DM-Defend the core. Blue

[partydevil]

i dont drink
you can have mine frank

[}TCP{Snowbird]

GIMME ... GIMME ...

Thx man.

[}TCP{Snowbird]

I am just about done, for now, with this one.

I need someone to test this out for me.

I will clean this post up later, and get rid of the first download, but for now, I am posting this here.

I am pleased for any review that I get.

[}TCP{Coco]

Hi Frank!

I finally took a look at the new version of your map. You've made some nice optical improvements there and I also found a new teleport (the one with the red button at the ground).

I just noticed 3 small things:

1. There seems to be a texture missing in the small passage that connects the two rooms. I made a screenshot, just check it out below. There's also a noticable bump when walking through there. By the way, did you ever try flying through there while in spec mode? That's amazingly confusing. I think the bots experience the same thing, because they turn around when trying to pass there.

2. Thanks for adding all those new member pics. I just noticed that Apollo doesn't yet have his new pic in there (the one with B.A.). The fading also works perfectly now, good job! I just dislike the fact a little that some of the pics (including mine) are stretched or shrunk, because they're displayed in 1:1 aspect while their original aspect likely was 4:3. I don't know how much work it would be, but a good solution would probably be to add black borders above and below (or wherever appropriate). Once again, see an example pic below.

3. There still seems to be a problem with the filename. When copying the map into my maps folder with the name you provided (DM-DefendTheCore.Blue_ver5.2.ut2) and running the game afterwards, it fails to export the new map into the list of available maps. After exiting the game again, I found the following in the log:

Code: Select all

Progress: Exporting DM-DefendTheCore...
Warning: Failed to load 'DM-DefendTheCore': Can't find file for package 'DM-DefendTheCore'
Warning: Failed to load 'LevelSummary DM-DefendTheCore.LevelSummary': Can't find file for package 'DM-DefendTheCore'
Warning: Error loading DM-DefendTheCore !

However, it worked when I renamed the map to DM-DefendTheCore. Funny thing is that it also works with the name DM-}TCP{DefendTheCore (like we're using it on FH#4).

Anyway, all in all good work, Frank, thanks!

Coco.

[}TCP{Snowbird]

Hey thanks Coco for the reply.

Yes there are several bugs still in it, and a few that you pointed out, I did not know about yet. Let me get to those first.

The black wall/floor, is caused by the editor, when it can not decide where to put the lighting. It is a small bug in the UT3 engine, that can be cleaned up sometimes. I had that a few times in this level already, and the zones cleaned them up to a point. This one I did not see, and will look at it right away. If I can not fix it with a normal fix, I will trick the editor out, but it will look normal when I am done. Thank you.

The "jump" that you see when going through the portal, is also a problem with the UT3 engine. Think of it this way, if you take an elevator going up, you feel a small pull downwards as soon as it starts. It is something like this. You are going through a portal, that sends you to another level. And the editor "draws" 1 milisecond too much, in both directions, so that you get this elevator effect. This can not be fixed that I know of. If the teleporter would send you into the same level, like from the ground floor, room one, to the ground floor, room 2, then you would not feel this.

The member pictures, yes, they could have the borders on them, but it does not look good. If anyone wants there pictures in the original size, say so, and it will be done. I will do Cocos, and add it to the up date. I have no problems editing levels, I just need to know.

The name of the level, is as I have it on my computer. B-4 it is useable, it needs to be renamed. I am sorry for forgetting this, every time I send you guys a level. I just get tired, and want to get the level out, b-4 I think of something else that I have forgotten.

I will get these problems fixed, as best I can, and a few others I have thought of, and get this back out. Any more comments would be nice. Frank

[}TCP{Coco]

Hi!

Alright, Frank, thanks for the work.

About the pics: You can, of course, as well make a cut out in 1:1 aspect and leave the left and right parts of the picture away (just like an LCD will do if you zoom a movie with black borders on top and bottom to make it fill the screen vertically).

Anyway, thanks for fixing my pic, mate.

Coco.

[Wigglebottom]

i dont mind being streched and cut out of porportions , just dont make me fat *Wiggle* and dont cut off the ears, plz ^^

[rejecht]

Had a look now. You've also added more visuals, which were cool!

The WarpZone is interesting, though has its limitations (projectiles won't go through). I didn't think it was very usable in practise, since I thought everyone who played such a map would need to have bUseStencil or whatever setting in their ini file set to true (which defaults to false, but I see that's only for the editor, then).

I also noticed the bump in the transition. One thing you could fix is the sudden appearance of hissing sounds from the vents on the other side after being warped. On one side of the warpzone, there is no such sound, but after the warpzone transition, the sound suddenly appears.

If it doesn't break anything, maybe add some steam emitters in the passageway on both sides to obscure the transition a little more.

Regarding the black surface Coco points out; when I tried your map again, I set all surfaces to have a lightmap size of 256 (max), because build time for lighting gets reduced dramatically that way. As it turns out, it might sometimes resolve black surface issues too, as it did in this case. So maybe you can try changing the light map size for that surface only, or all of them, if there are no side effects. In addition to faster build times for lighting, the file size was reduced by 3 MiB just by changing light map size to max. I did this with the AnataWa map, but had to change some surfaces to other light map sizes due to weird colouring, and shadows tend to get washed out with a higher lightmap size, though. Must experiment.

BTW: I just tried crossing the warpzone by jumping through it, and that went smoothly, so it's definitely the physics calculations which don't calibrate the transition when walking through. Maybe force people to jump through hoops.

Well, that was my.. two cents for now. ^^

[}TCP{Snowbird]

Very nice suggestions. I have written them down, and was just going to open the editor up and finish some other things. That with the black wall came up a few times, and I had no trouble getting rid of them before. I placed a few zones sheets in, and moved some others. I just need to fix this one.

A very good point about the hissing. I never noticed that before.

I had trouble with what I wanted to do with the warpzone, that is why I just made a picture of the "other side" and placed it on the wall. I do not really like this solution, but I almost went crazy with the 2nd warpzone. I could not get it to stop showing the rest of the map when you walked through it. I may get it someday, but my time is getting short again.

As you are in the air, you do not notice the "glitch" as when you walk through it. It would destroy the illusion of seeing the other side, if you had to jump over something blocking the view of the other side. I think I read somewhere years ago, that there is a trick that you can do, like bending the hallway on the other side, downwards, and the effect is less noticeable. I have never been a great fan of warpzones, just because of the glitches, and problems with more than one.

BTW, has anyone noticed if you can see parts of the level as you are walking through the warpzone? Coco told me once that he saw the big ball in the middle of the level, as he was walking through. In the editor I have not seen this yet. I hope that it does not become a problem. Thx again fo ryour tips reject. Frank

[}TCP{Snowbird]

:O Double post.

I have taken the map off of the download list, because I am still going to work on this a bit longer. I was just going to throw this at you guys as-is, but decided to work on it a bit more.

I have already changed a few things and it is turning out good. I have used rejects idea about jumping over something, and it works nicely. GJ Reject.

Bare with me folks, It is coming, and I hope that it will be as fun to play, as it was to make. Frank

[}TCP{Coco]

Hi!

BTW, has anyone noticed if you can see parts of the level as you are walking through the warpzone? Coco told me once that he saw the big ball in the middle of the level, as he was walking through. In the editor I have not seen this yet. I hope that it does not become a problem.

I was looking for it (when I discovered that bump) and couldn't see it anymore, so I thought you fixed that problem. At least it seems to be solved now.

Coco.

[rejecht]

np, Frank. Just throwing ideas out there. You're the mapper.


In an earlier version, I remember seeing a black sphere appearing on the left side when passing through that area.
I didn't see any such anomaly while going through that area this time, though.

[}TCP{Snowbird]

OK, I have done a bunch more to the map.

I took rejects sugestion, and it worked out great for the warpzone. Check it out, I am sure that most wil aggree that it works better.

I have changed a few things, that make the "look", look better.

Have a look, and see if you like it. If not, tell me what I can change, and I will do it. Frank

[}TCP{Coco]

Hi Frank!

Good work! Lots of small improvements. I know what you meant about my pic now. I'll send you a better version soon. Only other pic that wasn't correct was Ghost's, as far as I could see. The bump is still there, but if you jump over that little barrier, you won't notice it.

I would have uploaded the new version to FH#4 already, but I must wait for Carnage to do that as well on the 32p server, because we're sharing the redirect server.

Coco.

[}TCP{Carnage]

U can upload it m8 .. u use the ONS map for your redirects and i use the TAM for sunday freon and of course ons