Moonbo

Hey Obs, I can't find the 'target_setkeyval' entity anywhere, do you know which entity category it's under? The closest I can find is 'effect_set_spawnarg' (which is one of the entities used in the Stim/Response system). @Tyler, yeah that was my first thought too, but when I used the Stim/Response system to try and change the value of the spawnarg on the info_location entity it didn't work. Stim/Response can be oddly finnicky at times.

Is there a way to change the ambient music in a section that's been set up using the location system? What I'd like to do is have different ambient tracks play before and after a specific event. Since I've set up my ambient tracks via locations, I'm not sure how to do this...

@Kvorning, yeah, I've built the level on my laptop which can barely run it with everything stripped out (it chugs even just moving around in Dark Radiant!). Maybe I'll take some snapshots using my desktop computer when it's time for release :-). @Flanders, hm, there are actually red lights under all the windows, but maybe the effect is too subtle. I'll look into raising it up. Btw, the red windows are just a re-tinted version of your green window textures, really nice stuff.

Thanks Tyler, I hope it lives up to your expectations :-). Btw, are you still interested in doing some voice acting for the FM?

I've been using this as my guide: http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Limits,_Max,_Min,_Stats,_etc

Man...this feels like something of a milestone. Nine months after starting the FM I'm done with the construction phase of the map. There's still a good amount left to do (a few readables, objectives, and a whole lot of optimizing/testing including squashing a really bad performance bug), but everything's been built. Hopefully I can start beta testing soon. I really have to stress that I've never released a map before, so I have no clue what to do next. Should I make a separate thread for beta testing? Is there a way to make it private? How would I go about asking for requests like beta testers, voice actors or someone to make minor graphic items? Anyways, I really appreciate all the support and feedback you guys have provided. Couldn't have gotten this far without you guys :-). Here's the last batch of photos I'll post before release, crits always appreciated:

No, you have to manually type "(optional)" into the goal text if you want the player to know that it's an optional goal.

I had a situation where I had a broken mtr but it was showing up fine in DR for some reason (maybe because the base texture itself and not the full shader shows up in the editor?). That might not be the case w/ your shader but it definitely caused me a headache :-P.

It could be something wrong with the material file. Have you tried just pasting the material onto a brush and seeing if it shows up properly in-game?

Looking forward to playing this one!

In the decal texture family there's a folder called "symbols" which houses a handful of magical pagan decals. All of these show up fine in Dark Radiant, but only the ones called "Magic Symbol Circle" "Magic Letters Row" shows up in-game. All the others ("pagan_field01", "pagan_moving_symbols01", " "pagan_pulsating_symbols01", "pagan_symbols01") just don't appear. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Another thing they did in the original games, which is hard to pick up on unless you're listening for it, was to add a reverb effect to almost all of the footstep sounds. I don't know why this works, but it really does heighten the tension. Maybe it sort of acts as a poor man's EAX. Maybe TDM's sounds would benefit from the same treatment?

Though this only happens in certain FM's, having to bump two objects together to trigger an event ala Amnesia (for example, the opening of the crypt in Knighton Manor). I would *never* have thought of this if I hadn't read it on the FM threads. I guess that's not an "official" Dark Mod feature though...

Just an update on that library shot. Here's the same angle w/ some more detail, darker bookshelves, (and a ladder ). The effect is subtle but I think everyone's suggestions were right on the money. Any more crits appreciated: Original: Updated:

yeah that was my first plan, to desaturate an existing skin, but this turned out to be easier.

Hey obs, It's actually just a change in the skin file to apply the existing alt skin to the large bookshelf. No new art assets needed :-). But anyone is free to use the skin file when I upload my FM (unless someone needs it sooner of course).

Hey Lux, I see your point, but while they're not gates I sort of like how they look now. If anyone else brings it up when I get into beta-testing I might change it then :-).

This one is a little frustrating. I'm trying to modify the skin of the "bookshelf_huge_01.lwo". As far as I can see, this model uses the exact same texture as the "bookshelf1.lwo" and so I thought that it should be relatively simple to just apply the "bookshelf1" alternate skins to the "bookshelf_huge". I made the following skin file: skin old/bookshelf1_old_alt { model models/darkmod/furniture/shelves/bookshelf1.lwo model models/darkmod/furniture/shelves/bookshelf_wide01.lwo model models/darkmod/furniture/shelves/bookshelf_huge_01.lwo bookshelf1 tdm_bookshelf1_old } My alternate skin properly shows up and works on the bookshelf1, but while it shows up as a possible skin for bookshelf_huge_01, when I select the alternate skin, nothing happens...what am I doing wrong? EDIT: Okay, I figured it out, the huge bookshelf was using a different material: bookshelf1noshadows. Once I added that to the skin, it worked.

@nbohr, that's a great idea. That particular model doesn't have an alternate skin but I'll try to use my very limited GIMP skills to try and make a darker version. @Lux, yeah those are just decorative gates and aren't intended to move :-). @simplen00b, ladders are good, I like the idea of going for a musty, darker look and I'll give it a shot.

Just a small update on mapping progress. I'm about 1/3rd of the way done with the final major section of the level. Overall, I think it's turning out pretty decent, but let me know if anything looks off. Crits always appreciated. In particular, what do you think about the last shot? Does the idea of a "large library" section just seem totally out of place with everything else?

Hey Tyler, Well since you asked :-P. Why not try "long_cracked_blocks", in the brick family of textures, it might fit for that ceiling. For the updated pic, the tiling on the castle wall texture is very obvious, mostly because the wall is big & flat. You might try to break up the lines of sight by placing some flags/arrow slits on the castle walls, or even just by hanging a lantern off a jutting stone on the wall. If you were really ambitious you could also try to create some sort of protrusions that bulge the wall inwards at intervals. Anything to create contrast and to break up the uniformity. Keep in mind though that the appropriate level of detailing is really in the mind of the beholder. It can become a real time sink if you're not careful :-). And keep up the good work! I'm really looking forward to playing The Accountant.

Before working with TDM, the only previous mapping experience I had was messing around with the Unreal Dev Kit, which has subtractive geometry. So coming from that to Dark Radiant, I definitely know how you're feeling, especially when it comes to making doors and windows. It's just so much easier to carve out a hole instead of having to chop apart a brush into four pieces. But after a while you sort of get used it, and tbh after my fourth room or so I totally forgot about the added work needed :-).

Looks good Tyler, the only big thing that stood out for me was the ceiling texture in the second pic - the tiling is very obvious there and it's not clear how those big bricks could support the ceiling. Probably making cross-beams might fix that (and add more detail at the same time). Anyways, you can go crazy adding detail, as long as you're consistent with the quality level across the map people probably won't even notice after a while :-).

yeah the default light has no texture so it just projects a blank square.