Currently focused on redoing the various bits of special-effects logic in the AMS so that it functions without destroying the Facility, can be used over and over again, and also allows the player to leave during activation (another thing that I unaccountably find pleasingly pre-disasterish). Overall it’s been going pretty well, although…
Looks like someone alt-tabbed their game.
How exactly is the AMS going to function? Will it just try to be a no disaster version with a successful emergency shutdown, or a normal work day predisaster version?
Either way, this texture needs to change.
The current plan (which is in fact nearly set up) is for the AMS to successfully analyze the sample (disintegrating it in the process) and then reset so that it can be used again if the player pushes the cart back to the elevator platform. I am currently thinking that one of several different samples will be able to come up after the first is analyzed, not just more crystals.
I’d like to have the scientists remark on the successful test; possibly have people in the labs up above start going over the data the AMS produced, but the inability to add custom LCS or dialogue in the game as it currently is structured obviously means this might not be feasible.
Good work, screenshots look amazing. The view on control room is exactly how I imagined last seconds before “resonance cascade” 
.
[attach=5903,none,1920][/attach]
Some thoughts: have you considered about slightly lowering the ambient light in that control room and partially illuminate it with dynamic light from Antimass Spectrometer? Also how it would turn out if cascading shadow map was used from that window and “orbiting capacitors”.
I hadn’t previously thought of doing that but it’s an intriguing idea; I’ll definitely mess around with that the next time I have the map open.
Also considering adding a second rotor control on the panel in the back of this room to allow the AMS to be remotely powered up… although that would raise the question of why the scientists in the control room don’t just use that…
I think that spectrometer could be fully operated from control room but needs to be manually “unlocked” first to have access to drain power. Also for security reasons, it is not possible to unlock it without enough personnel with proper security clearance.
Wow those lights really did add a sense of power to the AMS that was missing before; thanks for the tip, I never would have thought of that on my own.
So I’ve got the AMS more or less working; the scientist dialogue is still audible outside of the control room and test chamber itself but I’m deciding to run with it on the theory that information from the control room is important enough to broadcast throughout the lab. At the moment all I need to do is add documents and make a final pass of both maps to iron out any remaining logical or aesthetic bugs, and then we could be looking at a public release sometime in the next week over the Thanksgiving holidays.
As it’s become my tradition to take on a new map for restoration every time I complete one, I thought I’d solicit suggestions from the forum to help decide from the several I am currently looking at (I’ll still be working on the QE and Office Complex maps I currently have “open”):
- bm_c2a5e (Surface Tension Missiles Map)
- bm_c2a5f (Surface Tension Armory Map)
- bm_c2a4g (Surface Tension Parking Garage Map)
- bm_c2a4h (Surface Tension Gasworks Map)
- dm_bounce
- dm_gasworks
- dm_crossfire
Currently I am leaning towards crossfire but any of these would be neat.
Those AMS shots look stunning! I think the idea of doing PD versions of multiplayer maps is very cool, personally.
Looking good!
I’ll echo the suggestion of doing one of the multiplayer maps next. I think most of the surface tension maps have so much going on and to consider with being right next to/on top of each other that it’d be easy to wind up going down a rabbit hole… but I guess the same could be said for any of these maps.
@Admiral Sakai I could help in restoring bm_c2a5e and bm_c2a5f. was trying to imitate study Raminator’s design style anyways…
We are now up and running! I can’t wait to hear all of your bug reports and miscellaneous suggestions, but for now I’ve decided that I want my next project to be pre-disaster Gasworks since I’ve never really worked on an industrial part of the Facility before and there are a number of things I am anxious to try.
during the transition between the AMS and the upper portion of Anomalous materials the door only closes 1 half, the other half remains open till the level have transitioned.
That’s the only thing I found odd so far, I find when entering anomalous materials from the main entrance airlock for the first time the lighting becomes very overbearing.
I love how going past the lasers in the first corridor of the AMS area,changes the how the lighting works. Though I feel like it doesn’t tone well with the rest of the lighting of the area.
Going between levels seems to reset the map script which I think you said may happen.
I am interesting on how you’ll take on the Decay map portion of the AMS. from what I have seen in the original half life decay, this area is pretty unique and does help with explaining some of the lower level functionality of the AMS.
Been one of the few maps I have wanted to explore for ideas for a while.
Ok playing a little more, noticed that 2 scientists, decide to break physics on their own and become one with their desks. I also noticed the paper pile in the corner vanishes too… leaving this random marker which doesn’t make as a much sense without the paper.
Last one is me, looking at means which others could break stuff, so to replicate this, you have to jump from the railing behind the plasma nodes (I forgot their name), and then activate the left from the lower level, when the lift is at the top… the result is well… both doors open at the same time. instead of where the lift is. (also may I recommend adding some form of emergency ladder or alternative path to this area incase the lift does break down?)
Fixed the scientists on my own version; still trying to figure out what’s causing the papers to disappear since there is no entity logic connected to the decals in question. The lift doors are an existing issue in BM that I don’t think I’ll fix; the lift can be summoned properly by pressing the button again.
1 Like
Alright, I still find the lift doors glitching is pretty funny… tho I think reloading the area by going back to anomalous materials then going back down may reset the door… I will have to try that later. Speaking of Anomalous materials, resetting that map, but going to the AMS map, seems to reset all the background scripted events. Which is pretty interesting.
I’ll let you know of anymore bugs I can find while playing.
Also a suggestion: The main left to the AMS to me is interesting that it goes lower that the AMS control and access level, but the lower parts has no reason of existing other than during the scripted event in Unforeseen consequences. To add a reason for the lower part to exist outside that event script, it could provide a means of access into the lower section of the AMS, and to the AMS systems area.
Also, wouldn’t the other door in the personnel facilities be connected to the female locker room, or would the locker room be unisex, I only suggest this because a lot of the facility suggests that the complex doesn’t use a unisex system.
All right so I think what’s causing the decals to disappear is an existing Black Mesa bug involving level transitions. It will actually destroy ALL of the decals in a level; in Anomalous Materials only the paper ones are really noticeable.
You can work around it by setting sv_autosave to 0 in the console.