My first project is gonna be a beach level. I know half of you are probably groaning right now, thinking, “God, not another beach map.” This is gonna be an ongoing project, though. I’m not gonna release a crappy beach map and call it done. I plan to rebuild it again and again as my mapping skills improve, optimizing and balancing the map more and more with each release.
I’m actually planning to build an entire campaign, but I’d rather not rush into it. The first map in the campaign WILL be the beach map that I’m planning to make. I plan to alternate the offensive/defensive teams to keep things interesting. For instance, in the beach map, the Allies will be on the offensive. On the second map in the campaign, the Axis will be on the offensive.
I already have plans for the other maps in the campaign, but I’d rather not spoil anything. The third map is the one I’m most excited about. I plan to put mp/et_resurrection (a map that I feel is vastly overrated, anyway) to shame with that one, and I guarantee you it won’t only be because of the atmosphere. I’m planning to implement some pretty original gameplay elements into this campaign, and the third map is probably the most original right now in terms of concept.
I’ve gone through all of the 3dbuzz.com VTM’s for GtkRadiant, and I’m going through other non-video tutorials I’ve located elsewhere in order to figure out how different entities and such work. Right now, I’m having a pretty good time playing with lighting. In fact, lighting is gonna be key is most of my maps, namely because I feel that there are far too many potentially good maps that’re ruined by their horrible lighting.
Anyway, best of luck on your ‘ship’ map. Sure, it looks a little blocky, but the playability is what counts. So, make sure it’s balanced and glitch-free, and I’m sure it’ll find a nice home on thousands of hard drives around the world. 