Print

Add to Reputation:  

What do you think of this post?

I agree I disagree  
Comment:

[JcFerggy]

JcFerggy: Ok, so what level would you like to talk about first?
mookie: Library I guess, since it was first for me.

JcFerggy: When did development start?
mookie: I think it was November 2005. I wanted to get to know Hammer for CS:S mapping, so I decided to port some maps over from GoldenEye. Library seemed easiest because it's so rectilinear.

JcFerggy: How long did it take you?
mookie: I spent a few weeks to port over the layout, then a while to light it and add entities to make a working defuse map. Since then I've completely rebuilt it for GE:S so that it doesn't leak anymore.

JcFerggy: When was the first release of the level?
mookie: 13 November 2005, for CS:S.

JcFerggy: And when was the first GE:S release?
mookie: 28 December for GE:S.

JcFerggy: The a3 on the end of the map name; does that stand for the revision of the map?
mookie: Yes.

JcFerggy: What were the changes made between each revision?
mookie: a1 was a straight port of the map for CS:S. Same prop-free lighting, same textures, same leaky paper-thin brushwork.
mookie: a2 was basically a graphic update. Retextured with concrete walls from the Facility, tile ceiling, and crappy fluorescent light props from HL2.
mookie: a3 was mostly an entity update for 1.1h. Weapon spawners instead of weapon entities. Used the fluorescent light textures from one of the GoldenEye maps instead of props, and they look a lot better. The brushwork is completely rebuilt here too, so no more leaking.

JcFerggy: Do you plan to update your map for Beta 3?; or are you going to back down for the official maps?
mookie: I have a completely rebuilt map partly done, but I haven't put much time into it. It's not clear to me whether there will be an official Library released with the new beta, but if there isn't I'll probably finish this one off.

JcFerggy: From what I see, the Library Classic should be in Beta 3, since it was already released with 1.1h; but that does not mean you should stop with yours.
mookie: I may continue, but the last time I was working on it my PSU died while running VRAD.

JcFerggy: When were a2 and a3 released?
mookie: a2 was 11 January 2006.
mookie: a3 was 26 August 2008.

JcFerggy: Is there anything else you would like to say about Library before we move onto Temple, maybe like what was the hardest, Easter Eggs, anything special?
mookie: No Easter Eggs to be found, nothing at all really. The only weird thing is that on the N64 all the tiles didn't add up the same through different parts of the map.
mookie: Never figured that out.
JcFerggy: Weird.

JcFerggy: Ok, on to Temple_mk_a5. Why did you decide to do this map?
mookie: At the time, I thought I'd done really well with the Library. It had turned out to be very well balanced as a defuse map, probably by chance, and the Temple was another map that looked very easy to port due to its shape.

JcFerggy: When did development start with that?
mookie: Probably within a week after finishing with the Library, sometime in mid-November 2005.
mookie: I finished with that for CS:S 1 December, so clearly I wasn't putting a whole lot of time into these at this point.

JcFerggy: When were each revision released, and what were the major changed to each?
mookie: a1 was 29 December 2005. That was a pretty decent texturing and lighting job, compared to what I did with the Library. I used textures from Egyptian, as well as the torches.
mookie: a2 was 30 December 2005. The only change here is that the level is considerably brighter.

JcFerggy: Only one day apart?
mookie: The lighting in the first release was a huge problem. I "released" it on a listen server, and players who joined had a big problem seeing. I think as time has gone on, every revision of this map has gotten brighter actually.
mookie: a3 was 8 May 2006. I made some changes to the brushwork at this point. The earlier revisions for GES were based very closely on Perfect Dark, not GoldenEye, and at this point I changed the columns in the big/side room from being a bunch of pillars to being solid blocks like they were in GoldenEye. I also put clips around the places where players could fall off, to get it back more toward GoldenEye. Besides the cosmetic changes I made (brightness, cubemaps, fiddled with the doors), this version was basically a mistake.
mookie: a4 was 28 May 2006. I removed the clips, changed the brushwork back toward Perfect Dark, and probably brightened it up a bit more.
mookie: a5 was 27 December 2007. Redid the weapons from weapon entities to weapon spawners for beta 1.1h. Removed the dynamic lighting, because it was adding nothing to the level and made my computer stutter (not sure if it did this to anyone else). Did a good compile on final and with HDR to get better lighting from the skybox.

JcFerggy: Did you have any major problems while making the map?
mookie: I still haven't come up with a good solution for loose guns that fall underneath the doors. I can't remember if they keep forcing them back open, but I think that they do.

JcFerggy: Do you plan to port Temple to Beta 3?; considering the vast differences between your version, and the official version?
mookie: If ge_temple is not finished, I'll probably go and redo the entities for the new beta. I don't have any plan to completely rework the map though.

JcFerggy: Do you plan on making any more maps for GE:S?
mookie: I don't have any particular plans, but if I find myself looking at some free time I may try something off the GE64 reservation. Possibly a parkade.

JcFerggy: If you had to pick, what level did you enjoy making more?
mookie: I liked doing the Temple more. It was easier, so I spent a lot more time playing with the lighting. The Library's quite big and repetitive, so making any changes to it is fairly tedious.

JcFerggy: Ok, and out of Library, what did you like making more, the Basement, or the Stack?
mookie: The Stack, much more. The Basement is very simple and small, and I never really got the lighting or texturing done to my satisfaction.

JcFerggy: And lastly, what would you say is your favourite map out of all the available on GE:S to play, and why?
mookie: I really like the Facility Backzone. It's got a good amount of space to play in. There's the bottling room if you want to work a large open area. There are also some fairly tight and windy hallways that are good to catch people off guard or get away. It's cyclical, but getting through the vents is tough enough to force players out into the hallways for the most part.

If anyone has any additional questions, ask here and mookie and I will try to answer them for you.

[PPK]

Good interview. It really gives you the inside view of mapping, in some way. Are you going to post this on the wiki?

[JcFerggy]

I used both of my interviews to compile an article for the levels.

[PPK]

Thank you for the information. This will certainly prove useful to those who consult the wiki, like me!
By the way, I want to congratulate you for the work you've bee doing on the wiki; you revitalized it and updated it for a greater convenience and ease of use.

[Staaf]

kewl