Hi folks,
2 days ago I decided to start a map for Half-Life 2 EP2 and that is what I created so far:
I haven´t mapped for a long time so my question to you is:
What do you like / What do you dislike? and What should I improve?
The terrain is nice but the grass sprites look out of place on the hard stony areas on the ground. Judging from what little brushwork I can see on the tunnel in the first screenshot you need to work on some detailing for it. I’m guessing it’s supposed to be a mine entrance.
You could use some more features like a cabin/hut to break up the open and repetative environment, perhaps with some ammo/health to find there. You should also have a think about the purpose of your map. If it’s a mine where do the tracks lead? Where would mine carts be unloaded? Are there any buildings nearby where the miners would rest?
Make sure you reference your architecture to real-world examples to help them structurally make sense. The entrance with the 52 above it sticks out like a sore thumb, what era is it supposed to be from? Mines from the early 20th century are mainly built from timber with some steel for reinforcement.
The terrain is very nice, but you should probably work on your architecture and buildings, like the above person said.
I kinda wish I had had the motivation to actually try and map something one of these days. 
completely off topic, but shifty powers was a total badass in Band of Brothers. Much more so in the book than in the miniseries, though.
I like it, though, especially the rocky outcroppings. The fences look a little out of place without some shacks or rusting mining equipment, but otherwise it looks nice.
It looks great, but I agree with Mangled. Also, having just a few trees up top doesn’t look good if you’re going for a forest effect, perhaps add that sprite that you sometimes see in EP2 that looks like the edge of a forest.
It’s pretty good for a start, but I really need to know what you’re trying to go for to make a better judgement.
Hmmm I started the map witn no real goal. Thats the problem.
But now I have a good idea. I think I´m going to make a little village in the “52-Area”
Mine from 1953:
Another mine:
A nice miney building:
Mines come in all flavours, depends what’s coming out of it and where it is. You’re more likely to find timber holding up a mine tunnel than steel or concrete, mainly because its cheap, easy to cut to size once its in the tunnel and works well in compression or tension. However the entrances can indeed be concrete, there’s a danger of loose rock around the entrance
But I like it, stick some buildings and rail coming out of it and job’s a good 'un 
Dunno if its possible, but if it is you need to fix up the way the mine exits into the plain. Its like entering a different world, the railroad track looks completely different inside and outside, and there’s no connection between the concrete and the ground. Maybe have the pebbles spill over a bit?
Then again, I don’t know your mapping skills or whether or not thats readily possible in this SDK. Good luck
Thanks for the real world images but I will be adding a mine area in antother location of the map.
Thats what I´ve changed so far:
Gas station is great! A nice open road for a vehicle map. :thumbs:
Looks awesome
You have better landscapes than I could hope to achieve.
Thank you for your feedback.
But I´m not sure with the gas station… I think it doesn´t fit in there… or what do you think?