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So, what are you working on right now?


Springheel

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The last screenshot already looks quite good, although the ways are very even and could use some dirt imho. The railing in the harbour scene looks a bit too clean to me for that sort of are. A different texture might be more suitable here.

 

Keep up the good work, though. :)

FM's: Builder Roads, Old Habits, Old Habits Rebuild

Mapping and Scripting: Apples and Peaches

Sculptris Models and Tutorials: Obsttortes Models

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The railing in the harbour scene looks a bit too clean to me for that sort of are. A different texture might be more suitable here.

Did you have any other textures in mind that would be better suited? i've tried quite a few before settling on the current texture for the railings however it's hard to find one that feels just right for the area.

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Did you have any other textures in mind that would be better suited? i've tried quite a few before settling on the current texture for the railings however it's hard to find one that feels just right for the area.

 

I'll bet if you edited the diffuse image and added a few red tinged spots it would look alright but I am thinking that Obs might be imagining something with

grime and corrosion in the nooks. That's something you'd wanna farm out to a modeler, though I guess you could do very very fine-grain grime decaling if you were crazy enough.

 

Hmm. If those are already models, vertex painting them in Blender might not be too hard. Time consuming though.

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Very nice, I like how there's so much going in every screenshot, not least because of the lighting.

 

I'd suggest to use metal for the railings, it's what used in real harbours. You'd be hard pressed to find a metal texture in TDM that isn't dark, rusty or rough.

 

Just say so if you're looking for some ships for your harbour, I have a couple smaller ones which have accessible 2-4 room interiors with caulk, visportals and so on, one of which isn't being used in a mission at the moment (sloop, schooner).

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It's been a while since I've been working with DR, but I generally thought about something more dirty looking. Maybe something with a tad bit of moss. A harbour is an area were everything is heavely influenced by the elements, so I thought the textures should reflect this. But maybe it is already enough if you darken the diffuse map a bit (can be done in the material shader).

FM's: Builder Roads, Old Habits, Old Habits Rebuild

Mapping and Scripting: Apples and Peaches

Sculptris Models and Tutorials: Obsttortes Models

My wiki articles: Obstipedia

Texture Blending in DR: DR ASE Blend Exporter

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey. Is it possible that someone could be interested and help me? I could share the details in a private message.

 

I had an idea about creating a FM having daylight and a non-criminal (well, at the beginning) hero. I even scribbled a scenery and some schemas. But I'm lacking mapping skills (e.g. complex terrain and scripts. I prefer to do more general design stuff). Also, my PC is a bit outdated and runs editor extremely slow having a big mess of objects in it. I know what to do, I know what is it about but still didn't make it :ph34r:

 

Stop taffering there, criminal taffer!

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To put it simply, it is almost a natural law that no one will agree to build the map of somebody else, at the very least until that person has made an real effort to try to build it themselves, ask questions here to deal with any difficulties, and reached the obvious limits of their abilities beyond which it's clear forum advice won't help. Only then somebody /might/ come in to help complete what you've started.

 

I think one reason people are a bit skeptical is that mapping is really not as difficult as it may appear once you've actually done the tutorial: http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=A_-_Z_Beginner_Full_Guide_Start_Here!

At the very least, I'd recommend trying to build a small map according to the tutorial. You may surprise yourself. And you'll definitely get all the help and cheerleading you need from us.

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What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you but I know that it's mine.

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But I'm lacking mapping skills (e.g. complex terrain and scripts. I prefer to do more general design stuff).

 

 

This isn't something I'd be so concerned about, it really is something that you get much better at with time. Here's a motivational story:

 

This is how I started mapping in 2010, a small mansion out in the tundra. The brushwork was as basic as it gets and it would never have occurred to me to put in wainscoting (trim) on the walls, decal patches, particles and such things. Also, my technical work wasn't very good because I liked to use tiny grid sizes to add detail to brushes, which led to that graphical glitch you see.

 

Rns35tal.jpg

 

 

Then I took a break from mapping because it felt like I was getting nowhere and returned in 2014, spent 1.5 months to create my first map One Step Too Far and basically learn the editor, did another few months of mapping afterwards on the sequel, Of Brambles and Thorns, and made this screenshot at the time, which looks more like a real mission:

 

8Q8iJvBl.jpg

 

 

So if your mapping looks basic at the moment and has things in common with my first screenshot, best just keep at it and let your growing experience do its work for you.

 

And something I should add is that, in my experience, people across the Thief and TDM community have always put more value on the story and gameplay than the visuals - that's why Thief 1 & 2 are still as popular as ever with us. So a first map with interesting sneaking puzzles and an imaginative story, which I think is what you have in mind, will be sure to be appreciated.

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To put it simply, it is almost a natural law that no one will agree to build the map of somebody else, at the very least until that person has made an real effort to try to build it themselves, ask questions here to deal with any difficulties, and reached the obvious limits of their abilities beyond which it's clear forum advice won't help. Only then somebody /might/ come in to help complete what you've started.

 

I can't manage complex terrain, this ain't "build the whole map". There is a straight street and I can't make a freeshape making it a bit rough AND realistic.
I have already built a small map. My map isn't small though. It even isn't properly displayed in the editor due to large size. I can surely build some small parts of it as separate maps and paste it later...
I'm curious, how was it made in House of locked Secrets: separate copies of some parts and teleports between them? I need to have the map dramatically changed (including changing global light, adding fog, changing skybox, removing buildings' parts, adding corpses and removing some living characters). I believe this could be achieved making two different copies of this part and teleporting between them.
Edited by Scampada

Stop taffering there, criminal taffer!

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So if your mapping looks basic at the moment and has things in common with my first screenshot, best just keep at it and let your growing experience do its work for you.

 

 

No, I have managed to do a little better.

 

You see, when I open say "Tears of Saint Lucia" in my editor my PC stucks forever. And it ain't so huge, just my PC is damn old))

Stop taffering there, criminal taffer!

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The problem is, I don't want another just-a-playable-map, I want to make a cinematic story including cutscenes. I doubt this can be done by one man himself. Even the concept-proof "Saint Lucia" map was made by a team. And it's just... just a very cool, detailed and polished map. There aren't many scripts, the whole thing's about design. There aren't moving trams or something (that I would like to implement).

 

Sorry it would be better if I added this to my first message

 

I have shared too liitle information, that's why people decided I need help in combining walls together. I will maybe provide some more schemas and the map later in a specific topic.

Edited by Scampada

Stop taffering there, criminal taffer!

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I can't manage complex terrain, this ain't "build the whole map". There is a straight street and I can't make a freeshape making it a bit rough AND realistic.
I have already built a small map. My map isn't small though. It even isn't properly displayed in the editor due to large size. I can surely build some small parts of it as separate maps and paste it later...
I'm curious, how was it made in House of locked Secrets: separate copies of some parts and teleports between them? I need to have the map dramatically changed (including changing global light, adding fog, changing skybox, removing buildings' parts, adding corpses and removing some living characters). I believe this could be achieved making two different copies of this part and teleporting between them.

 

 

Terrain can be done with patches. You start with a flat sheet and move the vertices on it around so you can get things like curves, slopes, bumps - it works quite well for streets. I think this is done in the A-Z tutorial.

 

About your changes:

- ambient light can be changed dynamically, this is described in the location settings wiki page iirc.

- fog can be added by making the fog light inactive at mapstart and then activating it via a trigger (doesn't need scripts)

- skybox can be changed by triggering the skybox entity of the appropriate skybox

- objects can be removed by targetting them with a func_remove and then triggering that

- corpses can be brought in by targeting them with an atdm teleport entity and then triggering that, but it'd be a little tricky because they'd have to fall correctly into place

 

The editor is quite user friendly and has provisions for all kinds of effects without requiring the mapper to be able to script. Usually you can just search the entity list to find one that performs your desired effect.

 

 

No, I have managed to do a little better.

 

You see, when I open say "Tears of Saint Lucia" in my editor my PC stucks forever. And it ain't so huge, just my PC is damn old))

 

My laptop isn't the fastest either so I've gotten into some habits:

- use layers to hide all the areas that you aren't working on. You could go as far as using one layer for each floor of a house so that it becomes like The Sims, quite easy to furnish the rooms then.

- there are also filters which hide things you don't need to see all the time like collision meshes, shadow meshes, visportals, nodraw, caulk etc. And if you want to make changes to things like doors, AIs etc. you can hide func_statics as well which is a major fps boost and makes it much easier to see the important things.

 

 

I want to make a cinematic story including cutscenes. I doubt this can be done by one man himself.

 

Maybe you'd have a good chance if you asked whether someone wants to work on a campaign with you, so both contribute maps which get linked up by the story you work out together.

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- use layers to hide all the areas that you aren't working on. You could go as far as using one layer for each floor of a house so that it becomes like The Sims, quite easy to furnish the rooms then.

 

I didn't know about layers. Sounds good.

Maybe you'd have a good chance if you asked whether someone wants to work on a campaign with you, so both contribute maps which get linked up by the story you work out together.

 

Mmm... this may be OK... My story is no longer than one map... I would like to build one big, detailed and athmospheric map.

Stop taffering there, criminal taffer!

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Mmm... this may be OK... My story is no longer than one map... I would like to build one big, detailed and athmospheric map.

 

 

That sounds great, it'll be interesting to see the thread with your map and schematics you mentioned and the replies it gets.

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Okay. I'll post it later. Is it very hard to make a trigger like this:

 

1) The Watch is friendly to player;

2) There are public and private areas;

3) If a guard sees player being in a private area he became hostile.

 

This would be great if I could have only that exact guard becoming hostile (and spreading this hostility over other guards he meets) but it's okay if the whole fraction will change to enemies.

Edited by Scampada

Stop taffering there, criminal taffer!

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Okay. I'll post it later. Is it very hard to make a trigger like this:

 

1) The Watch is friendly to player;

2) There are public and private areas;

3) If a guard sees player being in a private area he became hostile.

 

This would be great if I could have only that exact guard becoming hostile (and spreading this hostility over other guards he meets) but it's okay if the whole fraction will change to enemies.

 

It is possible to turn hostility on/off depending on the location. For example it has been done in "Not an Ordinary Guest". However, as far as I know, this is not possible via a simple trigger, but needs some scripting and location settings (see the Wiki article: http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Location_Settings).It might work, when you generally turn guards hostile as soon as the player enters a private area and return to non-hostile upon leaving. The latter part has to be removed as soon as a guard spots the player while hostile. This part could be done via a hidden objective (guard gets alerted). Unfortunately, I cannot really help you with implementing the first part, as my own scripting skills are quite close to zero...

I don't believe that the "spreading hostility to guards one by one" is possible. At least, I cannot think of a way how this could work.

 

But I would suggest to move this discussion to the "Newbie Dark Radiant Questions" or an extra thread for this topic, as this is more of a "Look, how my WIP progresses" thread than a Q&A...

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Another instalment of "things to do instead of finishing this @%#& map" : "Ok so I need a small minimalistic street sector; only few meters of wall with door and light, everything else can be engulfed in blackness. Player should make literally 3 steps and off we go." *3 days later* "Uuuuuups. WTF brain, seriously? Why? Can we finish main things first? -NO." *sigh*

 

Those screenshots look incredible!

 

As a matter of curiosity how long have you been working on your map for? i've seen you post a lot of images in here for a couple of years, it's quite marvelous the feats you've achieved in the shots that you've posted!

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Another instalment of "things to do instead of finishing this @%#& map" : "Ok so I need a small minimalistic street sector; only few meters of wall with door and light, everything else can be engulfed in blackness. Player should make literally 3 steps and off we go." *3 days later* "Uuuuuups. WTF brain, seriously? Why? Can we finish main things first? -NO." *sigh*

 

That's by far the type of TDM map I love seeing, wonderful work so far. Please finish this, I am very curious to play it once it's out! :D

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ERH+ that's class architecure mapping!

Sublime and oozing dusk and skybox selection for some of those pictures.

"I really perceive that vanity about which most men merely prate — the vanity of the human or temporal life. I live continually in a reverie of the future. I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active — not more happy — nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago. The result will never vary — and to suppose that it will, is to suppose that the foregone man has lived in vain — that the foregone time is but the rudiment of the future — that the myriads who have perished have not been upon equal footing with ourselves — nor are we with our posterity. I cannot agree to lose sight of man the individual, in man the mass."...

- 2 July 1844 letter to James Russell Lowell from Edgar Allan Poe.

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Those screenshots look incredible!

 

As a matter of curiosity how long have you been working on your map for? i've seen you post a lot of images in here for a couple of years, it's quite marvelous the feats you've achieved in the shots that you've posted!

First map folders are dated April 2014. Its kind of sad that I can't finally put together all of pieces. I think I just like to tinker instead of making a whole thing.

 

@MirceaKitsune that is exactly not what this map is :) . It takes place mostly on submarine and on sea bottom.

 

@Anderson I was aiming for T3 blue shadows a'la edge of night.

Edited by ERH+
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ERH+: That's a really good-looking place! It would be a real pity if someone... broke into it. :ph34r:

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

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