Undertow v2

Kyorisu

Kyorisu

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Various mappers have made some excellent remakes of classic maps. I myself have been working on Undertow. Due to Undertow being originally inside a big cube basicly. I've added a lot of detail to make it seem less boring to look at.

When I say detail, I mean Undertow v2 is set outside rather than stuffed up in a cube with no exits. The whole area is set within a quarry and seems to actually have a purpose in the hl2 universe.

Undertow v2 is in no way near complete status. I can only post hammer screenshots if people want. I want some ideas from those who loved the original. Orignally I intented to just copy Undertow and now it's turned into something new and original.

p.s. The water trap is still in and works rather well.
 
I remember undertow, I loved it. What was the water trap again? Also, I think it would be great if you could add more water slides with different routes and branches. Maybe you could set the industrial machines supplying the water to close off and open up certain valves at certain times in a loop. This could add a situation where a man low on ammo is reloading while running away from someone whos got a full clip in his gun, and timing the run could mean the difference between being saved by a closing valve behind you, trapping your persuer in a compartment full of water (maybe to drown) or being trapped youself and becoming fodder for his gun. Good luck mate, sounds like a good map to expand upon.
 
I'm spending a few hours on it today. The water trap for those who forget, is a button when pushed causes a plane of water to rise and two grates slide into position trapping people underwater and eventually they drown to death. In hl1 there was a way to escape by swimming to the lift area.

However, due to the issues with lifts and hl2dm I've put a teleporter there instead of the lift. Thus the teleporter will save you. There is yet another way to survive and that I wont reveal yet.
 
Just a teaser for the main area I've been doing work on. The other two areas are being worked on and then I'll do a final pass before a playable version.

 
urgh. i hate seeing pictures from the map inside hammer they look so ugly and matt fullbright. looks good though. consider changing the texture scale on the cliff to a much larger one as it looks tiled at the moment.
 
urgh. i hate seeing pictures from the map inside hammer they look so ugly and matt fullbright. looks good though. consider changing the texture scale on the cliff to a much larger one as it looks tiled at the moment.
Click to expand...

Agreed, also, few quarries have grass covered ramps, stones, dirt, etc, but not grass. Otherwise, looks great, can't wait for a release.
 
crackhead said:
urgh. i hate seeing pictures from the map inside hammer they look so ugly and matt fullbright. looks good though. consider changing the texture scale on the cliff to a much larger one as it looks tiled at the moment.
Click to expand...

We all hate hammer images. Just a progress report, Didn't see the sense in slapping a skybox around it and doing a quick compile.

Those cliffs are pissing me off too at the moment. I've put them in a list of things to do.

/edit. For those who care. The middle area is mostly finished. I would post ingame shots but I add lighting as one of the last things. I've drawn the basic new layout of the last area (where the guass is, Sadly we don't have it). Hopefully I'll finish this thing to a playable extent in a few days.

This will be my first public release. I've been mapping since Worldcraft. I enjoy this as a hobby and will continue on to produce more works available to the public. All my work before hand was for my own learning experience and or help with friends pieces of work.
 
I tried to recreate that exact map until I realized that you can't have water on two different heights on the same map. the waterfall also looked kind of weird.

but, props to you if you can make it!. looking forward to more updates:imu:
 
Update

Things left to do
----------------
The last area (where the guass would be)
Lighting
Weapon Placement
Final refinements to terrain
Release Beta

I'll post more after a few hours of work. Apart from the odd game of CSS this is all i've been doing.
 
Okay the third area is complete, now I have to texture it yay! I might have some screens with lighting to show in a few hours. Don't get your hopes up I'm incredibly lazy.

Anywhoo anyone have any comments on weapon placement. Apart from the new areas which I'll sort out. Have any ideas? Like the rocket launcher where it is? etc.

/Edit Ingame teaser - terrible lighting I know.



/edit 2 If anyone wishes to contribute I need a particle system set up for all the foam at the bottom of the waterfall. Yes it works and yes it pushes you in the direction of the current. Oh the shoddyness of the above screenshot is due to the lack of a light eviroment.
 
Not bad I say, it's certainly got that undertow look, which, when you look at undertow itself, can be taken as a compliment or an insult :rolleyes:. All the same tis good.

Now this is just a suggestion, but, since you're putting it in a quarry, how about a crane? Not one you can use, just like part of the 3d-skybox surroundings, maybe so you can see it from the skybox area above your screenshot there. Or add something on the brick walls, pipes maybe? Just suggestions. :).
 
Rurisu said:
Not bad I say, it's certainly got that undertow look, which, when you look at undertow itself, can be taken as a compliment or an insult :rolleyes:. All the same tis good.

Now this is just a suggestion, but, since you're putting it in a quarry, how about a crane? Not one you can use, just like part of the 3d-skybox surroundings, maybe so you can see it from the skybox area above your screenshot there. Or add something on the brick walls, pipes maybe? Just suggestions. :).
Click to expand...

Good ideas always welcome. I was indeed planning on a decent 3d skybox so the two main areas would look interesting when looking up.

Pipes? I'll browse through the collection. Valve made plenty.
 
the brushwork looks very very half-lifey. You could probably round off a number of edges and add some details (the bridge and the window frames) to make it look better. Textures need a coherent theme but you're not done so it's fine for now, good work so far.
 
Displacements will be the death of me. Trying to get a few rock textures to align and argh it's taking some time.
 
No new screenshots for now. I'm working on finishing half of the displacments off by sealing the void with nodraw brushes. I'm also going to try and get the waterfall and water trap looking good.
 
More delays argh. Seems the Sugar cane mill in town (I live in the country, far north Queensland) Busted a pipe somewhere and the way the electrical grid is set up, they've shut down power for the entire area.

On a laptop atm.

/hmm seems as I finished typing this the power came back on. Damn thats annoying and funny at the same time.
 
Freaky timing I tell you. It's damn hot today and no power means no fans or air con. Meanwhile our pool is still filling.

Hangon I'll try and post a good pic of the first area with lighting in a few mins.





/edit Here you go people, and in case your wondering your going to have a hard time escaping when the water rises. It turns out that a giant pump will activate under the water to deal with the overflow. Pumps suck!

Anywhoo Deal with the crappy water for now I'm dealing with it and the lack of other lighting sources. Yet again I'm a lazy bastard and that happens to be my major flaw with any mapping project.

Oh and the skybox doesn't match. It's being dealt with I assure you. Now I'm off to lounge around in my pool for a while.



/edit2 More Screenies

 
Looks ok, but I really don't like the incredibly 90-degree brushwork.
 
It's in the spirit of the original. I'll try and think of something to spruce it up a bit.

Many of the cubes don't look very good as it is. I might try to replace the one near the tunnel with scaffolding instead.
 
Kyo said:
It's in the spirit of the original. I'll try and think of something to spruce it up a bit.

Many of the cubes don't look very good as it is. I might try to replace the one near the tunnel with scaffolding instead.
Click to expand...

Scaffolding could work, although maybe some sort of supervisors office with reinforced windows, like a sort of shack maybe? Aluminum style texture roof on a slant?

Once some suitable skybox is in there (though, skyboxes can usually wait till last), the sky will look amazing.
 


This waterfall is turning into the hardest thing I've ever had to make. Half-Life 2 makes it a very difficult process. Oh well if you know a better method or have made a better looking set of falls please tell me.
 
Just a thought, but what if you turned the waterfall into a displacement, then you could round it out a little more and make it wavy?
 
well i am going to say what (i think) everone wanted to say.

1. displacements look like utter crap, add some noise to them or something, but they look like crap
2. nothing but squares that i see.
3. texturing is sub par and could use some redoing
4. forget the waterfall, as it always looks ugly in source NO MATTER WHAT
5. 3d skybox
6. i cant get off the ugliness of those displacements
7. your doors and windows need frames around them
8. take some of the color away from the light_env for its too orange
 
JeanPaul said:
well i am going to say what (i think) everone wanted to say.

1. displacements look like utter crap, add some noise to them or something, but they look like crap
2. nothing but squares that i see.
3. texturing is sub par and could use some redoing
4. forget the waterfall, as it always looks ugly in source NO MATTER WHAT
5. 3d skybox
6. i cant get off the ugliness of those displacements
7. your doors and windows need frames around them
8. take some of the color away from the light_env for its too orange
Click to expand...

1. I agree.
2. The fine details that will blend stuff together are being worked on.
3. Heh? looks fine to me.
4. Well I bet I can make it look relativley good and it's staying for when I playtest. If people dislike it I'll remove it.
5. There is one. The player is basicly in a big ditch so looking up to see what outside the ditch results in little sight. Take a closer look at http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=undertow_v2_beta0005.jpg theres two tower poking up (3d skybox)
6. Me too.
7. Will do. Didn't think of that until now.
8. Screenshots never turn out well, the light settings are perfect for the skybox I assure you.
 
Too orange eh? You'd think you'd never heard of sun-setting with a frequency of at least once per day (at least on most days). Personally I think the twilighty look is good, but if it looks better with standard middle-of-the-day, well thats great too. I also think a dead-of-night with floodlights glowing lights just below the surface of the water on the edges of it and what not would look awesome as well; maybe not as playable, but awesome all the same.

As for textures, you could always just port the original directly and see how they like the map then. The textures/displacements are fine.
 
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