WIP: UDK First Environment

antonyj

Hi guys.

Been working on this project for a couple of months. Had no real knowledge of UDK prior to starting this project, and my modelling skills weren't all that great either.

It is a multiplayer level, TDM to be exact; I thought it might look a bit sparse but upon playing the level it lends itself really well to the style of play typically found in UT3.

Everything apart from the trees (created in SpeedTree) that you see here has been made by myself. I created everything from models through to textures, materials and particle effects.

Pretty proud of what I have achieved given the time scale I had the fact that a lot of the things I have used I have learned whilst 'on the job'.

Any feedback you could give would be welcome, I'd like to know what you think.










Thanks for looking

percydaman

I'd suggest you gamma correct (darken) your ground textures so they don't get blown out so much. It hurts my eyes just looking at them.

Darkmaster

I think that you really need to think about the layout of this level before you continue here. It seems like you just kinda randomly threw your assets around, and made a very rough layout that may or may not work for good gameplay. Think about the flow of your level, and how a match would progress. I am assuming that this is a deathmatch or ctf map, so you really need to clearly define two sides, or bases and think about what the middle of the map is going to look like. Iconic set pieces make for callouts on multiplayer maps, so think about whether your map has iconic areas that people can remember. Right now your prop list is all too generic. I'm not saying that they are horrible props or anything, but when you break it down there are no pieces that are memorable. Here are some examples of maps with a clear focal point and memorable spots for other players to refer to when communicating strategy. Keep pluggin away keep us posted.

antonyj

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, as outlined in the OP it is a TDM level.

Maybe I didn't take that many great screenshots. There are actually 2 sides to the map, with 2 buildings like the ones you can see on either side.

The cargo containers in the middle of the map actually produce a nice mid-point for each team to meet at; and given the more 'close quarters' feel it can get pretty intense around there.

Having said that it's nice to get some honest feedback and hear what you think. The level design wasn't brilliant, I'll admit, but in the 3 months that I had to learn the engine I was working with (plus seriously improving my workflow within 3D modelling and texturing) I think I did a pretty ok job.

Thanks for the references to the other levels, I had a few problems with the design early on which I left a little longer than I should have. That being said it was a great learning experience for me and has taught me some valuable lessons in all aspects of level creation.

Darkmaster

So I guess to sum up what I mean, make a "hero" prop in the middle or something to make the map stand out. You need to consider the story behind the map, and give it some mood. Consider maybe some weather, or something to make it stand out a little more.

antonyj

Right I'm with you. I understand that orientation for the player is paramount in multi-player levels, especially the more complex ones like the black ops map you posted up.

Going to spend a bit of time today thinking about how best to implement the idea I have for the 'hero' prop. To be completely honest I had so much to learn with this project that the important bits kind of got diluted some.

I've also taken into consideration the story, though to be honest there were that many changes of design late on in the production (I'm not a level designer by any means) left me clinging onto scraps of ideas. Still, like I said it's been a great learning process personally.

The high contrast of the sand is also a niggly problem I've had. I'm still trying to find that happy-medium where it doesn't detract from the scorching feel of the desert type environment but isn't over saturating the scene.

Anyway, thanks muchly for the feedback, it's all been taken on board and I'll post some more images tonight.

Cooljay

Seems way too cluttered for a team death match map. Try giving more openness in the middle so there is a place for players to "breathe"

antonyj

Thanks for leaving your feedback. The hill type part of the map leading up to the blue base is kind of the breathing area, I wanted the 'middle' to be more closely fought for and intense. The focus was on DM and TDM gametypes. I've also implemented CTF but to be honest the layout doesn't suit it all that well.

Sorry for the lack of updates, been a tad busier with work than I anticipated over this weekend and haven't had chance to amend everything.