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| some
more info |
A good thing about using q3map2
is that it allows you to 'tag' models to script_movers.
Normally you'd use the 'model2' key/value pairing
in the entities properties but now all you need
do is select the model and then the script_mover
and hit 'Ctrl+K' connecting them in the same way
you target and connect other entities. All the new
model formats are available using this technique.
The scripted wooden walkways were set up like this
which otherwise would have been converted to MD3
models (which has size limitations), it saves on
a lot of messing about converting files. |
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| asset
downloads available... |
| You can now download the assets
used in this map separately from the main . Included are the wooden walkways, iron
torch, rock & broken step models - these are
ASE models so you can change the texture using notepad.
Also available is the rock texture used along with
a couple of other new ones. |
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| latest
screenshots |
Compairing the previous shots
you can see some of the changes that maps gone through
to make it more 'interesting' from a gameplay point
of view, this is a result of a long brainstorming
chat with Mr Brushmonkey sock, where we discussed
quite a few ideas on what could be changed/inproved
upon; the stairs were one particular instance where
we both felt they were being overused so different
ways to move up each 'level' had to be figured out.
screenshot 1 - start area
screenshot 2 - start area
screenshot 3 - 1st bridge
screenshot 4 - 'tollgate' house
screenshot 5 - inside the 'keep'
screenshot 6 - lookout walkway
screenshot 7 - the 'two towers' *cough*
screenshot 8 - the 'keep'
screenshot 9 - lookout walkway
Some notes: I got MAX_MAP_PLANES (running BSPC on
the BSP file) when originally using the ASE models
setup with q3map_clipModel, seems this generates
a colossal number of faces due to the way the 'clip'
protocol works so they had to be manually clipped
and the clipModel surfaceparameter in the shader
removed, that fixed the issue.
Also had to convert one of the walkway sections
(very tricky as using the ASE file created a corrupt
data for some reason, so the brushwork had to be
converted to a 'safe' format [DXF in this case]
and imported into gmax and MilkShape) to an MD3
file so it could be 'tagged' to a script_mover and
spawned or removed from the game... somethng you
can't currently do with ASE models. |
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| new
screen and info |
Ok, I have to admit, the only
reason I did this map was to exorcise my rock monkey
demons, they just won't leave a fellow alone...!
Doing straight walls and floors these past 6 or
so months for Generator is all well and good but
I can't do it for long before I get a tap on the
shoulder... "ehemmm.!"
The fog has been thinned out so you can now see
more of the map, you can now actually see the rock
pillars, the central sections of which (the 'piilars')
are the ASE models I was testing, the rest is brushwork,
almost indistiguishable from one another. The water
(which caused a lot of headaches trying to solve
an incorrect fogging problem - thnx to ydnar, pazur
& ratty - see *note at bottom of this comment)
has been made much shallower to cut down on empty
space a bit.
Something else worth mentioning, ratty rademption
suggested some shader settings for the sky which
resulted in much 'clearer' lighting in the map,
you can see the difference quite easily even when
compairing the old thumbnails below with the new
ones here.
screenshot 1 - start area
screenshot 2 - small island looking back
screenshot 3 - steps out from water
screenshot 4 - different view of the collapsed
bridge
screenshot 5 - the tower
screenshot 6 - the two bridges
*note : the water problem was something to do with
the texture/shader used for the surface of the water,
it wasn't fogging out correctly; if you stood on
a spot and turned the texture would fade in and
out of fogging as you rotated around. It turns out
that in this particular case is was something to
do with the physical size of the brush being used
for the water; it was massive (relatively speaking),
going from side to side, this had to be cut down
into much smaller tringles as the 'tessalation'
value set out in the shader didn't do anything to
fix the problem... |
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| screenshots
and info |
See below for some ingame screenshots
of Castlekeep.
The map started out as a test for a couple of modelled
rock formations using the ASE file format that's
now supported by q3map2, they formed the basis and
it kind of went on from there. The intention was
to see how well the models (which can be lightmapped
) would sit with 'normal' brushwork, especially
3 point clipped brush blocks; some of which are
very big.
I wanted to try some texture blending but that turned
out to be quite tricky on 'solid' objects (a single
continuous polygon mesh) as the blending resulted
in stretching due to the way the shader mapped the
textures, the models needed to be broken into sections
for this to work.
Anyway the result is fairly interesting, you start
at the base of one 'island' and have to work your
way round to the tower. It's night, it's foggy (had
to use fogclip to control what gets drawn onscreen
as this is basically one big assed box..!) and you're
surrounded by water.
The start of the map was going to have some sort
of camera cut or an actual boat the player rode
through the fog and around one side of the island,
that was left out as it was suggested that people
would get board if they were having to play through
it repeatedly... hohumm...
screenshot 1 - start area
screenshot 2 - collapsed bridge (you need
to be able to 'super jump' to get across this -
sprint/run-jump)
screenshot 3 - inside the tower
screenshot 4 - different view of the collapsed
bridge
screenshot 5 - different angle on the start
area
screenshot 6 - the tower |
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| thanks
go to... |
If I've not mentioned your name
here, it's not intentional, I'm getting old and
apparently your memory is the 1st thing to go..!
KoS
PizPot
megaman
panzur
ratty rademption |
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| contact
details |
| if you have any enquiries/questions
please send an email to the following address |
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