dod_celes is based on the old dod_snowtown for 1.3 and previous versions. I couldn't get the original authors permission to use the name and the map layout, so my design is based on the layout of dod_snowtown, with many changes.

The map is a 4 flag map, all instant caps, for those that remember, there's one near the Allied spawn, there's another in a building, one on a long street with a Tiger tank down the Axis end of the street and the last is over near the Axis spawn which is towards a field.

Changes I've done include a new way to the axis' first flag, and I've also made the sewers alot shorter, now there are only two entrances/exits rather then four.

Here are a couple of screenshots from the map:

http://www.rolkdesigns.com/images/temp_images/dod_celes_001.gif
This is the Axis' first flag, looking down a field which bends around to the right where the Axis spawn in a building. To the left is an opening which leads into a house and ends up on the main street.

http://www.rolkdesigns.com/images/temp_images/dod_celes_002.gif
This is the second Axis flag, and the main street. Axis can jump over the wall on the other side of the tank to get onto the main street, and behind that wall is also where you can go down into the sewers.


The map should be finished, hopefully in the coming week, so far I'm getting pretty good FPS and will take even more steps to try and optimize it further. Comments and constructive critism are welcome, cheers.

One more snow map :)

It look nice. From the 2 picuture, one thing I can say before Furyo read this post and post "it's look too blocky" Make some roof with displacements. With it, you can make them look torn down by time and really add to the reality of a map.

Furyo wrote a tutorial on DODF about how to do them and I followed his tutorial to do one. It's very well explained and really beef up a map.

http://www.dod-federation.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1112#post1112

Also your fire on the tank does not look right, just seem to sit on top of the tank instead of coming from within.

Make sure the lamp post on the corner will let a player pass between the building and the post. Many mapper make them too close and it always bug me bit.

The fence on the first picture is nice since it not a straight line. If you get to work the roof the same way, you will get the same effect of breaking lines.

Under the flag, I guess it's a sewer, just look weird a bit (the round thing).

Really look good but can't say much more from the two images only. Keep up the good work :) and if you ever need to play test the map to get more feedback DOD:F offer this service to mapper. Just PM me.

makes me think of snowtown - keep it going ;)

The roof's are already displacements I just need to modify the 'geometry' (the snow on the roofs is a blend texture).

The fire lis okay, jsut must be the angle of the picture... As for the lamp post, I removed it as it was a pain in the ass and players had to move around it or jump on an angle to get around it.

I'll post some more images in a bit! (hopefully tonight. Thanks for the comments fellas.

Just a very tiny aesthetic detail, I'd like to comment on. It's just something I've seen a lot of people ignore, but it's small details like these can turn a good map into a great map.

The snow on the roofs. Why is it gathered at the top of the roof? There's gravity you know. The snow would slide down to the bottom edges of the roof.

Some more images:

http://www.rolkdesigns.com/images/temp_images/dod_celes_003.gif

http://www.rolkdesigns.com/images/temp_images/dod_celes_004.gif

http://www.rolkdesigns.com/images/temp_images/dod_celes_005.gif

http://www.rolkdesigns.com/images/temp_images/dod_celes_006.gif

Getting there, I've added a fair lot of detail to the roof's. Also added a bit more detail to the ground (these previous screenshots are taken with HDR off).

Looks like Luc wanted to speak in my name, so I'll just add my own pinch of salt :)

First pic:

- On the left, round up the wall's top face (displacement) if it's not meant to block VIS (I don't see why it would though). Add variety to the texture with an overlay.

- The sidewalks are too blocky (squary). Displace them, and try to work your magic so one doesn't feel like a 90° copy and paste of the other.

- If you look at the door of the red house, the edge between the snowfield and the stone is too visible and out of place. It really looks like what it shouldn't: the end of your brush and the start of another. Blend them (displacements again)

- I like the use of the red stucco texture, which is definitely meant for italian/mediterranean maps, but if you look closely, you can see reflecting on it the shadows of the window props.

It would be fine if the shadow was only downward (logical) but it's also upwards, which suggests that the props aren't perfectly aligned with the wall. You may want to check that.

If they are perfectly aligned with the wall, then you may want to try disabling the shadows on them altogether.

- Last, I can't quite decide whether the door props on the red house are correctly lit or not. Did you use an info_lighting entity for those? You may want to try with one of those if you haven't, see if that makes any difference.



2nd pic:

Same comment about displacement, variety in textures, and props shadows. The edge between sidewalk and snowfield is again a bit too sharp. Try creating your own blends and see if you can arrange that.

3rd pic:

I don't see why this specific area of a tank would ever burn that way, especially when its look remains unaltered by the fire. Check your fire entity origin.


4th pic:

Displace those sidewalks, and use blends again to make those edges stand out less. Same comments about variety in texture with that very repeating Flash texture in the background (I hate that texture :) )

5th pic:

Blocky buildings (break down these straight lines more) and very blocky stairs, with the use of handrails that don't quite match either.

6th and last pic:

- The three sandbags props are facing inwards (I'm sure you know that) but that doesn't really look right.

- The two other sandbags clearly aren't lit the same way. The origin of the darker one must be blocked within the ground's brush. In this case, use an info_lighting.

- The shingle texture on the right roof is clearly upside down (each of the tiles have a darker base, to simulate their shadow, seen as they're on top of each other.




Finally, I don't mind the use of the snow on the roofs towards the peak. It actually makes sense if you're trying to go for a "snow is melding, whatever snow was on the roof fell down below". But for that to work, the roofs have to be somewhat steeper, and of course, you could add some snow in the form of localized displacement patches here and there. It would add to the atmosphere and would help break down those "boring" straight streets.


I still think it's a good start. Please spend more time on optimizing it than on your other maps :)

I like your idea of staying true to dod_snowtown. I think it looks pretty good and alot of players will appreciate that fact. Looking good.

Good work. Get it to playing shape and worry about the other stuff after you prove the gameplay works. Too many people post their work here without regard to playablity and then after hearing the comments spend way too much time on how it looks rather than how it plays (I'm guilty of this as well).

I'll put it this way...you can fix the way a map looks but no amount of *pretty* will fix crappy gameplay.

Amen FD. And the problem being we only have pics to comment, we need a test on dodfederation soon Rolk ! ;) :D

It's running pretty smooth, I'm getting about 50-70fps on my crappy pc (9600xt, P4 3.06, 1 gig ram), and I haven't finished optimizing it yet...

Snowtown was a great map. If you can capture the way that map played with your visuals, this should be a blast.

Your "crappy" PC is better than mine, Rolk. I'm glad you're making a map that us obsolete players can enjoy. :)

The map has been given to a few testers, and should be out in about 3 days!

Hi, great work! Looking forward to playing it.

One thing though. Wasn't the fence/barrier thing in the second picture made of wood in snowtown?

I remember having fun walling axis with an mg through the fence :)

Looks good...:)

I do think the map is awesome, but there are a few things that make it very easy for the allies to win.

1) Jumping on the tank, onto the fence, and over to the house roof.

2) The door way to the axis house.

I still think there should be a secret room with your name in it...just for fun.

Other than that, I do believe that this map is grand. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Masterlodoss. Will look into the tank-over the fence part.

Last night there were two tests one by Sunlit Games (http://www.sunlitgames.net) and the other by SLAK Gaming Network (http://www.slak.com.au). Both communities showed great interest and thanks to them was able to pin point a few problems (Allies hammer this map, so must fix that).

Thanks to those who took the time to help! I will be releasing b2 withing the next 2 days!

Released, check it!

http://www.dayofdefeat.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=937658#post937658