Dead End Pre-Alpha Screen Dump

I know it’s been a while since i’ve posted, been busy with school. However, I’ve got some good news: We’re in the ending stages of finishing the Alpha version of Dead End soon, so I took some screens! At the moment, I’m having problems with the soundscapes, but everything else is working fine. Awaiting a campaign poster and a few minor detail changes before some test runs. Here all all the new screens in their zombie-less glory!

You Got Ecksbawks In My TF2!

As a fan of customization, and especially those in Huds, I can personally say I fucking love this. So fucking much. As you know, Dakota loves making shit for source games, and he recently got a request to do a custom hud for Team Fortress 2. And my god, it came out hilarious.

New Goodies are Good Goodies

Dakota has been busy the last few weeks working on a few skins and a quick spray. I’d like to make a quick post showing off his new Butterfly Knife Skin, a new spray, and a couple works in progress.

Variation on a Theme

Sorry I haven’t posted anything in the last few weeks, I’ve been busy dealing with back to school. I just recently found enough time to open hammer again, and started tweaking a few things in my Deadend map. I’m not sure if I like this theme better, so I’m going to have a talk with my mapping partner and we’ll decide over the next few days. Anyway, I’d like to show off the changes for giggles:

Dead End Preview: Dialogue + Starting the Event

Just uploaded a video showing off one of the six “conversations” i’ve crafted for the survivors when the start the map. Check it out below:

Deadend, Outside Screens

I wanted to post some pictures about the map i’m working on, and here they are. The inside lighting isn’t done, but I figure the outside looks nice enough to present. These screens also feature my first 3D skybox, and i think it turned out pretty decent if I do say so myself. So here they are, first shots of Deadend:

Whoops!

It’s been a month and 10 days since I last posted, my bad. I’ve spent the last few weeks unpacking shit in my new house and gearing up for school again. Besides these trivial things I’ve spent the time taking a slight break away from Hammer. About two weeks ago I finally purchased Half-Life 2 (which I played back in 2005 but never owned a copy of), as well as Episode 1 + 2, Zeno Clash, and Mass Effect. I played Half-Life 2 for the first time in four years and boy was it a blast. I quickly went from that to Episode 1, which was not as good, but still a fun ride none the less. But oh my god, Episode 2 was a crowning jewel in games.

The Wonders of beam_spotlight

Time for me to totally geek out more on the wonders of lighting in L4D. In TF2, you have to light the environment enough so the player can see easily. In L4D, you don’t have to light the environment so much (because the player has access to a flashlight), but you do need to make light more believable for two reasons:

1. The player spends more time looking at the environment in L4D than in TF2. While playing TF2, you don’t  notice the scenery as often because you are more focused on the enemy. Try making your own server next time you play TF2 and look at all the nice details Valve puts into their maps.
2. The L4D art-style lends itself to realism. If you see crappy lighting in a room you’re going to notice it more in L4D than in a TF2 map.

After about 30 minutes of uploading the screen shots in my last post, I finally fixed my spotlight. The setup itself consisted merley of a prop_static, four light_spots, and four beam_spotlights. Now, i had them in the map, checked them for errors, and then ran the map. Time and time again, they wouldn’t render!

Left 4 Dead Lighting Test

I know it’s been a few weeks since an update, but I’m back with a bang. I’ve finished school for the year, so i’ll be spending this summer moving and actually getting some shit done. I’ve used the time to get used to the L4D beta of the Authoring Tools, and i’ve noticed a few things. Lighting in L4D is really easy, and this is why: You only need lights to tell you where to go. This means minimal lights overall. Bad news: When designing a Survival map, you’re going to have to make alot more lights.

The Spy of Snazzy Proportions

It’s been a quiet two weeks, but I’m glad we’re back with Dakota’s new skin for Team Fortress 2′s Spy class. This new release includes two new suits and four, count em, four new skins for the fancy fedora (for you lucky bastards that have them…)