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Messages - EmericaSkater

#1
Quote from: High_Treason on  22 February 2012, 16:27:09
Oh, and EmericaSkater, I took your advice with the textures, I think these fit better;
Indeed, it looks kickass now. I like the architecture in that room, too. Very good use of slopes. If you want, you can use ExtClut to swap pallets on those walls, so they can be a kind of greyish color like the other shots, but it looks just fine as is. 
#2
Quote from: Micky C on  21 February 2012, 12:48:49


Hmm...My suggestion is that you either put some upright support beams in that window structure, or get rid of the glass wall, because the texture for it looks a tad stretched out, though shrinking it won't make it look any better.
#3
General Discussion / Re: Funny Pics
14 February 2012, 17:27:10
In keeping with the spirit of the holiday...
#4
In that case yeah, I did all that in the space of a few hours the other morning. In all fairness, though, I already had a pretty good idea how I wanted to go about building it. I don't start dragging my heels on mapping till I run out of ideas, which is more the rule than the exception, unfortunately.
#5
Quote from: Micky C on  31 January 2012, 05:16:12
Did you make all of that in one morning?  :o

Uh, you mean the level design?
#6
Quote from: James on  31 January 2012, 00:32:09
Seriously tasty looking screenshots there; are those explosive/incendiary shells in the first shot, or is that flame coming from the monster itself?

It's from the monster. He breathes fire.
#7
 K, switched tracks with the test map and started reworking it. I'm doing this because the map itself is supposed to help me figure out which textures/sprites I need to create the atmosphere I'm going for (and by that token, which ones I can get rid of). Threw this together this morning.





I think I've pretty much added the last enemy/weapon for this mod, so the bulk of the codework's done, ergo level design/aesthetic is being put front and center.
#8
Media Forum / Re: What are you listening to?
14 January 2012, 18:51:41
Tiger Army - Cupid's victim

I'd always heard of these guys, but never gave them a listen till just recently. Pretty decent stuff IMO.
#9
Classic Duke 3D / Re: Reviews and Submissions
13 January 2012, 18:06:32
Here's a review for Duke 12:12. Sorry it took so long. I actually wrote one a week ago, but I was basing it off the half-run I did of it back a few months ago, and I just didn't feel it was up to the same standard as the other two I wrote, so I replayed the map, beat it, and cranked this out this morning.

Quote
AT A GLANCE:

Duke 12:12 is the sequel to Forge's predating map Duke 6:8. I haven't gotten the chance to play the latter, but I'm finding myself wanting to check it out now that I've given this thoroughly badass map a complete run through. Give it a shot and you probably will, too.

THE GOOD:

This is one of those maps that, in strict terms of progression, plays relatively linear, but feels nonlinear thanks to the general layout, the huge, open spaces and the creative use of background scenery. For the most part, progression itself is a pretty straight-forward keycard hunt (controlled for the first set, whereas the second set's scattered throughout map's main "mall" hub).
Spritework was the main emphasis for this map and it's done extraordinarily well. Sprites constitute entire floor plans of some buildings and you honestly wouldn't know that just by looking at them; it's all done near-flawlessly. This doesn't, however, mean Forge limited the spritework to level architecture, as it's also put to clever use for simple decoration. The inside of a mechanic's shop in the beginning of the map is a good example of this, where just a few sprites are used to make suspended winches and other neat things, showing an imagination few other mappers (myself included) manage to achieve.
Gameplay is solid too, with there being a decent (thin at first, but stronger later) ammo/enemy ratio, and plenty of health. The open spaces that comprise much of the map make for some fun firefights, and it all culminates in a brilliantly designed boss-fight with a Cycloid Emperor in a bombed-out chunk of urban environment.

THE BAD:

Duke 12:12 ought to tickle everyone's fancy. There's very little you could logically complain about in terms of gameplay, but there are a few things worth noting. The spritework (decorative, at least) tends to be a bit of an obstruction in the areas outside of the mall, both for the player and the badguys. Ordinarily this would be fine, but there are a ton of hitscan enemies here, and they can wear you down pretty fast while getting conveniently hung up behind phonebooths, parkbenches, etc. One memorable instance was a fat commander that drifted up behind me while I was trying to untangle myself from some palm-trees, fired a rocket and wound up blowing us both to pieces (while creating a nice bonfire out of the trees).
Apart from this, there are a few masked walls that should've been given an extra hitscan flag. One of these areas is in the map's strip-club. After catching the attention of a few octabrains, I ran into an adjacent office, thinking I could get some cover there, and a window in the office wall would help me figure out a safe way to exit and attack them. Imagine my surprise when the octabrains floated up to the window and passed right through it. Live and learn, I guess.

THE UGLY:

Forge said that this map wasn't technically complete, which seems crazy when you think of the overall design, the well-executed placement of enemies, and the fact that beating the map took almost everyone that played it at least half an hour. Nevertheless, after completing the map's last keycard hunt and entering an EDF base, you'll see scant traces of what he's talking about. Design takes a bit of a backseat here, with bland, squarish rooms, weak lighting and not much attention to trimwork, but it all picks right back up when you reach the final area of the map. It's recommended that this map be played in 32 bit. Software causes some clipping issues with the spritework (on my end, anyway).

SCORE: 95

#10
Quote from: Forge on  01 January 2012, 17:58:57
the weapons are pretty neat. i like how the enemy looks while going up in flames

I'm actually pretty proud of the variety that the zombiemen have. They've got 4 different standard death animations that can play, 5 different soundsets, some have randomized weaponfiring sounds, you can set them on fire, blow them up (with the classic "doom" style gibs), dissolve them with ethereal flames, and I'm thinking about adding another weapon that'll let you dissolve them with plasma (which'll involve a totally different animation).

Quote from: Arghantyl on  01 January 2012, 18:57:52
The mod seem just awesome  :D

I just hope than the maps will folllow.

Yeah, it'll be a long road ahead, but I'm already brainstorming the first level, a plot-line for the project, etc.

Quote from: James on  01 January 2012, 19:30:50
Looks fantastic, all of it :) The levels in the background do a great job at being hi-tech and the weapons look polished, even if I am familiar with the sources of them.

You probably know it as well as I do, but you can't just dump Doom resources into DN3D's art files and expect them to look good. It takes a lot of editing, tweaking, etc. and often times it calls for a total recolor. When that's necessary, I prefer to redo the color scheme so stuff'll be more to my liking, hence the dark grey gloves, the red rifle lens, etc. I think the zombiemen probably took the most effort (at least for now). I had to stitch a spritesheet together out of the four different weapon variants (and ALL of their alternate deaths), individually recolor the suit for each guy, crop in different heads...Altogether it took me about two weeks of consistent work in EDITART but it was well worth it, methinks :)

Quote from: Micky C on  01 January 2012, 23:31:30
Yeah I thought it had a vague AMC TC feel to it. While I was looking at the pics I was thinking "I would love it if this guy made a map for the AMC TC", perhaps there's an eventual possibility that you will?

Much as I love the AMC TC, I think making a map for it just isn't in the realm of possibility right now. I've come to realize that I can only work on one thing at a time when it comes to modding (I didn't drop CyClones in favor of this, believe it or not...CyClones just kinda puttered out when I realized it wasn't any fun to play) ergo this project is getting all my attention. That point to past, there's a lot of different factors with the AMC TC that would just make it too difficult for me personally to map for, but I won't get into that. Course, I look forward to seeing what you and some of the other guys might be able to cook up.

#11
Unfortunately I had to put that CyClones project I was working on down. Long story short, I couldn't make a decent set of weapons with the resources I was using. Here's 5 screens of what I've been working on since then...











Wasn't too keen on the idea of announcing it at this stage of development, but I figure this board's enough off the grid to where I won't feel so bad about it. I've still got another 5 or 6 enemies to handle the artwork (and code) for, and I'm simultaneously throwing together the "test" map that's shown in the screens. Once all that's done, I'll see about sending a beta off to someone just to make sure that all the project's bells and whistles are working correctly, then it'll be ready for a video and a more proper announcement. As it is with these screens, there's two weapons and two enemies (if you count one of the zombieman variants) not pictured.

*EDIT* most of the inspiration for this cropped up while I was beta testing the AMC TC.
#12
General Discussion / Re: Funny Pics
17 December 2011, 04:34:56
Saw this gem on imgur...

I just love how no-brows there couldn't look any more fucking ecstatic to be in that picture.
#13
Duke 3D Modifications / Re: Last Mod You Played
17 December 2011, 04:31:56
Quote from: Forge on  15 December 2011, 14:28:35
Crackdown by EmericaSkater
http://www.scent-88.com/reviews/crackdown/crackdown.html

Good review. I'll probably get started on reviewing Duke 12_12 earlier next week. Could've done it earlier, but the holidays are a bitch...

Quote from: Loke on  16 December 2011, 15:00:56
Crackdown was a lot of fun. The difficulty was spot on for me; it was very similar to the higher difficulties in Blood in which the cultists could wither you down in seconds if you'd be careless.

Hah, I just saw the video playthrough you did for the first level. Loved how you visibly stopped to read creepy-fuck messages on the walls. Unfortunately, you missed one of the buildings that had an extra assault rifle stashed in it.
#14
Quote from: Micky C on  15 December 2011, 14:58:59
No screenshots, it's being kept under wraps

C'mon Micky, at least give us something. You don't wanna start looking like Jhect, do you?  ;)
#15
Classic Duke 3D / Re: Last map you played
14 December 2011, 09:27:58
Took me a little longer than I planned since I was too busy swingin' my axe around, but here's the review for Extermination;

Quote

MAP: EXTERMINATION

AT A GLANCE:

An oldie, but a goodie. Extermination is a Pascal-styled map (in fact, the readme specifcally states that Pascal's work inspired it) that combines innovative level design, excellent texturing, and fast-paced, kickass gameplay. It has its occasional aggrivating points, but it all ties together nicely in the end.

THE GOOD:

Extermination is a solid experience, in every sense of the word. For the most part, it's a very well-designed urban map (with a few sewage/infested areas thrown in to spice it up) that has a good, logical flow. There's plenty of enemies to kill, and their placement, though sometimes frustrating, tends to be quite clever, forcing even a veteran Duker to stay on his toes. Ammo/health to enemy ratio is well-balanced, though I wound up running pretty thin towards the end of the map, and the majority of the progression involves keycard/button hunts, which everyone can appreciate.

THE BAD:

Cheap shots. Low-blows. Dirty tricks. Extermination has a not-staggeringly-high-but-still-extant number of random, illogical pitfalls, abrupt explosions in the face, and spring-up firefights that the player just can't reasonably prepare for. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the occasional "pigcop around the corner that'll blow your face off if you're moving too fast" trap, that kind of stuff helps keep the player's reflexes on the up-and-up, but Extermination takes it a bit too far, and if you play this map, you'll probably wind up dying to one of these tricks at least once.

THE UGLY:

Extermination's look should appeal to everyone. It doesn't have a Retaliation-level of design that makes you drool just by looking at it, but it settles quite nicely at that still way-above-average Roch standard, and in fact, it could easily pass as part of the Roch series if one didn't know better. Texturing is easily this map's aesthetic strong suit, as it's done extremely well; textures are shifted, stretched and switched out at all the right places even in indoors areas, where trimwork tends to be lacking.
The only real bugaboo that Extermination has in terms of design is a serious lack of lighting fixtures. This is particularly bad in the sewers and the infected area towards the end of the map, but even in urban areas, Juha relied too much on that HANGLIGHT sprite for full-sized rooms, which just doesn't cut it from a rational standpoint.

Score: 93/100