How to make a map inspired of a famous game?

[Asgarath83]

Some peoples do that for passion, other for tributes. 

any way, into the years i see on JKA many wonderful map that are remake or rivisation of maps of other game. like the max payne station by @@GPChannel or the Resident evil mansion by  @@Plasma or final fantasy maps (like midgar).

because i need to the same for my mod i want to know eventual suggestions and tecnique regards that.

how you do that?

and what is the better and fast method of build a map from scratchs?

these days i am looking maps of an oldest game called legacy of kain blood omen 2. i hope a day to recreate, also partially, two locations of game: eternal prison and hylden city.

problems: there is not a map extractor for this game.

so.. what is the best solution?

1 * rip with 3d ripper and convert to quake 3 map? i not think because

- hard to do. only blender and deled can did such conversion but 99% sure map destroy is geometry

- maps ripped are ever with triangle wireframes of mesh. that cannot be good brushes: they will create a too heavy loud *map file, with structural and triangulation. also, texturing a map formed by thousand of triangles is a crazyness!

- converts map on md3 format. pity the game in question have horrible textures patterns and a works like that can be good for export chjaracter by game or objects for make model_statics. but sure not for map geometry itself.

 

so i think to another solution:

second way:

1 rip the 2 maps. load and save on max various 3dr ripped. , take screenshots with maps in perspective or top view, so i have a floormap and references. after that use screenshots of floormaps as reference for radiant: example: make on gtk radiant a floor surface, apply as texture the screenshot and rebuild with brushes the geometry on the drawed images. (this method maybe can be fine for making a 3d version map of a 2d game, but i am not exactly okay with this idea o.o )

 

third way: using ripped stuff for draw, maybe using a web application like dungeon painter or tiamat, for build with tiles floormaps and use floormaps as reference for rebuld on radiants. 

fourth way: draw a floor map with free hand, scan it and use as references...

 

okay i have no other idea.

i hope some one can share with me knowledge about that or let me know about tecnique for recreating maps without porting and hellness mapping works.  

thanks for every answer.

[AshuraDX]

You will get the best results by rebuilding from scratch using as many reference screenshots as you can get.

 

That floorplan idea is not bad. You could also use my 3ds max mapping plugin (which doesn't work in 3ds max 7 and older) to build a valid q3map around the imported original map.

[Asgarath83]

You will get the best results by rebuilding from scratch using as many reference screenshots as you can get.

 

That floorplan idea is not bad. You could also use my 3ds max mapping plugin (which doesn't work in 3ds max 7 and older) to build a valid q3map around the imported original map.

How work this plug in? yes, i tested floorplan idea with a friend and have really great potenziality if well used.

[AshuraDX]

How work this plug in? yes, i tested floorplan idea with a friend and have really great potenziality if well used.

It's not released yet.

 

It allows you to export simple 3ds max geometry to .map, It also allows you to place all sorts of entities and has some nifty tools for creating brush or path soups to build things like terrain more quickly.

 

https://jkhub.org/topic/9752-wip-3ds-max-level-design-plugins/

[Asgarath83]

It's not released yet.

 

It allows you to export simple 3ds max geometry to .map, It also allows you to place all sorts of entities and has some nifty tools for creating brush or path soups to build things like terrain more quickly.

 

https://jkhub.org/topic/9752-wip-3ds-max-level-design-plugins/

Uh, Cool! It's also downloadble? D: tonight i watch better now is lunch time.

i got also another idea however... convert ripped area to MD3 (sure in that way not work is without texture, too part, too verts etc lol but is not that the point ) and place on radiant ONLY for use as geometrical reference for build brushes. o.o  exactly like when add on a map a misc_model and build physic clip collider geometry. but with your plug maybe is more faster and easy.

Okay i read intro post... i'll wait release. how is the stay of WIP?

[Asgarath83]

Into the time AshuraDx ultimate is worderful plug in, i discover that if i export from max on OBJ format, i can easily import as misc_model the geometry (with correct textures and materials) to a map! so i can temp rebuild with misc_model the missing maps i wanna remake.

i tested in game and they're works fine!

 

this game is low poly and of 2001 so builded map is "only" of 10 mega also if is structural. but i need to clean areas by ripped characters... and in future i will text if is possible to port as decimated OBJ by blender... (hoping they not crash uvmapping)