User:Hectate

Hectate is a member of the Source SnowBall mod team as a mapper.

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About Me

My name is Nathan Mitchell, but I go by Hectate online. I'm primarily a mapper, although I remotely understand programming, and have a good grasp of modelling (but in Blender, so not for HL). Mapping is mostly a hobby for me, so it's not often that I complete a level. In most cases, they're only big enough to test an idea or concept I wanted to try out. The only maps I ever completed and "shipped" were the following.

1. pb_theater : CTF map for HL Paintball mod, came included in the 2nd or 3rd release only, don't remember which. It was a 2-screen, multi-level movie theater with a few special team color associations. I.E. the red side had a poster for "The Thin Red Line" and a Dr. Pepper machine, while the blue side had "Deep Blue Sea" and a Pepsi machine. Simple and fast gameplay, but fun.
2. si_wolfen : I, er, borrowed textures and sounds from Wolf3D and made a map for Science & Industry based on it. The scientists were held in the cell block, and the Administrator was in the warden's office. There were loads of secret sliding walls (just like Wolf3D) and even a super-secret, impossible-to-find-without-me-telling-you-how, if-you-pushed-the-wrong-wall-you'll-never-be-able-to-get-to-it fishtank with a Dopefish inside. As a side note, the flow of the game was pretty good, and hearing those doors brought back memories. Also, since it was only as tall as the players, jumping wasn't possible in this map, just like in Wolf3d.

Due to the level of complexity in Source maps, most of the levels I create for it remind me of Quake-era maps compared to what people are putting out nowadays. So I don't bother competing, but I enjoy dabbling. Anyway, if you remember me from HL's glory days, cool! Drop me a line!

Apprentice Programming

I'm looking for an experienced programmer (or several) who would be willing to assist me in learning the art of modding the Source engine. To be clear, I am NOT looking for someone to create code for me, I'm looking for someone who is willing to teach me the what, why, and how of coding. I wouldn't expect to learn anything through just copy paste, and I don't expect anyone else to do work for me.
So while it would be great to have an expert programmer to assist me with my Tactics mod (you can see some design considerations on my Dump Page - recommendations and opinions are appreciated from everyone), I'd really prefer to invest myself personally into it's creation. I can map, and I can model if necessary, so the code is the final "piece of the puzzle" so to speak. I don't want to be just another person who says "Hey idea X would be awesome! Will you make it for me?" I'd rather be one of the contributors.

To avoid any unnecessary "RTFAQ" comments and the like, I'll be completely clear and honest on my current state of ability.

• I am using the MSVC++ Express 05 edition. I have successfully compiled and run the My First Mod tutorial.
• I understand how code operates in a theory sense. I can usually read through it and follow what it is doing with little difficulty.
• I have minimal practice in starting from scratch. While "Hello World" and simple math calculating programs are easy enough, full-scale programming is outside of my realm at the moment. This further cements my preference to mod, rather than create new.
• I'm 25 years old and am fully able to act like a professional adult. I'd expect that anybody willing to help would do so as well.
• I'm not concerned with your age, just your knowledge. If you know more than I (which is likely :D), then I could learn from you - whether you're 13 or 30.
• I have no problems with following instructions, taking criticism, or just listening.

Finally, I'd be glad to help you in return, if you'd like, with mapping or texture work. Also, any other tutorials and websites that you can recommend that would apply to this request would be great to have links to. If you're interested in helping me with this, drop a message on my talk page, email me at nathaniel(dot)[email protected], or stop by #gamedesign on irc.gamesurge.net, where I am occasionally found.

Voice Acting

I'll be glad to do voice work for free if anybody needs a new voice for their mod, map, or machinima (sp?). I sing bass regularly in a choir, and have taken many speech and presentation classes while in college. I will have a sample of my voice available shortly. I'm afraid that I cannot do accurate accents or characterizations, so you'd be stuck with "American", primarily Mid-Eastern, although I live in Kentucky and have picked up a few bad habits (avoidable during rehearsal, however).

Notes to Self

Spelling maintenance page <- Check daily.

Special thanks to Daeval for the (slightly altered) design.