![]() This tip was mentioned in a recent Dario Casali (of Valve) interview plus another old one with some id employee.ĭecals are great for adding atmosphere. I'm not saying put a weapon and armour by every start, just make sure that within about 5 seconds, a player can get a weapon after spawning. There's nothing worse than being killed time after time in DM because you couldn't get a weapon or reasonable protection without a 3 mile hike. If you're making a DM map, make sure the player starts are quite near to either a weapon or armour. We'd rather not be chasing around a corner just to get stuck on some brush that leaves us with one less frag than we deserve, or feed one to someone else. Especially in DM maps where pursuit is often occuring. Then, give it to a review site maintainer to playtest. Then, listen to them, and try to get some points for improvement off all of them. then get friends and colleagues to test it too, with as many varied in skill as possible. Note down details on paper as you find errors. Only then will you know where it needs to be improved and/or optimized. Playtest the map as much as you can - play it through yourself over and over again, until you're sick. So, make sure your map is a challenge for the stronger players on harder skills, but still possible for the beginner who has only completed Half-Life once. Not everyone is a God, that is, not everyone may have as much skill at playing HL as you do. Use all prefabs carefully, and the least you can. and the very worst have about 5 of the same in a row. it seems that every released map has at least 1 vending machine in it somewhere. yes, they may be quick, and you are meant to use them, but really. So, remember, always compile properly, and do a full vis.ĭon't rely on prefabs for your whole level. To fix this, you just need to put clip brushes where each sky brush is, or just put a clip brush overhead to separate the players area from any sky.Ĭompile your maps properly!!! There's nothing worse than downloading and playing a map just to find it runs at a max speed of 3fps on your system because it hasn't been properly compiled. In HL, sky brushes aren't naturally solid (this is to get some sun and lighting effects to work without affecting the player) so you can walk straight through them, and fall out the level. note: use this in conjunction with tip #21.) Tip #16 don't have one side of a visible wall one texture, then a connecting side a texture that just doesn't match: Fix 'em on the way, and you only need think about what you'll be working on next. Keeping errors and defects to their absolute minimum is essential for a map that looks professional. As the defects build up, you will forget about the old less obvious ones. If you're testing your map, and you find just one error, fix it as soon as possible, no matter how minor. The rest of us though will have to find our ways round it and take just a little bit more time.įix on the go. You'll probably get great maps out in a number of minutes. I run straight into a map, expecting myself to create base ideas spontaneously. This is something I'm always terrible at. This will help you visualize the order of events, and see where the error lies. If you're having a right problem trying to get a series of entities to do what you want, get a bit of paper, make a flow chart. If you must use all the textures you can, don't release your map. note: go here for the TWHL discussion forums) Tip #5 I use this always, until I understand the motif 95%. These will be your reference shots - use these to decide what textures to use and where in your map. Then, load up Paint Shop Pro (or some other image browser), and browse through the shots you have taken (should be in your half-life dir). Take them of the floor, the walls, ceilings, roofs, outside, inside. Then, take screenshots (use F5 or bind a key to screenshot ). Run around the original levels of Half-Life until you find a style that you like, be it the 'lab' look of the levels just before the experiment, or the army brickwork of boot_camp. Vital to get texturing perfect: examine the base. ![]() It may be quick, but in the long run, your levels will be much easier to maintain and will help you express your ideas easier if each brush is placed individually. This may sound obvious, but there are still people out there who construct their maps by hollowing out brushes, and carving hallways in between 'rooms'.
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