Seb Luca, on 13 November 2019 - 03:33 AM, said:
I like the second a lot; good mixture of textures and dosage of shadows
![:o](https://forums.duke4.net/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
Thanks man, I'm definitely finding myself going more in-depth as far as exploring color theory and experimental shading techniques as my mapping progresses. I like the idea of treating maps like audiovisual experiences and drawing parallels with paintings, and those would be the subtle touches and nuances that help pinpoint exactly the overall picture one is going for as a creator. As a rather obsessive personality in general, for a level to carry the exact atmosphere I want to convey with it I will most frequently micromanage and try and optimize every resource; those screenshots don't really show much but I've generally been trying to take full advantage of the possibilities of basic gradient lighting/shading, literally every wall that coincidentally happens to be split with vertices for design's sake has different shade values assigned to its sections even if they are adjacent sometimes by just one unit, which includes the vertical axis meaning that the top of the buildings are shaded differently from the bottom which is closer to the street lights. Nothing revolutionary but little tweaks I barely see people bother with that I think have the potential to enhance the original look of the game by adding a whole new dimension to the familiar set of assets. Poison Heart kind of had that to a lesser extent, here I'm finding myself finding a lot of enjoyment in trying to push that aspect on my own scale. Hopefully I'll manage to make it all look like I actually envision it (and given my limited amount of time that's only bound to get even more limited soon enough, I'm not claiming I will). If I can pull through with this episode project, I like the idea of it just bathing in what I perceive as the original strengths of the game - the design, the interconnectivity, the interactivity, the secret places, the environments, the layouts - and honoring that tradition by merely just inflating that very dimension thanks to the 'new' eDuke32 limits, instead of breaking away from it. Going to be a good personal challenge, I always wanted to make a legit full episode of quality maps just by myself but really always failed.