first map (help me finnish)

[oik]

hey
this is my frist map
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b121/taylor090/snow_cliff_snow_try0000.jpg
as u can see its not finnished,i want my frist map to be a good one,so i need help with any probs i come into,also i want the map to be made up of other peoples ideas,so if u have an idea for it please state it.

the is the prob i have at the mo,i got it when i put a 3d skybox in.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b121/taylor090/snow_cliff_snow_try0003.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b121/taylor090/snow_cliff_snow_try0004.jpg
so if u know how to fix it , that would be vary helpfull.

PROBS I KNOW OF

1. the skybox one in the pic
2.snow that only falls for 5 seconds,i cant figuer out how to make it fall for longer.
3.i get a line around the top of my skybox.
4.ill UPDATE this as i find more.

IDEAS I NEED
1.in the frist pic u can see an icy cliff,but i dont want to put icy cliffs all the way around my map,i was thinking of 3 clikks and one long fall to ur death.what do u think
2.whatever u can think of to go in my map for better game play or better look(only say if u know how to do it urself)


and lastly,please dont post non helping information.

thanks,

 

[Crispy]

1. Multiplayer map or Single Player Half-Life map?

2. If multiplayer; DM or CS:S?

3. If CS:S; cs_map, de_map or fy_map?

4. What's the theme of your map? (apart from snow)

5. What's the aim of your map? Does it train you in a particular weapon set? Is it for close-up fighting or long-range sniping?

6. What are your personal goals in this map? Do you want to be learning just the basics of terrain editing and using simple brushwork to make buildings, or do you want to be doing props and interiors as well? (it might be better to start simple and move along step by step)

When you have answered those questions you can see whether it's going to be fun or bad to have a drop where you can fall off and die. Generally players don't like it, but if used well it can make for some brilliant gameplay.

 

[oik]

1. atm its hl2,most likely be chnged to multiplayer when finnished.
2.when map is fully finnished i will pick the best to fit it.
4.i will be adding a building,the building will be half sticking out of a cliff.
so the theme is,there is a secrete base in the artic,(i was thinking of making the map for hidden source,in witch the hidden has broken out of the building and the iris have to kill him.so just imagin walking in and out of trees,a soft fall of snow,with high hills where the hidden could be on top(so realy a vary huntery feel)
5.if its going to be for hidden source,then it would be both close and long range.
6.i can already do basic terren,but i would still be looking to get better at it,by that i mean,using terren and other nature-like things to add to atmostfear.

as for the drop,im undicided weather to put it in or not,i was thinking of a drop with a rope brige going across (have to find out how to do that),i tihnk that would be a scary bit for the iris as the hidden could be waiting on the brige.

 

[Crispy]

Sounds like you should go with your gut instincts on this one. If you feel like you're more inspired right now with making a Hidden map, then stick with that. The inspiration will a driving force towards you achieving your goal.

I haven't played Hidden: Source yet so I don't know a lot about the gameplay but I've watched the video they released. If you want to make a Hidden map you need to do some research. But this is where mapping is great, your research is essentially to play Hidden: Source again and again and again, both as IRIS and the Hidden. While you're playing take note of things that work well in the maps, you'll also need to take into account what each team likes and dislikes; you'll need to mix these up to create a good map.

For the building sticking out of the cliff, you'll want to make the building first and then build the cliff around it. This is very important, as a lot of mapper tend to try to work within a certain area instead of working from the main points and then elaborating on them. The building is a main feature, and the layout of the rooms inside are important to gameplay. However, the cliff is merely superfluous detail. It won't really matter too much what shape it is, so sculpt the cliff around the building, and not the other way round.

The part with the Hidden on the bridge sounds good, but give him other opportunities to strike as well

 

[oik]

well,there will be many places for him to attack,as u can stand ontop of all the trees i put in the map,so not only will u have to be looking onfront of u,ull aslo have to keep an eye overhead,whitch i think will add grately to atmosphere.
an idea i have come across is to make the brige almost fully destroyabel,so the hidden could make it even harder for the iris to cross.

 

[Crispy]

well,there will be many places for him to attack,as u can stand ontop of all the trees i put in the map,so not only will u have to be looking onfront of u,ull aslo have to keep an eye overhead,whitch i think will add grately to atmosphere.
an idea i have come across is to make the brige almost fully destroyabel,so the hidden could make it even harder for the iris to cross.

However, remember that a bridge will force the Hidden and IRIS into a smaller space, making it more risky for the Hidden to attack. A rope bridge only has two possible exits and it is straight and narrow. Map locations where IRIS are forced to scatter and split up (especially if they are less visible because of objects in the way) will be more inviting for the Hidden, who can pick them off one by one. A forest section would be ideal for this, but I think allowing the Hidden to hide in the trees might be a bit too biased.

 

[oik]

well,befor i get to many ideas,i gota start tryin to fix the probs i got,the big one atm is the 3d skybox,i aint got a clue how to fix that,weather iv done sometin wrong or what, i dont know,but when its done it should look good.

edit:
if u go to my frist post u can veiw my prob in my 2 screen shots. anyone know how to fix it?

 

[Crispy]

The main problem is the link. But tbh someone else is gonna have to step in for the Skybox troubleshooting. As I'm not too knowledgable in that field yet.

 

[DrDevin]

For the skybox you build the geometry in the places you want it to be, then place an sky_camera entity at coordinates 0,0,0 (the middle of the grid).

Then select the camera and the all geometry you want to be the skybox.

Use the transform tool (ctrl+m) while everything is selected and click scale. Fill the 3 text fields with 0.0625

Surround the (now small) geometry with a box covered in tools/skybox texture and your done.

Make sure to have the same light_environment as in your map so the skybox will be rendered with the same light

 

[oik]

so,i build a normal size ground ,put the sky_camera entity in it at coordinates 0,0,0,then scale it down by useing 0.0625 in the fills,then surround it with tools/skybox texture,and then put light in it?