CSGO map set in Black Mesa; advice/suggestions?

General Development Source 1
#1

Hi, I’m a CSGO mapper creating a level set in an early Black Mesa (pre-HL):

de_fracture_b


I’m planning on creating my own assets and textures but I wanted to get some advice and suggestions from people who were actually experienced with recreating the Black Mesa environment. :slight_smile:

A fun idea that I had was to add some lore i.e. have a train car that is carrying pieces of the anti-mass spectrometer (as if it were being delivered for construction).

The only problem is I’m pretty new to environment art and I’m not that knowledgeable about Black Mesa’s lore (I’ve even read the HL wiki). So, I feel a bit directionless on how to begin my project. :frowning:

I guess this is just a catch-all thread for anyone who wants to offer any suggestions and ideas. What stood out for you when you played HL/BMS? What should I emphasize for the environment? Any cool ideas? I’d appreciate it a lot!

EDIT: If people are even interested, I’ll try to post some updates on this map.

#2

I see the map’s lay out is mostly done with the fugly dev textures (that’ll be fixed gradually, no pet peeve on my part).

Do you have an idea on how you imagined the map like when it was done?

Beyond that, indoors, I think it’d look pretty cool with a Lambda Core-type theme. Outdoors, something similar to the tram tunnel at the beginning of apprehension.

To tack onto the elements, how about some teleporter(s) that can port the players to select locations around the map?

Note: [u]DO NOT use teleporters for accessing the bomb sites.[/u] Choke points are bad, especially in CS.

Edit: This forum is for mapping (doesn’t need to be limited to JUST BM as far as I’m aware): https://forums.blackmesasource.com/forumdisplay.php?f=65

#3

Whoops sorry if I posted in the wrong thread. :stuck_out_tongue:

I had a general idea (but this is literally my first real project as a student learning environment art independently).

[INDENT]-similar architecture/art direction (lots of industrial metal w/beams but also areas w/ concrete and plastered walls to give that science facility look)
-I wanted an actual half-life level in the 3d skybox (i.e. you’d be able to see the “Surface Tension” dam from a distance)
-Keystone props (the various HL boxes, barrels, doors) and centerpiece references/decals.
-Overall, I wanted it to still retain some of its realistic counter-strike identity (so sorta like a counter-strike version of half-life) and not make it too obvious that it’s Black Mesa. [/INDENT]

hah, teleporters would be sweet, but doubt there’s any place for them. :[

I just played surface tension where you’re on the cliffside. That was beautiful! I’m hoping i can recreate that kind of skybox in my map.

#4

If the battle’s outdoors you could make the place look like parts of surface tension, with lots of destroyed buildings from the bombing runs and the conflict itself (if you wish to emphasize the battle taking place at a certain part of the game). As for the combatants, if you’re able to edit them you could make it HECU vs Black ops. Also for lore around the map, if you could port the models from BM, seeing some mantas and harriers flying around would be pretty cool.

#5

He said this is pre-HL

Something I noticed about the Black Mesa facility is that materials transport and maintenance areas are always gritty and old, while laboratories and offices are usually clean and modern. What did you envision this area of the facility to be?

#6

Not really BM related, but more map related. Being a CS player (not pro, but not clueless) I can give some tips on how the current maps are formulated. Not that you need them, but to keep you from making some common mistakes I see in many many fan maps.

1. Make everything notable. Callouts are important in mid to upper level play, and it should be easy to relay an enemy’s position. If every room and hallway looks identical, it will be difficult to describe the enemy’s location. A good example is Agency, despite taking place in an office building, every location is notable in some way (from metal detectors to renovation, even the hallways are notable).

2. Keep it simple but distinct. It should be easy for one to get his bearings, a few ‘rooms’ connecting to each other is better than a maze of identical stairways and hallways. A player should be able to look at any part of the map and say “I know exactly where I am”, and even better “I know exactly how to get from here to there”. Finally, there shouldn’t be any areas where a player can be shot from half a dozen places on a map. Areas like that are frustrating and unfun, they play sloppy and give the victim little-to-no chance to do anything.

3. Connectivity and access. There should be multiple paths to most areas to allow for relatively free movement. There should be no way for one person to cover every entrance and exit from one spot. Additionally, both teams should have clear and “safe” paths to each site without needing to pass through the enemy’s side (although they may opt to if it’s faster). A “mid” is a common concept in balanced maps, as it gives both teams a shot at each other from their own sides of the map, while also opening up extra options as T if they take mid successfully.

4a. Bomb Sites. If it’s a bomb map, you’ll want both bomb sites to be reachable by CT’s before T’s may get there. You’ll also want to give the T’s multiple angles of attack, but generally CT’s should be able to hear the T’s coming unless the T’s are sneaking. Bomb sites should also have many obsticles, shot blockers and cover. That side, everything in a bomb site should be distinct, as there will certainly be conflict here.

4b. Keep Hostages separated. I have seen a few very pretty maps ruined by having hostages side-by-side, which destroys all tactical depth and removes any chance of flanking or rotation for both teams. Additionally, you want Terrorist to spawn with or very close to the Hostages. CT should have a relatively safe exit after capturing a Hostage (for example, T should not have access to a place that overlooks the entire route back to CT spawn).

5. Potential design inspiration: The following maps are well balanced: Dust II, Inferno, Mirage, Cache, Ali, Agency. Good maps with slight bias include Nuke, Office, Seaside.

#7

[COLOR=‘Green’]Moved to a more appropriate forum.

#8

If anyone can bring fourth a Black Mesa version of Dusr 2 I think that would be amazing :slight_smile:

I think it would be good to see remakes of maps that are well known “black mesafied”

But anyway good luck with it, I have been trying to make a few textures for Black Mesa environment and as a general rule gritty grimey and worn if you create any textures as if you go all shiny and sparkley they don’t blend so well.

another possible resouce is “HLsource resourced” texture pack and gamebanana perhaps.

#9

I don’t play counter-strike so I don’t have any specific recommendations to give out. I do have one general piece of advice to give out, which you may or may not already know.

When designing a multiplayer map, don’t make the mistake of making cluttered areas. According to Valve’s commentary with TF2, putting too much in one area can be distracting, and while this isn’t so much of a problem in single player, this can make or break multiplayer where everything is much faster.

Going along that vein, restrain yourself when emulating Black Mesa’s style of design. Considering this is a pre-disaster map however, this shouldn’t be a problem for you. :slight_smile:

#10

I would also look at the outside train depot chapters of Half-Life: Blue Shift for visual inspiration.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.