11 Day Level Design Challenge: L4D2 Brooklyn Bridge

[Meotwister]

Hey man this is looking really great so far keep it up!

I actually just got done with a very similar experience except mine was seven days and a small single player experience. This is really a very good way to start a project and you have the advantage of four more days which I know I could have really done well with in my project. Best of luck!

[Zipfinator]

Saw this after I got randomly linked to the forum that you run earlier today. Looks great so far.

A few comments though. Your displacements are WAY too noisy, especially for an area that cars are going to be driving on. You should have some flat asphalt roads and a few parking lots (Right under the bridge looks like a good open spot for one) mixed in with some grassy displaced areas with some foliage in them. You're lighting isn't great so far, but I'm sure it'll improve when you're focusing on it. You could get some really epic shadows if you try out a sunset with a really warm orange light and light blue ambient light.

You should enter the next map battle we have.

[jgoodroad]

Saw this after I got randomly linked to the forum that you run earlier today. Looks great so far.

A few comments though. Your displacements are WAY too noisy, especially for an area that cars are going to be driving on. You should have some flat asphalt roads and a few parking lots (Right under the bridge looks like a good open spot for one) mixed in with some grassy displaced areas with some foliage in them. You're lighting isn't great so far, but I'm sure it'll improve when you're focusing on it. You could get some really epic shadows if you try out a sunset with a really warm orange light and light blue ambient light.

You should enter the next map battle we have.

warm sun and grass seems unfit for a winter setting.

[Zipfinator]

warm sun and grass seems unfit for a winter setting.

Didn't see the winter thing. Still my lighting suggestion would look great and my other suggestions still apply.

[jgoodroad]

I see, but warm+grass+brooklyn+winter=error

[Meotwister]

how about warmer lighting (orange)+brooklyn+winter - grass?

[Supervillain]

I agree the displacements are a little too intense UNLESS you are going to be covering them in a snow texture. If those displacements are to be for fallen snow then I think they are just fine. TBH it's hard to tell when everything is in dev textures.

btw: I can't believe the patience you have to map in dev texture like that

[TicTac]

Good christ, you're a mapping machine o.O This experiment/project is guilting me into devoting more time to MY projects haha

[AlexG]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

The displacements is going to be snow. I still need to work on that a bit.

I'm getting really tired of looking at orange all the time. I noticed that L4D2 source maps, valve began using white reflectivity dev textures and a buddy on my forums used it on his map. I love the work-in-progress look it creates so I will begin using those next map.

Update coming shortly for Day 5.

Thank you for all the support.

[AlexG]

Day 5: Texturing - Jan.24, 2010

With the texturing now, it should clear some things up.

I think I will go with the overcast, light fog day. If that looks good and feels right I'll stick with that. If not I'll have to play around with a possible warmer lighting you guys mentioned.

Textured the playable area, the bridge, interior and created custom snow textures. I worked fast trying to texture and cover as much of the environent as possible.

First was making sure that the snow textures looked right. Here are some screenshots of different variations until I came to one that looked right. May still need to tweak it depending on the end result with the lighting.





Dock room interior:


Path to the Dock:





Interior of the side building. The building that is to the left in the above screenshot:






Thats a wrap for Day 5.

Some sleep or more like a short nap and then back to work.

[Supervillain]

Nice Alex! I had a feeling the displacements would be snow when I saw that car half-buried. It is going to look dope

Yeah, I was going to mention the reflectivity textures. I use them..... they are pretty cool because it gives you an easier time using texture -> replace since there are so many options (10% = glass, 30% = red brick, 40% = white brick, 60% = concrete, whatever and etc.) Although I will say that if they aren't right next to each other it isn't easy to tell what texture is what (ie. "is that 10% or 20%? let me move in to read the number") all just a matter of personal preference regarding workflow.

Anywho: I agree with TicTac. The fervor with which you map makes me want to spend more time on my own devious creations.

As a NY native I must say that your orange and gray "bridge to Bucktown" is a pretty accurate recreation Any chance of a some-what accurate skyline in the 3D skybox?

EDIT: Looks like we posted at the same time! It looks awesome now that texturing is well underway. The beaten path in the snow fall makes it look really nice. It will look really nice once you put in the snowfall. Don't sleep too much!

[Phott]

I have no words, this is awesome, and extremely inspiring!

[AlexG]

Thanks Supervillain for the texture breakdown. I haven't had time to experiment and didn't know how the % worked. That clears it up. I am actually wanting to start something new just so I can use the new dev textures.

I love NYC. I've been there few times and I used to live upstate NY in Schenectady. So there is a place in my heart for NYC. I'll do my best to re-create the skyline.

Thanks Phott



Day 6: Texturing - Jan.25,2010

Day 5 I focused on texturing the playable area of the environment. Today i worked on texturing outside, non-playable area.

I added overlays.

I created a simple 3d skybox to get that going and I added a fog_env_controller with some properties to have that inside the map. I placed these 2 but didn't spend anytime tweaking them. Thats tomorrow for when I begin lighting.











Replaced the window props with overlays:




Focus for day 7 is light_env, 3dskybox and fog.
Once I have that the way I like it I can spend time on day 8 with the rest of the lighting.

The main light source which comes from the sky is my main concern. Once I have that where I like it all other lights will compliment it.

[source-maps]

I admire your workflow, I'm so fucking slow when it comes to these things

[AlexG]

Thanks Source. I used to be so slow in making something, anything. I would then loose interest and never complete anything. I hated that. So I had to do something about it. Doing things like this, helped me out.

DAY 7: Lighting, 3dskybox, Fog - Jan. 26, 2010

I focused on 3 things. Outside light, 3d skybox and fog. Making sure that all 3 worked together and created the illustion of larger environment.

Main problem I ran into was trying to blend the 3d skybox with the actual level geometry and making the water blend with the 3dsky. I must have compiled over 40 times testing and tweakig. I am happy I got it to work.

Here is the progress: