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Enemy Territory - Goldrush
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The theme of this map is based on the film Kelly's Heroes
where the Allies sneak into a city, raid a bank and steal some gold. This story was perfect for
Enemy Territory's (ET) because it had a mixture of attack/defend events, objective capture and
finally an escort/escape at the end. All of these story components could be created with ET features and
would contribute towards making a fun map.
One of the key elements to ET was the storyline, as this drove the map objectives forward and gave the player
a sense of accomplishment. This also moved the player's focus around the map and created different locations to fight
for. Most importantly the storyline added to the gameplay experience and immersed the player into the map location.
The next stage of map development usually involved drawing the layout on a whiteboard / paper and planning the
key locations for gameplay elements, but Goldrush took a different turn. Instead the map layout was build as a
3D model in Max and imported into the editor. Once the model was setup in a boxmap (a huge empty square) and
tested in game, the scale of the model was adjusted until the size of the streets and buildings were correct
compared to the player.
By creating the layout as a model the map could quickly be visualized in 3D, which is often what is lacking with
2D devices likes whiteboard / paper. The second benefit was the ability to scale the 'block-out' map which is
something that cannot be done easily with brushwork constructions.
Once the initial scale and layout of the map was complete, the model was turned into brushwork
so that portals and game entities could be setup correctly. The model was not perfect as some streets had
to be moved for portal reasons but overall this approach allowed for the map to be quickly built and tested.
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With plenty of time to spare and a folder full of reference images I quickly set about creating the bank in the lower
corner of the map. The bank had to be different visually because it was a key story/gameplay location and we
had special reference images to accommodate. The internal style of the bank was taken from the RTCW map Chateau
and re-worked to fit the new facade.
Using the reference images for scale and artistic impression I created a high facade with strong features and tall
archways. I loved the really small peep windows high up for the second floor and the massive archway at the front
with a small platform and stairs to elevate it's status. The bank felt grand and impressive overlooking
the courtyard and it certainly felt like a focal point for that area.
The buildings around the bank courtyard were based on an Egyptian urban style with over hanging upper floors and
ornate wooden window frames. The alleyways and connecting corridors between the courtyards were suppose to feel
tight and confined with each building floor fighting for the over hanging space.
The final icing on the cake was to break up the skyline with various shaped domes that hopefully would give
the map a mystical eastern feeling. With no more time to spare and the map in a state ready for more detail,
I was moved on.
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After several layers of details had been added to the map I was given Goldrush back to finish off the floor space.
I manually created a terrain triangle mesh for the floor so that it fitted the map better. At various points the
terrain merged into staircases to break the smoothness of the floor and give some kind of variety to movement.
With the map budget completely out of control I had to go through the whole map caulking all hidden faces and optimising
surfaces to reduce the drawn triangle count. With no visual feedback to show progress of something happening, optimizations
is often avoided, but something that has to be done.
With my final visit to Goldrush over, the map went on to have various sections changed and replaced in order
to create better gameplay flow. Whenever I played Goldrush it felt like I was in a movie and the city seemed
alive with so many players running around doing things. The level of detail and routes in Goldrush are amazing
and this map is by far my favourite for gameplay on public servers.
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