Deadlove's DR Thread

[Deadlove]

I've been using dark radiant long enough that I wanted to start a thread about my experience with the program.

 

I still don't know everything it takes to complete creating a basic level butt I haven't approached the editor in a way that I was creating levels as an end result. I found that approaching the editor as if it was a game itself and just having fun with it and building and trying out things was the most rewarding way to use the program myself.

 

I'm very familiar on a professional level with an audio recording and mixing software and radian is very much similar in a creation process of making a song or a similar work of art with the building of layers and the project going through infant stages to maturity.

 

Another thing that has helped me greatly is learning shortcut keys for saving time. I pretty much check every new piece of brushwork or change and dmap and explore it in game. Sometimes I will look at an issue for a couple minutes deciding the best scenario of Hell 2 ad the floor or a roof or a ceiling or a wall with minimum selecting brushes to save time because there are endless possibilities to fix and change the grid butt obviously the fastest and most efficient way allows for the most progress to be made.

 

I also have a knack 4 building all the brushwork by hand and using clipper religiously.

 

It's extremely important to have a blueprint in mind or drawn out on paper 2 use as a guide and I've also found completing a rough version of the entire map with just walls and Floors and then adding detail to each section.

 

I enjoy the instant results as well with being able to make changes end it also reminds me of when I was coding HTML for a web page is a little bit as well. Also making half of an object copy paste and flipping the brush work is another good short cut copying and pasting are integral for the success of good usage of time mapping.

 

My biggest problem is I need to create Less open spaces and confined areas because visual portals n the engine gets put under a lot of tax with such large open areas.

 

Alberic's curse is a good example of a nation that has a large outdoor area where the player can navigate all around yet still it is open space.

 

So I'll be filling in my thoughts on the program and keep up with this thread as a journal to interesting experiences I can share with the community.