Author's Note:

This is my first map, which means it's also my first WIP thread. I looked at other threads to get an idea of the general flow these usually have, so please tell me if I'm doing things right.

Short Description:

Training Installation IC-177 is exactly what it sounds like; it's a live action training program used by the Republic and the Imperials to hone soldiers' teamwork, communication skills, and ability to complete objectives quickly and efficiently. TI-IC-177 has been the most popular combat simulator for nearly two decades, because of it's non-linear nature and interesting aesthetic properties. This training program is one of many located at the Academy of Carida, presently. The training program originated at Kamino, of course, and quickly became a favorite among the higher ups because it yielded better results. It is still being used today, to eradicate wretched, rebel scum!

//END

Alright, Hello GameToast! I'm fairly "new" here, but I've been lurking for years. I finally manned up and decided to make a map. I'm not going to talk too much, but here is the current status of the map:

Modeling: 95% (There are still some little things missing, but I won't bore you with the details.)
Paths: 100%
Barriers: 100%
Hintnodes: 0% (haven't started, though there will be quite a few.)
Sides: 100% (No modifications unless somebody suggests something cool. Though I would rather leave them stock.)
General Completeness: 70-ish% (No custom sky, loadscreen, or minimap, among other things.)
Percent Complete: 80-ish%

Some (possible) things I have planned for the map:

Dark Times II: Rising Son Support
VERY SMALL CHANCE: Maybe a little campaign, to get my feet wet (not likely)

............And, that's about it.

Alright, here's the part you skipped to, the pictures! It IS meant to be textured very simply, and there ARE meant to be gaps. It's part of the art style!

Here's a top down view that gives a rough idea of the layout. Blue dots are command posts and red lines are the paths: To give you an idea of what this map WILL look like:

-I'm going to give it a full "sky sphere." Which means, no default Yavin sky and NO terrain! Only clouds and sky!!
-There will be more floating boxes and odd shapes to add visual interest
-Perhaps easter eggs
-It will be a SMALL file size!

UPDATE 1:

As you can see in these next pics, I got rid of the terrain and added a custom made sky-sphere (as I call it). I was also testing around with a dark grey instead of white on one of my meshes. Please tell me which color you liked more, of which color you think I should use instead of white!
UPDATE 2:

Here are some shots of the final environment maps (if I choose to actually use environment maps) applied to a couple of my meshes: They are a higher resolution then my placeholders and have no seams. I know the reflection is a bit strong right now, but that is easily modified in the future!

Please, tell me if you would prefer the environment maps to white/black floors! I NEED your input!

UPDATE 3:

Dark Times II Support Added!: UPDATE 4:
Extra Visual Flair!
UPDATE 4:

Preview Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqwUztdO0ao


Oh, and one final thing:

DO NOT ASK TO BETA.

I have my reasons. I will choose the people, just hope you get picked. Sorry to discourage you if it really concerns you. What I would like you to do, is post the general speed/power of your computers/laptops (specify this too) so I can choose a balanced group of testers.

Suggestions? Criticisms? Flames? Jawas? Post em' below! Thank You ahead of time!

EDIT: Also, if you can guess what my inspiration was for the art style of this map, you get to beta! Guaranteed!

Looks very promising (and colorful )

Looks like it plays well, I might just have to find the BF2 disc for this one. Keep the stock sides and it's a definite.

Not too crazy about the textures, mainly because white usually equates to eyebleed for me but I can live with it.
Also glad it has Dark Times 2 support, which is always a nice bonus.

looks nice(and funny ), I'll try it when it's out

ARGHHHH the colorz, they burn...jk, anyway it is very neat and looks like it will turn out well.
offtopic: (____________________________________________________) <= that empty space is where i wouldve askedd to beta test
anyway lookin good.

Looks nice although id suggest adding atleast somewhat more of an actual texture, like some slight hint of metal plating or such.

looks like a nice clean mesh though, keep up the good work!

Posting to remind myself to follow this.

Unique idea! I like it.

Huh, looks pretty good. I'm with Fusion on this, might install BFII for maps like this. However, I'd recommend darkening the textures. They're way too bright, and the white+yellow part gave me a slight eyeache.

I like it, it looks VERY unique. Since people seem to not like the bright white, I think replacing the white with black and envmapping the whole thing would look as good as your current color scheme, and be easier on the eyes, but thats just me and it's your map, not mine.

Thanks for all of the positive feedback guys; it means a lot.

I just made a custom sky dome and will have it in-game soon, and I will be trying a couple of different things pertaining to the textures. The white never bothered me, but I'm willing to change it. Whatever is more pleasing to the majority of people is the way I like to do things.

I will darken the textures, get rid of the terrain, and get the custom sky dome in game and will probably update the thread later on tonight. Look forward to it!

EDIT:

Ninja wrote:I like it, it looks VERY unique. Since people seem to not like the bright white, I think replacing the white with black and envmapping the whole thing would look as good as your current color scheme, and be easier on the eyes, but thats just me and it's your map, not mine.

You know what, this isn't a bad idea..... I'd also make my own custom env-maps too, reflecting the clouds and sky.......


Great idea!

EDIT 2:

UPDATE!

As you can see in these next pics, I got rid of the terrain and added a custom made sky-sphere (as I call it). I was also testing around with a dark grey instead of white on one of my meshes. Please tell me which color you liked more, or which color you think I should use instead of white!

that looks great, i really like the style!
in my opinion you should keep the white base and not add any texture to it, that would destroy the abstract reduced style.

DarthD.U.C.K. wrote:that looks great, i really like the style!
in my opinion you should keep the white base and not add any texture to it, that would destroy the abstract reduced style.

That's exactly what I was thinking..... But making the white into a darker color and env-mapping it turned out pretty well. It looked even better once I changed the env-map to (sloppily) reflect clouds.... I know there are seams in the cube map, but that will be fixed if I decide to keep this style for the white/black/whatever floors..

The other colors aren't changing, because I like them exactly where they are.

cool you could scalre up the envmap a bit though, right now the "reflections" look a bit blocky.

That was actually part of the plan; I was going to double the resolution. They look extra blocky in the pictures though because I am far away from the objects

I just got a brand new graphics card, and this is going to look sweeeeeeet.

If you think THIS is going to look sweet, just wait until you see my next project That'll give your graphics card something to chew on.

This looks interesting, I will keep an eye out for this map.

Here are some shots of the final environment maps (if I choose to actually use environment maps) applied to a couple of my meshes: They are a higher resolution then my placeholders and have no seams. I know the reflection is a bit strong right now, but that is easily modified in the future!

Please, tell me if you would prefer the environment maps to white/black floors! I NEED your input!

The Nasal Abyss wrote:I know the reflection is a bit strong right now, but that is easily modified in the future!

Do that, and I think it would look great.

Huh, I see what you meant in the model showcase thread when you said the art style would be different from any other maps. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this project!

As for the possibility of adding a campaign, I highly recommend giving it a try. Mission scripting can be a little tough to wrap your head around at first, but it's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.

Edit: Also, if you decide not to use reflective surfaces, I prefer the white over the grey color. If the white is too hard on the eyes, a light grey would still look fine.