Skyboxes and blocking view into other rooms?

[Bacon]

In the map i am working on, I have a small problem.. I attached a screenshot of it. Im trying to find a way to block the view so you cant see what I'm shooting at, i have made ceilings out of the skybox texture, not just 1 bix box around the map then hollowed. The only sky that seems to do this is blacksky in the skies dir, but I compared the shaders and there's nothing I can see that makes the difference. I hope you understand what I am talking about.

Basically i dont want the player to see this:
[lvlshot]http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/2954/shot0024.jpg[/lvlshot]

Is there something I have to add to the skybox script to achieve this? Or is this something again that can't be done with quake 3 unless I choose a solid sky color?

Thanks

Edit: Here it is in radiant:

[fKd]

i think there is no way around it. extend the room where you can see the backfaces of the other room and build something to block the view. well, this is what i would do, but i dont know shit about shaders

[Scourge]

You'll either have to make the outside of your far building presentable from that angle or build up so you can't see it anymore. As fkd said, I don't think there's anyway to block it like you want.

[Hipshot]

It follows the same vis rules as other things. The difference is just that the sky is a "invisible" wall - try to use caulk as walls and the problem will start to exist in many places...

Thus, it can be solved if you manage to occlude it from where you stand, with a hint face, or something else.

[Hipshot]

I had this from last night when i was testing triangle differences on two similar window styles. It could work as a fast example. When I don't have the hint/skips, I can see the window on the other side through the sky, since it's a hole in the bottom acting as a door.
[lvlshot]http://zfight.com/misc/images/maps/development/skyvis.jpg[/lvlshot]

[temz]

Isn't this time to use antiportal?

[Silicone_Milk]

I had considered the antiportal as well but seeing as how the mapping gurus that responded didn't make any mention of it, I assumed that perhaps I have a misunderstanding of antiportal and its uses.

[temz]

I had considered the antiportal as well but seeing as how the mapping gurus that responded didn't make any mention of it, I assumed that perhaps I have a misunderstanding of antiportal and its uses.

If I read it correctly, antiportal was implemented for ET's outdoor mapping to prevent caulk brushes casting impossible shadows.

[Hipshot]

I had considered the antiportal as well but seeing as how the mapping gurus that responded didn't make any mention of it, I assumed that perhaps I have a misunderstanding of antiportal and its uses.

Belive me, I'm no expert when it comes down to VIS, it's like a school for it self - I never really understood how Antiportals work. I read about it, tried using them in a practical way but it always fails (the times I tried). I've been looking for someone to tell me exactly how to use them and when, maybe this is one of those times.

[Plan B]

Allow me to chime in with my usual annoying response to this question:

The geometry is there, so why the hell would you *not* want it to be visible?
Seems kind of strange and unrealistic to me.
Just add geometry and apply some textures to the outside faces of that room to make it look interesting.

[obsidian]

Just add geometry and apply some textures to the outside faces of that room to make it look interesting.

My thoughts exactly.

About Antiportals: I've been trying for a while to get them to work properly in a practical situation, but so far they have totally eluded me.

[Scourge]

That seems be the general consensus. Make it pretty.

[temz]

@hipshot
Antiportal causes HOM effect, doesn't it?
If there is a face of skybox behind it, it should work, which means just skybox is shown w/o HOM effect, I guess.
Maybe antiportal requires skybox behind it for it to work correctly, I guess, again.
Just my silly imaginary thought though.

[seremtan]

if by antiportal you mean the same antiportals used in UT2/3's terrain maps, what it should do is act as a free-standing vis-blocker to be used under a hill/cliff

which means you couldn't use one to conceal that thing without HOM. there's really only one way to stops those faces in the OP pic from drawing and that's a completely caulk or hint sealing between that ugly yellow courtyard and area with the tower thing in it (the sort ordering of sky shaders means they always draw first, i.e. they're always at the back, which usually is desirable)

[obsidian]

Antiportals as in Q3Map2 antiportals, not exactly the same as the UT type. But regardless, I don't think that's the desired solution.

[Hipshot]

APs doesn't work like they do in Unreal, AFAIK, but can be used in the same way as you describe, under terrain/whatever. And (the AP) will cause a HOM effect (towards the sky) only if the player stands inside it, not if he sees it from a distance. So, I guess he can use a AP to fix this,... but I'm not 100% sure... maybe I should just build a test level.

[Hipshot]

Ok, i can't repro the error, if I don't build a "bad" test level. And when I do and uses the AP, it works, but I would never solve it like that, cause a normal VIS works as good...

Bacon, can't you just hand out the map file so we can see, or at least that part of it? No textures needed...

In the end, I ofc agree with former posters, it looks pretty bad doing like this, but it's your design...

[Bacon]

I shall upload it when I get home Hipshot, textures included...

I also know this is "bad" but this map really isn't meant to be played by anyone but me and a friend that play, I don't think i'd ever release a map like this.

For example i took your advice and started to just make something original

[lvlshot]http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4016/shot0015z.jpg[/lvlshot]

I havn't mapped since like 03 or 04 so thats why I was looking to make maps from n64 maps quickly, but ive started to get into making my own designs.

If you can solve the problem I am having though with this sky thing that would be great, if not, i'll just stick to making them myself.

[Fjoggs]

defrag?

[Bacon]

Capture the flag.

Sorry about the delay, I managed to work around the problem I was having by just uncaulking the outer parts of the main room, you can still see it but it'll have to do, I pretty much gave up on it now. if there was some way to do what I wanted it would probably be some kind of half ass work around and the map sucks as it is anyways

Im starting to get used to making more than just square brushes again, so i'm just going to finish the map I started myself.

Thanks for the help anyways

[lvlshot]http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4277/shot0035.jpg[/lvlshot]

[Plan B]

Wow, that actually looks quite nice and different.
How do you get that 'blinding' lighting effect, or is that some effect of the glass that seems to be in there?

[Hipshot]

Isn't it a tcgen env on the glass shader? Or something similar?

[Plan B]

Yeah, probably.
But I really like the result of it in combination with that skybox.

[Bacon]

Its... nothing, its the glass01 in base/wall or wherever it is, nothing special

Mabye its the skybox? Not sure, but it's not some special shader its just glass01.

I just took it at that ange so the map didn't reveal how really stupid it is, just trying to get back into making non-square brushes so im trying to throw a ctf map together

[lvlshot]http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/5564/shot0036.jpg[/lvlshot]
[lvlshot]http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/597/shot0038.jpg[/lvlshot]

This is how the map started... sad

[lvlshot]http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/7531/shot0008.jpg[/lvlshot]

These are being compiled with -light -bounce 8 -fast -filter -patchshadows -super 2 also. I kinda like the lighting But im hoping to just get used to mapping again so I can make something original like all of the impressive work I see in the screenshots thread

[Plan B]

Hehe, cool. I ascribed some novelty thing to it I didn't know about.
I really think you should take advantage of the effect more in your map, because it adds to the freakiness you already got going there.
And try to break up the tiling texture pattern in your terrain.