Closed Network

[deeahchur]

While working on my YCP Evolution maps, my mind wandered to another map concept (well, one of many, actually, but I digress . . . ). For those of you who have played Halo or at least been a fan of the Roosterteeth series Red vs. Blue, you'll be familiar with the Halo Blood Gulch map. Adapting the boxed canyon concept to Tron, with one side designed for the Programs and the other side designed for the Corruption, I propose the map: Closed Network (called that unless a better name is decided upon).

I am willing to make this a group project for those interested!

The following is a breakdown of components:

* Programs and Corruption each have a side of the map, and architecture will reflect their schemes. Terrain will also reflect the appropriate side.

* Each side has a tower of at least three (3) levels above ground, and possibly a level below ground.

* On either side of the map is a series of caverns (I'll admit to being inspired by the cave map), leading both towards the opposing side, as well as out farther on the left or right (depending upon what side you're on) to reach a solar sailer (or similar transport).

* The solar sailer/transport, located outside the canyon, would be able to be called and/or used to carry oneself (or more) to the opposing side of the map.

* Above the lower cavern, but inside the cavern, there are traverse ways, reached by a ramp by the rear end of each tower, or by jumping up the cliff at various places along the way towards the opposing side.

(Too bad we can't configure to be playable in the map . . . )

On a side note, that's sorta related, is it possible to unpack the maps for Thorne's levels (Thorne's Perimeter Partition and Thorne's Chamber Core)? I'd like to grab some of that architecture, and maybe use his lair as the underground section below the tower. I know we have access to the Internal Perimeter Partition as a multiplayer map, so if I must, I'll try to use that.

[HangmanEXE]

DANG deeahchur!

What you do? Hack my brain? Its actually creepy how similar your design is to my current project in works....

...

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Memory Guardian.exe Installed.
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HangmanEXE

[deeahchur]

I'm not even sure what popped the idea into my head. It wasn't like I was playing Halo or watching Red vs. Blue recently to spark the notion. In fact, I was substituting at a school and the thought formed.

I recently played around with one of FAQ's maps that has two sides, Corruption and Programs, so I definitely saw the basic concept wasn't new to the Grid.

I've started working on the map, in a very very very rough format, and so far I'm not happy with it, but then, I've mostly been working on my YCP maps anyway. I've got the LTA in my Tron Modding DropBox folder. If you want, I can e-mail you a share invite, just send me a PM if you are. I'm suggesting DropBox on this, because it is a very quick way to update the file and share it with interested people.

All in all, it is another way in which we, on this Grid, are all interconnected!

Free System for Eternity!

[HangmanEXE]

Greetings Program

Sure, I would be happy to have a go at using them. ATM my project is just my one tug of two identical transports. Had planned to do the end areas once I had totally finished the transport an was happy with them.

But if you can save me a bit of time by throwing what you had in I would be happy to try my best to use it. If nothing else it might give me new ideas.

HangmanEXE

[HangmanEXE]

HOLY CRAP Dee!

Your on a whole other lvl than me working with geometry, dang!...I "LOVE" the YCP stuff! Keep it up!

I gotta ask tho... The YCP doughnut shaped sections that you use, did you make those out of cylinder shapes?
I ask as I eventually have to make one like that, that will be around the top points of my control towers on each end of my map.

I looked at that viral looking map, an I see why ya are getting frustrated with it. LOT of work needed there.

...but honestly, its off to a good start tho. It will just need a good few hard days work to get the map under reigns.

I will send you a copy of the Transports as soon as I get them working again.

....I just discovered the flaw to OVERUSE of the join/unjoin brushes features ...screwed EVERY trigger switch an forcefield up...so irritated atm, lol.
Hopefully, that is a good sign that I am learning an my maps skills are improving, lol.

HangmanEXE

[deeahchur]

Thanks for the kudos on the YCP maps!

The trick with the torus shapes is knowing your angles/degrees and working with a wedge first. I did start working with a cylinder at first but quickly saw the flaw in basing off that. It is useful, however, to use a base cylinder to mark out the area/dimensions. The curved ends, the ones forming the walls and outer shape is a LO more tricky. If you look closely at where the wing/key geometry merges with the torus proper, you will see a gap in the polies; that's because the angle is slightly off, and when I worked with the geometry I didn't notice it was slightly off the grid (on the 1 or 2 unit scale; GRR), so you can imagine my ire when I found the lightstrips didn't line up correctly and I saw my skybox.

Corners are very complicated, until you figure out a good method for you. Since I did not like the non-uniformness of the standard sphere, I made my own. Start with the center grid criss-cross. Since I'm now working on the 32 sides rounded shapes, that is what I started with for the cylinder. Cut that down to one quadrant, which gives 8 sides to a 90 degree section. Depending upon how large you are making your sphere, you may have to drag the geometry along the X or Y axis (center grid lines). From top view, rotate the parallel 5.625 degrees and resize to fit the grid (only a slight adjustment), but make sure it is all proportional or shaped to your needs. Once that is flush, rotate from top view 5.625 degrees again and cut along the X or Y axis (whichever is your master axis for your preference). Top view rotate again, this time -11.25 degrees, and cut again. Delete (or hide) the outside extents that were cut away. Sometimes faces from the interior of the corner will not be there, and if you needed them for something later, this can get very tricky to replace. Moving on. For a 32 cubed sphere, just copy and paste-in-place (VERY IMPORTANT) the wedge and rotate from top view + (clockwise) or - (counter clockwise) 11.25 degrees (direction depends on which quadrant you're in or can follow along). I then move the geometry to the same folder for cleanliness and ease. select both wedge pieces, copy, paste-in-place and rotate both new wedges 22.5 degrees. Select all four, same as earlier, rotate 45 degrees. That's 1 corner! You can continue the copy, paste, rotate 2 more times at 90 degrees with 8 wedges and 180 degrees with 16 wedges to finish out the dome. Mirror Up/Down and move on the grid to align top dome with bottom dome. Anything else is another set of directions. I hope this was easy enough to follow along. Torus shapes use very similar techniques.

When you make the donut hole, or any other curved space that requires interior geometry, you'll make a piece of it that starts more or less like a rectangle moved away from the center of the grid, so when you rotate, all sides will be properly aligned. The grid is very helpful with this. I can step-by-step it if you need.

In the Template file there are lots of unjoined polies that came from the various cylinders and spheres used to create the ends and corners, because JUST IN CASE, I might need a wall made in that geometry or some other feature, I do NOT want to have to re-figure out the dimensions/sizing/scaling.

Unless you're blocking out/planning an area, do as much on a wedge as possible, before you rotate it to form the torus or closed-in geometry. I always try to keep at least 1 wedge unjoined/ungrouped (and sometimes even disconnected) from the other wedges/geometry. That way I can block in the whole form and still work on specifics in a localized fashion. Nitty gritty detail is difficult to work with otherwise.