emp_kingunderthemountain

Oh I see how it is now.

 

No, because for some reason my video settings only go up to 4xMSAA.

I've been working on the base, I need to figure out the lighting a the moment, then I can show you a screenshot.

Oh and I tried testing this on the SDK base with the empires textures copied over and HDR turned on, it was only a small area but the FPS dropped like a rock.

I'm worried that the same thing will happen in empires.

 

Calm down ark :D I've been busy recently.

 

Ok, here's a couple of shots of the machine room at the base.





One of the generators has a few bits missing but is still operational, I'll let you decide whether it's being taken apart or built, I know it's a bit unrealistic but it's cool, and cool overrides realism.

Oh and the little things at the side with the steam coming out of them move.

I've also added big doors that the enginner can 'build closed'.

 

Holy awesome, Batman!

Friendly critique, though: do something with the bars that the walkway is hanging from. Give them some way of visibly attaching to the ceiling, and maybe make them thinner. They just look too blocky right now.

 

Bars are tricky, they do look a bit crap at the moment I know, but I'm honestly at a loss as to how to improve them.

Ordainarily I'd use suspension ropes attached to the walls, but that won't work on a room that wide. I could try attaching them to the roof with ropes but I'm not sure how that'd look.

Also for some reason that room takes about 1 and half hours to compile, I think because of all the lights. Which I'm still not happy about actually, I need more light in the room but I'm not sure how to do it.

I might end up scrapping it and restarting the room, or I might figure something out.

I'm also a little concerned about the vertex limit. After doing the city and the rest of the terrain I'd reached 30%. The base might take more, or less, I don't know, but I hope it doesn't fill it. I probably need about 10 maybe for all the additional detail in the map.

 

As for the bars something as simple as a concrete block that the bars stick into and then the box into the sealing would look fine.

Just an opinion but while most engineer built objects just apers they are normally smaller. For doors that large it really stretches believability. Maybe have a console that can be "repaired" and then a switch will close an animated door?

Just don't forget to add some side passages for alternate paths so its not to liner.
Looks good though man can't wait to play.:D

Edit: Quick search brought up something that may give you ideas for the walkway anchors.

 

That's exactly what it does, you build the console and the door closes, you destroy the console and it opens.

Hence why I used the quotes.

For the base it's going to have an interesting plan.



The squares in the core room and ajoining rooms are elevators, hopefully they'll be in a similar style to the one in HL1, just after you go encounter the houndeyes for the first time. So there's two ways into the core, and theoretically two ways across the base, the idea is that you'd fight over the base because the core room contains lots of resources.

It's a bit linear, but it's only one section of the map, and there's three ways total across the river. I want there to be some action.

 

I'd add some sort of seams or borders for the edges of those metal chunks with the black and yellow warning stripe texture. Otherwise than that, the machine room looks fucking amazing. Did you check your PM folder for my message, btw?

 

I might add that if I can spare the vertices.

I'm used to using facepunch which alerts you to PMs via a popup box, so I didn't notice I had one, but in answer no, I don't use IM programs because I'm a ratty sod, and I end up shouting at people who IM me.

I can answer any questions you might have in here though.

Oh I also think I might have improved the bars and lighting. I followed the age old maxim of 'When in doubt, use more spotlights.'

 

You could use a custom texture for the sides of the blocks, which has the edges /trims/borders drawn in it.

I think the spotlight effect is too visible. Halve it's visiblity.

 

I could if I could texture.

And actually implementing that would mean I'd need to alter the clipping on the current texture,

I can change the lights without recompiling, although I kinda like it as it is.

Hmm, I've tried it with the half strength lights, it doesn't look bad, but I don't know that it looks better either.

I'll keep them at full strength for now, maybe take a little off them but not much.

 

It looks sick. In a "ZOMG THATS AWESOME" way. Leave it as it is :p

 

My main worry now is the lifts, and the core room to an extent.

I'm going to have to use func_tracktrains for the lifts, but for some reason I can never get them to stop properly in reverse, they're always slightly off, which is irritating. That and I'm going to have to build the whole section on a slant, which makes everything slightly more complicated, on top of that I need to find some way of lighting the lift without it looking shit on account of not being able to change lightmaps. God I hate hammer sometimes.

On top of that I need to get a decent core room sorted, big enough to hold a large central object and resource nodes, with room to do some fighting too.

No doubt I'll think of something though.

 

I can make textures. Just give me the measures.

 

I'm quite happy with them as they are, I'll add some trims on later if I need them, otherwise I'm content with leaving them. They are supposed to be the trims, I don't want to have to put trims on my trims.

 

You can get this forum to note you at new private messages too.

Just take a good look into your User CP and you'll find it from there. I have it on too and I always get a pop-up window which tells I have a new message.

But about the map...

It looks awesome. Keep it coming.

 

looks very very good, reminds me of one of the Dystopia maps

 

I have that EXACT issue with my tankwar map.

 

Yeah I think it's something inherent to the entity, no matter, I can live with it.