City Map

[pwauly93]

This is a city map I am working on. Please keep in mind its not finished yet. I was inspired by a map called Zm_Lila

http://youtu.be/avW6Aasfafk

[MayheM]

First let me say thank you for not putting the God awful music in this video ...

OK, as for the map itself. It is pretty wide open and lacks detail. The three story building for instance was completely empty inside with all three floors just one gigantic room. Breaking up those into smaller rooms and halls, with some details will not only help the look, but also help with optimizing the map. Cars on the streets, some trees, and other details outside would help. Also,The lighting outside seems a bit bland as well. One thing I have learned is that good lighting can make or break a map. It can also take a good map and make it great! There is a great lighting tutorial created by a guy named 3D-Mike and I believe it is in the tutorials section on this site. You should take a look at it. It will help you with choosing the correct colors as well as the correct type of light entity to use. It helped me tremendously!

Those are just a few things off the top of my head. I'm at work and can not do a detailed crit, but keep at it...

[pwauly93]

ill take a look at his tutorials. Its not finished but i appreciate the help and for some reason i totally forgot trees. So ill get to it adding more detail. =)

[KILLA-COW]

Okay so what I'm about to do here is probably the best thing that will ever happen in your mapping lifetime because I'm going to give you some crits and guidance on your map -- and that is pretty much the most amazing thing that could happen to you.

So first of all we're starting up, what is this place meant to be? I assume some kind of prison, now if it's set in the future/in the citadel then these textures are okay, but I tend to find them a bit crass for use in other maps, they never quite look right. On the cells you can make it look a bit better by rotating the texture so it runs along the bar as opposed to little tiny vertical bits; the little things help sometimes! Now those poster decals, they are awful, I don't personally like them, you got to think about what this place is and do they fit in? You may be better off making your own ones of those so they properly fit in with the overall aesthetic.

The corridor is actually quite nice looking, good brushwork and detailing I like it, the only problem here and with the previous areas is the bland as fuck lighting, really its bland as grey bread. In the first room for example (the one that looks like a prison) think about what colour would look good, maybe try having an ever so slightly blue light under the hanging lights, also add sprites under these just to add that little extra realism -- seriously lights with sprites look infinitely better than those without -- you'll thank me!

Okay now we're out to an area with stairs, same thing here with the lighting, add some sprites there, also maybe try adding a little bit cut into the wall with some crates or something, just something to break up the whole square room kind of vibe.

Now we're outside, the lighting here again is an issue it just looks a bit flat and bland, ask yourself does the colour of the lighting match the skybox? it doesn't really so have a look at your light_environment and sort that out (I assume this isn't fullbright but it almost looks that way). Also maybe try making the grass a displacement and blend in a bit of mud or something and add some tree's an shrubbery just detail it up a bit, detail makes things look good and more believable. When you turn back round to face the building, that texture on the top portion of the building is horrific, not your fault, it just looks shite in every map it's put in, change that up and also don't just whack the same texture all the way up, break it up with different textures and little bits like AC units or whatever makes sense for what building that is.

We then hit square box room syndrome again, I am sure you are aware this room needs significant work and detailing although I'm unsure as to the purpose of the room so can't really advise further. One thing I would say is to change the texture of the inside walls because that is corrugated metal and doesn't make sense to be there really. Again the next room has same problem. Okay so is this a snack room? With the vending machines? Add a table and some plants or a water cooler just make it a bit more believable again, also change the wall texture and remove those decal seriously, they don't even make sense? plaster decals on corrugated metal, again metal walls doesn't make sense in any context on an interior really in this type of building. That ladder? Change it to a prop, the textured ladder doesn't look brilliant. Also the trap door, add some trim to break up the border between ceiling and gap.

What is this room? I feel like now we are in HL2 universe which would invalidate my previous criticisms, nevertheless this room needs a little something, something -- could probably be sorted out with better lighting try having it lit by the blue light from the monitors and maybe another light closer to the entrance and then two small lights above each door, I'm not sure at the moment it just looks a bit boring.

Now on to the next room, why are there two entrances? I think you could make this room look more grand, it looks like it's supposed to be but doesn't feel it. The lighting again needs serious work but the detailing here is better. A bit of more fancy brushwork maybe? Depends what the room is meant to be really, but get rid of the vending machine 100% it looks ridiculous.

Outside again, is this fullbright? still can't fucking work it out! If it is it shouldn't be, if it isn't it shouldn't look like it is! LIGHT_ENVIRONMENT! I like that grey building, it's good, I like how you've used the different textures and it's not just a square block.

1.17 - This road is too thin and the pavements are too thin and I don't like this road texture and the curb on the path should be aligned to the road not to the hedge. Building on left, does the colour make sense? Doesn't fit in, try and decide what kind of place this is and try and follow a similar kind of baseline aesthetic.

BIG. EMPTY. SPACE. OF. GRASS. Chuck a couple of tree's in here or something and a texture with some sprites on the grass maybe. That white building is long as fuck! and boring! It needs a roof or another block on top without windows maybe 64 units high or even just 32. Also maybe split it into two, it's too long and samey.

I like the outside of this next building, very warehousey and appropriate, I especially like how the inside matches the outside, that works. Fuck a pony! We're not on fullbright: that should never have even occurred to me so you gotta sort that out in other areas. The lights on the ceiling need sprites and have less of them remove every other one and make it ever so slightly darker to ramp up the tension of having firefights amongst the crates. These lights on the walls, change the prop to a smaller light and add a sprite and move the actual light further away so there's less of a clear circle on the wall. Never put lights that close to the wall because it looks a bit crapola. If that was a brush ladder change it to a prop. I like this building though.

Nice security camera.... not so nice top of building, let's hope the player never see's that - if they don't it should be noclip to save performance. Get rid of that graffiti on the wall it looks horrible, or change it for a different one. This metal building isn't nice, the outer walls need something a lot different, be that texture or brushwork, something needs to change, this square block does not work for me, you oughta try to avoid having square rooms or buildings in any of your maps, always try and break up the monotony a bit.

BIG. EMPTY. GRASS. AREA. AGAIN. Tree's, something, anything, break it up. That is a floor texture on the wall to the right of the metal containers, change it and do something more with that wall, it's not working, it's too big and straight and boring, get rid of that graffiti or change it too. Okay right this tunnel needs muchos work, this is a floor texture and that light is horrible, needs sprites, arguably doesn't need to be there at all, if it's a dead end let it fade into darkness, but you need to change up that texture and also change the design somehow maybe add some metal struts, have a look at some pictures of tunnels and follow their lead.

This wall to the left, change it, building is too long and samey. add some bits with windows, a bit that is receded in, add a bit of variety. This playground, don't have a raised path, change the grass to displacement get a blend texture and make it muddy by slides etc, in appropriate places, add a tree, change the texture of the posts. I actually quite like the car park an the big building near it, but that coloured one needs to change still I think, it might just be the colours really. The inside is bland as can be but I'm sure you know that, that needs serious work and detailing.

On the stairs you need to rotate the texture on the side of the steps, the wood would not be going that way.

Overall, yeah it's actually a good start, you just need to think more about okay what is it I'm making and think what it'd look like in real life. Obviously needs a knobload of detail but I'm sure you know that. More than anything the lighting needs a heck of a lot of sorting out, but yeah keep going it's not too bad, with a bit of work will be very nice!

[source-maps]

Okay so what I'm about to do here is probably the best thing that will ever happen in your mapping lifetime because I'm going to give you some crits and guidance on your map -- and that is pretty much the most amazing thing that could happen to you.

if I could choose to either have sex with megan fox or crits and guidance on my map from killa, I know what I would pick

[pwauly93]

Killa-cow I thank you for actually giving me some tips instead of saying it sucks. I appriciate it very much. I will get some more detail on the map and post some pictures of it.

[Stormy]

Holy shit killa-cow. I ain't reading that but I assume it's all fantastic.

[pwauly93]

so I have been adding a crap ton of detail and I have been working on the lighting. So here is a few pictures of the lighting. I will add some of the detail when I am almost done.

[skoften]

Holy shit killa-cow. I ain't reading that but I assume it's all fantastic.

this

[KILLA-COW]

Perfect! I don't know if it's just the screenshots but it's quite dark, I'd maybe just up the brightness a bit of the lights and also maybe on the sprites change which sprite is being used for the wall lights, I'd suggest one called glow03 I think it is, just play with them and see what looks best, but yeah that is definitely a massive step in the right direction!

[pwauly93]

ive added better roofs on all the buildings and changed up the sky with a matching sun ill show u a picture in a few hours

[Sathor]

Looks like really good progress! Do not overdo the glow sprites, though. It looks strange if they are really big and bright, while the light which is actually cast off is rather dim.