First map, KF-Cenotaph-of-Despair

[Audrey-Rafael]

Please, do not upload ny of these maps, not yet. I,d like to have some feedback then if everything is okay, it will be correct.

Hello, Well, big time here, for a noob mapper, the first real map, not sure it is playable, so don't put it right away on the serv, but I,d like to get some critic on it.

Few times ago, I've made an edit of the box, we could have a call eight, the 8th remake, and I did some correction on it, but do not seem to optimized, (zone portals, which I have trouble.) 
I did a few change and I deleted the door to ammo room, juged it useless finaly..
 ( I reduced the number of zombies on mega attack, there is one patriarch and 30 of each zombies, meaning 181 zombies.

I've a new choice and a hard one, I decided to remove the trader because of the abundance of weapons. and put once more the door to ammo room. so, in you, you guys must unlock door to win this map.  It should be winnable. since you can find all weapon and more wini then anything else. I decided to put more ammo, in order to compensate. If ever played in group, use many differants weapon will allow players to have use more ammos. since there is no trader.




Well now

I've just made a map, out of nothing. (Yeah, i know i use some texture and some statismesh form others maps, yeah.

This new map is, Audrey-rafa's hole. Yeah, the hole. 

what happen, well, your squad simply fell in a trap and managed to survive a big time fall... hoverer, you are now in a hole. A newly build place, you doN,t know who build this, but it seem he have noticed you and he is not hapy of this violations of his territory, he told it to the patrairch and now, you can heard specimen coming down, you notice four tunnels, you heard noise, they are coming.

Can you survive ?

You guys can find it here http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZWKF66MR  Please upload, I think I am ready.

Edit : for the last version of my box : http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RGVEDJVX

I'd like to have your opiniong on this new map. I am n ot sure it is playable, but I sure do hope, if it can do, then maybe I can do something in the end.

Some history, problem with shop, zombie spawn, water and  etc have been done and are finished,n the mpa is done I believe, It is not big and should not have any problem, exception for the fires onb second floor passing the floor, hoverer that is not a big deal, hop close teletoport yout and water kill you so this is it.
Forthose who megaupload 45 seconds, register an accound on it, free and login, you'll get waiting time of 25 seconds.

[poompoom500]

  To Audrey-Rafael,

Few times ago, I've made an edit of the box, we could have a call eight, the 8th remake, and I did some correction on it, but do not seem to optimized, (zone portals, which I have trouble.)

First of all, let me just say that your revision of SBC Box is...not bad! I really like it! Those extra added rooms is a nice change. The few things that I found frustrating were, the lights turning off in the following waves. Then there is the doors to the ammo supply! You need to have those turn the other way.

I did a few change and I deleted the door to ammo room, juged it useless finaly..

You didn't need to delete it. I thought it was another neat change.

And for the rest of the changes, less zeds, etc... they're okay. Makes it less laggy. Nice idea though - the Patty! How did you make them spawn?

This new map is, Audrey-rafa's hole. Yeah, the hole.

Downloaded it. Am going to check it out and let you know.

[Audrey-Rafael]

I'l-l have to modify my first mpa bit. I found some problems. with shop and etc. I'm sorry, but they are done.

I'll edit my first posy


Done, everyone have fun

[Veica]

Yeah, same here, is really bright, like Warehouse :\
Just reduce all the lights' radues by about 32, and the brightness by 32 as well (128 -> 96, 64 -> 32)

Hole sounds really generic, maybe something like Pit of Despair? or the Hellhole?

[Audrey-Rafael]

Alright, I change the name, I'll name it, the Cenotaph of despair...

 here is an image of it now.



I am uploading them and I find no problem.

So if snipe want to upload these map on the server, he have can, in fact, I would like...

 I still need to optimize my box, but that I don't know how to do it


So, for the box whitout trader.  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RGVEDJVX

Okay, this time it is good.

And this link for my first map http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZWKF66MR 

[Audrey-Rafael]

Double post, some Image, of i hope, will be the final version of my version of the boxe.
 



As you see., there is NO trader here


And with this much ammo, it is quite useless in fact, well.I hope.


This is the way to ammo room, good luck, if ever you want to sopt zombie, there is a weldable door in the the map. that is very important.


And this is it, you'll wonder why there is money here,m, well for nothing. no use. except to summon 30 clots, 30 stalkers, 30 crawlers, 30 bloats, 30 sirens, 30 scrakes, 30 gorefasts, 30 fleshpounds and the patriarch. you don't want to fight two of the patriach, but it is donnable. just very hard. I believe there is 241 ennemies, way less then before.

[Hicks]

except to summon 30 clots, 30 stalkers, 30 crawlers, 30 bloats, 30 sirens, 30 scrakes, 30 gorefasts, 30 fleshpounds and the patriarch.

...and get horrible lags as well.

[Audrey-Rafael]

well last time, we played the hive, remember, there was more then 500 zombies, but there is not so much lag when we are 10 and we face 200 zombies. nearly 300 , yep they all come at the same time, but it should be way less worst then before, and by the way, why should you ever take that  money, don't take it, useless you find a trick....

[Hicks]

No lags at Hive?! You've gotta be kidding Hive is most laggy map, what are you talking about? It lagging as hell even with 3 players. Better optimize your map than explain possible ways to play with.

[Audrey-Rafael]

I think I am done, I,ve put two portals, first, for ammo room, because of the number of ammo, and last, in money room, but we don,r need money, let,s patty say spawn room.


The reason hive is the most laggy map is that is more then 500 zombies at once.

And there was more then 400 on mine as well,  I reduced that number, to a lower ammo and i hope it is manageable.
What I say was not that the hive do not lag, it is that is less lags, when we face 200 zombies on a map with 10 players, in a single wave, long wave. <


Anyway, i get tired of editing that boxe..

Any feedback on my first map? the Cenotaph of Despair.

[Veica]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Audrey-Rafael]

thank you,

[Snipe34]

Cenotaph is an imaginative map.  Has atmosphere, and, i was doing ok until i fell out of the map and died 

Only technical issues, which yes, will result in much lag online.  Not necessarily your fault, you have fast machine but not everyone does.

Since your map looks great and would be nice to keep it looking the way it does, you need to optimize.

Odd shaped BSP will cause lag, (as in Hive, train arrival area is particularly bad).  So you have a stack of odd-shaped BSP in your map.
You should convert that to static meshes.  [the main map area, no of course, do not convert that to BSP, only weird shape, many sided decorations.]

[A tip before converting to staticMeshes:   To make the textures on the pointy things and rounds consistent, do this: select all the surfaces of one object, right click, choose:  Alignment > then 'wall' or 'floor.'  (if you choose wall by mistake instead of floor, or visaversa, texture will go blurry and look bad - to fix just choose the correct wall or floor).]

To convert to StaticMesh:  In a 2d window, select one odd shape (only blue can be converted, not yellow).  Right click, choose Convert > ToStaticMesh.  next, 'new Static Mesh' window pops up.   Choose, package: mylevel  Group: choose_a_unique name (with no spaces!)   Name: same as group: choose a unique name with_no_spaces.

~converting to static mesh then placing it many times, means basically, the UT Engine only calculates it as 1 piece in your map structure~  So an immediate saving for slower CPUs.
And, if the player will not be shooting the mesh or touching it, you can open its collision > bBlockActors: False; bBlockKarma:False; bCollideActors:False; bPathColliding:False.  And (off the main mesh item selection): +StaticMeshActor > bExactProjectileCollision:False.
(beware: exiting UED it asks do you want to save package, 1,2,3 etc etc, NO NO NO NO...)
Switching off collision will also save the CPU time, because it won't have to calculate that mesh.

To find and place your custom mesh in your map:  Open the static mesh browser: Open the top Scroll Bar and scroll down to mylevel.  Your newly made meshes will be there.

Careful: if you don't place mylevel stuff in your map, it disappears as if it was never made.  [mylevel means: 'inside your map'].

Also i noticed in your other map you don't seem to place the BSP (made with the red line brush) on the line, and abutt.  Which means, don't overlap BSP if you can help it.  Like a passageway joining to a room.  Look at box3rd remake, or happyhour or Gothic and see how I place BSP

Don't shift BSP around randomly, make sure you have grid snap on.  And use 2,4,8,16,32,64,128 etc BSP sizes.  Notice all the textures in UT are 8,16,32,64,128,512,1024... because this helps game speed.   So the CPU doesn't have to waste vital seconds calculating fractions.  Follow the same rules with BSP, and you'll reduce lag for people.

Anyways, fix up your map, and by that time I should be able to connect to the redirect, or ask Raj to help me out.

oops, 1 last thing.  If zombies or players will be dying on a mesh, then you should do this so they won't fall thru after they die:
Open the static mesh browser to your meshes, at the bottom is Materials and UseSimpleKarmaCollision=False and UseSimpleBoxCollision=False.   For that kind of mesh -players will walk on it- change nothing else - leave all other collision on.

And you don't need to save mylevel stuff, just your map and it's all saved.

[Audrey-Rafael]

How did you fall out of the map ? Seem strange.  ho well. I get sorry there. did you mean in water.. ?

when you talk about odd shaped BSp, do you talk about the pointy thing in the celling or the cylinders at center of the map?

I am a bit confused about what do you mean, mean it is about my flame torches...



DOne what you suggested, I'Ll reupload the map.

The editor calculate I use 260 BSP.... must had been very high.

OMG : I get very weird errors, just after I've done.

It say chainsaw in my geomatry and cash would be in geometry

I can,t help, you to ask for help, I don't get what happen,
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3STR2S1R, here is the link, what happen is nothing I hope, but my map is warning of error like cash being in geometry and I see something weird, a little of trought a BSP...l i find it strange, I sending it to you, cause I am not sure, it that a real trouble ?


Edit : I just tested it and I can confirm I failed to convert those odd shape to Statismesh, I wonder what the hell have-I done wrong ? what did happen ?   There is now a big bug in the map, and error, these are visible. SO, what to do ?


NO what you said about collison, is if player won,t touch or shoot it, .. IN my map, they can shoot, but they will never touch it.... what toi do ?  Anyway, I tried something.

[Snipe34]

BSP are the blue lines.   Yep, the pointy bits, and other odd shapes - decorations.

The green lines are static meshes like for example the torches which are already static meshes.

Converting BSP, blue lines to static meshes.  In an Editor 2d window, select one ~blue line~ pointy bit (and the whole object pointy bit will hilight), and right click, convert to static mesh - follow the instructions above and you'll be fine.

It's odd shaped BSP blue lines that will cause major lag.

So, after you converted to static mesh, you can delete the pointy bits blue lines, and replace them with the green lines of the static meshes.  Outwardly they will look exactly the same, except speed up the map around 80% for slower machines.  Especially because of the large area - which will soon be full of zombies, rockets, effects etc.

Also, you'll have much less problems in the editor once the pointy bits and odd shapes are deleted and replaced by equivalent looking static meshes.  odd shaped BSP usually causes all kinds of weird crashes and bad effects.

Yeah I fell into the water >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Edit:
http://www.mediafire.com/?euy7accemh2j1c7

I converted the staircase in the middle to a mesh.  Also there was subtracted BSP (yellow lines) exactly on top of the Added BSP (blue lines).  I also deleted the yellow.

I think you have a little confusion about the mapping process.
In my understanding, the usual process is:  Make a large square, usually 2048x2048x2048  (Gothic was 8192x8192x8192, which I remember because 8192 is a standard UT size - actually probably standard in all game mapping).  Having made the square, SUBTRACT.

The basis of mapping in 3d games is BSP (Binary Space Partition = making a 3d space according to binary rules).

In UT2004, you subtract from solid space to make the play area (yellow lines).  Solid space is the 3d window blue area.  From there after subtracting from solid space, you ADD blue lines, like stairs, houses whatever inside the subtracted space.  And then you can SUBTRACT windows and doors.  Because the blue area has become solid space... the walls.
[but if you wanted to make a house a static mesh with the added walls and subtracted windows, it wouldn't convert, because only blue lines convert to meshes.  So you'd have to ADD around the windows, doors etc.  The whole thing would be ADDED.]

In Quake, BSP area is Void not solid like UT, so you ADD.  You ADD boxes around your play area.  l4dead mapping uses void too.  But the boxes around the play area must be 100% sealed or get a 'leak' into the BSP void.  So if you look at Hammer SDK, the 3d window you see is VOID BSP space.  The opposite of UT2004 Editor blue area which is SOLID BSP space.

In UT3, from what I've read you have a choice of Additive or Subtractive, - void or solid - but obviously once you choose, you must adhere to your choice strictly or else screw up your map.
Logically subtracting in already subtracted space will surely cause problems, same as adding within already added area.

Beyond BSP is staticmeshes, entirely different.  Bend them, turn them resize them, no problem at all.  But BSP is a mf with which you must be very very careful.