[WiP] 11 Day Level Design - Winter

[Oilcake]

Hey, everybody! I'm trying this thing, dammit! I've never published a map, either, same as several others here I think. I have a L4D campaign where the first map is (was) finished and the second closing in on half finished. I'll be updating this campaign to L4D2, so there's a lot more work there, even though it's only going to be a 3-map campaign. I also have a Counter-Strike: Source map that is very close to finished, but I'm going to hold off on that in order to have a go at this...

So here's my plan. First of all, I know that it can be an awful idea to base a map on reality. I know it's wrong, I'm doing it anyway... I started mapping in the beginning of June last year. Two of my friends and I were going to learn together, but for better or for worse, I'm the only one still at it. In any case, this one is for them. It will be a L4D2 Scavenger map based on the area that they live in. Here's a Google maps top-down view of the area:



It won't be completely accurate by any means, as I'm going to have to introduce things that don't exist to facilitate gameplay. I have some paper planning done, but my printer/scanner is dead, so I can't post that right now. I'll try to scan it at a friend's at some point, but if these next 11 days are as busy as I think they will be, it may not happen! :P

I'm a little concerned about the stability of the L4D2 Authoring Tools, but hopefully it won't be too much of an issue. I'll try to work through problems as they appear. Worst case scenario is that I have to port it back to L4D as a survival map, but I don't think that will be necessary.

I've never worked with custom textures. Everything I've done so far uses stock everything. This will be a good test to see how I can do at that. In fact, there's a load of things that will be brand new to me in this project, not the least of which is the Scavenge game itself... I have this feeling I may be biting off a little more than I can chew, but there's only one way to find out!!!

So, I'm off to start blocking this thing in. I'll post some screenshots later on tonight...

Cheers & good luck everyone!

[Oilcake]

I've laid out the basic blocking, although I'm sure it won't stay exactly like this, depending... First building is basically done, although I find I'm having problems working in dev textures. I usually do basic texturing as I go along, just because I like to be able to see where it's all going. I may switch back to that method.

Got snow falling already, but that's the least of my worries. I may brighten up my environmental light just for the time being, so the screenshots will be a little better than the ones below until the real lighting goes in. I want to try for a just-after-sunset kinda thing.



An early Hammer shot with basic blocking. That's a lot of open space! I'll close that up eventually with foliage and stuff. The centre orange area is a park and (in theory) the scav generator will be down there in the middle where Coach is... See him all tiny down there?



Another Hammer shot of the first building I'm working on.



In-game shot around the same time as the Hammer shot above.



Roughly the same shot again more recently. Roof is on now, and the accessible areas of the interior have been blocked in. Damn, I forgot how much I hate angular roof tops...



Annoyingly dark top-down shot from early on. As I said, I've already changed a few things from this. I'll take more of these, too, as work progresses.

Cheers!

[Oilcake]

Alright, it's 5am and time to go to bed for a bit. Been working a lot on the interior of the second building, as well as fixing some things up in the first. Managed my first broken wall... Haha. Ignore the lighting in these, it's very temporary.

Here are the screens:



The inside of the second building. Stairway and rooms are starting to be blocked in. Where the third floor looks like it should be is now the broken wall room.



Outside from the back. First building on the left, second on the right. The idea in the second building is to have a can or two in the basement, and 2 more way up at the top that you have to throw off the back of the building.



There's that wall. It's in the top part of the second building.



Outside from the back in-game.



The wall in-game. Did I mention ignore the lighting?

Anyway, that's it for Day 1. Must sleep.

Cheers!

[Oilcake]

DAY 2

Back at it! Some new screens to show. I've (really now, I think!) finished the interiors of the first and second houses. Still a window or two, but that should be it before texturing. Started work on the third building, which is a high rise where you'll have to run upstairs to throw some gas cans off the balconies (or carry 'em down if that's your thing... :P). The main action will take place on the third floor, and will feel a lot like the hotel in Dead Center. People seemingly like that part a lot, although it can be pretty tough on survivors, but in any case, I figured I'd give them a little more of the same feel...

Anyway, here are the screens:



The rear of the first 2 buildings again, now almost finished up.



Lobby and stairway in the high rise coming together.



Exterior of the high rise. You can see Coach up there, top left on the third floor balcony. That's where the action will all happen.

More later on! Cheers!

[Oilcake]

Here are some some quick screenshots from in-game. I'm getting a little worried about how much open space I have going on here. Then again, I'm worried about everything at this stage... Nothing to do but keep at it. That said, Day 2 is going pretty well. If I can finish the guts of the high rise and move on to the final building w/ interior work to be done, I'll be pretty happy I think. I'm still not totally positive I won't do a little more interior work elsewhere in the map, but that'll depend on time and how I think the gameplay is looking...



Exterior of the high rise.



Overlooking the map, pointing roughly where the Generator will be.



View from the high rise balcony, again pointing at the Generator.

[AlexG]

Nice! You can try to use the fog to hide some visibility but that all depends on how thick you would want your fog to be.

How did you get the falling snow in L4D2 going?

[Oilcake]

Hey, thanks! Yeah, I'm gonna give fog another try in this map. Only I haven't been very successful with it yet , unfortunately. :lol: I'm confident it'll all come together on this one... I'm not sure whether I want it that thick, though, either. So hard to say right now, it's still all kind of fuzzy in there...

The falling snow is oddly easy. Make a brush (or bushes) that pretty much encompass your entire map, and texture it trigger. Tie it to an entity - func_precipitation. Then pick your settings... There are 2 main settings you'd want under Precipitation Type - snow or snowfall (I prefer snowfall for the time being). I left density at 100. Then change the colour to something whiter, pick your speed(s) and off you go. Haven't got anywhere near trying to figure this out in relation to the new weather effects for L4D2. But maybe you can make a blizzard...

Anyway, there you go! And I should get back to work...

Cheers!

[Oilcake]

Done most of the high rise. Ugh, this is taking forever! :lol: Concerned about schedule, but not THAT much yet... Here's the high rise from a few different angles. Is it a hotel now...? No, but it might be the back of a hotel. This doesn't relate to the mapping reality thing, but I'm thinking that's the way it might go anyway. There would be a loading dock down below the balconies beside the park. As long as I have time to build it. :P



To hotel or not to hotel? Screw that question, the balconies are done.



I like this one. Shots like this make me remember that it can work. 8-)



What you won't wanna get pulled off. Or charged off. Or jockey'd either...

That's it for now, may or may not post again before sleeping... If not, this is (almost) the end of Day 2...!!

Man, I need a back rub...

[keithgarry]

Man, I need a back rub...

Unfortunately, World of Level Design is still working on getting our all female masseuse team at the moment. As complimentary I must say your map is looking very good. Treat yourself to something nice.

[CaffeinePowered]

This is looking really good so far. I especially like the falling snow. This level will look really cool once the texturing begins.

[Oilcake]

Thanks, guys! I know it'll come together eventually, I'm just hoping I can get it together in the 11 days for a beta release.

Yeah, I've been having issues w/ my masseuse team, too. Depressing...

[Oilcake]

DAY 3

Alright, I have some new screenshots. Think I'll just post them and talk about them individually.



This is from yesterday, but I missed putting it up. I laughed at this one. Look at that mess of balconies. The second from bottom is the final one.



Started working on the building complex on the left. This should be the last major interior work. Until I change my mind and add the parking garage I've been thinking about... I don't think it's necessary, though, for now at least.



Hammer overview of the area, with the new building on the left. You can start to see how it works. Up the fire escape, into the building, down a hall, up some stairs and out that door onto the roof. Then down onto the next roof, but let's not get ahead of ourselves...



Same basic shot, but in-game.



Another big overview. Eventually the Survivors will have to get down into that walled and gated parking lot just above the crosshairs.



Looking over the first building and the alley beside it. Lotta work to do in here at some point...

That's it for now! I'll post more later on.

[xlan]

i like it, very clean especially the roofs

[Oilcake]

OK, time for another update. Having an excessively productive day, even though I'm exhausted. Feeling a little better about time. I'll just go straight to the screens, and explain as I go...



Fourth building complex starting to look OK. You can see the ladders and the stairs around the various rooftop levels.



Closing in the edges of the map.



Outer boundaries really starting to solidify. Getting worried about the 3D Skybox. Haha. And what's that down in the lower left...?



Yup, it's a (theoretically) working Scavenger setup! Pretty happy about this. So the next four screens are in-game shots looking around the map. Note you can see the tentative positioning of the gascans...









Gonna take a bit of a break... Maybe find an aspirin or something...

I may post more work later on, if I do more work that is...

Cheers!

[Oilcake]

DAY 4

Alright, just a small update. Been working on closing in the skybox and clipping any upper parts I want out of gameplay. Starting to seal the bottom of the map now, hoping there aren't too many leaks... Time consuming and doesn't make for great screenshots, but it's gotta be done.

Here's a shot of the skybox/clipping work in progress:



More later on!