Peer Review Again!

We now come to the point where we need to analyze each other's work.

Question: Are the lighting (lens flares, panning lights) placement ok?

Peer Review:
- The lighting seems fine for the amount of small, closed-in corridors there are.

- Light placement is fine, but worried about the radius of each light as they look a bit small. Unless you're after a dark atmosphere.

- Lighting seems good for the corridors.

My Answer:

Thank you for the responses.With a lot of positive responses, I don't think there are any flaws in my lighting anymore aside from the light radius. Therefore, I think my lights are doing its job. Now that I am confident that the placement is correct its just a matter of improving its aesthetic and features.

Question: Is the map layouts (lights and ladders) OK for a death-match and capture-the-point game mode?

Peer Review:
- The mix of narrow corridors and open spaces will mix well for a Capture game mode, the amount of corridors may take away from a death-match though.

- The map layout is unique from any of the other maps I've seen, although the size could be a bit too big and might be hard to find other players.

-The map layout is quite big so it will hard to find the player, but the map is great for capture game mode.

My Answer: When it comes to my map layout I received a lot of negative and mixed reviews. I realized that building a little Victorian town for a big death-match and capture the flag map is hard work and will only lead to minimal acceptance. So, I am planning of cutting it down and minimizing my map into a manageable but still enjoyable level.


Question: Im going for a victorian themed game what do you think?

Peer Review:

- With the lighting being set as it is currently, a victorian theme would be good.

- I think the layout suits a victorian layout. Can't see any problems with it right now.

- The lighting layout looks good for your map level. i don't know you would improve it right now.

My Answer: Based on the reviews I got, I am confident of my way of placing aesthetics to mimic a Victorian level.

Lesson: Particle Effects

As I am making a Victorian themed map, street lights, wall lamps and torches are a must. Today, I am excited because we have discussed particle effects which covers the flame effects that I really need.

Light Effects: Lens Flares

Today, another amazing aesthetic technique is added to my arsenal: the lens flare. This is a very nice addition to my map as I can add more details to my current lighting. I can also use it to emphasize a main light source.

Flip book Technique

     Today we discussed a new technique that gives us the feature I really need for my map: the flip book technique.

     Initially, I was shocked that explosion effects are made from continuous still images rather than game engine features and its algorithms. Fortunately, it is done using still images; as using some kind of game engine feature will really affect performance considering a high-quality effect consist of a lot of particles.

     I really found the flipbook technique as a vital element to what I want in my map and that it is also convenient and easy to use.

Sky Cube and Dominant Lights

I used a night-time Sky Box, with the moon slightly on top of the map.

I have pictured Victorian Era as a foggy, innovative, dangerous, and with a hint of loneliness. It is this reason that I decided to have a night-time sky cube, because it makes me feel that there is danger in every corner and to add that loneliness feeling. But, to contrast this, I added bright lights to represent innovation; in the future, I will add high-tech steam-punk models. The moon is located a bit on the top of the map because I want the roofs to be highlighted more. So, it can aid players' navigation when travelling the map using the roofs.

Lighting Mood Board

After modeling my map I now turn to develop its lighting.

I'm really confident that my lighting placement reflects the Victorian Era; and I know it does because one of my peers said that he initially thought its a Victorian game even when I'm just blocking it out. So, I know I'm hitting the right spot in developing my theme.

I didn't only place my light points purely because of aesthetics but also to serve as a player guidance. Playing my map for so many times, I rearranged and tinkered their placement to be more effective, and I'm sure that it will work.

Item Pickups

I am going to add equipment pickups, e.g., medic packs and utility items. But, I will not add weapon pickups, on the other hand, you can pick dead player's weapons.The player needs to customize his/her weapon layout before spawning.

I think the reason for me not having available weapon pickups is entirely because of the map theme. I'm going for a civilian town so it is not relevant to have a weapon lying around in the streets. I want my work to be realistic as possible.