greenie2600 on 31/7/2016 at 23:27
1. In what order do you typically implement architecture and AI? That is, do you design interesting world geometry first, and then plan your AI puzzles around that – or is it more of an integrated approach, with the mission layout following (in part) from the kinds of AI puzzles you want to use? (I'm using the term "AI puzzle" to mean any combination of guards/NPCs/cameras, room geometry, lighting, floor textures, etc. that the user must get through, either by disabling the AIs or sneaking past them.)
2. Say you have a wall that uses one texture, and you want just part of that surface to use a different texture. How do you typically do this? Do you create a super-thin cube brush positioned flush with the wall surface – in effect, creating a thin veneer?
Steele on 1/8/2016 at 02:18
1) Integrated, totally. It's very frustrating to make a beautiful road-way full of awesome buildings and details... only to realize there's no gameplay value. No decent shadows, nowhere to hide, nothing to do but just walk past it. That month you spent making those pretty details was passed by in 4 seconds. Or less if the player is running from the guard because there's nowhere to hide! Always keep in mind where shadows and lines-of-sight will be!
2) This one's easy. Just make an air brush, push it into the wall a little... portalize, apply the texture you want, then pull the airbrush out so that it's flush with the wall, then re-portalize.
nightshifter on 1/8/2016 at 03:10
Quote Posted by Steele
1)
2) This one's easy. Just make an air brush, push it into the wall a little... portalize, apply the texture you want, then pull the airbrush out so that it's flush with the wall, then re-portalize.
why push it into the wall??, I just flush it with the wall right away,
LarryG on 1/8/2016 at 03:39
Same here. Seems an unnecessary step.
FireMage on 1/8/2016 at 04:44
1. I work bit per bit. I have an idea of a room so I create that room when I can. I usually always know what I plan to insert into this room and try to put in it everything that interest me that help when I am close to the limit. But sometimes (especially during the contest) I draw the game map first then I build my mission from that map! ;)
In matter of "AI work" I always try to set the stuff to add challenge/gameplay. When I set a guard in a room who is turning around I never do it randomly but always thinking about the way you could avoid him or hide yourself from him! :)
2. Create a solid brush and make sure it will have it back face merged with your wall. Same result as said previously but no cells consumed!
gigagooga on 1/8/2016 at 06:19
Quote Posted by FireMage
2. Create a solid brush and make sure it will have it back face merged with your wall. Same result as said previously but no cells consumed!
Air brush method wont create any new cells either, unless it carves into the solid surface.
Steele on 1/8/2016 at 18:22
Quote Posted by nightshifter
why push it into the wall??, I just flush it with the wall right away,
99% of the time the texture ends up all over the rest of the wall and I have to re-portalize anyway. Half the time after THAT, the texture I applied "missed" and is now all over the main wall, while the area I wanted decorated maintains the original texture. I do the in-and-out to avoid this.
gigagooga on 1/8/2016 at 19:10
Quote Posted by Steele
99% of the time the texture ends up all over the rest of the wall and I have to re-portalize anyway. Half the time after THAT, the texture I applied "missed" and is now all over the main wall, while the area I wanted decorated maintains the original texture. I do the in-and-out to avoid this.
Well... you should change the texture of the new brush to be something else, before the portalization. If you don't, well then portalization will just merge those brushes to be same surface as one polygon (as it always does, if the merged faces have exact same texture properties).
DromEd doesn't know you are meaning to have 2 different textures on that surface, if you don't determine the new texture before portalization.
Simply explained:
1. make the new brush
2. set its new texture to be its default texture
3. portalize
not:
1. make the new brush
2. portalize
3. set the new texture
4. portalize
5. fix the texture placements
Ofcourse, your method is good too and i use it sometimes aswell, especially when i'm making Windows for the buildings.
..But it might slow down the progress of building when your mission is getting to longer portalization delays.
Yandros on 1/8/2016 at 20:07
Quote Posted by gigagooga
But it might slow down the progress of building when your mission is getting to longer portalization delays.
That's why we have area brushes. =)
FrenchDecay on 2/8/2016 at 07:13
Quote Posted by Yandros
That's why we have area brushes. =)
I dare not to use those area brushes, I'm always afraid of getting the "remove_poly_edge: edge not in poly list" error eventually and not being able to track it down.
