User:The junk./(L4D) Scavenger Progess

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Quick Look

• Name: (Unofficially called 'Scavenger')
• Game Mode: Scavenger
• Status:

Project Aspect	Completion (%)
Construction	20
Texturing	0
Entities	0
Polish	0

Introduction

This is a mod for a new game type, called Scavenger. I'm holding off on the details until the mod is more formed, but there are a couple of things I hope to accomplish with it.

• Help further SketchUp support for Source level modding. For this mod, whatever can be done in SketchUp, is. This isn't a backlash against Hammer; After all, I kind of like Hammer. However, I am efficient (like a lot of people) using SketchUp and, for me, it has a very new and shiny quality to it. Did I mention Ruby API support for SketchUp plugins, hmmm???
• Provide another level of scale for mappers. Survival and Campaign maps are great, but in terms of size there seems to be something missing. This mod hopes to provide people with a reason to make mid-to-large sized maps.
• Learn more about game development/modding through Source modification.
• Extend Left 4 Dead.

Philosophy

I like to keep a fair amount of flexibility when designing, for those cases when something is "worlds better" or an easier solution is "just as good". Of course, one has to pay particular attention as to whether that is actually true. Regardless, you could say my development style is "design by direction" rather than "design by definition". Critical aspects of the design, of course, still need to be fleshed out. Another counter-example would be "touching parts". If two or more different parts of the design are in contact with one another, then that contact needs to be controlled. The standard way to do this is by defining the parts exactly. This solves the problem "by definition". I will restrict the design in this way when appropriate, but for the most part I focus on giving the project, at all times, a definite state of being, or direction. In other words, my project needs to know exactly what it is and/or what it is trying to do at all times. The key being that this knowledge is not constant in time.

I am relatively new to modding; However, I do come with the Swift Learner, Comprehension, Educated, and Bloody Mess perks. Hopefully, that'll do it.

Snapshot

Below is a SketchUp shot of the project. The church and autoshop have been tested to be exportable to Hammer without error. The three other district blocks are the result of a blitz I did over a couple of days. They haven't been tested in Hammer, yet; However, I am pretty anal about my SketchUp brush work. There are miscellaneous "SketchUp only" models present in the photos that obviously do not export into Hammer, as is. They are artifacts from reference work, via the 3D Warehouse, that I kept as conceptual guides.

• 

  'Scavenger' mod WIP.

The translucent red region is the the scope of this mod. I am considering swapping blocks Q and R with P and reducing the scope to then exclude blocks P, M, and J. The playable area would then be completely surrounded by background buildings and I would almost be ready to move on to other areas of the mod.

Development Space

// TODO:

• Figure out how to unwrap L4D resource textures for use as paints in SketchUp.
• Determine an efficient work flow for creating static .mdl models. So far, this consists of exporting an .smd from SketchUp (this gives the reference and animation components), importing the file into XSI Mod Tool, creating/exporting a physics component, and then compiling at the terminal.
• Finish the mod?