Adding More Detail to a map: Difference between revisions
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=== Rooms === | === Rooms === | ||
The player walks into a room where there is a hole in the ceiling. The questions the player might be asking is "Where did that hole come from?" and "Why is there no rubble here?" It's | The player walks into a room where there is a hole in the ceiling. The questions the player might be asking is "Where did that hole come from?" and "Why is there no rubble here?" It's might, or might not feel obvious that there should be some rubble on the floor to make it look more realistic to the player. Yet you should always consider doing it for those who really pay attention to the map, and overall that will increase the quality of your map! | ||
When detailing a area, start with the theme, and natural contrasting objects. | |||
*A dark room with bright windows. | |||
*An outside area, that as it grows higher, snow becomes more and more visible on the ground and area. | |||
It's quite hard to explain natural contrast, but when mapping, it just seems to make sense, and flow naturally, because you have your eye on the scene, and overall an idea on maybe how to mix things up a bit by adding in more detail. Whatever that detail may be. | |||
=== Choosing the right details === | === Choosing the right details === | ||
Revision as of 01:14, 4 September 2008
Detailed maps
Creating more detailed maps takes more time, but it can really change the appeal of a map. It's a known fact that most MOD's take screenshots of their most detailed areas. Players like to see detailed areas or places that look cool or fun to play in. However this doesn't imply that you should make a highly detailed room while the rest of the map is very low-detailed for the soul purpose of taking great looking screenshots. Players would prefer to see many areas that have detail. This tutorial will explain simple things that you can do as a mapper to make rooms, hallways, and various other types of brushwork look much more interesting, as well as making areas look much more realistic.
Rooms
The player walks into a room where there is a hole in the ceiling. The questions the player might be asking is "Where did that hole come from?" and "Why is there no rubble here?" It's might, or might not feel obvious that there should be some rubble on the floor to make it look more realistic to the player. Yet you should always consider doing it for those who really pay attention to the map, and overall that will increase the quality of your map!
When detailing a area, start with the theme, and natural contrasting objects.
- A dark room with bright windows.
- An outside area, that as it grows higher, snow becomes more and more visible on the ground and area.
It's quite hard to explain natural contrast, but when mapping, it just seems to make sense, and flow naturally, because you have your eye on the scene, and overall an idea on maybe how to mix things up a bit by adding in more detail. Whatever that detail may be.
Choosing the right details
Now you have added some detail, but something doesn't look right. That big couch i mentioned looks out of place with the gloomy and alien surroundings of the Citadel. So lets get rid of it.
Another big part of detailing is the setting. What kind of setting does your level have? Is it a barren wasteland, littered with the remains of civilization? Is it a lush forest with trees and foliage? These are all things every mapper has to take into account when detailing the map.
Examples of settings and detail
Sewers
- Setting: Dark/dimly lit, Wet, Cramped, Concrete & Uninteresting.
- Details: Grates, Pipes (ceiling, floor, beneath grates, etc.), Water, Drainage pipes & Garbage.
Citadel
- Setting: Dark, Gloomy, Alien, Metallic & Hostile.
- Details: Static gunships, Pods, Combine lighting (bright teal), Tele-screens, Bottomless chasms, Glass floors (unbreakable of course), Combine balls & Other futuristic objects.
Combine-controlled cities
- Setting: Urban, Run down, Combine, Cobblestone streets & Restrictive.
- Details: Run down looking buildings, Combine gates, Combine walls, Trash, Burnt-out cars & A citadel in the Skybox.
Forest areas
- Setting: Large &/Or Small trees (Depending on the look you want), Light Effects pouring through various leaves and other foliage, Bushes, Shrubbery & Displacements. Large areas or sometimes Mountains (in the skybox) to add the effect of the Forest being large in size.
- Details: Birds, Greenery & Trees.