[Micky C]

I told you not to use TROR

Something I've learned over the last year or so is never use TROR for something you can do exactly the same with sprites. This mostly applies to small constructions; if you're working in large yet contained areas TROR has a strong case. For example it could help you make caves under those raised paths. But for a lone single story small building no way I'd recommend it.

Edit: although at the time I guess I recommended against it because learning TROR halfway through a map with the purpose of using it in the map is a bad idea. Contrary to what most people think its not too hard retrofitting TROR, but you need to have experience with the feature and I'd suggest building a TROR map from scratch before you start randomly trying to wedge it in with a hammer.

[Gambini]

ck3D, on 08 October 2012 - 05:17 PM, said:

i've been having some free time again lately and there is a map i started last year or so, that i've always wanted to finish. so i started toying around with mapster again the other day, which i had not touched in a very long time, and thought that for practice's sake i would build a couple of rooms on a blank newboard.map, nothing serious nor tremendous, just to get the feel of mapping back. turns out that it got sucked into things much more than i thought i would, because after a few days spent on it on and off on my mother's laptop, that 'practice' map is now over 500 sectors and maybe 80% finished. it's nothing like anything i have ever built so far either, it has a strong lameduke-meets-e1l1 flavor to it... i am thinking of giving it the final touches sometime this week or next week, and releasing it as a playable standalone map, it is definitely worth it... i think it is much better than any of the maps i made for metropolitan mayhem. funny how barely two years ago i was still working on heavily detailed projects such as anorak city, bottles, happy hangover, and now this map is full of empty rooms, detailed solely by the lighting, strictly optimized for gameplay's sake.

and when this one is done and released i can finally try and see if i can find the time to finish the first map i was talking about... that one is going to be weird too.

That´s great news. I´m so glad you´re not completely retired!

[ck3D]

Gambini, on 08 October 2012 - 06:20 PM, said:

That´s great news. I´m so glad you´re not completely retired!

thank you, glad you are looking forward to this stuff. the entire design of that practice map i was talking about is now 100% done. it really looks and plays like a lameduke / episode 1 map hybrid so i am not sure what its reception is going to be like at all, and it is very very simplistic ; but i am sure it will always be welcome as a release, seeing as not so many maps have been released over the past few weeks. it does introduce one never before seen effect though, which i will reuse to a better extent in my next map (provided that i ever finish it), i have so many ideas. i just need to throw in the monsters and weapons in this one now, but i am running out of time. i should be able to wrap things up by the end of the week.

also this has nothing to do with my map, but it is worth mentioning that while betatesting it i stumbled upon something potentially interesting that i did not know of already - sectors can be rotated at a 90-degree angle (like a swinging door) without having any lotag of 23 (which consequently might leave room for an extra lotag in said sector, provided that adding one doesn't break the effect, i haven't tried it). you just need a SE11 as a pivot point, and to couple the hitag channel of said SE11 with the one of something that can be activated (in my instance, another swinging door with the same SE11 channel). as long as the twin door is not triggered it is impossible to rotate the one without a lotag, it acts like a solid wall, on the other hand when you trigger the other sector, it rotates even when it doesn't have the classic of 23. it might sound like a technical detail everyone was already more or less aware of but it actually opens up new possibilities, ie. rotating underwater sectors, rooms and the like, if someone manages to work with it and push it to a bigger extent.

also i am in a hurry, there is only one design bug left in my map and it is that i have an elevator with a really low ceiling (it is a secret location in a ventilation shaft) and the player keeps trigging it when they enter or leave the sector even when they don't mean to (think start of e1l2), eventually the elevator ends up looping and sometimes it gets stuck, i could probably take some time to find a workaround but right now it is annoying, so if anyone knows of a quick solution to this i would appreciate it. i was thinking of turning it into just an elevator platform (which i would only do if i had to, because it would break an effect of mine and i will had to add an extra door to my map which would be ugly) but i am not even sure that would solve the problem. i am really asking just in case someone knows why this is happening, otherwise it is a really easy problem to find a workaround to.

[Jimmy]

If I remember right, elevators trigger when you clip into the ceiling. But it's late and it's been a while. Glad to hear you're back, and the map sounds cool.

[Micky C]

I remember elevators mysteriously triggering in maps I've tried to make in the past for no reason when you enter them, and there was plenty of space.

[Daedolon]

Trying to figure out TROR but it's giving me tons of trouble

[Mike Norvak]

ck3D, on 10 October 2012 - 05:18 AM, said:

also i am in a hurry, there is only one design bug left in my map and it is that i have an elevator with a really low ceiling (it is a secret location in a ventilation shaft) and the player keeps trigging it when they enter or leave the sector even when they don't mean to (think start of e1l2), eventually the elevator ends up looping and sometimes it gets stuck, i could probably take some time to find a workaround but right now it is annoying, so if anyone knows of a quick solution to this i would appreciate it. i was thinking of turning it into just an elevator platform (which i would only do if i had to, because it would break an effect of mine and i will had to add an extra door to my map which would be ugly) but i am not even sure that would solve the problem. i am really asking just in case someone knows why this is happening, otherwise it is a really easy problem to find a workaround to.

Elevators always automatically trigger when a) the startpoint is over them or when duke enters while crouching

So yo can make the ceiling of the previous room and the elevator's ceiling higher, or instead using elevators use Floor and ceiling rise/fall SEs ( 31 & 32)

Just put the SE31 and SE32 at the heights you want to when the elevator is up, then rise/down the ceiling and floor to the position they gonna take when the they come down, I think Gambini could explain this better. Anyway you can check my map nightshade army on mapster to have a better picture of the situation:



There's a fake elevator with SE31 and 32 right there.

[ck3D]

Norvak, on 11 October 2012 - 06:10 AM, said:

Elevators always automatically trigger when a) the startpoint is over them or when duke enters while crouching

So yo can make the ceiling of the previous room and the elevator's ceiling higher, or instead using elevators use Floor and ceiling rise/fall SEs ( 31 & 32)

Just put the SE31 and SE32 at the heights you want to when the elevator is up, then rise/down the ceiling and floor to the position they gonna take when the they come down, I think Gambini could explain this better. Anyway you can check my map nightshade army on mapster to have a better picture of the situation:

nbnb.jpg

There's a fake elevator with SE31 and 32 right there.

yeah, i guessed it had something to do with the sector height but did not realize it was related to the crouching... odd bug that has been around forever. the SE31 / 32 thing is a great idea for a workaround, thank you !

[Gambini]

A bug that has been done on purpose so Allen Blum hadn´t to spend five minutes setting a touchplate in E1l2.

This is how the conversation was. Back in 1995, of course, when they were developing the game:

A.B. - Hey Todd. I want this elevator to go down when the level starts. But I´m too lazy to put a touchplate and tag it.

T.R.- If I code it like that. Future mappers, say in 2012, will still have to workaroud this every time they do an elevator!

A.B:- 2012? hahahaha.

[Jimmy]

The crazy part is that Replogle is usually too lazy to code in something like that.

[Micky C]

Some of you might have been keeping a bit of track over a potential WGRealms 2 v2 Serious Sam Styled mini episode, well here's an update on the Corridor of Death inspired segment. It's the last WIP shot I'm showing for a while.




I'll most likely make several different sections, each based on/inspired by memorable gameplay segments from Serious Sam TFE and TSE, with maybe a bit of Serious Sam 3 thrown in. I've already created the architecture for the Great Pyramid Pyramid. It's fully 3D and yes, the top opens up in a ridiculously cool way that is probably the Pinacle of dynamic TROR Edit: Might as well throw in the 3D flying, rotating spaceship above the pyramid while I'm at it..

Yes it uses TROR, so it will require polymer. Before anyone complains, I checked and the framerate is actually better in the area shown above in polymer than in polymost. Large outdoor areas won't use polymer lights, however the more confined, closed indoor locations probably will.

[Jinroh]

Damn, sorry accidentally hit - instead of + ... The whole dynamic TROR for the great pyramid and ship sounds awesome though.

[Micky C]

I'm sorry guys, I let you down. I've made the Spaceship, and it flies over your head until it's on top of the Pyramid, however I can't have it spin; the two effects are incompatible. Please forgive me

[Tea Monster]

How are you doing it?
I don't think anyone is going to rip you a new one, I think they are going to more thrilled to see another mod.

[Micky C]

It's using purely WGRealms 2 assets. Hopefully DT will modify an old boss/make a new one for the episode. The opening of the Pyramid and the spaceship, which is sector based, is all accomplished using the vanilla game effects plus TROR.

[Diaz]

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still working on the new Fusion stuff, though I haven't been able to do much lately. Hopefully that will change soon.

[zykov eddy]

The graphics look unbelievable impressive, especially on the second shot.

[Mark]

Fantastic. I didn't see any progress posts lately so I was going to PM you this weekend to ask about your project. Glad to see its still going. I see a different theme than the original urban decay city you were testing things out with.

[Diaz]

Yup, that was a completely different thing, and it used so much content from modern games that I don't think it's releaseable. This is related to the Unreal-like screenies I posted sooner than that.
New episode for Fusion. Also working on Polymer lighting for the old episodes.

[Simon_Croes]

Wow that is truly amazing! The lighting is so comparable to the modern games. Great work, definitely looking forward to play it!

[Cage]

Sorry for a sarcastic/rude comment but I have to say this:

"Finally, someone who doesn't use pure white lights all the time!"

Great job, especially on the lighting, can't wait to see this in motion!

[Tea Monster]

Zowie, that's brilliant!

[Hank]

Diaz, on 18 October 2012 - 01:37 PM, said:

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still working on the new Fusion stuff, though I haven't been able to do much lately. Hopefully that will change soon.

anyone knows what or if something is wrong with image shack? I get re-routed to sign up/in and can't see the images in full.

[Mblackwell]

Hank, on 19 October 2012 - 03:16 PM, said:

anyone knows what or if something is wrong with image shack? I get re-routed to sign up/in and can't see the images in full.

Do direct links work?

http://img607.images...0/duke0000p.jpg
http://img849.images...08/duke0001.jpg
http://img716.images...73/duke0002.jpg


Btw, good work as usual Diaz. Great atmosphere and texture work.

[Hank]

Mblackwell, on 19 October 2012 - 04:49 PM, said:

Do direct links work?

http://img607.images...0/duke0000p.jpg
http://img849.images...08/duke0001.jpg
http://img716.images...73/duke0002.jpg


Btw, good work as usual Diaz. Great atmosphere and texture work.

... works for me. Cheers

and yes, Diaz - wow looking my heart out !

[Fox]

Don't use imageshack, it's that simple. Photobucket is still a good service.

Diaz, on 18 October 2012 - 01:37 PM, said:

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still working on the new Fusion stuff, though I haven't been able to do much lately. Hopefully that will change soon.

Great stuff. That green light gives a fantastic atmosphere.

[Diaz]

Thanks, I'm glad you guys like it

I'll try to put imageshack aside next time, or post direct links!

[blizzart]

Diaz, on 20 October 2012 - 01:26 PM, said:

Thanks, I'm glad you guys like it

I'll try to put imageshack aside next time, or post direct links!

You can directly attach the pics into your post here.
Anyways, great looking shots, Diaz. I hope this will be released soon. I can´t wait to play this.
One question.
The Crysis shotgun in your screens: is it a ripped model or did you use sprites for this. I´m wondering how many polygons it has if you use the model.

[Diaz]

It's a model, no idea on how many polys it has; few enough not to be a problem at all on a modern system though. And these maps are being made with a modern system in mind (low end, but modern).

[Mblackwell]

Diaz, on 20 October 2012 - 03:09 PM, said:

It's a model, no idea on how many polys it has; few enough not to be a problem at all on a modern system though. And these maps are being made with a modern system in mind (low end, but modern).

Btw, I was looking at your screenshots again and noticed something...

http://wiki.eduke32....iki/Orientation

You should apply bits 256 and 512 to the different parts of your HUD so they aren't constrained to the center area of the screen.