The July Mid-Month update is now complete. There are nearly 30 new images, two new videos, a brand-spankin'-new intro bio to read for hours, and I'm already getting some good replies and suggestions. You guys might as well be mapping it yourselves, what with all the suggestions I'm taking to heart here at Mod DB.
The update revealed a rich wasteland that is full of detail, but far from finished. It also revealed the baare-bones tunnels level in all its WIP glory. Bland walls and dark corridors should give way to creepy detail and better lighting in the next thirty days. On that note...so what's next for 99 Bolts? Well, aside from the fact that there are still many maps that haven't even been started yet, there's a lot of work to do on these first two maps.
As for the wasteland map, I'm planning on making a skybox for the wasteland map that meets up perfectly with the edge of the playable area...it shoulld look like the wasteland stretches on for miles all around. I'm gonna be playing around with the fog colors and the lighting of the map, just to get a better look for the whole map. I'm going to be perfecting the Combine AI and making that battle across the perimeter of the wall something interesting and challenging. And I'm gonna put a gunship in the map to chase the player away from the outpost.
The tunnels map is a major work in progress. I'm going to be detailing the hell out of the tunnels, breaking up the flatness and the boring factor of the walls and rooms, and finishing the brushwork for the level. There's still a terrible optimization problem in this map as well, so that needs to be fixed.
I may start working on two other maps as well. The next map in the series will be inside the city. The player is nearing an assassination target. Another wasteland map is fresh in my mind...it may go in before the wasteland map we are all seeing right now. Who knows what the future holds...
Anyways, thanks for your interest. These updates will be occurring around mid-month, every month. So check back then, and please give me your constructive criticism and recommendations. Thanks for your interest in 99 Bolts.
- 17 July 2009
Nice to hear everytihng is going very well!