This is my first dod mapping attempt. I have been working on this for some time and I am hoping to release it in the next couple of weeks. I have to complete a couple of sections and sort out the lighting and 3D skybox.

Please take a moment to browse through the images I have uploaded to this site:

http://yetihw.0catch.com/

Cheers :)


http://yetihw.0catch.com/Images/alley800.jpg

Are you using the beta SDK? Looks like you're building cubemaps on the 4.0 Hammer and the result is all dynamic entities turn black.

You should test the gameplay asap before going too far in prepping up the map, which does need to be made less blocky

to make the stone steps seem older and not so new try making the top of them in the middle concave.

i live in a 120 year old cottage and believe me the stone steps at the front door have been worn down a lot.

Ok so that site's bandwidth is gone already :D

As for the steps, I have used that method on most of them I'm not sure what image you were refering to

As for the WIP, I'm getting my own site up and running soon so I'll post another preview when that's ready.

In the mean time here's a few low-res images I put on my geocities account at http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/

http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/alley2_3.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/alley2_4.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/alley5.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/alley800.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/allied10.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/allied5.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/centre01.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/centre02.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/centre03.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/centre04.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/centre09.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/church1.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/street01.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/street06.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/street07.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/street10.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/street11.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/tunnels04.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/tunnels07.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/tunnels09.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/whitey_spare/dod/tunnels10.jpg

(Hopefully the bandwidth won't run out too quickly ;))

TOO LATE!

www.imageshack.us

It's working for me, looks good. Is there a layout pic so I can get a feel for the area?

Thanks, yes here you are. I did two, one plain and one showing a couple of intentions.

good start
id brighten it up a little.

Needs to be a lot brighter. A LOT. Also, it looks a bit cramped and linear, but perhaps that's just the selection of pictures.

Thanks for comments, in reply to both furyo and the last two posts.

I acquired the beta sdk and since then, with a few slight adjustments, my black model/lighting problems are mostly sorted.

I am however still getting an enourmous compile time... At the moment I'm compiling on Normal/Fast/Fast which is another reason that those screens may look badly lit, and that's taking about half an hour which is obviously not right.

Possible reasons: The map is currently boxed in all round with a skybox, and once I've finished I'll seal up the skybox and that should decrease vis times. I also have a lot of brush work at angles and some of it is possibly overlapping other brushes?

One other thing - is there an easy way to sort out a texture error, I only have a few but one of them is big and very annoying I'll post a screen in a bit.

Cheers

Texture Errors:

Textures appearing black in game are model textures. Not to be used on brushes.

As far as compile times, yes PLEASE make a proper skybox. It'll save us a load of FPS. Tighten it up as much as you can. You also can look into other optimization tips (func_details, hints, areaportals, occluders, etc) and there should never ever be overlapping brushes (except displacements which can overlap anything).

That texture is not a model texture. With the big one on the building the texture is the same plasterwall texture as the ones around it.

And yes I am going to tighten it up but I think I need to finish a few more things before I do so.

I am going to look into changing things to func_details, I spent ages looking around a decompiled dod_avalanche at func_detaials and I can't quite work out why some are and some aren't but I'll get there.

As for areaportals and occluders I have a lot of reading to do ...

Just because you are using a similar texture elsewhere in the map doesn't make it the same texture. Some textures exist in both brushes and models versions. If your texture there is located in "models/...." you can get rid of it immediately.

Well what I mean't was that the actual texture appears on half of the brush but not the other, look at this



Sorry if I'm being dense but do you see what I mean

Now I do :) Don't know more about this issue. My guess would be lighting issue (as opposed to brush issue) but both could be the case here.

I assume there isn't an overlapping brush with a nodraw texture/block light that would cause this?

Tried building cubemaps? Putting a light in front of the black areas?

I've tried everything you said except putting a light in front of it... I assume it is a lighting issue. I'm kind of hoping that when I compile on full RAD it will go away :P but probably not.

I moved the cubemaps around a bit and it didnt make any difference, however on an earlier compile that wall was fine but the arch to the left of it was covered in texture errors. Now the arch has none and the wall does.

Update

Thought I'd update my WIP. I've taken some comments on board, mainly the level has been lightened. I've added a DOD skybox and played around with the sun, I think it looks pretty nice now and it looks great in play. I've also added a few more things, including some new models from Argentan which have been useful - mainly the car blocking the main street which adds some much needed cover.

Anyway enjoy, and please do post comments, positive or negative.

(Oh and I added some B17's as well, not sure if I'll keep them as everyone will probably do the same)

Latest overview:

http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500677eu.jpg
http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500665xd.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500584hj.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500574tl.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500566hn.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500557nh.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500533wg.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500529ka.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500515co.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500509hs.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500488dh.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500455gv.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500442wa.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500436be.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500422mg.jpg

http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500401je.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500382ku.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500368lu.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500358wu.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500347ik.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500311gm.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500270yv.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500254on.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500151tf.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500132lq.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500115af.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500101ro.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500096yl.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500068mh.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500053rv.jpg

http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500045wz.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500022hc.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500014zs.jpg

Looking good :) Ever think about making it a night map? I think it looks like it would be a good night map.

map looking good!! keep up the good work, any sense on what the release date might be?

I'm hoping for < 2 weeks. Got the top left (as seen in overview) to finish and lots of touching up and optimizing to do. Yes it does look quite good dark as well, maybe I'll release 2 versions :P

Shaping up ! :D

I noticed in this pic:

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8751/dodclaviersb500557nh.jpg

The wall mounted lights are emitting light in the broad daylight. :)

Oh yeah I forgot to chuck them when I changed the sun. Cheers :P

Good work so far. But the roof of the hose in the front should be fixed.

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/...rsb500557nh.jpg

Another thing that you might change is to scale down the sun a bit (if possible). Maybe it´s only me but I feel it looks a bit too huge.

http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dodclaviersb500068mh.jpg

Other than that I have no complaints ;)

Yeah I've got the roof bit in my list of fixes to-do :) and I see what you mean about the sun, I'll take a look. Cheers for comments.