Ge_ChateauDuClare_v02
(for legacy purposes)
OVERVIEW
I decided to come back and give some much needed love to my first official map. This revision started last summer, shortly after the release of GE:S v5 broke a handful of community maps. What started as a simple visual upgrade turned into a full overhaul of the map. I'll attach a changelog to the bottom of this post if you're interested.
The most standout changes you'll see in the following images include a whole new skybox, implementation of HDR, more dynamic layout changes and better visual indicators for special weapons and armor spawns. I also spent some time better optimizing the visibility, so hopefully performance will be less brutal when outside in front of the chateau.
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Beta Testers
Many thanks to the following for testing and offering new ideas!
- E-S
- Mangley
- Soupcan
- Torn
- box
- Bashe
- Graslu
- Gabbo
- kraid
- TZKK
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CHANGELOG
[Visuals]
+ Replaced old textures/models with much improved assets:
- Grass
- Hedges
- Green carpet
- Cubicle panels
- Various light fixtures
- Lamp posts
- Servers
- Mirrors
- Skybox trees
- Wood trim on plaster walls
+ Implemented HDR
+ Overall, the map is much brighter and easier to see in both HDR and LDR
+ Adjusted lightmap resolutions for cleaner shadows from all light fixtures (this was inconsistent before)
+ New skybox texture
+ Top level weapon spawns and armor are clearly indicated with a special decal
[Playability]
+ Optimized skybox setup (went from ~2,000 displacements for the mountain ranges to 144)
+ All physics props now have collisions disabled so the player will no longer bump into them
+ Raised both fireplace mantles so the player can now fit with the new, taller bounding box
+ The dumbwaiter will no longer crush the player; they will instead be teleported above the dumbwaiter should it close on them
+ Bot nodes have been improved
+ All window frames are clipped to encourage regular jumping, rather than crouch jumping
+ Optimized VIS; framerate should be much improved when outside (particularly by the front fountain)
[Layout changes]
+ Basement cubicle area has been re-arranged with a more dynamic layout
+ Control room has a one-way drop from hedge garden above
+ Wine cellar has a more interesting route with wineracks blocking what was once an open, boring area
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DOWNLOADS!
Mirror 1 (MediaFire)Mirror 2 (Dropbox) .res file (for server owners)