UT3 DM-SoftTouch - Beta release
- Thread starter Hakamitokage
- Start date
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Not being a jerk here, but you meant Alpha release, right? Because right now all I see is a floor plan, 2 or 3 textures which are badly aligned btw.
You gotta put a couple more weeks (!) in before you reach beta stage.
You gotta put a couple more weeks (!) in before you reach beta stage.
No, it's a beta. It's feature-complete, no meshing will be done. I decided to work only in BSP for this map.
Do you have any comments on the layout or playability? Do you think the scale of the spaces works for UT3?
This looks a lot like a (bad) UT99 map...
Floorplan is also too flat, there's almost no verticality to it. Lighting is too dark overall.
There's been some BSP-only maps for UT3 that have looked quite a lot better, both in graphics and gameplay. Though as far as graphics are concerned, even UT99 maps look better for the most part. The only thing they're missing is the glow effect.
This needs a lot of work 0-o
Floorplan is also too flat, there's almost no verticality to it. Lighting is too dark overall.
There's been some BSP-only maps for UT3 that have looked quite a lot better, both in graphics and gameplay. Though as far as graphics are concerned, even UT99 maps look better for the most part. The only thing they're missing is the glow effect.
This needs a lot of work 0-o
Thank you for taking the time to do some criticism, I appreciate it.
What, other than the lighting level, would you suggest working on? Are there any specific elements you'd like to see added?
Also, what didn't you like about the gameplay? Was the pacing too fast, were the areas too big...?
Areas are too big, and the overall floorplan is too flat. Make use of the platform and introduce some more verticality into the level - Multiple floors, balconies, more extreme height differences.
The look is also important. I'm having trouble with this myself, but it's something i need to work on - Make every surface look 'interesting'. You don't want places in your map that look drab or unfinished. Check Hourences' levels for what i mean
A wall doesn't need to be flat and have a very plain texture. You may think it needs to be that, but it doesn't. Look at other levels in UT3 aswell, where certain walls actually look like storage areas with girders sealing them off. Stuff like that makes your level seem much larger than it actually is, without compromising gameplay by actually making it too large. It also makes it seem a lot more alive and involving, but more importantly, such details also help the player identify where he is on the map. Distinctive features help more here than just layout/floorplan! You don't want the player to get lost in such a small map, which can happen with such lighting and homogenous texturing.
One thing you could do is draw a floorplan out BEFORE you start building. This may seem irrelevant, but it gets the flow into your head quite a lot better.
After that, make the very basic BSP (with ambient lighting), to get the gameplay figured out. It's much easier to change the layout when it's not been detailed out yet.
Once the level plays well, start replacing the bsp with more detailed stuff, and rounding off the rough edges.
The look is also important. I'm having trouble with this myself, but it's something i need to work on - Make every surface look 'interesting'. You don't want places in your map that look drab or unfinished. Check Hourences' levels for what i mean
A wall doesn't need to be flat and have a very plain texture. You may think it needs to be that, but it doesn't. Look at other levels in UT3 aswell, where certain walls actually look like storage areas with girders sealing them off. Stuff like that makes your level seem much larger than it actually is, without compromising gameplay by actually making it too large. It also makes it seem a lot more alive and involving, but more importantly, such details also help the player identify where he is on the map. Distinctive features help more here than just layout/floorplan! You don't want the player to get lost in such a small map, which can happen with such lighting and homogenous texturing.
One thing you could do is draw a floorplan out BEFORE you start building. This may seem irrelevant, but it gets the flow into your head quite a lot better.
After that, make the very basic BSP (with ambient lighting), to get the gameplay figured out. It's much easier to change the layout when it's not been detailed out yet.
Once the level plays well, start replacing the bsp with more detailed stuff, and rounding off the rough edges.