The Ebb and the Flow

unfortunately, we're definitively into "ebb" territory.

work sucks, especially when they lay people off. i'm a survivor, mostly because i'm still a grunt who actually gets work done (at times). this means, however, that i have to pick up the slack left when my boss (co-worker / friend) was let go. somehow, i can't shake the feeling that he's the lucky one.

combine that with everything else and my mapping time has been exactly nothing since my last post. the honest truth of the matter is that i'm exhausted, and trying to work up the energy to stay up that extra hour just to get some work on this done is nigh unto impossible right now. i'm hoping that my lack of real drive and inspiration is just a symptom of adjusting to family stuff. it had better be, because i don't want the Cynical Me - you know, the one who said that actually finishing a level to beta was a pipe dream - to win.

Back On Track

i am feeling much better about my progress thus far - not because i've gotten a whole lot done (which i haven't), but because i'm now pretty confidant about my overall map size. yes, i was planning something that was far too big for a CTF map - i guess i should be thankful i caught it as early as i did.



now the overall shape of the map is obvious. you may also note that i killed my first silo - it was simply way too large for the map. i've got a placeholder there now, and when i'm ready that placeholder will be transformed.

here is a shot from the farmhouse - you'll see the train station (not like Well, just a little stop) which marks the map centerline, and the BLU area in the distance. due to the nature of CTF, the building locations are identical but i hope to give the impression of totally separate areas when i detail them.

one thing i did notice when going through the official Valve maps: there are no critical structures that are angled - only incidentals, like the little shacks outside of Cap A at Gravel Pit. i was planning on angling a couple of my buildings, but seeing them all lined up with the Almighty Grid is making me rethink this. so, my question for anyone interested is this: should i bother trying to angle my buildings (build them out, detail, then angle the entire structure last), or am I just begging for a nightmare, especially when it comes to making playtest updates?

Learning Experience, Right?

quick note: i confirmed that my level is way too big for a ctf map. i'm gonna have to redo the silo and scale the terrain down a bit.

mental note from here on out.....first step, set up the land and connecting interiors only - that way i don't spend as much time on details that i'll just be ripping out later. then i can add blocks for important buildings, and then go from there.

I'm an Idiot.

and no, it's not because i haven't worked on anything. i wasn't even talking about how i check the TF2 Blog on a daily basis, despite the fact that they update almost as often as i.

i'm talking about my tunnel vision with the map. the fact of the matter is that i have done only a little bit, but keep worrying about my scale, and with good reason: i have no overall layout! i've been so focused on getting my grandiose "vision" out into Hammer that i've completely lost sight of potential playability problems. well, no more. after a quick refresher read of the TF2 Mapping Tutorial on the Steam forum, i've decided that my new favorite color will be the Hated Orange Texture.

i also must confess that the bits of spare time i could have used to map were taken up by rediscovering my love for the Heavy, as well as racking up a few achievements. i prefer to wait a bit, just so that i'm not Heavy #6 on a 6-man team. i also picked up a copy of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. yeah, i know it's an old gamecube game, but i'm a sucker for the entire Metroid series.

in other news, i'd like to give a huge shout out to my New Best Friend (only because he commented on my last post ;-) ), Vander. looks like he's in a similar boat, only he's able to devote more time to things than i, lucky guy. thanks for the comment!