DM-Desert_Complex[Pics][Final][04]

[legacy-barfwagon]

Posted this over in betas, but since its done, Ill post it here too. Let us know what you think :)


Name: Miasma Desert Complex
Version: 1.00
Compatibility: Ut2004
Description: Facility on far away world where automated facility has been taken over by nomads and has been used for unreal tournament. (full details on download page)
Comments: I posted this map on the betas page but since it has been submitted to MSUC I figured I should post it here too. Total completion time was about 2000 hours.
Screenshot: below
Credits: Jason Scott, Ryan Jones
Homepage: http://www.ichibod.com/miasma/en
Download: http://www.ichibod.com/miasma/download/
http://mypage.iu.edu/~jbscott/images/ComplexShot1.jpg
http://mypage.iu.edu/~jbscott/images/ComplexShot2.jpg
http://mypage.iu.edu/~jbscott/images/ComplexShot3.jpg

[legacy-SirJusticE]

cool, am downloading it now. i'll post my views on the map latter on

[legacy-barfwagon]

Cool, I look forward to your feedback.

Barf

[legacy-Mr_Caravaggio]

Chrsit a 100 mb? That's a lot of textures, I hope they're all compressed properly.

eDT: good map, not as big as I expected but I like the flow.

[legacy-barfwagon]

Thanks for feedback.


Everything is compressed into it proper dds format except for the textures that would show artifacts for being in that form, lens flares, and other things like that.

Barfwagon

[Frogger]

100mb is tough to justify putting on a server...:weird:

[legacy-barfwagon]

So you think that the map would be worthy of putting on a server if the texture load/filesize was smaller?


Because I can look into streamlining the textures a little bit if you would be willing to put it on your server.


Barfwagon

[legacy-Mr_Caravaggio]

Another thing, maybe you should just use the regular default zip format. Putting a program list shortcut in there is pretty meaningless and just something to be deleted later...

[legacy-barfwagon]

Ok thanks for the tips. I'll get a version that is a simple zip up on the webpage. The easier it is to install the better.

Also I was wondering if anyone who would be willing to play our map online and if there are any server admins who are interested.

This is our first released map so we are just trying to gauge what kind of interest there is in our map.

Thanks,

Barfwagon

[Frogger]

i'll certainly put it up for at least a while..once the file size is reduced. It isn't much fun to wait for anything over ~15Mb on redirect. Anything much more than this and people become irritated from my experience.

[legacy-barfwagon]

Yeah I know how that is. I was thinking about releasing a server version to the map where I reduce the texture sizes, and maybe some of the dynamics so that it runs nice and smooth with any player load.

That may make the download more appealing.

100% custom content has its good side and bad, file size being one of the bad things.


Barf

[legacy-barfwagon]

I am reducing the size and have gotten from 90 down to 60 MB's

I will try to reduce it a little more but I dont think its going to get much better than that.

I know that ideally 15Mb's is what a server should get but with a map composed completely of custom content its hard to get it that low.

Barf

[Frogger]

don't take too much away from the quality of the map just to get it smaller.. unless you do end up calling it ..serverversion or something so that if they want the ful thing it is still available..

[legacy-barfwagon]

Im going to call this edition server edition, but I think that there is negligible drop in quality, so I may just make it the revised full edition.

I have made about as much reduction as possible, and that puts the file size at about 60-65 (uncompressed)

So its not so menacingly huge.

Barfwagon:D

[legacy-Mr_Caravaggio]

I find it strange that it's that big. I think about angelhearts maps and how they have completely custom content and aren't even that big. You're not using 2048x2048 textures to cover 2-inch areas are you?

edt: make sure to rename the new one something else, I'd like to have it too for the sake of my poor crappy computer. :)

[legacy-barfwagon]

Ill work on it tonight when I get home from work.

Ill post back up when I get it fixed


Barfwagon

[BuffyTheSlayer]

this map is one of BEST Beautiful & Fun map in UT2004 !
please dont take away the quality from this map
I very care about map's looks quality so :heart: :heart:
Im not server so I dont care about file size
I really love this map
I hope your next nice map coming soon :heart:

[Frogger]

i apologize..i mis read or misinterpreted without actually downloading the file..i was understanding 90MB compressed.. 25MB compressed is probably doable.. and if it gets to be low quality just to get it to 15 or 18 MB i wouldn't bother..the time to dl 25MB as opposed to 15 MB is maybe 10-20 seconds.. i haven't been able to put these into uz2 format yet (compressed version needed for servers) but if it is ~25MB that would probably be able to be run on a server..and i'd put on mine if nothing else.. one this i would request though is a .zip file..not umod. I will not use umod.

[legacy-barfwagon]

OK, I will get the regular zipped file up by tomorrow. It will be on the same download site as the regular download.

Ill post again when it is up.

Barfwagon

[legacy-: DX :-THeGAME]

This is a good example of making something futuristic, and realistic. Its got a reason for being there, and its not a single box cut with Z-axis playforms that dont make any sense.

Nice map, and runs scorching on my low end system.

Only two things I would like to give my 2 on...

1. Falling/jumping off the edges, you die.
Why?
It would add to the emersion factor is you could find a way to make it make sense. Perhaps quicksand? Maybe a shielded complex in the DM-DesertIsle fasion, protecting the complex from a hostile enviroment, or fences. Just falling off and dying takes away from the emersion for me.

2. The high point lifts.
This is a pet peve for me. Once you go up the lift, you are caught till someone else hits it and brings it up for you. At that point, you have to battle it out and the lift will probibly go back down again.

Maybe a trigger at the top to call the lift.

Other than those two points, very small in the scheme of things, this map rocks!

Good job!

[legacy-barfwagon]

Thanks for the feedback. The instagib when falling off is attributed to the underside of the facility. Since no one is down there very long you probably didnt see the green gas swirling around down below. This is a byproduct of the facility's refinement process. There are some vents that are putting the gas out below. For a full description of the story, there is a readme that extracts to /ut2004/help directory, or you can read its contents on the download page.

As for the elevators. For most all of them I was wanting to not make them reverse to come up, which directs game flow to keep moving forward. This map is more of a stalking map than a backpeddling map. I thought about lift triggers and thought against it because I generally want people to jump off of the platform or ledge to get to the action below.

It was merely a choice that I made to direct flow to other parts of the map. I can understand how you might want to use the lift to go back down, but from any lift (except maybe the center one) you can just jump down without any damage penalty and you will get there faster than waiting for the lift to come back up.

I think it all just comes down to personal preference.

Thanks again for the feedback. Tell you friends :D

Barfwagon

[legacy-barfwagon]

Ok, for eveyone who wants to play the map on a server, or put it up on a server. Desert_Complex Server Edition is up on the website.

What changed is I made a small adjustment to a few textures to reduce file size. The changes are hardly noticeable and if you install [SE] the regular download will still have its regular textures so not to worry about loss in detail.

Happy downloading.

I notice that in the forum, some links have stars as a rating system. I was wondering what has to happen with a thread to get a rating? does it have something to do with number of posts/replies?

Just wondering,

Barfwagon

[legacy-MagicalMonkey]

Looks like a really snazzy map.

But you should get a better download location. It's only downloading at 30 kBps that's way too slow.

[legacy-barfwagon]

I do need a faster download server. I would like to get hosted at planetunreal at some point which would put the map on fileplanet I think.

I will try to get hosted and see what I can do.

Barfwagon

[Frogger]

www.mapraider.com is also a great place to upload to...

please upload conventional .zip where ever you upload it to..

[legacy-barfwagon]

cool Ill give it a try

Barfwagon

[legacy-barfwagon]

I have uploaded the level to the site below:
you will need to navigate to the actual file
Its in the UT2003/UT2004 tab and should be one close to the top.
New Download Site for regular version
http://www.pcgamemods.com/

Server Edition is still available at www.ichibod.com/miasma/

[legacy-barfwagon]

just uploaded server edition (regular zip file) to

I tried to have an absolute link but it wasnt working so you'll have to navigate to it UT2003/UT2004 tab of the website below.

http://www.pcgamemods.com


Barfwagon

[Frogger]

great thanks... i added to server...download isn't too bad...a minute or so... is beautiful.. can't imagine what the non-SE version is like... great work...

[legacy-barfwagon]

thanks, glad to work with you to get it up, let me know what your server peeps think about it.

Barfwagon

[legacy-barfwagon]

Hey frogger. Im glad that you have my map up on your server, but Im wondering if you could help me with a question:

I am wondering where I need to go or how to go about getting my map up on many servers.

Do you have any suggestions as to where I could go or who to talk to.

Barfwagon

[Frogger]

the best way is to submit it to the map sites..this is where admins usually get thier maps from...and of course this forum.. here are a few to upload to...really only way i know of to get the word out..

www.unrealplayground.com
www.mapraider.com
www.nalicity.com
www.fasterfiles.com

[legacy-barfwagon]

Cool sounds good. Ill do it.

BTW, I loaded up your server and have a pretty good ping so maybe Ill catch you on there sometime.


Barfwagon

[Frogger]

Originally posted by barfwagon
Cool sounds good. Ill do it.

BTW, I loaded up your server and have a pretty good ping so maybe Ill catch you on there sometime.


Barfwagon


i'll look for you..:up:

[legacy-barfwagon]

Thanks, everyone for the great feedback. Im glad to see that several people have checked it out and think its a fun map. I enjoy playing it and hoped others would too.

Again, thanks for all of the feedback, and I should have another map cranked out after not too long.

Barfwagon

[legacy-barfwagon]

I have had my map up at mapraider for several days and was wondering what I need to do to get it rated. I have looked in the FAQ and it erally doesnt help, also I have seen other maps in there that have been downloaded much less than mine, yet they have ratings.

So Im kinda dumbfounded,

Can anyone help me out on this?

Barfwagon

[Frogger]

after someone downloads the map they are given a prompt to rate it...i always rate everything i download from there..but it takes a few days for the ratings to get approved and moderated..

[legacy-Yournan2000]

the skybox could be better mate, maybe the one from BR-Bifields will look better?

Seems its in a desert should you have worked on the terrrain more? its looking very flat and doesn't have much light on it.

in the 1st screen those meshs around the top look too stretched and your walls look blank at the top.

MsM

[legacy-barfwagon]

Thanks frogger for the heads up. I was wondering how that all worked. I checked the FAQ at mapraider and it was kinda confusing to me. That helps a bunch.

As for the other comments. We tried to make a simple skybox that sets a mood. Too much stuff going on would have cluttered up the skybox. Still it could use some more work. It was the first skybox that ryan our texture guy has done.

The terrain is very dark on purpose. Since it is so dark outside I wanted to just give the sillohuette of the dunes rather than make them very detailed. This was more of a personal preference. Had I wanted the terrain to be more visible I would have done much more detail on it.

The stock skybox you are talking about is indeed a nice one, but for this map we wanted to create everything from scratch.

Thanks for all of the feedback. It will be invaluable in my next map endeavor.

Barfwagon