Although the stairs seem a bit narrow. 

Unless you redo the textures properly, and probably not even then. 

Whichever one has more spotlights is the best.

Rampstairs has potention, but the ramps are too wide and the stairs are too narrow. Otherwise I go for the stairs. 

100% Fact. 

Stairs > ramps most of the time, because ramps are harder to maneuver on. Even harder when there's a 90� turn.

Steps with the added ramp-trim is best, because it finishes the feature off with convincing structure and doesn't leave a texture alignment problem on the vertical side faces.

128 units width for the whole feature is fine, but make the trims 16 either side and the steps 96 in between. Use the alternate colored grip metal tiles for the steps if you like, but use a different texture for the trims. Even a seamless texture there would be preferable to the floor tiles. Is there a version of that grill trim in the wad that doesn't have the black slots? Just the bluish green metal trim would be ideal.
Continue the trim around the flat landing, leaving a square of 3x3 floor tiles neatly aligned in the middle.

Personally though, the lower room is so small that the stairs protruding into it looks cramped and a bit ugly. It seems you had to add the 90� turn in the steps simply because you ran out of room :P
In the interests of both aesthetics and gameplay, I'd knock out the steps/ramps altogether and use a func_plat, recessed partly into the wall/ledge. Maybe put a button on the wall opposite that brings it down, with a monster onboard harassing the player the whole time.
If you don't want to leave the center of the lower room empty, consider a less obstructive feature, maybe 64x64 units and as tall as you like. A crate or pipe are default candidates, but you could get creative with some sort of console feature.
That would be my implementation, and my 2/- 

This is a DM map :) I ended up going with "rampstairs" that have similar structure but slightly different looks than those seen in the screenshots. 

like this maybe?

http://www.planetquake.com/images/image.asp?/quake2/features/lotw/01-05-07/icepick.jpg
http://www.celephais.net/cv/image.php?icepick1.jpg 

people.
Ramps are useful in dm: you can both jump up them or get speed if you jump down them.

Of course it's much harder to make them look
good, and they usually must be less steep than stairs. :/ 

The reason I suggested the ramps was, as bamb says, and as you wanted originally with the curvey ramp, was to have a smooth surface for bunny hopping... 

just make them look better. It can't be that hard to add a few details or so on the edges to make it look better. I have an idea that I think would work, but I can't be bothered to knock up a screen for you (sorry.)

The idea is simply to put raised trims on the side, but instead of having them sticking out, make a short 45 degree slope into them. This way players can jump of the sides too. JUMPING FUN AHOY. Make them 16 units wide+16 units for the slope into them, or 8 if you make them 8 units high instead of 16, which might look better. Now make the base of the stairs 16 units thinner, so the raised trim sticks out above the ground, and not only do you have slightly more space below, but you have a feature that will have all the neighbours talking.

If you understood that, have the cheese that I attached to this message. It is well deserved. 

 

a smooth surface for bunny hopping...

FFS.

More like "a smooth surface to hop around like a lunatic making and thrusting your cock down the opponent's throat because they can never keep a bead on you because you're bouncing off all the god damn walls in 5 nanoseconds".

Yes I'm still DM bitter. 

I can tell ;)

"Enraged" is being designed with seasoned QW team deathmatch players in mind. Essentially this means that I am trying to design the map in such a way that it has trickjumping potential, the player can move around at high speed and balancing items to ensure interesting team deathmatch gameplay.

Quite obviously this also means that when playing on this map, a seasoned player would have a huge advantage over a casual player, which isn't any different from any other good map really. A casual player attempting to win an Aerowalk match against Reppie or Insane or a DM2 match against Locktar or Goljat needs his sanity checked. 

jump pads or lifts 

This is a 3rd public beta of the Q1DM map I am working on: http://www.saunalahti.fi/dnaumov/enrapb03.zip The map is built for 4on4 TDM, 2on2 TDM and FFA gameplay. Report any and all problems you possibly encounter with the map, no matter how minor. I want to have this build throughly tested. 

Is a trick in a trick-custom-built map still a trick? 

One thinks it might be lacking in weapons, ammo, and health for FFA? 

Good to notice Jago and Shamb, but actually I think, not many people play ffa. Some occasionally when bored or to warm up. One can't compromise a 4on4 map for that.

And only dm2 of the 4on4 maps can be used nicely for 2on2.

I think there are two ffa servers in Europe, one runs random episode maps (xs4all) and the other just death32c (id dm maps connected together with a little extra architechture).


And to Snaga: maps can be trick-friendly or they can be non-trick-friendly. Often friendly if there are some open spaces to gather speed and some ramps. People will invent something. You can make boxroom with stairs between every room and be sure that there aren't many tricks possible.

And the last word on tricks, there actually are special "freestyle" maps for freestyle tricks where you can show off your movement skills. (these are different than trick maps where you perform one very specific trick after another like jump on some plats over void to reach the next trick). Of course many mappers here don't know how make something so purely for qw movement, and they actually are made primarily by non-mapping-guru players and are thus ugly. 

Sorry if I stept on that toe of yours, I was only philosophizing.

But thanks for the info. : maps can be trick-friendly or non-trick friendly, I'll keep that in mind ;) 

http://members.home.nl/gimli/joequake.jpg
trick-friendly. 

I've had a couple of good days of mapping over the holiday break, and I think this is pretty solid at this point. This is the second (and probably the last) beta.

Obligatory pics:

http://www.planetquake.com/pjw/screenshots/pjw4dm1a.jpg

http://www.planetquake.com/pjw/screenshots/pjw4dm1b.jpg

http://www.planetquake.com/pjw/screenshots/pjw4dm1c.jpg

Any feedback is welcome.
Download: http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?/planetquake/pjw/mapstorage/pjw4dm1.zip 

that looks very plain in the pics, almost q1 plain. 

Kind of agree with nitin, looks a little plain in the shots. Don't have Q4 yet, so I can't check it out properly.

I do like the tower structures in the first shot, but imho the lighting really spoils it. Is it intended for serious competition? Is that why you have gone for such a simple look?

The pipe walkways are a neat idea but I think they could use bulking up with more smaller pipes to give it a more solid and navigable look - perhaps even put grilles over the top to make a proper walkway. The point about the lighting still stands in this shot too - it's too bright and plain.

The other shot could use some more angles on the main platform edges, and I think some of the walls in the background could be made to slope in or out slightly - assuming that wouldn't destroy the gameplay. Again, the lighting is very bright and it doesn't look like a next gen game at all.

Is it not possible to light it so it looks nice and then configure settings in Q4 to improve visibility for serious DM?

Anyway, sorry to be so blunt about the visuals. I'm sure it has a good layout and plays well, but I think that making it look good should be the next thing you should do. I suppose it depends what you want from the map really.

Cool that you are mapping in your spare time whilst having a full-time games job. I almost stopped completely I was so burnt out and fed up after work :( S'ok now though :) 

Is it not possible to light it so it looks nice and then configure settings in Q4 to improve visibility for serious DM?

I asked myself the same question when wandering around the Q4 MP levels. They're all washed out compared to the SP levels Than.

pjw I'll eventually post some full (and mostly positive) comments re: Q4SP in the Q4 thread. I just need to finish my second (and much slower run) through this awesome game. However, the stock MP levels look... err... crap :( , and I think the reason is the lighting. Suddenly what looks three dimensional under the SP lighting looks two dimensional. What has depth suddenly looks flat. What is interesting suddenly becomes boring. I can understand that Raven probably wanted to pre-empt the sorts of light levels that hard core DM players were going to use anyway, from the start... if this is the case I think it was a mistake. 

I can't actually see any evidence of lighting in those shots, so I assumed that lighting had yet to be done/compiled?