surf_monochrome

[minimalis]

Allow me to present you with my very first surf map called monochrome.

It is a T3 map with 4 stages.

I am fairly happy with how it turned out. There was a lot of work put into it.
It is not perfect, but I suppose first maps rarely are. All in all I think it turned out okay... -ish. Anyways..

You can watch a kinda LQ video of me surfing the map here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JcuTeKqB6U

You can download it here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=704464913

CS:S thread can be found here: http://ksfclan.com/forum/showthread.php?4786

Special thanks to:
NOFEAR
Arblarg
QuaReaSmA
nev
Paprika

[Juxtapo]

Map looks pretty amazing for a first map! I really like the 3dsky and you seem to have put a good amount of thought into making the surf flow together. Not a fan of the minimalist monochrome theme, mostly because lighting is so messy looking in source engine. Also like Mr. Cow said, the ramps are pretty steep. Most mappers have agreed on 4:5 (width:height) ratio for their ramps. Here's a spreadsheet of 4:5 ramps from un-surfabley small to massive:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-K8c2F3EVhTpeyzDAoIfdjmWr1s6H8bEtUQy5cfKEJg/edit?usp=sharing
the ramp dimensions on row 14 are probably the closest in size to the ones in your map.

PS. don't listen to any advice Arblarg gives you about gameplay

[minimalis]

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't know there was a "standard" when it comes to surf ramps.
Personally, I am a big fan of anything minimalist, but I think I see your point. I spent loads of time fixing the lighting, and it still looks somewhat awful (it looks better in CSS). But I guess it is more apparent for someone who is consciously looking for it, because playtesters didn't seem to notice.
I guess I should come up with a different theme if I decide to make another map.

Arblarg was helping me out with general hammer tips, lighting and the skybox. He was pretty helpful to be honest.

Thanks again!

[Juxtapo]

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't know there was a "standard" when it comes to surf ramps.
Personally, I am a big fan of anything minimalist, but I think I see your point. I spent loads of time fixing the lighting, and it still looks somewhat awful (it looks better in CSS). But I guess it is more apparent for someone who is consciously looking for it, because playtesters didn't seem to notice.
I guess I should come up with a different theme if I decide to make another map.

Arblarg was helping me out with general hammer tips, lighting and the skybox. He was pretty helpful to be honest.

Thanks again!

That was more of a jab at Arblarg to be honest haha. He's great at detailing + has a lot of hammer knowledge so if he's willing to help you then definitely listen to what he has to say. And 4:5 isn't necessarily a standard but it's just a ratio that feels really nice to surf, and having the same ramp angle on every ramp in your map is a must IMO.

Also you can pull off a minimalist aesthetic in the source engine, but you'll want to have more stuff to add "depth" to the detail of your level. The 3dskybox really helped your theme, more little details like it would make the map even better. If you ever do a sequel, I'd recommend adding skybox fog to the 3dsky to make it seem like it's endless (like in surf_lt_omnific) and adding a bit of colour here and there.

[Mooster Cow]

thanks for the tips juxtapo! :applouse: