible enough to make this deficiency you've pointed out insurmountable - one solution that I had planned on using on this map is to introduce moss/algae/whatever that could hang from the ceiling edges, which would leave player movement unfettered but create more depth and less emptiness.

[dONKEY]

Kaz, I find your building/layout thoughts extremely interesting. As amateur level designers we don't benefit from each others experiences and ideas any where near enough.
I always find the laying out playable space part of the design process the hardest part. I might try your approach next time.
Recently I've begun to think the way to go is not to try to think of creating a space and surround it by brushes but to create brushes and leave space in between.
By thinking of space and surrounding it with brushes I think very 2D, creating flat floor plans then adding floor plans above and below. By thinking about creating brushes to create internal spaces my mind finds it easier to think of 3 dimensional ways to fill those spaces.

[nitin77]

kaz,

is there any issues with the d/l link? One of the posters at Func is having trouble downloading.

[Bliccer]

I can still donwload it.

[Pat Howard]

Kaz, I find your building/layout thoughts extremely interesting. As amateur level designers we don't benefit from each others experiences and ideas any where near enough.

I agree, but it always seems to me like whenever I get all conceptual about level design theory it just weirds out the other mappers .

Recently I've begun to think the way to go is not to try to think of creating a space and surround it by brushes but to create brushes and leave space in between.
By thinking of space and surrounding it with brushes I think very 2D, creating flat floor plans then adding floor plans above and below. By thinking about creating brushes to create internal spaces my mind finds it easier to think of 3 dimensional ways to fill those spaces.

Check out what I just wrote on Sumatra's thread. Envisioning a playing space is definitely the way to go.