So, what are you working on right now?

[Bikerdude]

Some screen shots of the mission I am working on atm with some help from Skacky and Melan, enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bikerdude]

[Goldwell]

Wow! Looking incredibly as usual, damn!!!

[grayman]

Exceptional, Biker.

[Vae]

Very nice...I love the curves.

[Obsttorte]

Awesome as always. One question, though. Is the white & red texture custom, I don't recall seeing it in the stock stuff?

[Sotha]

Yummy, biker!

[Bikerdude]

Is the white & red texture custom, I don't recall seeing it in the stock stuff?

Yes as large chunks of the map were opriginaly built by Melan and so used textures from his texture pack.

[Nacht7]

It's looking great! Though, considering that I'm a complete novice at level design, I couldn't even begin to fathom the work that goes into that.

Anyway, I love it, Bikerdude. I cannot wait to play it.

[Lux]

If you guys can whip up something within that short deadline it would be impressive as hell.

 

So far it looks amazing.

[Moonbo]

So I've put together most of the last major section of the tutorial map ... and again I'm not fully happy with it. Maybe it's more just "staring at it too long" but it's supposed to be a somewhat creepy crypt and I'm worried parts either aren't delivering the right mood/atmosphere or just aren't detailed enough (or are underlit for that matter). I've always appreciated everyone's feedback here so any crits/comments/improvement points would be helpful:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2014 by Moonbo

[Lux]

Amazing immersive screenshots as always, Moonbo... wowwie!

 

Only thing I see that doesn't look "right" is in the sixth screen shot you posted, this is a crypt of sorts it appears and there is a rug on the floor. I don't know who puts rugs on the floor in crypts. You may have done it for gameplay purposes where the player might need to run quietly/quickly for some reason, I don't know but it looks out of place.

 

Other than that, stunning work and lighting. Can't wait to play through these areas!

[Sotha]

Gotta say you are a natural talent. Great eye for textures and structure shapes, and lighting. Brilliant.

[Moonbo]

@Sotha, Thanks for the vote of confidence :-).

 

@Lux, hm, do you really think it looks out of place? It's honestly there just as a simple way to add some detail to the floor. Do you think it would work if I made it smaller or put a more grimy decal on it, or it should be removed altogether?

[Bikerdude]

Gotta say you are a natural talent. Great eye for textures and structure shapes, and lighting. Brilliant.

+1

[nbohr1more]

Looks great as always Moonbo. Perhaps the lights in the 2nd shot with the short falloff could use an ambient light to extend the falloff

a little to smooth that out but that would be weighed against performance considerations (and game play... ). If it doesn't affect game-play that

much either way you could add the ambient with a LOD_BIAS spawnarg so it would only be enabled when players set the Object Detail slider to

high.

[Lux]

 

@Lux, hm, do you really think it looks out of place? It's honestly there just as a simple way to add some detail to the floor. Do you think it would work if I made it smaller or put a more grimy decal on it, or it should be removed altogether?

 

I don't know, its up to you but nice rugs in crypts just seem out of place to me. I'm a weirdo though

[Bikerdude]

I don't know, its up to you but nice rugs in crypts just seem out of place to me.

I tend to agree.

[RJFerret]

It's subjective, rugs keep your feet warm from a cold stone floor. There's a lit lamp. That indicates to me the crypt is not neglected, but oil is refilled, it's cared for/cleaned, so a rug doesn't seem out of place since someone could come by at any moment.

 

If the lamp was out, if there was dirt, grime, spiderwebs, then a clean rug would be out of place, but here? Seems quite fitting. However if nobody comes by, then not so much. An alternative would be to poke some holes in the rug and grime it up.

[Springheel]

Bodies are usually kept in damp, underground places, probably not really suitable for rugs. Not to mention the leakage of fluids as the bodies rot would seep onto the floor and into the fabric. Though if this place is supposed to be so wealthy it can afford to buy new rugs every few months, it could fit.

[SteveL]

@Biker & pals: those exteriors are incredible. So interesting to look at, and so expertly realised. Good job guys.

 

@Moonbo: You've definitely been staring at it too long if you think those areas are lacking. Take a week off this section of the map, and you'll wow yourself when you come back (as well as spot what's bothering you, if there's indeed a flaw that you can't place your finger on. But I can't see it.)

 

I should *really* avoid looking at this thread just when I'm feeling happy about a bit of map I've been working on. I feel both delighted and sickened by the pictures on this page!

[Obsttorte]

If you want a stealth game to be creepy, you have to submit the possibility of a thread to a player. Although your shots look great from an artistical point of view, one can clearly see the differences between dark ("save") and light ("unsave") areas, where dark areas are spreaded more. This gives the impression that the player (who is always at least a bit aware of the game mechanics) is not really in danger, even if there would be an enemy appearing suddenly.

 

Increasing the light radii as well as the ambient light level (and maybe modify the lightgem offset to counter that) may create more tension.

 

Many missions tend to be rather dark and most of them do not create much tension, because if the lightgem is dark I know I am save

[Moonbo]

Hey guys,

 

I was going to go ahead and erase the carpets until I read Springheel's post. Instead I'll put a set of rolled up carpets in a storage area nearby as a bit of environmental storytelling.

 

@nbohr - let me see if I can make those lights "pop" less. The performance in that room is already not that great so I'm using my non-overlapping lights trick for those lamps, maybe lowering the brightness will make them merge into the environment better.

 

@Obs - good point, I'll see what I can do to place the lights in more strategically threatening places.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Moonbo

[RJFerret]

Bodies are usually kept in damp, underground places, probably not really suitable for rugs. Not to mention the leakage of fluids as the bodies rot...

 

Huh? That sounds...odd... How would you exhume a corpse if it rotted to fluid? And damp? Most pics I've seen have been very dry/dusty places.

 

I've never seen drains in the floors, nor heard of liquid seeping out into cathedrals or people's homes, and most burial chambers have been dry, yet coffins aren't typically water-tight.

 

So a bit of research revealed that dry airflow is important for clean skeletonization. If a coffin were sealed airtight, then anaerobic bacteria will cause liquefaction, however that liquid would obviously be sealed within the airtight coffin. Wet environments are to be avoided, so the body can desiccate readily. First floors and basements were probably chosen for cooler temperatures, as heat accelerates decomposition, producing more gasses, and potentially even contributing to casket explosions. Who knew?

 

Google images turns up a mausoleum with carpets in Morocco, but mostly marble and tile floors.

 

PS: Interestingly, some places have laws requiring exhumation after some years for reburial or cremation, to take up less land.

[demagogue]

I was trying to remember where I saw caskets stacked up like that recently, and then realized it was in Requiem.