I'm trying not to look incompetent here, but you people aren't making it easy.
Here's what I've got so far:
http://imgur.com/a/D30Cx
First an action shot of the opening area, with the newly added lava pump station in the background, then a closer look at one of the lights I've added to try and highlight the gates (I'll be tweaking the brightness as I go), and finally a shot of the pump approach.
The geometry hasn't gotten any more polished, obviously, but the thirty-odd enemies are in place (it's a tiny map, don't expect much), the triggers are all connected and basic lighting is in. The map plays start to finish, and I guess is ready for feedback about pacing/difficulty/ammo/health/etc.
How exactly do we go about testing these things? I don't know anybody who plays Quake, frankly. Do we all just beta test each other's maps? I feel like that must spoil some of the fun of seeing the finished product for the first time, but I'm up for whatever the custom is for Jams.
Halvgoeden: Cool arch, I love how something as simple as slightly curving a piece of architecture like that can make it so much more interesting. Have you considered bending that bridge partway across? Make an S shape, so to speak? A squarish S shape, sure, but just something to break up the symmetry.
ShoTro: Hey, a Quake 2 map! :P Sorry to break your balls, I know Daz already mentioned the lighting, I just couldn't resist. Beyond that, "a little underwhelming from what I initially planned" is the story of my life, so don't feel too bad about scaling down the scope. I'm still excited to play!
Daz: You were right about the
.lit file, I have a custom build configuration in Jackhammer that builds outside the BSP directory and then copies the files in; I'd forgotten to copy the .lit file for my Extra4 config. Also great shots, can't wait to find out what the hidden treasure is.
unbirthday: Great pillars, I always enjoy trying to come up with different shapes to cap off things like that. And are those cannons in your second shot? Looks like one of those American Civil War era iron sided ships.
ionous: Fingers crossed you get everything done in time, I love trapezoids! I want to see the rest of that place.
Warren/necros/Scampie: Not to sound like a kissass, but I can't offer anything beyond drool and jealousy, sorry.