Cesig Moreis

Sweet!  Overheid is currently ranked 1 of 10,417 on ModDB.  Thanks everyone who stopped by or commented!

So the demo is out and the results are very positive!  Currently Overheid is sporting a 9.1 on FPSBanana.  On ModDB, there is no rating, because it’s not a final release.  But the comments have been good and the download numbers aren’t too bad either.

Check out the ModDB page for Overheid

or Check out the FPSBanana Page for Overheid
I’m working away at addressing the issues in the demo release, as well as toiling away at the other maps in the series.

So much work!

Over the holidays I managed to plan out two major sections of the level.  One is completely built out–enough for a playtest–and the other is about halfway built.  I’m running into some issues smoothing out a few things on it, but it’s still coming along very well.

Here’s a few shots of the map I’m still building on right now.

Since I’m working on an outdoor complex and I want it to be laid out in an interesting and fun way I decided to try an exercise in generating building layouts using graph paper.  Basically, I just drew random pseudo-buildinglike shapes in random configurations until I’d filled the page.  Afterwards, I picked out the parts I thought were interesting and found ways to incorporate them into my map.  It worked really well and I ended up with a completely new sequence that I hadn’t even considered before.

That’s one of the things I’ve struggled with–how to generate new and interesting ideas.  I’ve spent a lot of time on various mapping sites looking for structures and layouts that look interesting.  And that’s helped, too.

The way I generate the majority of my ideas is just by flying around my map and seeing what it inspires.  Invariably, some path or some object/structure will suggest some other path, structure, obstacle, encounter, etc.  So it really builds on itself.

The trouble with that, of course, is that there’s a risk of it going out of control, since a  lot of what I build doesn’t have a concrete plan on paper.

The other issue with it is that it’s slow, and verrrrry iterative.  I can’t tell you how much stuff I’ve moved or deleted as I’ve worked on the map.

Still, I’m happy with how it’s turning out so far.  It’s just that it’s going so slowly.  Ugh.  It’s never fast enough.

A while ago I got some playtest feedback on an initial version of one of the main buildings in the early part of the level.  It was pretty rough going, and I had to go back and change quite a bit, but I’ve recently gotten that building’s plan completed and it’s mostly constructed, too.

I spent weeks drawing out a plan for a water treatment plant to be included in the map, and this building I’ve just wrapped up is part of that.  But the rest of the plant, as it was originally planned,  needs work.  So, now, as with what seems like every other part of the map, I need to revise it.

This is mostly due to the fact that I’ve not built a single-player map before.  So things like pacing, puzzles, and combat are all things I kind of have to play with.  And I can’t play with these things on paper, no matter how much I draw.  So a lot of the initial stuff was just the first stage of “playing.”

I’ve attached two shots of a later part of this finished building.

I’ve taken a break from the map for the time being.  I haven’t stopped, but I need to regroup.  I’ve gotten mostly through the second warehouse and, as I’ve been building and seeing everything I’ve planned out in “real life” for the first time, I’m noticing that the plan doesn’t include enough “stuff” to keep the game fun.

So now I’ve gone back to paper for now.

Attached is a fairly recent shot of one of the warehouses, and some sketches.

So I’m about a quarter of the way through blocking out the second of three sections for this SP campaign.  But that’s not counting all the rework I’m already planning for the initial section.

I want to take a minute to post about a useful tool that I’ve found.  It’s the Belkin Nostromo SpeedPad n52.  If you don’t know what it is, it’s basically a programmable mini-keyboard for a single hand.  Here’s a pic of the newest revision.  The one I have isn’t so snazzy looking, but the layout is identical.

It’s great for mapping because I can consolidate all of my oft-used operations to a single hand, with a single keystroke.  I’ve got brush, carve, select, and vertex edit all accessible with my thumb, W A S D for zooming around in 3d, copy, delete, ent mode, center on selected, ignore groups, and some other stuff thrown in for good measure.

It’s been a great productivity boost, and I highly recommend it.  There are a number of products out there like this one, so you might have better luck with something different.  But when you can ditch the editor shortcuts in favor of a single key, and bundle all of your most used operations so you can reach them with one hand, I say do it.  You won’t regret it.

I’m out for a few days to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. When I get back, expect a map =)