Bright Lights, Big Textures: CTF_Server_Farms Update

I’ve put in a few more lights into the map, as well as finishing up texturing the map. Well, the RED half at least. Anyway here are some screenshots. The lighting is still not complete, I just figured I’d show off some more progress

Lights: CTF_Server_Farms Update

I’ve been slowly going through lighting up the map before finishing all my texturing, mostly because I’d like to be able to see what I’m texturing when I render it and go in game. Not really much to say about it, other than here are some screens.

Oh yeah I almost forgot, I made a major level geometry change, namely the addition of actual staircases. I will show that off in a future update.
I have to say right now this is shaping up to be some of my best lighting work yet.

EDIT: Here are a couple more pictures, taken of the upper level of RED base in the room that leads to the skybridge.

Two blog entries in the same week? CTF_Server_Farms update

Well after putting my WiP shots up on tf2maps.net, I got some feedback concerning the skybridge. They said it was too enclosed, and I was inclined to believe that. So after going through a wealth of design ideas I eventually changed the bridge…then changed it again into the form seen now.

I’ve provided a number of large windows for players to fire out of as well as exit the bridge from should they get pinned down by a sniper or turret. I’ve also added a ramp near the halfway point of the bridge so that players have another entry and exit point. This also has the benefit of adding more ground cover to the level in the form of bridge abutments and supports. The reason all the bridge components are textured right now mostly came out of trying to find materials that would look good and make sense for a bridge. I’m pretty sure I’ll keep them the way they are but they might be subject to change, who can say.

I also added a bunker on the left side of the map, again for cover purposes. I don’t really know why the material I chose for the roof and floor of it is so glossy, though, but that’s an easily-handled minor texture change.

In a way, these changes have actually given me ideas for a “story” to why this map exists in its form. The data centers and servers are used to process combat data from the fighting that primarily takes place in the center area, and the Intelligence the teams are trying to steal would be each side’s respective findings. Yeah I know it’s silly but this is Team Fortress, after all.

Turn on the Sun: CTF_Server_Farms Update

So I decided against any sort of landscaping for the time being (maybe in the 3D skybox) and went with making Server_Farms a complex walled off by physical walls and player clip planes. I also added the environmental lighting so now I have a sun, which while it casts most of the interior in almost complete darkness, the exterior is coming along nicely.

Of course it’s still really about 1/4 a map because I have lighting, detailing, and so on to add to this, not to mention having to mirror the geometry and retexture/recode one side for BLU.

CTF_Server_Farms Update: Landscaping Issues

Ok so I don’t have any images to show (mostly because I’ve just been patching up geometry), but the general archeticture of the level is now finished and can easily be copied and reversed to fill out the BLU side of the map. The major problem now is what I’m going to do in regards to landscaping. Originally I planned to put the whole level in a giant cave, even if that made the whole purpose of a skybridge silly. But admittedly this was partially so I wouldn’t have to do a 3D skybox at any point. To be honest though, I really should learn how to make a 3D skybox in Source. So of course the problem now becomes how to map out this level without making it look like just about every other CTF level in TF2. That is to say, two bases facing each other with an open area in the middle looking out over a vast nondescript piece of the American Southwest. The only official CTF map to my knowledge that bucks this trend is Sawmill and that’s partially because it’s a repurposed KOTH map. I’d ask if anybody has any thoughts but I know this blog isn’t viewed all that much, which is perfectly fair given my sporadic updates.