[HL2 + episodes] On Track

[mkandersson]

Hello.

I have been working on a Half-Life 2 level. This is the first serious project I’ve done for hl2 and have been working loosely on it since February (1-2 month of work put together I think).
I’m quite new to half-life 2 mapping, well source mapping in general but have been using the old Hammer for about 9 years now.

Here are some wip pictures.















Keep in mind I still have a lot of things left to do and the lighting is only roughed out.
The gameplay is typical for Half-Life 2 and nothing extraordinary. A bit of combine pew pew, a puzzle and an action sequence which ends in a car chase. I set the bar pretty high on quality and wanted a lot of detail in the environment. I have had no problem with fps so far and I think most computers could handle it.

C&C are welcome

Cheers!

[Groxkiller585]

You know what really annoys me? One of my pet peeves?

When someone says "A HL2 mod/map" but they really mean " A HL2 Mod/map that requires EP1, EP2 or both".

It's not your fault at all, It just rritates me to no end to find a great mod but I can't play because I lack EP1 and 2.

SO is this map for HL2 ONLY, or does it need EP1/2? (judging from the pics it appears to requre the latter...)

[omnicoder]

You know what really annoys me? One of my pet peeves?

When someone says "A HL2 mod/map" but they really mean " A HL2 Mod/map that requires EP1, EP2 or both".

It's not your fault at all, It just rritates me to no end to find a great mod but I can't play because I lack EP1 and 2.

SO is this map for HL2 ONLY, or does it need EP1/2? (judging from the pics it appears to requre the latter...)

99% of people who care enough to play custom maps will have the episodes as well, it's to be expected that they are all treated as a single entity. Ep2 was $5 the other day, if you watch for deals like that you can pick them both up real cheap. There's even a good chance you can get someone to gift them to you free as so many packs contain them.

[Groxkiller585]

I know it's totally my fault and not anyone else's as it's basiclly a requeirment at this point but still, I can't get anything on steam until I get some online setup. Currently got what I have from gift cards. I have the money, just not the online setup.

Therefore when I look up mods and they look promising but then try and play and see ERROR's all over the place it's a pain because then i just DLed a huge amount of crap for nothing.

Again it's noone's fault but my own but it doesn't help the situation.

[Gradius]

Grox I'm sure someone out there must have a spare from the orange box they'll give you. Heck if you'd asked while it was on sale there'd probably be some kind soul on the forum who'd get it you.

I'm not sure I can comment on the map, the displacements are clearly imcomplete and they're the biggest problem. The broken floor of the building looks a little off, I'd expect fragments of wood to still be there (and splinters), as well as wood to cling to the pillars somewhat. There also doesnt appear to be any foundations which is a more blatant issue. There also isn't really a good source of water so I have to wonder how the floor seems to be moist mud and grass (or moss, I don't think either would really be growing there). The rocks also seem a bit out of place, I don't feel like nature would put them there, an outcrop or hill sure, but not just several huge boulders (which made sense in episode 2 as you spent alot of the time in a large valley which could well have been formed or inhabited by glaciers which could carry such huge boulders).

After that I suppose the only bit of advise left is: "What was this building's purpose before combine occupation and what is its purpose after?"

[mkandersson]

Groxkiller585 It's both Ep1 & Ep2 props on the map. Changed the title too in case more are wondering.

Gradius Hmm that was a lot of negativity for one post Yeah the displacements are up next and will be worked on. Yeah the floor worked when I started out but now I'm a little unsure if I want to keep it, same with the holes in the roof. Well its not moist it's dirt.. Water doesn’t have to be visible.. Most water sources go underground. If you look at the first picture you have water there too. Well regarding the rocks I'm no expert so I don't know but I don't think that detail is something that crosses every ones mind when playing. Though this map will be surrounded by hills and small mountains.... they aren’t complete yet though.

It was a rebel hideout that worked as a refuge and a small research station where a doctor operated on zombies and headcrabs, which combines didn't like so they busted the place. Now it's a temporary prison which is currently being emptied and there are still 3 rebels being held in there.

Thanks foor feedback
More C&C are welcome

[Corewarp]

Want to team up with a coder so we can make your seemingly cool maps into an awesome mod? : 3.

[Groxkiller585]

Just noticed, are those tires/wood pallets in the middle-left of the shot fullbright? if not they look pretty close to fullbright.

[mkandersson]

Corewarp Well I'm currently on a team making a game in UDK so I'm going to be swamped with work later on. But the thought has crossed my mind so perhaps in the future Thanks though!

Groxkiller585 Yeah I noticed that before too... Haven't checked what's causing it so I don't know exactly but I'm going to have a look at it later.

[Mr. Happy]

Looks quite nice, I'd definitely like to play this.

[mkandersson]

Mr. Happy Thanks! Hope you will find it fun.

Here are some updates









Worked on the displacements and changed the grass and mountain textures to better fit with the feeling I’m going for. Never worked with displacements at this scale before so I had to read up on the subject so I understood how to work with it. My workflow and pace isn’t that great because of it so it has taken me quite some time. Still lots to do on it.

Also removed the hole in the floor inside the barn, added trees, detailed the train tunnel entrance, and added clip/player clip brushes. Also fixed the weird lighting on the tires inside the barn. I had made them Dynamic for some reason so changed them to static and it got fixed.

I’m will start working on the UDK game tomorrow but will keep working on this parallel to it. So I’m going to get a bit slower on posting updates (not that I’ve been fast but anyways)
You can check out the game site if you’d like. http://roadkillwarriors.com/

Cheers!

[Groxkiller585]

Wait, making a prop dynamic or static changes how it is lit? Interesting to know...

[DonPunch]

Making a prop dynamic means that it will sample 1 vertex light sample per frame, every frame.

Thats why prop_dynamics are expensive.

[Puritan]

Looking good!

Take your time and perhaps accept the invitation from the coder and make it a mod!