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If Skacky really placed that many brushes for this map jam then that's more brushes than I've placed since I started mapping for Quake 3 Arena. Even for my most recent stuff I hardly go over 3000 brushes, and back in the days of Quake 3 Arena everyone's PCs were so crap we had to consider r_speeds above all (and horrible compile times on old Pentiums).
Now I'm curious to see a screnshot of a brush count in a level editor if possible. It's easy, for SP. For example, just create a complicated setpiece and make it a base for the map or use it for details like a lamp which is the source of lighting all across the map, with small variations. Using long stairs over ramps also increase the number, or heavily detailed rock brushwork on big areas.
The right layout can lower the r_speeds. On DM maps that high count is hard to see, more than because of engine constraints, but because of a custom about lowering r_speeds as much as possible. It's easy to get crazy with brushes, not that it helps with making good maps. I have made some speedmaps with over 5k brushes easily that looked simple, like the one for mapjam2. I think the ikblue/ikwhite jam has shown that monochrome textures aren't a barrier to creating interesting maps.
But that was partly because even if you add differently colored lights to ikwhite you've still got ikwhite.
Take away the blue lights from ne_altar and you've got a chico's ruin map with different colors. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72Jjyg-RfNFUG04WmNkVmhoLWM
breezep, haunter, mukor, nait, otp, pulsar later the reviews, but suffice to say i liked all the maps. pulsar map is awesome The Roadhouse is proud to welcome: The Skacky!
breezep. i really like the architecture and the fusion of the castle into the caves/cliffs. very well done. the fights are also good too.
haunter: small map but with two good fights. i like the doors too mukor: nice library map. i ran out of ammo with the final boss so i started again. naitalveni: architecturally is a really good map, but it's the weakest of the maps that i played so far (or the only one weak i should say). i replayed the map again, but i cannot tell what are the things that i don't like, beside some technical errors. otp: if only the maps had smells attached to it. didn't know that the plasma gun can gibs zombies :D also i did get the fourth dimension interestelar thingy. good map overall. also, the best lovecraft secret so far. pulsar: the best map of this six that i played. good fights, good architecture, good pacing, awesome begining, rotating brushes. fell a few times to my death. the only thing that i didn't like it's a polyp when you are in a platform and the polyp pushes you to the void. So happy you found the HPL secret after all! I have lots of reservations about my map but that one bit I am 100% satisfied with.
yeah, i played a second time 'cause i had like 30 kills left the first time but i didn't record the demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzy8VHtBfM4
Here are the final 5 maps of the pack! Newhouse: This map had a really awesome looking beginning area and the main courtyard that is revealed to you right after looks very demonic, dark and hellish. The map itself sort of feels like an old school custom DOOM wad. The unfortunate part of it is that I just couldn't find my way around well enough to actually finish the map. Confusing corridors and buttons sort of kept me from progressing much in this one. I really like the look of it though! onetruepurple: This is a great example of how to do a lot with a little. OTP was able to take a smaller sized level and add quite a lot of variety to the visual story and gameplay here. This map is sort of the sewers of Contract Revoked. I love the flow and pacing of this map, but my only really gripe is the use of spawns. I can't stand them! Other than that, this is an excellent map! Pulsar: This is definitively in the running for favorite of the pack. It's in the same line as onetruepurple, where a lot is done with a little. The flow and pacing of this map is perfectly my speed, as it offers a fun challenge but also offers nice little breaks in the action. I'm glad that the tongue and teeth make a return here and little bits of flesh are used throughout to keep the theme going. I also LOVE the orange skybox on this one! That end fight was brutal and I expected to beef it when I saw all those big guys but surprisingly I made it out alright. Really nice work on this one Pulsar! ShoTro: I wasn't expecting what I got with Shotro's map here, as it's basically a whole episode! A very cleverly built episode. There are around 5 stages to how his map works, where each one uses a well known Quake trope and makes a separate level out of each. So in one you will fight Chthon, in another you will fight in an arena, in another you will fight another boss and so on and you collect a rune for each one and then finish the map with that rune. Once you restart, it automatically puts you right at the start of the same map. So the first time you play it, you learn the map and where to go. Then when you finish, the second time you play it, other areas have opened up to reveal the next step or task. It's like the Groundhog's Day movie but in Quake. I wish I knew going into this that the map would be sort of its own thing because I would've given this one it's own episode! Anyway, I thought this was very clever and I'm not sure how you had the time to do this within the time for the map jam, so congrats on that! There was a lot of variety in what you were offering here in this map (or should I say map pack?) and I think a lot of people will be inspired by what was created here. The library comes to mind as one of my favorite areas, because different things happen as you touch different book shelves. The arena fight with all the grunts was also a good way to blow off some steam. This map had so many sections though, it's worth watching my playthrough for more thoughts as they happen. Nice work on this! Skacky: Great map here Skacky! This probably felt the most like Contract Revoked of the 5 here, as the whole level is a gigantic library! That's sort of a blessing and a curse because much of it looks the same and I felt like I got turned around a little looking for the next thing to do, thankfully those teleporters were there. Lots of books! I would've liked a little more variety in the gameplay for such a long map too. Maybe have it so you have to solve a puzzle for the 2nd pillar or something to that effect just to change it up? It's nit picky though because the map is a really good, straight forward Quake map. I did not expect to survive with the odds stacked against me at the end there, but somehow I pulled through. Also wanted to do a special mention for the start map for you as I think this might be one of the best start maps I've seen so far! I love how everyone sort of brought a different approach to CR here and it really made the map jam unique. it felt like everyone had a separate adventure they wanted to show off in the CR universe and they were all very cool. Great job everyone! Finally finished it (more or less) in several sessions.
A couple of observations: 1. Secrets are the new crates. 2. Fucking Quoth. 3. The reskins feel unnecessary and quite bad 4. Use developer mode - several maps have items fall out which went by unnoticed; also, in many cases where misc_model was used there is warning spam about invalid frames or skins (likely due to improper use of the entity/lacking documentation in Quoth progs?) 4. Colored lighting all over the place in some maps. Not pretending I'm an expert on this, but while it can generally serve to enhance the atmosphere, I feel like it's often used in a more gimmicky way. E.g. is it mandatory that red windows have to glow like that? Or where colored lights are used to light entire areas. Might work with a bright yellow; not so much with dark colors which lower the overall light level and often doesn't look that good to begin with. 5. What's with all the HPL secrets.. Not to mention the fact you got it all wrong: HPL has no eyes!! (Voreling barf seems about right, though) 6. Pulsar's and skacky's secrets can fuck off. 7. Clipping is an issue in a few maps. It's a good idea to clip off small recessed bits on the walls and particularly the floor to make for smoother gameplay, because Quake physics are really dodgy in this regard - movement (or jumping) is easily impeded by ever so small height differences. By and large, the maps in this pack are all very good; nice to see some new(er) faces. I was a little bit worried a Knave jam would yield grey brick maps exclusively, though luckily there were some thematic exceptions as well. Generally, I prefered the smaller maps. I found that I tire easily playing such big packs with many maps, but that's my problem. Sadly, I didn't take notes and forgot about things I noticed, so I can't really make satisfying individual comments for most of them. All levels had some nice features and/or visuals in one way or another. Some demos of varying quality (meaning sometimes I play terribly). Skill 2 may not have been a good idea. Didn't finish ShoTro's and skacky's map (at the end fights, so not much missed. Meant to return to them, but then didn't). Shotro: quite experimental, which is appreciated, but also awkward in terms mechanics and gameplay, causing frustrating situations/deaths. I applaud the unique approach, but I can't say I enjoyed playing it that much. NewHouse: Pretty abstract regarding the theme in addition to being altogether somewhat crude, and I sighed at the excessive (almost exclusive) use of Quoth enemies which is normally bound to make things not-fun. However, to my surprise it all worked out due to all the powerups and supplies. Good. Naitelveni: Wtf moment when spawning in a base. The Knave level was good, although the clipping and colored lighting issues peaked in this very map. Some situations where I got a little annoyed items were put in my way forcing me to pick them up even though I didn't want/need them. I didn't bother with the start map, but it's fine, and with some things to do and discover. Re: stupid argument - both opinois are valid. If you consider this a pack in the same context/tradition as Chapters, then a start map like this has its place and works as hub tying the whole thing together. If you regard this as a casual mapping jam like they were originally envisioned, it's quite unnecessary, especially with such a complex structure. Nothing to complain about considering skacky made three other maps beside it.... ;) 3. The reskins feel unnecessary and quite bad
They're straight from the contract pak0.pak. As is the sky sound and the menu sound. I didn't notice them in Contract or didn't remember, then.
Re: clipping - recessed and/or protruding architecture Hi ShoTro, can you drop me an e-mail about your updated version of the map (with the fixed skins etc?). I went to e-mail you but I can't see your profile on the registered accounts page...
'movedist' is not a global
'centerprintcount' is not a global 'angry_monsters' is not a global 's' is not a global Can't find function trigger_start_go Host_Error: ED_ParseEdict: parse error
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