UT3 DM-Mardarth_Mines [PC][BETA][PICS]

[UPDATED=4/29/09] DM-Mardarth_Mines [PC][BETA 4][PICS]

DM-Mardarth Mines UPDATED: BETA 5 (final ?) (5/4/09) (

Version: Beta 5

Description: This is a fairly large death match for 8 to around 32 players. I emphasised atmosphere, but i also wanted to give it an unusual layout, something other than a typical UT3 map.
The map has three traps, two of which are set off at random (sort of) and the other by a button; Two of the traps are around power-ups and one is just in the map somewhere.
I focused on the visuals and atmosphere but the game play is good as well; theres narrow areas, and wider open areas and also good sniping positions and alot of z-axis action, so its pretty varied.

>Changes From Beta 4
-Added 2 more directional lights, and lots more spotlights to simulate sunlight.
-Added volumetrics as rays of light from the sun
-Added more fog volumes for atmosphere
-Added lots of dim bounce lights
-Added meshes in some areas and delete meshes in other areas, you know just generally improving things i wasnt happy with.
-Added bot pathing in the garage yard so bots can get the redeemer
-Larger file size but i found i got better frame rates because i realised i had a few point lights set to dynamic by mistake, which are now fixed.
If you getting lower fps than with Beta 4 then post your outrage here.


>Changes From Beta 3

Changed PP in some areas to be less obtrusive.

Changed map lighting.
-Increased overall brightness of the skylights
-Changed the "atmospheric lighting" i.e added more spot lights and directional lights to create a more realistic sun lit scene, and increase brightness.
-Added more lights aroung the map in general, to make the lighing more intresting, and to bring out detail better.

Removed 641 meshes (not noticeable dont worry) and done a general clean up mesh wise.
-Changed design of the teleporter room on mining tower (its now a teleporter balcony; more space and less meshes and has a nice view over to the garage yard)
-Changed other minor designs, primarily on mining tower.

Changed Layout on the mining tower, the elevator hallway by the storage halls now only connects to the storage hall and not back to the mining tower, but players can now jump from the elevator hall down to the generator tower and also from the mining tower down to the generator tower.

thats it i think.


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>Changes from Beta 2:

Fixed Mano Santo's problem caused by a package. (should be fixed, i cant test it so let me know)

Fixed multiple pathing issues:
-Stairs on main tower, beside tarydium pot.
-Walk-way from main control room across too processing tower.
-Stairs in the small computer room.
-Roof of the computer room

Changed collision in the elevator hallway on main tower.

Removed a very small amount of unnecesary meshes.


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>Changes from Beta 1:

Improved performance. (now works well with 32 bots at medium-highish settings)
-Removed some meshes
-Added in cull distance volumes
-Edited individual meshes cull distance settings
-Removed some unnecessary lights
-etc.

Fixed some of the pathing problems.

Changed the post processing, its less blurred now, and less bloom.

File size 7.5MB lower



Compatibility: PC only for now. Cooked with patch 2.0. If you dont have this patch by now, you don't have my permission to play the map


Story: Mardarth Mines, once the most prolific Tarydium mining colonies in Phyzaine 7. The company eventually had to close its doors during the economic crisis of 2286, the mines lay dormant for 5 years untill it was eventually swept up by Liandri location scouts for use in Liandri's up and coming Tournament. Out of the 8 Mardarth mines only 1 was deemded safe enough for use in the tournament, although most contestants would disagree.

Comments:


Known Bugs:
-One of the lifts, the lift by the threes, doesn't work right (see here for details)


Screenshots
[SCREENSHOT]http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk1/M_A_D_X_W/mappp-1.jpg[/SCREENSHOT]
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[SCREENSHOT]http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk1/M_A_D_X_W/mappp2.jpg[/SCREENSHOT]
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[SCREENSHOT]http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk1/M_A_D_X_W/mappp3.jpg[/SCREENSHOT]
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[SCREENSHOT]http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk1/M_A_D_X_W/mappp4.jpg[/SCREENSHOT]




Download:

DOWNLOAD!

acapulco said:

It really looks washed out. Don't blur that much, it does not help your map. Don't know right now if its bloom or just blur, but its definitely too much. Didn't look at the complete map, cause I saw nothing because of blur, didn't want to ruin my eyes =)

Click to expand...

Have you download and played the map or are just commenting on the screenshots? the screenshots are low quality so it looks different in game.

I have DOF at .5 min and max, which is low, yeah? I recomend you set the post processing to "intense" in the settings in game, as this looks more like i wanted it to.
Bloom is at the default level and is turned off in some parts of the map, each room has different post processing effects.
thanks for the feedback, will you ty setting PP to intense and see if it makes a difference?

Darkdrium said:

Looks good but pretty dark.
Got rid of my 'big rig' PC (needs fixing) so I can't playtest now.

The button trap shouldn't be bugged if the kismet is done right, however the proximity traps will be no matter what. The best thing is to do the redundant volume thing (A small touch volume inside the big one) so at least one will trigger the trap, but it still can be broken (Although it will happen quite rarely in game play because nobody will be actively trying to break the trigger).

Click to expand...

Yeah, no one will know if the two non-button traps sometimes don't work so thats not an issue really. I use an acctual trgger as the trap toggle for the button trap, because i couldn't get to work another way, so you walk up to the button and you walk true the trigger while doing so, could that setup be bugged? Have you downloaded the map? maybe you could take a look at the setup in kismet?
And yeah on my monitor its fairly bright but i played it on my laptop and its very dark, obvioulsy i cant change the brightness of every light now, so i recommend just changing the in-game brightness.

Thanks.
If you find it too dark, just increase the in-game brightness setting, and see if it helps.
Yeah i will do more work on optimization for the final.
Fire in the background? there is no fire :-S

Thank you, alot of people are commenting on the post processing so i will most deffinitly change that in the final. The flickering textures is probaly when i have two meshes in the same location. The bridge going around the whole map is made of small sections not BSP so the overlap at some points and flicker, i thought i had hidden most of this though. What areas do you experience this?
What PP setting are you using?

Im going to start working on a new version now.
-going to change the post processing outside.
-And try increase performance, any tips on optimization anyone?

and maybe try fix some of the path problems.

Ok its updated now to beta 2. (link in first post)

Imporved performance. (now works well with 32 bots at medium-highish settings)
-Removed some meshes
-Added in cull distance volumes.
-Removed some unnecessary lights
-etc.

Fixed some of the pathing problems.

Changed the post processing, its less blurred now, and less bloom.

And the file size is now 7.5MB less OMG!

Wow thanks!

Anzyway; I'm going away for a week, and i won't have a chance to check this thread, but if i come back next week and there is still no more feedback I'm going to go ahead and release the current version as the final.
So like, next weeks your chance if you have any feedback, ill incorporate any changes you suggest, and then release the final.

Well that package shouldn't be in it, ive fixed the pathing problems that cobra mentioned, and ill get that package out now as well, and ill release a new version tonight. thanks for the feedback.

Ok i've finished Beta 3

•Fixed Mano Santo's problem caused by a package. (should be fixed, i cant test it so let me know)

•Fixed multiple pathing issues:
-Stairs on main tower, beside tarydium pot.
-Walk-way from main control room across too processing tower.
-Stairs in the small computer room.
-Roof of the computer room

•Changed collision in the elevator hallway on main tower.

•Removed a very small amount of unnecesary meshes.

Nothing to major.
Let me know if every things ok.