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|  | Q3 Map By Sock - Pyramid Of The Magician

Posted by nitin [138.217.0.118] on 2004/10/11 06:20:00

"The Pyramid of the Magician started life as a test map experimenting with different terrain floor blend styles. I showed the test map to a friend and he suggested turning the test into a map with game play! and so the journey began..."
More info and screens: http://www.planetquake.com/simland...
Download: http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?...

Wow...
#1 posted by metlslime [64.124.188.211] on 2004/10/11 07:26:10
This is excellent. The rock and soil and plant stuff looks excellent, the modelling/brushwork on them is top-notch, and the texture mix and overall color palette of the map is fantastic.
Visually, my only complaints are minor: the stone block textures could have been more convincing, and the "weapon pad" texture really didn't work for me when laid over the greenish ground textures. I would have liked to see dimmer lighting in the caves, too.
As for gameplay, this map might have a few too many of the same "hallways" in between its two distinctive atria. I haven't played it, so I can't comment further.
Wow ^2
#2 posted by nitin [138.217.0.118] on 2004/10/11 07:42:12
the rockwork is phenomenal, excellent work there.
Dimmer lighting in the caves would have certainly been cooler but I think it wouldnt have been a good implementation in a DM map. Plus the current lighting setup is quite nice anyway.
I'd have to agree on the weapon markers not looking right, IMHO they would have looked better if they were more transparent and didnt stand out as much.
I havent played it yet, I'll comment on the gameplay when I get around to it.
Once again, awesome map Sock!
.map File Inc
#3 posted by kat [80.225.182.121] on 2004/10/11 12:17:09
It's worth taking a look at the *.map file (which I think is included) if you're interested in seeing how it was all made. Really takes 'terrain' based maps to the next level of detail.. *thumbsup*
Hmmm
#4 posted by pushplay [68.148.157.110] on 2004/10/11 20:33:33
There's a lot of skill in this map. The textures are gorgeous, the models are high quality and well placed, everything smacks of skill. So why is it that if I'm out of sight of the temple I don't have a damn clue where I am? Lack of landmarks turns what could have been a highmark for the aging game into an offering which won't see much play. I think Sock got over excited about his one fantastic room and didn't spend as much time on the rest.
Pushplay:
#5 posted by metlslime [64.124.188.211] on 2004/10/11 20:52:52
that's the hallway thing i was talking about. Though, he does have two distinctive atria, not just one.
No AAS File
#6 posted by nitin [138.217.0.118] on 2004/10/11 21:07:35
just tried to play it but reaklised there's no botplay in this map. It's probably due to the complex build of this map but couldnt you use ydnar's bspc2 to get soem botplay out of this map?
Bot Play...
#7 posted by kat [80.225.170.49] on 2004/10/11 21:19:50
is being worked on but as you say this type of structure isn't friendly to bots at all.
It's worth noting here that this should be looked at as more of a 'demo map', it's been built to help explain alphaMod texture blending and some of the more advanced features of using Q3map2. There's a load of source material on the way, tutorials, source files etc.
Nitin
#8 posted by JPL [213.30.139.243] on 2004/10/12 01:58:35
Wow, really amazing screenshots... Very good work !
Wow This Looks Godlike
#9 posted by Tronyn [70.64.188.34] on 2004/10/12 15:48:40
next lan party with Q3 I know what I'm playing.
Metlslime
#10 posted by pushplay [68.148.157.110] on 2004/10/12 21:07:09
Yeah, you're right. There is the area with a sort of a ravine thing going on. It looked good, but it needed to be tied back to the temple. Some cool mesoamerican knick-knacks lying around would have done it.
http://members.aol.com/emdelcamp/a...
http://members.aol.com/cabrakan/be...
Knick-knack is of course the layman's term for what is technically known as statues 'n shit.
Nice
#11 posted by Lunaran [68.51.209.251] on 2004/10/12 23:18:50
Fucking class work, Sock. I have no idea how it plays so I can't comment on that, but I was kind of disappointed to see r_speeds topping 24,000 in some places. Hardly a problem any more, but there's still something to be said for strong skill with vis/optimization.
I desperately want to see this map with a cloudy sky and white fog.
24000
#12 posted by nitin [138.217.0.118] on 2004/10/12 23:57:40
really?? because on my POS system it still runs reasonably well compared to other maps that are considered high end.
Hah
#13 posted by BlackDog [202.89.165.120] on 2004/10/13 04:42:20
This makes a mockery of heightmap-based terrain tools. Far Cry, UT2K4, pfft.
The three-way blending trick is also very neat. I didn't think that could be done in Q3.
#14 posted by Scampie [216.220.241.97] on 2004/10/13 08:22:28
Awesome.
That's all I need to say, this is an excellant map. Layout is awesome, you can hop around to every area and get above opponents very quickly. Visuals are fantastic, and the brushwork is a thing of beauty. I'm going to start crying tears of joy just thinking of how cool this map is.
...
#15 posted by necros [66.185.84.208] on 2004/10/13 13:33:20
i love how there is so much detail... all the little plants and such, and the trees actually look pretty good.
the ambient sounds also go a long way towards making the whole map feel like a real place.
didn't actually play the map, so no comments on gameplay.
it's a very beautiful map. looks like something out of Uru actually! :)
if only the plants could have been animated in some way to make them sway a bit, that would have been awesome.
#16 posted by underworldfan [128.195.64.98] on 2004/10/13 17:45:34
looks great.
hope a new version that supports botplay can be released soon.
Thanks
#17 posted by sock [82.133.100.6] on 2004/10/16 18:11:18
Wow alot of comments I did not know existed! Yeah the map is mainly two things, one to see how far the terrain blending could go and a personal mapping project for me.
metlslime: Yeah the brickwork is part digital source and part hand drawn. Could not find a good digital source of brickwork that I liked.
Ironically most people don't like the weapon spawn markers but it was a design choice and I have to stick by it. I wanted something similiar in style to the jump pads and the whole mayan god of rain theme. I created them very early on and they sort of grew on me.
Lunaran: There are indeed several sections of the map which are poorly designed for fps but the map was too far along to change.
The source files are available if you want to have a look.
http://www.planetquake.com/simland...
Thanks everyone for your comments.
Sock
Sock
#18 posted by pushplay [68.148.157.110] on 2004/10/16 22:54:34
I'm glad you kept the weapon spawn markers, they're pretty cool.
Terrain Blending Trilogy
#19 posted by sock [82.133.100.6] on 2004/10/18 06:02:20
After a lot of writing and constant proof reading the Terrain Blending article is finished.
http://www.planetquake.com/simland...
It started life as a small collection of ideas and suggestions, but some how turned into a 7 page monster! The article does contain a lot of technical jargon but hopefully its presented in a nice and easily understandable format.
With all three items finished, (example map/source files/article) hopefully that should be enough information on terrain blending to help most people get started.
Sock
Sock
#20 posted by nitin [138.217.0.118] on 2004/10/18 07:05:58
we need bots!
Seriously, is it even possible to get botplay going on this map (maybe with the new q3map)?
Sock
#21 posted by Kinn [81.138.30.1] on 2004/10/18 08:05:52
I think I love you.
Bots
#22 posted by Shallow [62.3.242.7] on 2004/10/18 08:28:14
Unfortunately, the way BSPC divides up a map's internal space when creating the AAS is incredibly intolerant of uneven, heavily triangulated geometry, especially floors. This map has plenty of these, and are undeniably vital to its amazing look and feel. I can well imagine that to get a viable AAS, you would have to botclip the map to such a point that the bots would basically be obviously skating around above the floor over about 90% of the map, and would pretty much be able to cheat in some places because of being able to walk where the player couldn't. That's assuming that BSPC would work at all, and in a map this complex there is absolutely no guarantee of that.
Sock
#23 posted by R.P.G. [24.136.230.101] on 2004/10/18 08:39:55
Thanks for the tutorial.
BOT Watchin
#24 posted by sock [82.133.100.6] on 2004/10/18 09:19:48
After a lot of conversations with MrE and Ydnar I did get a bot file working but the clusterf*ckin portals kept on breaking all the time. To compile the map with BSPC it takes a hour and tbh I got fed up waiting around, just to find out that as I fixed one portal another decided to die.
Someone has offered to try and create a BOT file for the map and good luck to them. I wasted a week watching BPSC compile screens and I really dont want to do that again.
Sock
Nice Atmosphere
#25 posted by Scragbait [65.92.70.140] on 2004/10/18 23:14:57
I grabbed this map just to check out the visuals since I'm not much into DM. I'm very impressed by all aspects of this map and the terrain is amazing. The plant life really adds to the jungle feel and the caves are very cool.
This style of map would be great for SP.
Awe
#26 posted by vb [211.30.139.241] on 2004/11/10 04:08:43
sock's work is amazing
Just Checked This Out...
#27 posted by Blitz [24.218.173.126] on 2004/11/11 01:03:17
This is fantastic work on the Q3 engine. It could pass for a UT2K4 map easily.
Obviously alot of work went into the alphablending and it looks great. The rock formations are excellent -- not a misaligned or oddly shaped brush to be found...and that is no small feat in a Quake engine to have rocks like that and not have any weirdness.
The atmosphere was very enveloping and the custom sounds fit seamlessly into the environment. I really did feel a sense of an ancient mystical power or something lurking just beyond...very well done.
The thing I was most blown away by was the model/texturing work on the trees!! I know you didn't make the base model sock, but that tree texture is outstanding, and the trees were perfectly organic looking. In the readme I also saw that you went out and photographed the sources for some of the textures yourself, which again, is unbelivable considering how well they came out.
I can't comment on gameplay yet because bots don't work (obviously) but I'm hoping someone will throw this bad boy up on a server so we can have a func_msg/#terrafusion match on it.
Outstanding work sock -- this is the best Q3 map I've seen yet.
Online Server Available
#28 posted by sock [82.133.64.115] on 2004/11/11 07:34:18
Thanks everyone for the positive feedback on the map. About 90% of the textures included in the map were taken with my digital camera. It took me several weeks to get all the images together from various locations close by to where I live. If anyone is interested in how the textures were put together, there is source pack with various PSD,PSP files on my site.
If anyone wants to test out the map online with some friends, it is available on the PQ bunker server.
http://www.planetquake.com/bunker/...
Pop by the PQ channel and ask for the password etc. You will need the latest ver. of OSP and PunkBuster installed.
Sock
Looked At This
#29 posted by DaZ [80.43.74.134] on 2004/11/11 07:56:04
A couple of weeks ago and yeah its amazing work, technically and visually inspiring.
As blitz said, the rocks and trees look great, and all the blended texture layers really bring home the look of an overgrown jungle temple, lovin' it hard right here :)
Now give us doom3 maps! :D
Sock
#30 posted by Blitz [24.218.173.126] on 2004/11/11 19:13:14
Let's set a date to play it -- some time when everyone has a little free time and we can have a jolly 'ol fragfest.
Any day is good for me any time after 7PM GMT. Suggestions from anyone else interested in getting a game going on this?
Omg
#31 posted by Vondur [81.195.22.164] on 2004/11/13 18:02:14
just got to see this Level...
impressive....
sock u rock!
How Is Today?
#32 posted by Blitz [24.218.84.255] on 2004/11/14 06:32:41
How is today for everyone? Can I convince you to play in about 9 hours from now? (it's 6:30AM here) I figured people are probably off from work and what not, so let's GAME!
Nice!
#33 posted by Leone [202.6.138.45] on 2004/11/22 01:02:40
I think it's a very very nice piece of work and something you can be proud of Sock. You've stated very clearly goals with the map, and most certainly you've achieve them. It's not really very good to game on, but it will stay in my "wow!" collection along with Chatres and a few others ;-)
Thanks
#34 posted by sock [82.133.64.115] on 2004/12/04 06:23:59
Leone, thanks for the feedback.
Kvjgijgbijgijgijn
#35 posted by yoyo12 [70.48.193.99] on 2007/04/01 18:58:15
ghijhiyijoighooooooooooooooihhhhhh...
Kvjgijgbijgijgijn
#36 posted by yoyo12 [70.48.193.99] on 2007/04/01 18:58:24
ghijhiyijoighooooooooooooooihhhhhh...
Kvjgijgbijgijgijn
#37 posted by yoyo12 [70.48.193.99] on 2007/04/01 18:58:30
ghijhiyijoighooooooooooooooihhhhhh...
Kvjgijgbijgijgijn
#38 posted by yoyo12 [70.48.193.99] on 2007/04/01 18:58:31
ghijhiyijoighooooooooooooooihhhhhh...
Kvjgijgbijgijgijn
#39 posted by Scampie [67.129.250.254] on 2007/04/01 20:48:51
ghijhiyijoighooooooooooooooihhhhhh...
Yes...
#40 posted by metlslime [71.202.113.29] on 2007/04/02 00:53:24
the map is that good.
Pyramid Of The Magician
#41 posted by stigma [75.31.102.35] on 2007/04/22 07:58:32
What could one already say about this map but the words perfect?
If you have played this map you would notice one thing no other quake3 map can compare to this beautifully done map.
P.s personally I don’t think I seen any better of map then this in all years I played quake3, hl,cs,hom,bf,q2,doom,fear, rtcw/et ,ss, many others
The setting is just totally awesome the layout is also connected perfectly the rocky cliff detail awesome the layout and hidden places on this map what really makes this truly a fantastic map. That just little part of this map the hidden rooms around this map and at top of temple sweet the forestry of this map beautifully done hidden switches on this map done great the flow of this make also perfect. The teleport excellently made
The grass and ground textures connect perfectly together and them mushrooms and plaints perfectly done the trees on this map really nice the top and bottom levels made great
I did see just 1 little thing next by the temple on 2nd level on right side looking down to the fps drop a little beside that this map is Perfectly done
Only thing I could think of that this map is missing is beautifully done waterfall splashing over rocky areas of this map somewere.
Man I can’t wait to see his other maps done like this damn this is good map!!!!
I would rate this map way over a top 10-level map.
Lucas Mann
#42 posted by can't tell you [207.63.18.2] on 2008/05/06 21:57:46
dous anybody know where lucas mann lives and can you tell me?
Lucas Mann
#43 posted by can't tell you [207.63.18.2] on 2008/05/06 22:00:11
and if you Know his phone # please type it up thanks
Wait A Sec
#44 posted by gone [89.110.51.220] on 2008/05/06 23:50:24
do you need Jorge Lucas or Michael Mann?
make it clear plz
#45 posted by gb [89.27.202.70] on 2008/05/07 03:39:49
speechless. unbelievable.
Lucas Mann
#46 posted by Scampie [24.158.1.74] on 2008/05/07 23:50:06
He lives in New Zealand. His number is 1-800-382-5633

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