DM-Kinesis released!

So I've completed DM-Kinesis, a TDM-focused UT3 map with various pathways and skill jumps for a semi-quakish feel. Some weapons are high risk/high reward such as the Rocket Launcher's placement in a lowered dip.

Here's a link for those interested.
http://forums.epicgames.com/threads/907319-DM-Kinesis

DM-Kinesis Beta Phase

I'm mostly tweaking the lighting at the moment, but it's coming along. I have chosen to go towards the secondaries on the color wheel, though avoiding the oversaturated lighting that it was before. The lighting from the moon is a little less colorful, and a little less blue, producing a more believable night effect. I can't say for sure if I'm satisfied with the way that the sterile 'greenish' lights turned out, but as time goes on, I'm sure I'll think of something. It complements the orange-yellow well enough, I believe, but I need to balance the lighting a little more. Fewer 'pointless' lights might be in order.

Turns out that Fez is host to a really cool concept. Glad I got the suggestion.

DM-Kinesis Alpha Phase

I've been working intermittently on this over the course of the past several weeks, and have logged about 40+ hours getting the BSP layout hammered out. I've completed the trimming and have just started deciding on what to do with it as far as visuals go. I believe I will populate the map with some yellow-colored light sources and will have tanks of water that fill up until the U-Damage has become available. This should provide an audiovisual cue that players will quickly begin to associate with the U-Damage's availability on the map. When the U-Damage spawns, queue a sequence that triggers the release of the water into several shallow pools in the map to be drained. It's a fairly expensive sequence according to one of my friends, but I think it shouldn't be too costly if I minimize usage of emitters and other particularly expensive things.

DM-Underwash Finished

It's been too long. I have finally completed DM-Underwash and am working on my next project. A lot of learning new layout design techniques, and frustration with angles. This new layout has a much more open and forgiving design, where the floors aren't too unique from one another any longer. It still has a 3-story layout, but the flow in comparison to Underwash is a vast improvement. Movement is fluid, but I still need to work on visuals.

Here's a link to the post for Underwash
http://forums.epicgames.com/threads/890362-DM-Underwash

Underwash Video

DM-Underwash
Click the above link to view the video on Youtube.

I had just recently gotten to the point where I'm comfortable enough to say that the map is for the most part, done. I could do a couple finishing touches and call it that.

Lighting, red lights, blue lights, and more story :D

I'd been working at the level DM-Underwash for five hours straight, and I thought I'd made some serious progress. Not really true, but what I had been improving on was lighting. Yes, lighting. A very important deal here, since lighting can make or break a map. I had put some work into the level's basic geometry as well, though the majority of improvements can be seen on the observation deck.

The observation deck is where the processing facility's largest hauls are showcased in glass cases, those giant crystals, as well as a view into the deep blue abyss of the Tethys oceanic shelf. Submarines travel by, passing from the worker's quarters out to another facility.

The lifts are intended for depositing the undesired materials into the rig's dispersal jet, spewing loose sedimentary particles into the ocean's current to be carried along. They are then teleported back down to the loading bay, beneath the work area.

The blue crates are essentially charged capacitors intended for the submarine. The spent capacitors are orange and are heading to the charging deck. The ore delivered by submarine is then sifted through and the precious materials are pumped to the storage silos.

Lighting vs. BSP

The terrifying BSP lines must be eliminated!

Using the spotlights and color dropper tool, I should be able to achieve this. BSP Cleansing is in order as well. Sloppy jobs.