I'm over the hump! I've got 3 maps out of 5 detailed and basically done. Just two more maps to go!
And really, most of this work just happened last week. I hit a creative streak after my holiday vacation, I guess. To celebrate this landmark, I'm including some new shots from the latest map. I still need to do some work on the skybox, because mostly all that's in it is the citadel, but I'll get to that soon. I figured there's enough in the shots to get a pretty good idea of what the final version will be like, at least.
Also, if you haven't tried the demo, Check it out! It's pretty fun, and if you like it, there's a LOT more of it coming soon(-ish).
Ehh, it looks alright. I don't know maybe it's just me.
I personally like the way it looks. I'm guessing what you thought was strange was how it looks like a cleaner version of Half Life 2.
I like the way it looks, i'm downloading the demo now ^^