Remake of "The Sword" (Constantine's Mansion)

[Komag]

Since I believe that "The Sword" is the most complex 3D level/space ever designed for any game, a couple years back I decided to have a crack at recreating it entirely within Dark Mod. I figured I'd also add "Escape" and see if they fit (or make them fit) as well.

 

Through last year I got the mansion maybe 1/3 to 1/2 done, but never really got to the most interesting/weird parts, so that's a bit disappointing. But here are a few shots of the rough block-outline start I made at that time:

 

http://www.shadowdarkkeep.com/files/KomagSword.zip (7MB, 24 pictures)

 

Here are a few of the shots:

 

Beginning area

 

2nd floor hallway west

 

2nd floor central stair area

 

Kitchen

 

Gardens section

 

2nd floor hallway east

 

Altar room (scene of the EYE removal)

 

Greenhouse area

 

Above greenhouse "hidden" area

[Mortem Desino]

Ye have far more patience than I, Komag. Very nice.

 

Side note: Thank goodness Dark Mod can handle heavier geometry than Thief 1. *cringes at 6-sided circles*

[nbohr1more]

Don't quit this one Komag!

 

(I'll bet at least one other mapper would like to help this along...)

[Melan]

That's cool. Some of the angularity is a feature, not a bug, but the plainness of the geometry is indeed apparent. This was early Dark Engine work, where the design docs recommended mappers to stay under 3-400 polygon views, which is only 1/3 of the engine limits, so Thief can do somewhat better. It also shows how much of the graphical "added value" of Thief came from well-designed trim textures and the relatively advanced light rendering.

[Bikerdude]

Komag, if you need a hand with this let me know.

[Berny]

nice !!! I would love to see such a super map in tdm

[Springheel]

I would love to see such a super map in tdm

 

Remember if it's a direct copy we won't be able to host or link to it.

[Melan]

Why not create a Constantine-style "weird architecture" level from scratch? We have played The Sword several times over, and something new would be more suitable.

[Komag]

I fully agree, new is better. This was just a pet project to help me get my head around The Sword. Even if you open it in Dromed you still can't see it all or really get a sense of its structure.

 

But this old project is not really what Dark Mod is all about - this is just old low poly stuff, but the precise recreation work-flow is very slow and takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r, so it's just not worth it

[Melan]

Just for the record, I am not trashing your project - just remarking that if someone makes a mission, better make a new one.

 

Well, okay, if you could just convert The Great Tree for TDM...

[demagogue]

The Sword is my favorite OM. Just a very magical level, everything about it.

I still have very vivid and fond memories from when I first played it.

Seems somehow "smaller" in the TDM version, not just the missing details. Some things just can't really be transplanted, I guess, but work their magic in their own time and place.

I do look forward to some magical TDM levels of our own.

 

PS, if you liked it, you really should play The Penitent Thief; one section of it is very Sword like.

[Melan]

That was a wonderful section. The level is a must play anyway, but that's one of the best parts.

[Komag]

Interesting about it seeming "smaller" just from a few screenshots. It feels exactly similar to me when I actually run through it, but I think I can see what you mean from the shots. I'm going to guess that it might be the wider FOV that makes it seem smaller

[demagogue]

Maybe not smaller so much as more bare, and unfamiliar (or more like that weird experience we used to call in a philosophy class of mine "familiar-as-such", when you see something very familiar years later or in a new setting; like when you visit your elementary school years later). Of course you're probably right that you can feel the layout better when you're actually in the map walking around.

 

Edit: Thinking about the familiar-as-such part more... It is interesting how much we think of these maps as real places that we've all collectively been to, and when we talk about this or that room we can relate because we've all "been" there and they were special places for us too. (There's a room in the Sword map on the first floor where there's a spot you hear that mystical wind chime ambient playing from above you, and I always thought that was a magical place.) It's a stronger feeling than if we'd just watched the same movie. So I always understand the temptation to want to recreate these spaces so we can revisit them, but it's not quite the same, like a historical site years after the event, but still very interesting to visit too. You still feel the places you remember. I guess I don't have a point; it's just interesting to think about.

[ungoliant]

Maybe not smaller so much as more bare

 

this part is definitely true. I Learned the hard way to always use AI or some other familiar model for scale. Ended up making some really huge rooms with huge doors on accident, and with nothing to reference, I didn't realize it until i loaded it up and walked around in it. This same problem can happen if you use noclip to fly around the level instead of actually walking around it. It can fool your mind into thinking things are smaller than they are. Texture scale also plays a large part in this.

 

If you put a few AI or easy reference models (a chair), those screenshots will likely get larger to the minds eye.