Here it is, my "Quad Map Contest" entry-map.
Scedm5 has a unique gameplay and flow, wich also counts for the theme (which is "wet-old-castle"). It's designed you can navigate smoothly and pretty fast trough the map (that's why those teleports and jumppads exist), while your still able to get those necessary frags.
It is the most playable on deathmatch with an amount of players between 8 and 16, but also (insta-/efficiency-)hold or (regen)capture can be played on it.
Now about the name...
Why such name?
Since it's the 5th map which carries the "scedm" in it's name and I couldn't find any other name than such, because I wasn't sure of the theme yet when I started the map (I was thinking it would be castle-themed, but unlike other maps, way different. Think about "The House of Decay" in QuakeLive.
I'm not sure if it really will be this theme, since it has way smaller hall- and doorways.
My backup plan for that was to take a similar theme as "Black Cathedral" in Quake Live.
Why? Since it also has huge rooms and a similar flow (even tough in scedm5 it's a bit smaller and more narrow)).
On 16-4-2011:
Here are my plans for the next 2 weeks:
- Create the basic geometry of the map.
- Add gameplay to the map.
- Think even more about what theme it should be.
- Make a "sketch" of a config-file for the map.
I hope this is enough info!
P.S.
I'm not sure if this map will be 1 of my best maps, since the matter of time and the limited engine were building on. I think my layout won't be that kick-ass as I thought, since curves have a very limited shape in cube engine 2. Probably if I would make it with an other radiant (like gtkradiant) I would get a better result, since you edit the vertex on there, not a polygon (so you change a point of a shape, not like in cube engine 2, a plane/surface).
I'll still try anyways...
Improvements:
19-4-2011
Created an original jumppad system to add more flow to the map and to replace the odd stairs at the south-side of the map (wich is at the other side of the screenshot)...
No-one can tell me this map won't be original :P.
20-4-2011
Made the gameplay and flow more proper. It should be sort of stable now. Some details has been added (still untextured of course).
The map is downloadable now!
21-4-2011
Increased the gameplay and flow. Decreased the size of the halls by adding different heights of platforms in it (check out the screenshots of 21-4-2011).
Added/changed position of playerstarts, teledest 3 and changed the position of several pickups.
Added some more geometry.
22-4-2011
Started with lighting and (and a bit theming)
Locked the gameplay and flow, it probably won't have much changes anymore, at least not huge...
24-4-2011
Improved and increased the geometry for lighting.
27-4-2011
Changed the gameplay a bit, turned the diagonal catwalk into stairs that you won't get slowed down anymore after taking the jumpadcurve. Changed the jumppadramp at the other side of the map (the "lowest" platform). Also did some improvements on the geometry for lighting.
28-4-2011
Added a structure above the "circle" with the YA and above the area with the teleport that's leading to the jumppadcurves.
5-5-2011
Added the basic layout for lighting. Probably won't stay the same.
Picking textures for the map. It probably will be a more "wet" castle theme, which the "gor" textures.
Changed the gameplay and flow a bit. Added several details where you can jump on and continue your journey trough the map easier/faster.
Cleaned up the config-file of the map. Still can have some more cleaning (especially the mapmodels) but so far so good.
9-5-2011
Increased the texturing. Like 2/3 of the map is textured now. The lighting has been changed so it's less bright (which gives a better effect).
Details still have to be added some more.
10-5-2011
Increased the texturing and added some detail (like trimmings). Also added water in the jumpcurve.
I was thinking about adding waypoints, but I'm pretty sure the bots won't be able to get the point why the jumpcurve exists and how to use it (will fail to reach the other sides because they aren't holding the forward-key all the time).
11-5-2011
Increased the texturing and added some detail again. Also made textures fit the geometry more.
12-5-2011
Finaly done with texturing. There are still some areas to improve, but everything is textured right now.
Lighting still needs a review tough (and some details still need to be added).
16-5-2011
I did it! I managed to "finish" a map in time! Of course it can be improved a lot more (and it will), like the lighting still needs a review, detailing still can be better, etc. But for now, I'm happy that I managed to get the map done in time.
Added the envmap textures, cleaned up the map-configuration file, added more mapmodels, more detail, etc.
17-5-2011
Replace the heightmap-textures of the costum envmap-textures wich are for the teleports for specular maps, to give a more "painting" feeling.
I would like that this technique of showing where your getting telespawned, isn't getting copied by other mappers in Cube Engine 2.
Please understand that.
Added a loading-screenshot, waypoints (wich won't get loaded, but that's because there are no waypoints. The only reason it exists because this is 1 of the requirements in the contest) licenses of mapmodels, etc.
21-5-2011
Changed the colour of several textures and replaced some of them (like the ugly green brick ceiling). Fixed some model issues and decreased the file-size of the zip a lot (like 4,5mb less).
Added sounds to the map. Deleted the "cubic" model, since it isn't giving any more worth to the map at all (and the skins were kind of buggy somehow). Only need to add waypoints and then it's probably the final release!
23-5-2011
With this update, I almost came to an end on this map. There isn't much left to improve. Waypoints and sounds are added, gameplay has been rechecked and I've added more pickups so people won't have to pistol fight all the time (but still being hungry for health, armour and ammo). The file-size has been increased slightly because of the costum sound of viruz (wich is getting used in Red Eclipse and yes, I've asked Quin if I can use it). The bots aren't smart in the map, like I already tought. But ah well, at least it got waypoints.
Fixed some texture issues and tried to get lost of the nasty lighterror, but failed (too bad).
30-5-2011
Replaced the teleport to the "side-ring" of the center, for a jumppad with some kind of hallway. Because of that, the flow and gameplay should be better, since it adds another "fragtrick" to the various tricklist in the map.
I've updated the waypoints of course.
Also replaced the ugly green texture on the ceiling where the old teleport was positioned for a way better texture, check out now!
I've converted all teleport-textures into .jpg format instead of .png, since it drops the file size a lot (it's about 12,75mb now, while previously it was 15,1mb).
I've repositioned the lighting of the sewer (as well as a mapmodel).
In the second release on this day, the ugly stairs has been replaced for a box (I know, would have seen it on a different way but ah well, there are limitations) and another way to the centre of the sewer has been added.
Also fixed a critical waypoints mistake.
As experiment, I've added bases for the mode hold and capture, but the primary mode of this map should stay deathmatch. It seems to be pretty nice, playing hold on it, since you have to keep moving constantly (like using teleports, jumppads, etc). You also needs some cover of your teammates if you can't make it.
1-6-2011
Took some advice of Jorge and created another way to get out of the water (wich is in the sewer). Also repositioned the bases and added some more waypoints. Bases are from now on also named.
The bases seems to be more balanced now and it makes the map pretty fun to play in capture, as long as your playing with an ammount between 8 and 16 players. Too less, you won't find much fragging at all. Too much, it's pure choas and you get the effect wich happens on the map "hades", lots of people spend more time on dieing that really capturing and fragging.
I only need to fix the 2 "broken" edges. After that, the map should be done (if nothing else will get reported, since I don't see any mistake/misstep anymore).
5-6-2011
I finally improved those broken edges. To me, they look way better now and they make the 2nd floor way more accessible. If you time right (and are running in the right direction), you only have to do 1 single jump on the main floor to the 2nd floor.
Waypoints updated of course.
Fixed some trimmings and texture mistakes.
Updated the costum teleport textures, since they were outdated again.
Fixed some geometry mistakes inside walls. They should be without again.
This probably was the final and last update, since I really don't see anything else to be updated.
7-6-2011
Replaced the evil8 textures for the "glue2" texture of lunaran. This fits more to the theme and saves some file-size. Also replaced the big jumppads in the sewer for a more elegant structure.
Also converted every skin in the "sitters" folder to .jpg-files, to reduce the file-size.
Finally managed to get the map under the 10Mb of file-size!
11-6-2011
I've reviewed the clipping/noclipping and improved it. Players shouldn't be able to look trough walls anymore by noclip material.
Some models are also updated, like specularity-maps has been deleted (Sauerbraten has an "ingame specmap" anways, so no custom specmaps needed). Bump-map's also have been deleted or been converted to .jpg files to save some more file-size.
Oddly, the file-size of the map went higher after clipping (maybe I didn't used "calclight 1" in the previous version?).
I really don't see much more to improve and I think to close the project, as long as no one else than me has more ideas about improving it.
5-7-2011
Fixed some mistakes in the configuration files of the models.
If you still have anything which you think this map needs or could be better, tell me now.
Enjoy it!
P.S.
Comments with constructive critique is welcome!
Most information which stands here is also viewable on the contest website which is here.