I would never, ever, want to work with an editor that forced me to use a full 3D modeling package to make an entire level. The reason things are built by combining 3D primitives is because this is easier to do.

And that's one reason Metroid Prime has a smaller overall size.

It is possible within the Hammer editor to edit vertices and pretty much do whatever you want with a block (save making it a concave shape) and as you said, you can import anything that needs to be imported from a 3d program.

I've worked some in UnrealEd, and just tried Hammer for a few hours. UnrealEd had very rudimentary point editing: you can move one point at a time, or maybe a group of points, but not much else. I tried making a couple of simple imported meshes, and there were always major (BSP?) bugs/errors. ( I made a volcano mesh and I imported a simple 3D model of the walls of my house). Importing anything but some decorative prefabs is out of the question.

Having worked with both editors (Hammer, Radiant, UnrealEd) and 3DMax, I dont think that having an editor detriments the building of a level at all.

I think what you are knocking HL2 for (and go ahead, its kinda valid) is its artistic direction. Some games have excellent artists behind them that are given creative freedom, others dont. HL2 wanted to make Eastern European hell, I think they did it.

The art direction was fine, but I don't think they could have successfully gone with something more organic. Their attempt at something organic, Xen, was horrible.

Metroid Prime (and I've only played a little of it) was creating the interior of a ship and I wasnt really paying attention to my surroundings, so Im not gonna comment on their artistic direction.

Then the ship (tutorial level) crash lands onto a planet with diverse environements. An area with ruins being overgrown by trees and other vegetation, an area with snow drifts, an area with huge plants and waterfalls and frequent rainfall, an underground lava filled cave. All your basic Nintendo elemental environement themes. I will admit that I like a variety like this, and prefered MP1 to the overall brown theme in MP2.

I'll bet that within the HL2 editor, it is possible to recreate a metroid prime level. You would need to import many many textures, and many models, but its probably possible.

This comment was edited on Sep 23, 04:11.

LMAO!

or Team Fortress 2

Yeah but you need the classic "people that buy rent"... shit too.

___________________________________
This post is shamefully brought to you using someone else's unsecured wireless network

How did I do?

Pretty good, I was going for the angry, passionate, neurotic gamer whereas you went for the typical Valve hater ... either way you get a golf clap. You did one up me, though, by including the "Steam(ing pile)" reference, good job on that.

Can I be Riley til he gets here?

I am not surprised that Valve is pulling this stunt- they have been virtually raping its users since Steam(ing pile) was released to invade our PC's. Anyone who is actually interested in the ridiculous hype of a one level tech demo is a pathetic Valve toadie. This is just another means for Valve to expand its immoral reach into the homes of gamers. Gabe Newell and Valve should be shot twice in the stomach, rubbed head to toe with peanut butter, and left naked on a hill of fire ants.

How did I do?

The video they released of this didn't really impress me much. Dont get me wrong, the art work is still very nice, but the eye adaption thing just made it look like you were running around with a digital camera on your head.

Assley Putz!

Assley Putz!

Assley Putz!

nin, you never used to troll so much.


This comment was edited on Sep 22, 10:43.

High res textures, high poly models, flashy Next Generation shader effects.
I thought that was what HL2 was suppose to have had anyway.
Instead it looked no better than most of the other FPS games.
The only vaguely interesting thing was the amount of use of the 3rd party physics engine.
The rest of the game was so so.
A couple of scences(ones with water) looked cool from curtain angles.

I wonder if the lost coast is going to have normal mapping that we can actually see.
At least in Doom3 every single wall/object/model etc had a normal map and you could really see the difference, even from static lights. ( try setting r_skipBump 1 and r_skipSpecular 1 you'll see exactly how much effort went into the 4 textures required for every single surface in the game ) HL2 had a mixture textures qualities that leaves it looking very flat and dull. No better than say, Max Payne.

Anyway, looks like LC won't be playable on my GF5900 anyone so don't have to bother loading Steam again to get at it.

That is about the dumbest thing i have ever read.

You are the dumbest thing anyone has ever read.

Parallax Abstraction
Ottawa, Canada
www.pxa.ca

Valve needs to go to hell, I hate them, I wish they were never my FATHER!

I think you should change the word father into "Daddy", for the cool Pedro Martinez reference.

Creston

Here goes - WTF??? Wasn't this map supposed to be released this SUMMER??? I'm no expert, but Fall is upon us and AGAIN Valve has mis-quoted a release date.

No, the lost cause was expected to be released initially in May, then it was delayed to the end of June, then again delayed to the end of the first part of the summer, then it should have been released in any way BEFORE DoD:s and now it finally seems that the lost cause will be released beginning of October AFTER DoD:S.

Looks like a normal Valve release date scheduling.

And WTF is up with DOD:Source, that was supposed to be out RIGHT AFTER HL2 was released.

Yeah, and I'm also waiting for the official Team Fortress 2 news which should have been announced "immediately" after HL2. Well, there are only a year late, actually not that bad for Valve track record.

Come on guys get your shit together, this thread is lacking in the valve bashing.

Assley Putz!

Assley Putz!

Assley Putz!



--------------------------------------------------------------
GW: Nilaar Madalla, lvl 20 R/Mo / Xylos Gath, lvl 10 W/Mo

Don't look at me that way. It was An Honest Mistake. http://www.thebravery.com/

Come on guys get your shit together, this thread is lacking in the valve bashing.

Here goes - WTF??? Wasn't this map supposed to be released this SUMMER??? I'm no expert, but Fall is upon us and AGAIN Valve has mis-quoted a release date. And WTF is up with DOD:Source, that was supposed to be out RIGHT AFTER HL2 was released. I guess that time it much slower in "Valve-land"!!! Valve needs to go to hell, I hate them, I wish they were never my DADDY!

Is that angry enough? I may need to do some editing to show more pain.

Edit: Added the father comment.
Edit: Changed father comment to Daddy per Creston's input.

This comment was edited on Sep 22, 12:38.

that the Lost Coast level has now generated a hype level beyond that of the actual game. It's a fucking level with some extra lighting. Whooptidoo!

Scottish linked a cool article about the whole HDR stuff a week or so ago, and the screenshots in there showed what HDR does. I have to say, if that took them seven months to make, then that's really time they could have better spent elsewhere (such as on Aftermath and the expansion after that). It just doesn't look all that much better to me.

Creston

Come on guys get your shit together, this thread is lacking in the valve bashing.

But HL2's editor is very limiting compared to the point editing capabilities of a full 3D modeling package, which Metroid Prime can take advantage of, but HL2 can't. HL2 levels are built by combining simple 3D primitives together (cubes, spheres, cones, simple stairs). More complex objects (prefabs) can be impoted from a 3d program, but they are just add-ons, placed on top of the environment instead of being a part of it.

Metroid Prime environments are created in a full 3D modeling package, giving the artist greater design freedom.

I would never, ever, want to work with an editor that forced me to use a full 3D modeling package to make an entire level. The reason things are built by combining 3D primitives is because this is easier to do. It is possible within the Hammer editor to edit vertices and pretty much do whatever you want with a block (save making it a concave shape) and as you said, you can import anything that needs to be imported from a 3d program. Having worked with both editors (Hammer, Radiant, UnrealEd) and 3DMax, I dont think that having an editor detriments the building of a level at all.

I think what you are knocking HL2 for (and go ahead, its kinda valid) is its artistic direction. Some games have excellent artists behind them that are given creative freedom, others dont. HL2 wanted to make Eastern European hell, I think they did it. Metroid Prime (and I've only played a little of it) was creating the interior of a ship and I wasnt really paying attention to my surroundings, so Im not gonna comment on their artistic direction.

I'll bet that within the HL2 editor, it is possible to recreate a metroid prime level. You would need to import many many textures, and many models, but its probably possible.

edit: misplaced quote marker
This comment was edited on Sep 22, 10:14.

I thought lost coast was intended to be more of a tech demo for Valve's new lighting technique.

I want Aftermath.

Welcome to "the age of shard kissing" or ass kissing. Every other editorial or publishing house constantly sucks dick to the monoliths.

Can't say much for John Romero though. He did himself in.

HL2 has more buzzword features (Cube maps, Normal Maps, High resolution textures, ragdoll physics)

But HL2's editor is very limiting compared to the point editing capabilities of a full 3D modeling package, which Metroid Prime can take advantage of, but HL2 can't. HL2 levels are built by combining simple 3D primitives together (cubes, spheres, cones, simple stairs). More complex objects (prefabs) can be impoted from a 3d program, but they are just add-ons, placed on top of the environment instead of being a part of it.

Metroid Prime environments are created in a full 3D modeling package, giving the artist greater design freedom.

Something can be less photo-realistic, but still look better or more interesting.

Edit: yeah, what sponge said.

This comment was edited on Sep 22, 02:32.