I've just made a new map in... what? 7 hours or so? ^^

It's a small map suitable for 1on1 but also great for 4 or 6 players. (6 gets crowded though)
And if you want madness fit in 32 bots -.-

Ballistic and normal UT weapons in mind, focused more on gameplay than on graphics but both are good.
Screens:




Link:
http://files.filefront.com/DM+B+Ancient ... einfo.html

I will place more ambient sounds, so don't complain about the quiet forest atm ^^

Can people please Beta test it for me?
And perhaps think of a better name?

Would mention you in the readme ^^

It looks good from the screenshots, but a bit bland. Almost no staticMeshes and the same texture being repeated over and over again. Needs more stuff in it.

Take a look at DM-Nao, and look at how he uses multiple textures on walkways on anywhere.

Yeh k

It is a quick made map... but I do agree little detail.
I once made a map which had confusing detail, making enemies hard to see -.- That is something I wanted to avoid.
Well that worked, but now it's too blank, ill add some stuff.

Problem is, I can't really find a way to fill up Ancient style maps...

I can however use multiple textures...

multiple textures is a start.

As for adding to it, maybe planks of wood or something.

I think the best would be to add vines on the walls and ground and maybe have some crumbling walls to really give you the ancient feel it needs cause it feels to clean right now for an 'old' map.

Ill make a pillar collapse when shot ^^

Vines and grass and rubble and planks, k.
Ill also take a look in other ancient maps, I got some lying around.

you don't need to make a pilar collapse when shot, just add a few pillars to replace those rectangle pillars in the last screenshot, it'd make it looks much less blocky.

hah I've added alot of vines and plants on the walls and I've placed Urns you can shoot apart.
These urns won't respawn.

With the plants now it looks alot cooler, but Ill post screenshots and a new link tomorrow. Gonna sleep now.

Here are the new screenshots, not completely finished every detail but all around it looks better.
If you have any more suggestions, I'm very glad to hear them.


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Keep it simple, but not bland. Stone statues, rock formations, and maybe even fountains, would greatly accentuate your map.

Exactly, try and break away from the flat walls, try adding depth or something, just not flat.

Also, great work on the additions.

though the urns look out of place in a way sine they are so huge.

Those urns aren't big

and how am I going to add depth into the walls? I have an idea but im not sure about it...

Like making square indents in the walls, their you could place other stuff, like maybe more smaller vines.

Yeah, i just hate the idea of destroyable objects in UT2k4 maps, i think it'd be best if they didn't shatter, and make sure to have blocking volumes on them.

One thing I'd love to see are destroyable items that grow back after a few seconds, or maybe a door that reacts to being shot, like in the Metroid games. It would be a great place to hide a Superweapon or Double Damage powerup.

Now about your map, you might want to take a look at the textures for those trees. They're rather ugly.

I'm quite sure its the only texture you can have for that tree model.

not my trees, I copied them from BR-Serenity.

And those destroyable objects are Movers, triggered when damaged. And they trigger an emitter when moving.

Im making water ways and water falls and stuff. That will cheer it up.

I still think that some parts like the room for the minigun should have the floors broken, not gone or anything, just stone tiles that are not where they should be. I'll try and remember a map that does this to great effect.

^ DM-1on1 maps do well.

I've downloaded two maps made by Scarface. CTF-Semiras and another map...

They look nice, good staticmeshes and graphics. Although the ceiling tex and floor tex are the same -.-
It gave me enough inspiration and ideas to boost my map.

Good.

So... Any updates yet?

I have to disagree with UglyPants' comments about details above. I hate nothing more than maps that have sick amount of detail in them. This is supposed to be an ancient place right? Now why the hell would the builders add detail to the walls? Make the place purdy?

This map should be simple, maybe a little more detail wouldn't hurt, but don't go over the top with stuff like carving walls and using many types of textures.

I never wanted it to be packed with detail, it just needed a tad more. Cause it looked really bland and plain, just a few vines here and there and maybe some cracks in the floor or wall and blam, it looks way better with adding a sick amount of detail.

Maps with sick amount of detail don't get played. Why do you think only a few of the original maps get played online? Because the rest are just overdetailed garbage with no gameplay value.

Cracks in floor, more geometric detail, etc. would be great as long as it doesn't have the potential to confuse the player or make it harder to move around. Detail is eyecandy, one shouldn't make it hurt the gameplay.

yeah, little bits of eye candy never hurt anyone. But play maps that have a good combo of the two types, cause i find bland maps (like this one at the start) are kinda noobish looking (no offense).

Also B, in the new screenshots (from a few weeks ago) those vines seem ungodly huge, they should be much smaller, unless its the angle thats making them look huge.

I'd say the angle is to blame, it can do weird things to a map's appearance.

srry I was away to Centre Parks for the weekend... it was kinda boring, except for the pool. Me and 3 others went down such tube waay too close to each other, and I managed to stop in the middle of it xD

Great fun there, but the rest was crap... everything was meant for little kids and their parents.

about the map,
haven't done much yet...
I'm going to add holes in the floor and stuff completely broken. And then lay planks and bricks over them + a blocking volume so that nobody gets stuck. ^^

Man, this map is hard work...

I've added enough details to make it look good, and I'll make 100% sure it won't destroy gameplay.

After most of it is done, I need to know if I added too much detail, too little (doubt that) or its ugly.
Then after those adaptments, I'm improving the gameplay and need some hints about improving that.

I really think that this is one of my best maps so far.

Geomatry complete.
Texturing complete.
Lighting complete.
Optimizing complete.
Pickups complete.
Paths complete.
Effects complete.
Gameplay modifications complete.
Music incomplete.
Map Information & misc incomplete.
Beta test incomplete.

Here's a screenshot of the map. As Geomatry, Textures, Lighting, Effects and Pickups are done, you can see how the map will be visually. This is truly my best map so far, untill that CTF map is done perhaps...

Uh, what are those weird pickups that are blue, yellow, and red (STK maybe?)?? They look cool, but.... what ARE they? Nice visuals now though, except those trees looks overbrightened...

Those weird pickups are Adreneline, Armor and Health pickups. Small ones. I've changed their looks to fit the map.
And the trees, I forgot to change the sunlight there, I've changed the sunlight troughout the whole map and I forgot to do the top XD