The most common way to get started <---newbie

[Micahsa]

Hello, I'm new, used random editors before but first taste of Unreal of any kind. I've been fiddling around and looking at all kinds of tutorials online and I'm trying to get a common best practice for creating a basic FPS type level.

I have heard several conflicting pieces of advice, all from sites/people that seem to really know what they're talking about:

• Design using subtractive brushes only, as if carving out your rooms/spaces from a solid block of clay
• Subtractive design isn't used much anymore, now its flipped, use additive brushes to a huge subtractive worldspace
• BSP your entire level first and test it and then replace (or whatever the proper term is) your BSP's with static mesh's, etc.
• Use BSP's for only the most basic elements of your level, then use static mesh's/terrain for the large majority of your level

I understand that each piece of advice may have its merit and it may just be preference, but I've never done any Unreal design, only some with HL2, Oblivion TES, lots of experience with 2ds Max/Maya/Sketchup, etc.

So, how should I approach designing a basic FPS level? Additive in a subtractive worldspace? Subtractive from a huge clay block? BSP like crazy? BSP minimally if any at all and use primarily terrain?

And I guess the most valuable portion I would like to hear is why any of your suggestions work better or are preferred over another.

Tutorials I have plenty of, I just need more of a mindset for how to best view my design space.

Thanks!

[Ni-Q]

Hello, Micahsa!

I think it simply breaks down to personal preference and experience. Experiment with it, maybe quickly try all of the methods and check what feels good? Else I guess you'll just end up with a bunch of personal opinions.

Best of luck and I hope you manage to find a method that fits you personally. And remember that no matter what you get told is the "best way", in the end it has to feel right for you as you're the one who will be working with it for quite some time.

[Stardog]

• Design using subtractive brushes only, as if carving out your rooms/spaces from a solid block of clay

Not anymore. UT3 and up are Additive like HL2.

When you go to File > New, selecting Subtractive apparently has performance issues. Always build additive. You can still subtract from any added brush in the UDK unlike in HL2.

• BSP your entire level first and test it and then replace (or whatever the proper term is) your BSP's with static mesh's, etc.

That's personal preference.

• Use BSP's for only the most basic elements of your level, then use static mesh's/terrain for the large majority of your level

Yes. Open one of the provided maps in the UDK, then press H in the 3D view. You'll only see basic BSP shapes.

only some with HL2, Oblivion TES

HL2 uses additive brushes just like you should be using in UDK. You can import models but a lot of people still make the details out of brushes instead of models because it's not so easy to import as in UDK.

Oblivion uses modular models for everything that you stick together - this is like positioning Static Meshes in UDK. You could build a level with only SM's like that if you wish.