Well, as some of you may know, I've been working on a map in the recent month. I had originally planned to enter this into the mapping contest, but I've come to realize it'd reach a wider audience if I could get it into the next soldat update. This the quality of the maps that I think the remakes should be up to.

http://m00.laughingllamas.com/fileupload/store/dm_Machete.PNG

General feedback and any attemps to reach MM would be greatly appreciated.

nice looks, the question is: does it play as good as it looks?

It looks nice and shiny but I doubt it plays well :\

GUH.

It's amazing. This is how all soldat maps should be!

It sure is pretty. We should test it out sometime.

The map is very large, larger even than arena. In my playtesting, It lags a bit on my computer, but that's to be expected considering how bad it is. However, I don't think it should happen with current PCs. The large size makes it so that you can get a break from the constant chaos, and you're always on the run, trying to find the enemy, stop from being found. I tried to make it as tactical as possible, forcing you to consider as many possible situations as possible, as there are lot's of places to hide and get attacked from unexpected directions.

It also uses some new techniques that I have recently learned. Invisible polygons make up the bridge, so that it essentially looks like you're walking on sceneries. Texture stretching and randomized shading help to create the 3 dimensional look and feel of the map. Block format polygons are also incorporated. Detexturing is also used. Unfortunately, there is no active lighting as in my last map nor is this map multitextured. But I'll try to incorporate all these things into my next project.

release it and let us test!

I wouldn't mind one of my maps being included in the next soldat release...

That has been my goal since the start.

quote:Originally posted by StalkyGUH.

It's amazing. This is how all soldat maps should be!

I totally agree with you.

very cool map, and no im not only saying this because it was hosted on m00net :)

btw the water fall looks really, really nice, too bad we cant animate it :(

quote:Originally posted by papasurf31Invisible polygons make up the bridge, so that it essentially looks like you're walking on sceneries.

Invisible polys? :o Wow. How'd you do that?!

And don't use multi-textures for maps you want to be official. Because they're designed to be used on only one map, I doubt Michal would like to add them to the game because newbies wouldn't be able to use the texture in their own maps. Of course, I may be wrong.

Also, I have a suggestion for the map. Could you maybe do some polygon work behind the decorative scenery at the top of the map to make it look like the window thing is 'set' into the stone? Shade it darker around the edge of the scenery or something.

Two points I'd like to make:

1. We really need an official maps website on which the best of the best maps are released and endorsed by MM and beta testers. I don't feel this kind of map gets the attention it deserves by just floating around the forums, like most nice maps do. A project like this was attempted by NightCabbage a few versions back but it never got off the ground :(

2. Polyworks should become the default map maker. Its just too good.

quote:Invisible polys? :o Wow. How'd you do that?!

Polyworks has a function called reverse visisbility. It makes something disappear but still keep it's effect, mostly useless on sceneries, but very useful with polygons. With them, you can create invisble walls and force fields, bullets barriers etc. It's a very useful and cool tool. I recommend you all to try it out.

quote:And don't use multi-textures for maps you want to be official. Because they're designed to be used on only one map, I doubt Michal would like to add them to the game because newbies wouldn't be able to use the texture in their own maps. Of course, I may be wrong.

Yeah, I agree somewhat with that. However, I don't think that newbies would be intimadated by the multitextures. They might not use them at first, working only with single textures to begin with, but once they see the possibilities, they would probably love to start experimenting with more complex mapping techniques.

quote:Also, I have a suggestion for the map. Could you maybe do some polygon work behind the decorative scenery at the top of the map to make it look like the window thing is 'set' into the stone? Shade it darker around the edge of the scenery or something.

I'll see what I can do.

quote:1. We really need an official maps website on which the best of the best maps are released and endorsed by MM and beta testers. I don't feel this kind of map gets the attention it deserves by just floating around the forums, like most nice maps do. A project like this was attempted by NightCabbage a few versions back but it never got off the ground :(

2. Polyworks should become the default map maker. Its just too good.


I agree with both sentiments whole-heartedly.

"2. Polyworks should become the default map maker. Its just too good"

I like map maker plus ^_^

Cookie: I don't care, join the Polyworks regime OR DIE.

papsurf31: I never knew about that feature in Polyworks. Maybe I missed an update to the program since I stopped visiting IRC :( and about the multi-texture thing, its up to MM I guess. If he chooses to include multi-textures in official maps, then Annas EskimoGirls map needs to be added in some form or another (as she did three) :D

I started working on a site that does those things awhile ago back in the summer holidays..but currently I have school and can't exactly work on it. http://smaps.llsc.us/

whata bout releasing th map here? the screen looks ncie, but i would like to test the gameplay

quote:Originally posted by N1nj@I started working on a site that does those things awhile ago back in the summer holidays..but currently I have school and can't exactly work on it. http://smaps.llsc.us/


Good idea. Maybe we could all get in on this and help the project along if you haven't the time to do it yourself :/

quote:Originally posted by Stalky
Two points I'd like to make:

1. We really need an official maps website on which the best of the best maps are released and endorsed by MM and beta testers. I don't feel this kind of map gets the attention it deserves by just floating around the forums, like most nice maps do. A project like this was attempted by NightCabbage a few versions back but it never got off the ground :(

2. Polyworks should become the default map maker. Its just too good.

1. I only get bored of soldat when playing in the same old maps all the time. I think this would make custom maps more widespread. If not a site, then I think at least an official map-pack could be compiled every few months...

2. I agree :>

I thought the New Maps forums was the place to plug your maps. Looks like I was wrong!

Countless good maps get their 5 minutes of fame, tehn get shoved aside forever.

We need official mappacks!

i played the map..and unfortunately...it's VERY laggy even without edges :S

Why don't we just test the maps as beta testers, then make an official list of "approved" maps that might get shown to everyone on the forums, placed in soldat.pl, or, for the really good ones, add them in the new releases.

It wouldn't be too difficult to test out -- 4 to 6 people could test out whatever maps they want on the beta server and critique it in no time. And we don't even have to test out every single map, just the ones that look reasonably well designed. That way we wouldn't get swamped with new maps once people figured out what we were doing.

Not only would we be helping to add new maps to the game, but we'd be testing out the new versions and the weapon balance in the process.

An official mappack, yes, great idea. It would give the best maps a bigger chance of actually getting played.

There could be a group of maptesters that picked good maps from the releases and compiled a monthly(or whatever) "best-of" mappack, that'd be displayed on the homepage.

I like the idea as well. I'd say that 6-8 people should be testing the maps, depending on the size of the maps.

Or less for DM maps.

Yeah, map testing could be integrated into the slaughter sessions. And having that map only downloadable from the server would encourage people to actually go and test ;)

N1nj@: So this map is the Half-Life 2: Lost Coast of Soldat? :(

Stalky: Ninj@ runs on a 500mhz system. I highly doubt the lag will be nearly as dramatic on any of your systems. If this is he Lost Coast of Soldat, I'm very flattered that you could compare it that way, but if I really wanted to, I could make a map that would require a P4 with HT to run with SLi'd Geforce 7800s.

This is just a little thing I did for fun, showing off some of the power of Polyworks and some new mapping techniques. More like PhysicsTown, if anything (kudos to anyone who knows what that is).

Haha okay. Well, to be honest, I'm pretty sure a map that has higher requirements than the game it's for won't make it as a default map. But I'm still up for the revival of the official map pack/map distribution website idea - in fact, this is another reason to do it, for maps that would be good enough to be official but can't be put in for compatibility reasons (high requirements, big sceneries like Chernobyl).

Please move this to the "new maps" section kthx.

please adapt the topic title and content first (+ all the replies should be deleted, as they were from beta stage)

eh, fack it.