Dxmp_IceWorld_Beta4 [NOT for hosting] Need help with texture

[anax]

NOT for hosting!

I need help with this damn thing, I tried multiple times to delete and re-make zones, change the settings of brushes and textures.
But ever since Beta #3 there have been huge areas of texture, mostly the "ice" texture where all lighting effects seem to be in error and the whole face of the affected brush is dark!

Download -> http://www.mediafire.com/download/q4vf9 ... _Beta4.zip



(yes the 2 cabinets are off grid but that's not the priority until the map is fit to be released as pre-final, as they're easy to fix.)

[ShadowRunner]

OK I have downloaded the map, fired up SDK, am jacking into the matrix... see you on the other side...

[ShadowRunner]

It seems to be the way you are zoning the map. Firstly I don't understand the massive empty box over the map and using a zone portal to get rid of it, I would use a solid brush to fill it in or at least block it off. The "zone within a zone" technique you've employed I think is causing the problem, because your zone portals don't reach to the top of your map ceiling, you've created a box out of them instead inside another zone. Also SDK thinks your map ceiling is thousands of units above the player area, because only a zone portal separates the spare area. Just have an add brush get rid of the massive sky and then have the zone portals going from map edge to map edge top and bottom. Also I am not 100% sure that transparent textures work for zone portals.

I think it is an amazing version, I think you are on to something with the transparent breakable ice, would love to see more. Love the side corridors. Really good developments I think. Just needs a penguin and a bottle of vodka. Good Christmas map!


Maybe 4 poles can be put on the top of each structure in the middle of the map and these poles can be used as edges for zone portals, that way you can make square zones and have 9 zones in the middle at least...so I would use 9 portals outside, not 4 as it seems in top left pic. separate them with a pole or tower or something.

[anax]

in truth i made the huge box area so that projectiles don't suddenly explode on invisible walls, and the zone up there was left over from trying to make azone the kills projectile actors, so the invisible bounds go completely unnoticed.

The zone dilemma is interesting, in the first 2 versions the major subtract brushes were made from multiple layers into one brush, with a similar zone scheme as now, but the many edges broke up the lighting and increased the ammount of polys to render a lot.

Also i never liked using solid colors for portals cause i can't see what's on the other side when i'm editing!

Alright, someone make a DeusEx.Penguin pawn actor and a custom vodka bottle model, or skin for a bottle actor, and i WILL totally put them in xD!

[anax]

if the vertical portals run through the semisolid benches will that cause bsp holes??? i have some bad experiences with certain semisolid brushes!

[anax]

woah hang on, are you using a different renderer? i can't see any of the same texture errors... Or is that after you changed the zones?

[ShadowRunner]

I've not edited the map but I could try. You are right about semi-solids, sorry not so familar with the map.



Edit here is a screenie of MM's Landernau zoning work. Zones are equal size. Portals cover whole top/bottom of street/corridor etc. He uses drainpipes and building detail as the portal edge so portals don't touch each other. Very few sloping angles used as edges.

I'm not a zoning expert, but I'd say that box is probably the cause of the lighting/texture bug I'll have a look, maybe it's something less obvious. I use d3d9 or 10, if 11 is the latest.

[ShadowRunner]

Feel like an idiot now because I deleted all portals and infos and the problem is still there...

I count roughly 70 adds, 30 semis and 90 subtracts. Can't see anything remotely dangerous except the custom prefab steps or breakable ice walls and even those I find it hard to believe could cause a problem on such a small map. Need to have a really proper look.

Dynamic lighting and texture looks perfect in SDK, it's only when I play it.

I don't understand this either...

That is one brush, but two different surfaces along a "straight line". I can't see immediately the cause, but I wonder about 50% semi-solids or the percentage of intersected custom shapes is high because the map is small, I really don't know at the moment.

[anax]

Wait what the heck happened to that brush, i don't think i've ever seen a single face of a brush become split like that, dude i think my map entered the Twilight Zone?!

[[FGS]Chees]

Was looking at all versions you posted today in SDK and trying to see what happened when i undid what you did in other versions. It confused the hell out of me then it was medication time and couldn't focus, walk or even get back in the house for 20 mins. Let me know when you all figure it out. The map is looking great btw

[ShadowRunner]

Wait what the heck happened to that brush, i don't think i've ever seen a single face of a brush become split like that, dude i think my map entered the Twilight Zone?!

I'm leaning towards blaming custom intersection and it being a small map with a lot of semis and intricate brushes, but it's jumping the gun maybe. Right now I am lost. I don't think you have done anything wrong, this is just an unusual map or maybe there is an unnoticed error/bug somehow on one of the custom brushes.

[anax]

Lmao, it's kind of a derp moment, those 4 blocks are cylinders but i forgot how many sides they had.
I made one of the faces flush with the other, to create the same block shape as in the original iceworld.
The doubled face is really just 2 faces next to each other...



The faulty texture lighting is still a mystery though until i try using the better zone method you showed.

EDIT: Notice the holes appearing in the top of the blocks, they don't appear in the game but maybe they have something to do with it.

[Friedman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQoRXhS7vlU







all jokes aside, x-files is actually a pretty good tv show

[ShadowRunner]

Cylinders are a problem, although I previously thought they had to have more than 4 sides to cause trouble. I think it is because cylinders don't actually fit to grid properly. The way to use them I think is to keep the red + in the middle, inside the brush, not to snap it to a corner/vertice. It's the first thing I would try. I've been told this by a few mappers and generally I try to avoid cylinders.

[anax]

it looks alright to me, not sure how it would cause textures at the other end of them map to also become broken in terms of lighting.



Felt nauseous today so no map editing for me for the rest of the night