WIP Ice Station Wampa

[Circa]

That looks great man. Keep it up!

[IrocJeff]

That looks great man. Keep it up!

 

Thanks a lot. I wish I could post more images but while it looks great in game the screenshots just come up a bit darker and you can't see the cool stuff. There are some really neat areas that look too dark to discern what's what.

[IrocJeff]

After 2 levels and a combined 18,152 brushes I'm finally done with all my rooms. The radiation part is added so I have a rudimentary geiger counter sound which is pretty neat. I got the overhead crane working and decided to make a tram to take you to level 3, if I ever get around to building level 3.

 

Going to add in NPC's now and some stuff I spot along the way. Would like to do some Stormtrooper conversations since I found an Audacity tutorial for it but who knows. 

 

Here are some screenshots, albeit dark ones, of some later stuff I made.

 

 

This one is another in the sesspool area. I have absolutely no clue what the purpose of open waste pits are and why they aren't just piped into some container but it sure makes for neat level design.

 

 

This is the tram that goes from the waste treatment center of the base to the production area and Imperial compound part, level 3 or 3&4 respectively. See, the first part, run by the Rodians, handle the smuggling of the cargo. This waste area handles the chemical waste of production, waste of the base, reactor waste, and so on...This area will be mostly Imperial Technicians and troopers. This tram is how they travel from the compound to this facility. 

 

 

This is the tram platform area. This and the room before it is where we start getting into a bit more Imperial looking textures. Now we are getting into newer constructed areas of the facility. 

 

There are some crates dead ahead in the black and behind the player. I reused the coke machine again since I can't find another texture to steal on Google for a soda machine front. I made a trash can next to it with the little white stick figure tossing away trash on it. I also made some benches with cherry wood texture. They look pretty cool. I wanted to add in some arcade machines as well but decided against it. I may add that in future projects. 

[IrocJeff]

Yeah, I added yet another new room, crossed the 10k brush mark ( didn't realize I made that many) and came up with a neater way to enter the level than before. So, THIS IS the final construction that needed to be done. 

 

 

 

In the top of the image some ductwork with an open grate. This is how you get from the hangars to the waste part. You actually plop onto the the top of a garbage chute and navigate yourself to the ground somehow. I made a door that opens up on the other side and this is where they toss some trash.. just down into a pit... If the player opens the door and goes down the chute he'll die... 

 

At an rate, this waste area is pretty cool. You follow a set path throughout the game but there are areas you can't get to and locked doors just incase I want to revisit this in the future or someone else wants to make a secondary plot to my story they can use parts of the map in theirs. 

 

Level 1 is 99% completed. I went through and fixed some stuff. Basically, all door switches now have the active/inactive textures with the Func_Usable entity. Yeah, I have ZERO automatic doors in both levels. I have to add in my opening crawl and that's it for level 1. Hurray!

 

Level 2. I went through and changed the lighting color to a very light blue. There are some white lights as in the image above, but most have that blueish hint. I changed the light textures, also. Same with above the door. Found a red door light in the Yavin set and changed ALL my doors around. Did some texture changing on door controls, lights, some floors, made shelf items, new computer screens with Star Wars font but real text. So, you can take screenshots of them and go and decipher the text after playing!

 

I have to start adding Imperial workers and Stormtroopers to this map next and get all that stuff situated which shouldn't take too long. I'm also looking to see if anyone is interested in being my stormtroopers. I have a simple script that needs to be recorded so if anyone wants to help out in that department that'd be great. I'll do all the audacity stuff and you'll be credited of course.

[KhorneSyrup]

The first couple screenshots reminded me of "the thing" XD

 

At any rate, regarding the terrain around the station, why not use a blend shader? between stone/snow?

They're super simple to write, and it can look very good if done right.. Just my thoughts.

 

Anywho, looking great thus far. I will be watching this project.

[Circa]

I can be a stormtrooper.  B)

[Futuza]

If only it were coming to JKA too.  

[IrocJeff]

The first couple screenshots reminded me of "the thing" XD

 

At any rate, regarding the terrain around the station, why not use a blend shader? between stone/snow?

They're super simple to write, and it can look very good if done right.. Just my thoughts.

 

Anywho, looking great thus far. I will be watching this project.

 

Well, I really don't know how to do that which is why I didn't mess around with it. Terrain threw me for a loop. I think its just the tutorials that get me screwed up, like when I used EAsyGen to do this. The now renamed Gnur helped me with a new skybox and I switched from snow to sand and it worked out well enough.  

[IrocJeff]

I can be a stormtrooper.  B)

 

Well, you're hired. I have to make some adjustments to the script itself and I'll send it to ya. You can do both troopers if you want, just change the pitch on one of the voices is all. 

[KhorneSyrup]

I can help ya out with it if ya like, it's pretty simple to setup,I can also shoot ya a few tutorials for it.

 

But as I said, I can help you with that If you would like me to, just shoot me a message.

[IrocJeff]

If only it were coming to JKA too.  

 

Heck, I wish I could do what I'm doing in Source! Yeah, I don't have JA unfortunately but I'm sure you'll be able to play it when its done....somehow....

[IrocJeff]

The first couple screenshots reminded me of "the thing" XD

 

 

I forgot to comment on this... Funny you should mention this! The Thing was on AMC's Fear Fest this year and that was part of the inspiration for this part of the map. I had a small station made, a landing pad.. It was pretty neat but I could never get the terrain right for snow. Also, I had problems making snow drifts on the walkways with patch meshes. Anyhow, it all worked out well in the end. 

[IrocJeff]

After a hiccup with NPC scripting I'm finally done.   I've been playing these battles nearly every compile in my head and its finally nice to actually see NPC's fire back. Its even better with the Ultimate Weapons mod as well. I'm hoping people will download it and use it because its so much better to play with than stock blasters. 

 

One thing I don't like is the 500 ammo count. I know its the REAL count for the E-11, but, for a video game its a bit overkill. I've made up a new ammo count PK3 that lowers this amount so you actually have to conserve ammo. 

 

I'm also going through and re-arranging my area portals. It's making for a better playable experience and I've been eliminating some of my stutter issues.

 

Adding more detail in places now while I wait for a few folks' contributions to each map. I've got some sound effects and stuff in place near terminals and whatnot. My outdoor world terrain will now have rocks blended in thanks to KhorneSyrup which is pretty neat looking, although your only outside for a short time. 

 

Also, I'm making one last plea here if anyone know how to change the amount of ammo  you start with at the beginning of a level it will help out. 

[Circa]

Don't spawned weapons have a small amount of ammo to begin with? Could be wrong. If I'm right, you could have the player start with no weapons and pick up the weapons instead.

[IrocJeff]

If you start with nothing and pick up a weapon it gives you full ammo automatically. The next one you'll pick up then gives the smaller amount. 

[IrocJeff]

Now that most of my issues are solved (except ammo count, although the max ammo is reduced), and waiting on some others to finish up their efforts, I started work on map #3

 

This is the Imperial section of the base. Its newer, cleaner, and hopefully won't look like Kejim or Cairn. I'm going to make this part of the facility a cross between clean Imperial and that black lava rock texture. You've probably seen this in James Bond movies and stuff. 

 

As far as landmarks go I think I'm going to include a cafeteria of some sorts in this one. Billiard tables might be easy to include, some arcade machines as well. I know I have to make the drug production equipment which I have no clue on. Most of my meth lab or drug lab searches on Google don't really fit well into the Star Wars Universe... unless I gut the Millennium Falcon and use it as a mobile lab... HAHAHA       I'm more than likely going to have to exagerate the designs from the Breaking Bad lab here into something larger.

 

I have some other secret stuff I can't tell you about that I'm adding as it will ruin the story. If anyone has a suggestion of what they would like to see in an Imperial base post it here. 

[IrocJeff]

Pretty much done with the first part of map 3, the entrance to the actual Imperial Base part. The tram takes you from the Waste Treatment area to here. I made the walls with a NetRadiant Tut I found on handshaped terrain that actually made sense, and is really easy to do. The dark lava rock texture is brighter in game

 

 

The tram drops you off in a cavern that is basically this catwalks, the building at the end, and an unreachable part in the next image. The big door under the Imperial logo is an elevator and there will be another door on the right of that shaft.

 

 

 

 

This is just a place that I threw in to give some Stormtroopers a place to shoot at the player when the tram arrives. It also hides some problems I had with manipulating vertices in corners. I just took them out and made a walkway built into the rock.

 

Worked on this for a few hours and am already up to 1000 brushes in 1 room. Fortunately, I've been func_gouping stuff early on and doing some _lightmapscale adjusting on these parts so I don't run into the Max Shader Error as early down the road. 

[IrocJeff]

 

This is one of those S-Shaped transition hallways. Decided to try out the rock wall thing here using 3 brushes and manipulating vertices. Turned out pretty well. I raised the floor grating 8 units  and lowered the ceiling 16. Gives it some dimension. Also, this is one of the brightest images I think I ever posted so that's good.

 

 

 

This is more of an issue I'm finding with the vertices manipulation. Where my crosshair is the seams are perfect. Other area's not so much just around it.  Is this something that I have to keep moving and re-testing or will a shader clear this up ?

[KhorneSyrup]

I was thinking about your ammo problem, And Technically, you could make the player spawn ontop of an ammo box with the Key "count" and the value a negative amount. And that will do what you want. Sorry, really should have thought of that sooner XD

[IrocJeff]

It didn't work for me, and when I fired the blaster and touched the ammo box my ammo went up. 

[KhorneSyrup]

Another way is to have the player start with no weapons, and place the pistol infront of him with like count 10

If I recall correctly there was a way to strip them of all of their weapons via a trigger... But I'm not certain.

[IrocJeff]

I'm not concerned anymore. The 200 ammo count max is doing well enough on its own. I'm still not having luck on your shaders. Everything I do looks like the image I sent you.. 

 

Is there any tutorial for this you can point me to?

[Szico VII]

You should try a phong shader on your rock wall texture to smooth the lighting out and prevent those sharp triangular shadows.

 

http://www.simonoc.com/pages/articles/phongshading1.htm

 

As per tutorial here.

 

If its an issue with texture alignment itself (but it doesnt look like it) you can try ivector x y z command (also explained in those tutorials)

[IrocJeff]

I know about Phong Shaders, but, they don't seem to work for me. KhornSyrup made me a few shaders for my outdoor terrain. No matter what I try they don't seem to want to blend. Not sure why. I have the new shaders in my maps texture directory. The shader is in the shader file.. Heck, I even tried it in the script folder. I have no clue on what could be wrong.

[IrocJeff]

 

I had much better luck on the next room. I made all my blocks square and manipulated them that way. It was much easier and didn't cause as many issues with the seams showing. Its about 90% clean and 10% seam showing which is better than the previous room.