marnamai's WIP thread (FINAL PUBLIC PLAYTEST V3_4)

[Major Banter]

Hey Ade, howsit? I'll get back into testing soon topkek.

But yeah, Interlopers being the bag of elitist bastards that it is, has an above-standard grammar fetish.

Yes I am also an elitist bastard

Marnamai, my broski, it looks like we both have a sniper rifle in our maps. May the best set-piece win, eh? It looks pretty damn good - any clue as to where it's set or is that hush hush n stuff? Aside from 'big city US'.

[marnamai]

having a hard time deciding between 2 lighting styles

orange (ep1 post citadel) VS. blue (hl2 station / canals)

[LordDz]

Can't you do a mix of them? Orange looks a bit overthetop and blue look a bit too generic.

[Armageddon]

I like the orange atmosphere more but blue looks pretty unique, just tone down the HDR under the bridge.

[Riomaki]

Depends on what you're going for in terms of mood and setting. Dreary and apocalyptic versus bright and optimistic. I personally like the Ep1 orange better.

I might also suggest replacing the orange dev textures before you make the call. The orange obviously complements the orange lighting and brings out bursts of color in the blue lighting that wouldn't otherwise be there.

[wereMole]

Depends on what you're going for in terms of mood and setting.

I'd say this is probably as relevant as aesthetic arguments considering it's such a radical change in appearance.

[plagueofburia]

Wouldn't the 2 colour schemes serve their own purpose? they both look cool and seem to work in the pictures, as it has been mentioned, I would go with what is the atmosphere of the level. I mean if there is a lot of combat orientated then I would go with a red-ish type tint. Though if you have more of a puzzle type area, then I guess cool colours like a blue-ish type tint might be better suited to the area.

I side on that it is not about what looks right to an individual cause that is all subjective. It is more about what one is trying to do/accomplish that works within any given world/level/area, in any given game. That's the rule I follow.

Though that is not always the case as one might have puzzles or what not that might need to be completed under a strict limit or pressure so then advice above would have to be changed and vice versa.

That is my thoughts anyway, looks great what you got.

One day I would like enter/complete something

[Teh Frog]

I'd say blue based on these comparisons for no reason other than I like blue lighting and think it looks prettier.

EDIT:
Mixing the two could make for a nice atmosphere. Blue environment and Orange artificial (Prop) lights.
This is a screen from one of my own maps, the lighting varies between blue and orange and leads to a nice aesthetic overall.

[Armageddon]

That's some bad advice. It's ugly and overused anymore.

[Teh Frog]

That's some bad advice. It's ugly and overused anymore.

Well what the hell else is he going to do? Those are the two he has, those are the two he's using, those are the two the question is about.
You're entitled to your opinion, but blue and orange are used a lot due to their pleasing aesthetic as complimentary colors. The only way you can really get away with using anything else is if your lighting is for a world not of Earth. Or if you're making a pitch black level (highly discourage anyone from doing that.)

[Wigbig]

Not sure whether it is the blue color or the sun angle that creates this, but I think this is the best style. The defined shadows under the bridge really help give a sense of cover compared to the other bridge screenshot. Might be decent if you had to avoid flying enemies like scanners in a situation like that.

[Generalvivi]

I really like the blue! ++1

[nub]

The only way you can really get away with using anything else is if your lighting is for a world not of Earth.

That's not entirely true. Purple and yellow go great together if done properly. Witcher 2 had an area in the game where the time of day was set in the early morning and the sky was shifting from a grayish purple to a soft yellow color. Looked absolutely gorgeous.

I also think the blue variant is the best. The orange seems a bit overdone. It gives it that "post apocalyptic filter" look, like in Fallout 3.

[Riomaki]

Depending on the time of day, I think of Fallout 3 as being more desaturated green than orange.

Also, I have to side with Teh Frog. Blue and orange isn't bad advice - it's simple reality and chemistry. As Valve points out - you've got incandescent tungsten bulbs and your bluish fluorescent bulbs mixed-and-matched in attention-getting ways. That's about as much variety as one would expect in most buildings and it's a happy coincidence that these two colors complement each other. I certainly wouldn't throw this fact aside because some DVD covers abuse it.

Where you can get some variety in colors is the natural daylight and fog. That's where you can get your oranges and purples, coming in through windows too.

FWIW - depending on your context - Episode 1 orange also goes with the falling ash effect which would add a lot of nice ambient motion if that's something you want.

[Mehis]

The defined shadows under the bridge really help give a sense of cover

Agreed 100% there. Assuming that the map evolves mainly around the bridges makes it perfect. It also creates some interesting contrast.

Blue all the way.