calculatedChaos Gaming

Seems like every posts starts with this:

Major changes.

But it's true. Since a12 (which I don't think anyone played, or a9) there have been too many changes to count. Lots of custom content.

walk times are a few seconds less than Gpit, spawn times are cut down quite a bit.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15441325/cp_ori ... 2b.bsp.bz2

and there's a panda cutout too!

Could really use feedback if anyone wants to play/run around. 2 months into the contest and I need to get to detailing soon. (massive detailing)
-----------------
Change Blu spawn to B.

Redid C completely, I think it's going to be more fun this way. More open to area in front of building. Less turtle moar fight

just another pic... The top of temple will be in skybox, so it'll be about 5 roofs tall) (the first will be above this one in game play area, the about 4 more)

looking good. you love the oriental look dont you?

Yeah, I do like it and ctf_orient just didn't turn out as good as I hoped. So I'm really trying to do this right once and for all. It was mostly displacements and the objects were sloppily done with no AO bake.
And other than a few maps of varing degrees (cp_japan and another I can't remember the name of, it was HUGE) nobody's really established oriental as a solid theme.

Once I'm done with this it'll be a huge pack of objects/textures and I'm hoping that'll help it go official. (yeah right eh? lol).

Somehow it just doesn't quite... fit in the TF2 theme. I don't know exactly why...
The custom content is great (really, really great), but it just doesn't fit with the normal TF2 textures. Also, try to add paint brushes to the panda bear (I haven't seen it in-game yet though, so it might look better there)

Egonny wrote:Somehow it just doesn't quite... fit in the TF2 theme. I don't know exactly why...
The custom content is great (really, really great), but it just doesn't fit with the normal TF2 textures. Also, try to add paint brushes to the panda bear (I haven't seen it in-game yet though, so it might look better there)

I would have agreed in the beginning of TF2, but now I disagree. Anything goes. I still think, theme aside, the colors and textures do look like they fit.

It's true that TF2 started in the desert, mid-southwest regions of the US. But I don't see why oriental stuff wouldn't 'fit'. Most of the characters are from around the world, scotland (demo), austria (or where ever medic is from), russia(heavy), italy(spy), australia (sniper).

I don't really see the game as about the midwest, that's just where the original maps were based. So I don't feel any other countries don't fit the theme.

The theme is just spytech bases inside facades. And inside C (not sure if I uploaded a C cap point pic here) is a rocket base. The map just happens to be set in another country.
here's inside C


Egypt is a great example of an exotic setting. I think he did a great job making the model and textures fit the TF2 art style, and that's what I'm shooting for (keep in mind everything right now is wip). The main flaw of Egypt was that he didn't incorporate any spytech base. Sure the spawn rooms had cabinets, but it missed the point of blu invading red for a reason.

I guess that didn't bother Valve too much though.

But now we've got the Mann Manor (haunted house), Swamp pack (not american midwest), Tundra, Alpine, medieval castle... I don't see those as not TF2 themed, as just expansions on the theme.

I do have some brush marks on the panda, he's not 100% done as are none of the other textures (The red roof was a 5 minute job just to get in game...). I've basically got 3 months left to detail and finish models, but I'd rather get to the end of the contest with all models in place and halfway decent textures than 4 models with perfect textures.
I don't think those screens show off any of the tex really good but I feel they fit the art style pretty well, I've been doing the dirty ao bakes, sticking pretty close to colors (though some may be a bit oversaturated right now), do the paint splotches...
Probably the worst imo is the cherry blossom bark, really grainy, I might even redo that model completely.

That's my rant on it anyway. I just think sometimes people try to be so critical of the TF2 style that they can't see the forest through the trees.
I have to deal with one guy at TF2maps test days that over analyzes everything. one comment was 'I feel like I'm seeing medieval, modern, and oriental all at once (this because oriental facade with spytech [the basis of TF2] and that ONE stone texture from the medieval pack. It's like he knows that stone if from Degroot so all of a sudden the map confuses the hell out of him.

I'm not saying it doesn't fit with TF2, all I'm saying that it doesn't fit with TF2's normal textures (the ground for example).

I actually like the oriental theme, because almost nobody else has done it before, but if you choose that theme, you got to stick to that theme (spytech doesn't really fit IMO, keep it oriental). Maybe making a colour palette should help sticking to the theme.

Then again, due to working on minecraft, I have yet to test this map out, so it might just fit perfectly.

I'm sure you already put out 3 new versions since you posted this but I added it to both servers.

haha,

No, haven't released another YET. Will be working on a new version this week though.

C changed in a big way with this release and it seems to play a lot better. So now it's on to improving it, tweaking it. Hopefully I can get one good version out, then onto Beta. (But I was hoping that 5 versions ago.

Thanks.