Well, games are being picked on again. Click the link in the banner at the top of the page if you want to stop that.
Friday 24 September 2010
Saturday 18 September 2010
It's been a while, huh?
Well, it's now just a week left 'till I move to university, so I haven't had an awful lot of time for mapping. I have started another map, it's just in the ideas stage at the moment but I think it'll end up being a kind of fantasy resort, with a pool, chess board, rides, a castle, a racetrack, etc. I'll try and post pictures soon, but no promises.
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Sunday 12 September 2010
Mapping hints and tips
Ok, I lied when I said I'd only be posting updates for the next few weeks. Not much to report on that front.
Anyway, there are a few things I've learnt in my time mapping to make it a little easier. You may know some of these, you may not.
1) Build everything facing east
Say you're building a map with a lot of seats facing the same way. Instead of having them facing north (in other words, facing up in the top view), which seems logical to most people, have them facing east (right). Hammer spawns all entities facing in that direction, and it'll save you lots of time rotating.
2) Build on the grid, in units that are multiples of 2
First, make sure your editor is set to 'snap to grid', like so:
Off grid brushes make the in-editor view a lot more confusing, and are bad for optimisation. Next, make sure you build all your walls and rooms to dimensions that are multiples of two. The settings that I've found best are that walls should be 128 units tall, 16 thick for outside walls and 8 thick for inside walls. The wall height is especially important, since the textures are automatically scaled to fit on walls 128x128, as evidenced in the developer texture:
Additionally, make sure that when you spawn your entities, you drag them a small distance with the mouse in in both the top and side views, this will make them snap to the grid.
3) When you're clipping a brush, use shift + x
I don't know about you, but when I first found out about the clip tool, I thought you could only decide which side of the line would be clipped by the direction the line was facing. In actual fact, when you clip, you can press shift + x to select either side, or both to divide the brush into two.
And there you go. If I think of any more I'll post them.
Happy mapping!
Anyway, there are a few things I've learnt in my time mapping to make it a little easier. You may know some of these, you may not.
1) Build everything facing east
Say you're building a map with a lot of seats facing the same way. Instead of having them facing north (in other words, facing up in the top view), which seems logical to most people, have them facing east (right). Hammer spawns all entities facing in that direction, and it'll save you lots of time rotating.
2) Build on the grid, in units that are multiples of 2
First, make sure your editor is set to 'snap to grid', like so:
Off grid brushes make the in-editor view a lot more confusing, and are bad for optimisation. Next, make sure you build all your walls and rooms to dimensions that are multiples of two. The settings that I've found best are that walls should be 128 units tall, 16 thick for outside walls and 8 thick for inside walls. The wall height is especially important, since the textures are automatically scaled to fit on walls 128x128, as evidenced in the developer texture:
Additionally, make sure that when you spawn your entities, you drag them a small distance with the mouse in in both the top and side views, this will make them snap to the grid.
3) When you're clipping a brush, use shift + x
I don't know about you, but when I first found out about the clip tool, I thought you could only decide which side of the line would be clipped by the direction the line was facing. In actual fact, when you clip, you can press shift + x to select either side, or both to divide the brush into two.
And there you go. If I think of any more I'll post them.
Happy mapping!
Saturday 11 September 2010
Just another update
Boy, it's been a while, hasn't it! I've been pretty busy trying to prepare for university, and will continue to be for the next few weeks, so don't expect many posts apart from some screenshots of my mapping projects. Speaking of which:
Saw: Source seems to evolve incredibly quickly: every time I come up with an idea for another room it spawns five more. I haven't done any work on gm_studio because I'm sick of lighting, but I am working on some sort of hotel RP, which I may post screens of if I have time.
On an unrelated note, my friend finally persuaded me to buy Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and although I haven't been able to play any of the career mode, the multiplayer is pretty fun - there's a lot more of a sense of team spirit than with Call of Duty.
Well, that's it for now, I'll hopefully get around to posting some more updates in a few days.
On an unrelated note, my friend finally persuaded me to buy Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and although I haven't been able to play any of the career mode, the multiplayer is pretty fun - there's a lot more of a sense of team spirit than with Call of Duty.
Well, that's it for now, I'll hopefully get around to posting some more updates in a few days.
Monday 6 September 2010
Reverse mapper's block
At the moment I seem to have a total inability to stick at any map or more than a few minutes. Today I've worked on gm_studio, Project: Saw Source and various other test maps, without making any real progress. Here's hoping I can knuckle down and release gm_studio within the next few days.
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| Some sort of old-fashioned elevator |
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| The entrance to Jigsaw's warehouse |
Sunday 5 September 2010
A quick update
Felt like I should post something since it's been a few days. As you may have noticed, I have a habit of blogging about Source mapping and general gaming topics. I'm currently deciding whether I should keep the site as it is, make more of a distinction between gaming and mapping, or just create a new blog for gaming. I don't really want to do the latter, since it risks reducing my already limited readership. Whatever I decide, I'm sure you'll see the effects in a few days. Expect some updates about Project: Saw Source and gm_studio over the next few days as well.
And because no post is the same without a picture, here's a screenshot of one of my old maps to inspire you:
Happy mapping!
And because no post is the same without a picture, here's a screenshot of one of my old maps to inspire you:
Happy mapping!
Thursday 2 September 2010
Halo Reach trailer
I have to say, I've never been a Halo fan. The universe never really meshed well for me, and the combination of a huge backstory and a focus on multiplayer meant I never really tried to get into it. But I have to hand it to Bungie, this trailer is just stunning. This is the most effort I've ever seen put into a trailer for anything, and it really pays off. I'd love it if some more developers put this kind of effort in - it helps make games more approachable for non-gamers, while giving us gamers some eye candy. From what I've heard there have been live action promos for Red Dead Redemption and Assassin's Creed II, so I'll see if I can dig those out, but keep it up Bungie, keep it up.
Wednesday 1 September 2010
Thoughts on licensed games, part 1.5
I was about to write a whole article about how someone should make a good James Bond game, not based on any particular film, but then I found this:
gm_studio progress
Well, I've made some progress on my TV studio map: the main layout brushwork is all done, except for a few ugly holes which need filling, but I haven't done yet because I find brushwork quite tedious. I've started putting props in, but several rooms are still totally bare. I've also been testing out a camera system, as you can see in the shot above: I plan to have about 3 cameras and screens in the final map, and while they are movable they tend to topple quite easily, so I'll have to look into that. The whole map still needs lighting, which is probably my least favourite part of mapping, but obviously necessary. I'm still in the process of deciding what I want to have on the stage: at the moment I'm thinking probably a desk in front of a greenscreen, but I'll also include several backdrops and make the desk movable so players can make their own sets.
Update: The map is now almost completely textured, all the brushwork is done. All that remains is to add lighting and cubemaps, and complete a few rooms. The end is in sight.
Thoughts on licensed games, part 1
Let me start by saying this: I am too young to have owned an Atari 2600, and played the legendary monstrosity that is E.T. the extra terrestrial. So from now on I shall make no further reference to it as though I have any idea what I'm on about.
What I will talk about is other licensed games - where they go wrong and which ones get it right. You see them stuffing the shelves in Tesco (or Wal-Mart if you're from the other side of the pond): movie tie-in games, with their low quality attempt to convert a one and a half hour family film into an 8 hour game.
Now, I understand that no game designer goes into the industry planning to make the new tie in to Dreamworks' latest hit - and I know that the games are not shoddy through lack of skill, rather lack of time, money, and source material. The designers are doing the best with what they're given, and the movie producers don't care how crappy the games are, it's more money in their already bulging pockets.
But, let's be honest, the games are terrible. Dreary action/adventure platformers with none of the charm of the big screen equivalent. But, fear not, there is a solution: don't make a game to tie in with a movie, make it to tie in with an established franchise - it's worked out many times before:
These are all great games, taking characters and locations from established canon but using them in fun ways, unconstrained by a release date imposed by ignorant movie studios.
So this method works: it still raises money for the license owners, but also gives us gamers something that's actually worth playing. So, while I'm at saving the gaming world, what other franchises could we resuscitate?
There has never been a great Harry Potter game. To be fair, the Prisoner of Azkaban was alright: the graphics were nice, the missions were pretty fun and the settings were inventive. But the only way to make a truly great Harry Potter game is to let go of the hand of the movies and make a free-standing winner. Potter is actually an especially good franchise for this, with an enormous established canon, well-written characters, plenty of action and locations good for games. My suggestions for making a good Harry Potter game go as follows:
1) You shouldn't play as Harry. Ok, I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out. We know Potter's story. We've followed 7 years of his life in minute detail. There's nothing left to tell. I don't even think it should be set in the same time period as the books. No, my game would be set during the first rising of Voldemort. James is too unsympathetic a character to play as, so I think we should flip the series on it's head and play as You-Know-Who himself. We've seen enough of his early life to flesh out a story, but with space for action during his time at Hogwarts. He's also a character who the audience feels quite attached to, despite his evil nature. Imagine walking down a rain-soaked street, wand in hand, with witches and wizards cowering as they see you. You walk into a bar and ZAP, with a wave of your wand and a flash of green light, another soul is dead. Everyone loves to be a bad guy.
2) Make it in Unreal Engine. I know this is a Source blog, but Source just doesn't have the capacity to make a game like this. Unreal is great with lighting and water and effects like lightning. I would base it on BioShock: replace plasmid powers with magic and guns with...well, magic, I guess. Replace Rapture with Hogwarts, and allow travel to other areas like Knockturn Alley. This game will be much darker than any of the other games, with all the violence of the books. Another suggestion for an engine, if Unreal doesn't work out, is the Force Unleashed's engine: Jedi are practically wizards anyway, and the engine can handle lightning, smoke, sparks and massive destruction without effort. Imagine walking into the Ministry of Magic, throwing one guard accross the room, electrocuting another, before smashing the statue in the lobby into tiny little pieces. Sounds good to me.
Join me in part 2, where I'll look at some other franchises we could revive in this way.
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| Coming soon to a landfill near you |
Now, I understand that no game designer goes into the industry planning to make the new tie in to Dreamworks' latest hit - and I know that the games are not shoddy through lack of skill, rather lack of time, money, and source material. The designers are doing the best with what they're given, and the movie producers don't care how crappy the games are, it's more money in their already bulging pockets.
But, let's be honest, the games are terrible. Dreary action/adventure platformers with none of the charm of the big screen equivalent. But, fear not, there is a solution: don't make a game to tie in with a movie, make it to tie in with an established franchise - it's worked out many times before:
So this method works: it still raises money for the license owners, but also gives us gamers something that's actually worth playing. So, while I'm at saving the gaming world, what other franchises could we resuscitate?
Harry Potter
There has never been a great Harry Potter game. To be fair, the Prisoner of Azkaban was alright: the graphics were nice, the missions were pretty fun and the settings were inventive. But the only way to make a truly great Harry Potter game is to let go of the hand of the movies and make a free-standing winner. Potter is actually an especially good franchise for this, with an enormous established canon, well-written characters, plenty of action and locations good for games. My suggestions for making a good Harry Potter game go as follows:
1) You shouldn't play as Harry. Ok, I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out. We know Potter's story. We've followed 7 years of his life in minute detail. There's nothing left to tell. I don't even think it should be set in the same time period as the books. No, my game would be set during the first rising of Voldemort. James is too unsympathetic a character to play as, so I think we should flip the series on it's head and play as You-Know-Who himself. We've seen enough of his early life to flesh out a story, but with space for action during his time at Hogwarts. He's also a character who the audience feels quite attached to, despite his evil nature. Imagine walking down a rain-soaked street, wand in hand, with witches and wizards cowering as they see you. You walk into a bar and ZAP, with a wave of your wand and a flash of green light, another soul is dead. Everyone loves to be a bad guy.
2) Make it in Unreal Engine. I know this is a Source blog, but Source just doesn't have the capacity to make a game like this. Unreal is great with lighting and water and effects like lightning. I would base it on BioShock: replace plasmid powers with magic and guns with...well, magic, I guess. Replace Rapture with Hogwarts, and allow travel to other areas like Knockturn Alley. This game will be much darker than any of the other games, with all the violence of the books. Another suggestion for an engine, if Unreal doesn't work out, is the Force Unleashed's engine: Jedi are practically wizards anyway, and the engine can handle lightning, smoke, sparks and massive destruction without effort. Imagine walking into the Ministry of Magic, throwing one guard accross the room, electrocuting another, before smashing the statue in the lobby into tiny little pieces. Sounds good to me.
Join me in part 2, where I'll look at some other franchises we could revive in this way.
Project: Saw Source
Well, I promised I'd post about this earlier, so here we are. This is an idea I've had for a while now, and done some design for, but never really fleshed out. Most of my maps tend to just be an area, with no specific focus. This, however, I intend to be a single player mod based around the puzzles and traps of the Saw movies. I'm not an enormous fan of the Saw franchise: the first was excellent, and it rapidly went downhill as they milked the series of all it's freshness. Still, it seems to me that the franchise lends itself quite well to Source: lots of indoor areas in an industrial setting, no huge setpieces, an emphasis on lighting, etc.
My general plan for the map would be a progression through a series of traps, picking up and losing weapons as you go. I plan to include a lot of custom content: Billy the puppet looking at you from TV screens, custom sounds like Jigsaw's speeches and Billy's laugh, and, as you can see at the top, messages scrawled on the wall in blood. This seems like it'll end up being a very big project, and since university start week is hurtling towards me like an express train, along with the Facepunch mapping contest, it could be a long time until it gets completed. That said, I'm sure I'll get time to do some work on it at some point, and when I do I'll post screens.
Happy mapping!
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