Petersen Graph Net-map

[macksting]

My friend Jono brought out his notebook, and we worked together to learn enough Weland to make a map based on a Petersen graph net.

Petersen graph, minimal crossings:


Windbreaker and Brilliant tested the first draft, which was too large for even 8 people. I reworked the map from scratch, though, and shrunk it as small as it will get. Brilliant says this second draft is good for 2 to 4, a staggering difference.

I am not sure how well the staircases will work out once I add them. For now, it's ugly as sin, and it's extremely 5-D. If you check this map out, bear in mind, if a wall looks similar to another wall, it's because it's the same wall. They're as ugly as they are because garish walls make it easier to tell what the hell you're doing; the final version will be a little less garish about it, but equally obvious once it's complete. (I've ideas.)

HemidodecahedronMinCrossings.zip

A level based on a Petersen graph, in the form of the vertices of a hemidodecahedron.

(2.7 KiB) Downloaded 271 times

Makes for interesting shortcuts. The staircases will help once they're in. (See second post;

hemidodecahedronht5.zip

Version 2.0

(4.19 KiB) Downloaded 279 times

. In my opinion, it didn't help, but I'll be seeking a second opinion.)

I refuse to host this on Simplici7y. It would be rated low, and it would deserve it. I'm not being hard on myself with that statement. It's a second draft. It needs work, plain and simple, and it is in fact a work in progress.

Anyway, it's an ambitious first map, too much so. I shall return to helloworld and forge2 shortly, so that I can learn the ropes of lighting, weapon placement, and weapon respawn.

Addendum: I promise this is not representative of my eventual style. Brute aesthetics aside, we made this because I felt a moment's inspiration to try it in Weland, and once it was done in Weland I just had to paint it... and then people wanted to see it. My other ideas are much more three dimensional, sometimes even two dimensional where I'm just wanting to explore such a concept.

[macksting]

Tcheh... So I just added elevation. It's not especially pretty as a result, but it was an ugly level to begin with. I haven't yet encountered any parts where I can't step up or down safely.
The problem is, in order to reduce the negative spaaace, I had to reduce the number of polygons. Otherwise, the walls got bouncy. I'm sure there's a technique of which I'm presently unaware that would smooth the walls, but a few of these corners whip you around very tightly. (Bad for flow, I know. The larger version didn't have these problems, but was too big.)
The result of the smaller number of polygons is it still doesn't seem like a knot.
I think lowering the ceiling helped, but it's just not very pretty. Maybe I'm too close to this. I know I'm operating well above my pay grade, so I shouldn't be so hard on myself.

[$lave]

A quick way to make the map less ugly would be to try adding some lighting, and avoid using textures on walls where they don't tile very well. ie, you use a texture with a light panel on walls that are a bit over 1WU tall, which makes the fact that they don't tile very well extremely obvious.

In terms of scale, the layout of version 2.0 could be alright for a small crowd if it were a bit less cramped. The 5D might be a bit frustrating in a duel though, since players could end up repeatedly avoiding eachother in the overlapping areas. I'm also not a fan of rocket launchers in a map that pretty much solely consists of cramped corridors.

Maybe this feedback isn't terribly useful right now, since you really shouldn't spend too long on a single map design, but it's something to keep in mind I guess.

[macksting]

Damn near everything about this map is placeholders except the topology itself, even the rocket launchers. Somebody wanted me to host it, so I put a bunch of spawn points and rocket launchers in and called it good. I actually think it's better-suited to the flechette gun. Walls were painted according to my needs as a tester to make sure the map worked at all; three walls, three textures. My grand schemes require much more finesse, but I presently lack that.

I'm sure there are at least elements of his map which can be wholly rehabilitated, but it's more the basic concept which frustrates me. It's a minimal-crossings map of a knot, which should mean that I can make it work well by setting the heights differently, but I don't know how to do so without more polygons at this juncture, and don't know how to add polygons without making the walls bouncy at this scale.

So it's a work in progress.

[Hopper]

FYI, bouncy walls often come from having too many vertices along a single straight line. If that's the case, nudge some of them very slightly out of line so the walls aren't exactly parallel. If you did it right, the difference won't be visible but the engine will be happier.

[macksting]

Interesting. That gives me motivation to learn more and return to this level later. I would love to rehabilitate this into a likeable netmap, and knowing there's another possible solution to a problem is a great sign.