Uni is fast approaching, but while I have a moment and am feeling inspired, I am mapping!
As you can see from the images uploaded, I am not very far, but I am feeling very accomplished already because I can see the work I have done right before my eyes. There is a lot of brush detail I have done and I feel like I will have pretty great gameplay, because I wont just be giving players their items, but will try to add back stories.
Building a map outside in a city environment has become quite a chore though, and I need to start thinking of ways to transition from that environment into something a little less time-consuming. I would hate to lead players into a sewer level though.
I feel like I want to finish this level first before I begin even start daydreaming of where the player will go next. I still have to texture and work out a lot of the insides of the buildings, and add lighting.
To anyone wondering, here is how I have decided to work:
1. Work out a general path you want the player to walk
2. Lay out the outline in the dev orange wall and floor texture. (Don't use nodraw. It hurts my eyes to try to look at it, and besides, when you're done your level, you have a handy "Replace Textures" option in Hammer.)
3. Set up the essential objects you want in the level (ie switches, locked doors, combine etc). But if you have explosions in the level or something that requires a lot of detail, you can skip it. At this stage onward though, if you start feeling burned out on the technicalities try to fiddle with either texturing or doing brushwork in the level.
4. Work on ESSENTIAL inputs and outputs (ie connecting the switches to the doors) if you have effects like sparks or earthquakes, you can do those later as they are not essential to the player's progress.
5. Work out the explosions and the non-essential I/O
6. Texture everything in the area
7. Incorporate Lighting including the sun (Your map should be fullbright before this step)
8. Fill the rooms up with detail (props and overlays/decals)
9. Optimize (you should be thinking about this during every step though, to be honest)
10. Another art pass
11. Go to 10.
Ta for now,
-DD
