Updated June 2, 2019: Give this a watch! *** So I just realized this "terrains, levels, maps" forum is here! I started one month ago with learning the editor. What a LONG month it's been! Over the years I've pressed F11 enough times to know that the editor existed, but I've never really understood the first thing about it. I'm pretty comfortable with it now - can make and save textures, import assets, etc.. all the important stuff! Dabled with LUA and have added a ton of custom ambient sound effects. I've reskinned a bunch of props to suit my level, but as of today I've finally started making my own props and textures, getting Maya 2013 opened again after all these years was a treat! Anyway, it's 7:30am and I was hoping for, "an early night" this time. I've been spending between 12-15 hours a day on this every single day for the past month solid. It's my first level outside of some quick test ones (which I lost immediately because I had no idea what I was doing hah) and there has been a lot of progress throughout, a lot of going back and fixing/updating/enhancing things based on new experience and ideas. The whole point of this map is to run AI from the start to finish, and see who can make it alive in the CASTLE RUN! I'll be adding a bunch to this, but for now here's just a few pics of what I've been doing: --- Post updated --- Oh and here's a video I put up on the forum earlier in another one before I knew this place existed! Basically just some level work. Bunch of other videos on the channel too showing various stages of progress! *cheers *** Just throwing some things on this first page because the thread's getting pretty big!
Wow that's a great way to wake up! =D Thanks a lot guys, I appreciate it the feedback - being positive and all hahah! AS FOR BEING AN ITALY CHALLENGER. . . well I'm flattered, but all I had to do was look at some pictures on Google, then I was able to take textures and models from all of the work done on Italy. Saving me literally hundreds of hours. On top of that, the fact that thanks to Italy I can run a map of this size/complexity at 60fps still. Without Italy this map simply doesn't exist, so if anything this could be considered Italy's protege at best! Another thing is the fact that I've been building this for my specs (5ghz, 1080ti, blah blah) and been working with virtually zero regard for effeciency: 4k textures where 512x512 would be fine, draw distance at 15km, deleted virtually all LOD models, blah blah blah. I've been making it to LOOK pretty, but that's about where the pretty ends, I still can't get over how robust this game's engine is! On a side note, I've learned so bloody much while doing this as I said! Here's my loading screen for spawning in to specific "work zones." --- Post updated --- It's funny I took those pictures a while ago, there are so many things that have changed at each location, but I've kept them as a reminder/push to keep going!
Well, tunnel's finished. At least as finished as it's going to get - I didn't want to spend 48 hours on it, figured I could spare 24 or so. I'm pleased with it though, and it's a great addition to the scenery! With reverb in the tunnel, and enough geometry to make plenty of shadow porn with the car's headlights on, I'm really looking forward to some carnage in there, muahaha! Here's a few glamour shots.
Well I spent the day yesterday learning about normals, specular maps, dds filetypes etc.. I didn't get too much done other than a buncha trees and material fixes. Then I cleared my cache to make sure things were kosher and low and behold, they weren't. So I spent about 6 hours going around fixing missing textures on so many things, repainting this, replacing that.. I was pretty ticked and bummed out. Of all things, the brake lights on the bus are missing their texture!? Wonky. Today I haven't done too much other than a bunch more greenery around and some terrain rebuilding here and there (could areas looked a little too man-made.) Then I decided I didn't want to use the italy city tunnel and started up on a new one for myself. I got about 4% in before I said, "I haven't slept more than 5 hours for the past 48 hours, I'm going to take a break." And so, here's this picture to show I'm not a total slacker =D --- Post updated --- The tunnel will have pedestrian walk ways on either side, some kind of "danger" item or two, some ceiling light models, probably a couple air quality fans animated and a buncha wiring running along the top. Pretty quick and simple stuff, but it'll really add to the overall look!
Back to work on the tunnel tonight, built the lighting system, started working on textures (diffuse, normals, specular, reflection) and going to keep at it. I've wasted about 4 hours trying to get the spot lights to work out correctly but right now I'm pretty certain the coding is just bugged for them -> the cone sizes don't match what is shown at all, and the point lights' shadows are broken still too. Two pics, 1 shows a Bolide coming in showing off the shadows and normals, the other shows some faked global illumination on the tunnel exit, makes it look like light is reflecting off of the ground.
Oh man, posted 12:03am and now it's 5:48am! Ran in to some strange issues and ended up having to revert to a saved map from over 48 hours ago Rebuilt it all though and the issues seem to be gone, so that's good. As a result though I was able to get a BEFORE and AFTER shot of the tunnel! Still need to do work on the ground model/texture and get some non-b0rked lighting in there! However, here's how she sits now:
Got back to it today and made up a few fans and signs, built their textures and uv's (what a nightmare) and then did some work on GRIME. Now the tunnel has some age to it! So grimy fans, tunnel walls, entrance/exit and.. yup! All that's left is to work on the floor/ground and get it up to par, get some sidewalks/railings in there - some sewers maybe to add some "bump" to the cars and make'm DIE! =D --- Post updated --- Heh, I wasn't going to post it (excuse the shadow. . .) but this shows the actual length of the tunnel. --- Post updated --- Heh, I wasn't going to post it (excuse the shadow. . .) but this shows the actual length of the tunnel.
Believe it or not, I'm really 35 years old. BUT.. butt.. some times things make me laugh when I'm working, such as this unassigned uv set, that's the texture from "NO PASSING" annnnd yup! Sign's made a real ass of itself. --- Post updated --- Got that sign finished up correctly =D So: Sidewalk built, guard rails placed, lighting taken care of, entire thing has been . . grungified/grimed up, annd other than adding some schmutz to the ground around the roadway it's done and I can finally move on to something else! I've spent the better part of 9-10 hours doing UV texture work for just the fans, tunnel, and emergency escape. <-- Really hoping the ai pushes itself into that a time or two, that'll be rewarding! Attached are two images, since the game crashed when I adjusted the FOV to the lowest limit (which I assume is 0, which. . immediately would crash the game, which it did!) so just one image from outside, and the uv image for the escape area. First time doing proper textures for a game, I've always just. . . used whatever was there, it's SO FREEING to make your own assets. Oh and. . here's a video! So I put a video together to show off the tunnel some more, and the sound effects! I took the sound of a fan blowing and an engine sound from a tug boat and made it a loop. Pitched it slightly different for each fan, and gave it a decent sound radius. All in all, effective! Also big bump in lighting quality at little to no performance difference fortunately.
Taking advantage of the assets I made, and making a second tunnel (the second tunnel in the map, where as this one above is the third) that is 4 lanes wide. So far it's looking good and working well. Uses 30 spot lights per side for a total of 60 real time shadow-casting lights. FPS went from 52... to 52. This engine is a DREAM!! --- Post updated --- So I have pretty much built this new tunnel. 4k textures for everyone! or. . all the geometry that is. There are two textures in for this whole tunnel - lights, fans, road, walls, ceiling, and pillars. Not bag! However sitting in this view there are 7200 draw calls currently! Eek. But what's IMPORTANT: I added 16 or so 700 poly pillars and my FPS went UP. I like that kind of math, "Add more transform and fill rate, and you will INCREASE performance" haha! from 52fps to 57! Again I don't care about FPS while building this, it's all for 30fps video recording and then manipulation later, but I am of course being cautious - file size, model complexity, collision complexity, etc...
Considering this is the 'Castle Run 2019' are you planning to release the map once you have created all of your videos at the end of the year? Or will you continue to update the map throughout the years without a public release? It would be nice to be able to use it, however I understand it's for your YouTube channel so I'm not expecting a public release anytime soon P.S. Just a friendly reminder to back up your map if you haven't done so already. You have done so much in the past few days it would be horrible if it were to somehow corrupt... Better safe than sorry...
Hahah I back it up every 6 hours now, I have a backup directory of over 300gb's of backups currently, but thank you for the friendly reminder! I think I've got it down pat, but please don't STOP reminding me just in case hahah! As for the RELEASE of the map - you nailed it man, I'm not building this for release to the public immediately but for sure would love to after I've got a few proper videos on the go, Castle Run 2019 vs just Castle Run vs just "Random AI roads for carnage" came about as a sort of, "Gumball Rally 2019" etc.. and I just went with it. "Castle Rally" didn't have the same sound so I went with the old school Gumball, the Canonball which was the Canonball Run! Hooray history =D The entire map is made for driving though as everything I'm doing, I'm doing with the thought of, "When someone drives here they'll be able to do this/see this." So a release is 100% it's just not something in the next month or so that's for sure! Thanks for asking! --- Post updated --- Alright second tunnel. . . DONE. Now to move on to the longest one - the third one! That then goes out to a high bridge, that'll be fun! For now. . sleep.
