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| General Information | |
Title : Inevitable Conflict
Version: 1.0
Release Date: 14th January, 2005
Filename: dm_inevitableconflict.bsp
Author: Chris Blundell
Email Address: plutonic@plutonicdesign.com
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| Download links (4.38MB) | |
- HL2 Files
- FilePlanet
- PunkAssFraggers
- Half-Life Fallout
- Half-Life 2 Files
- NGI
- Lanmaniax
- Gamespot
- Gamearena
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| Map Information | |
A factory complex somewhere in the wastelands outside City 17 – free of the attention of the Combine, but full of dangerous people none the less. “Inevitable Conflict” includes a varied game play environment for both open and close-quarters combat with considerable potential for z-axis battles. The variation in the map is designed to allow for effective use of all the HL2DM weapons.
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| Special Thanks To ... | |
My wife, Danielle, and our children who are all incredibly tolerant of my work patterns when creativity strikes.
- Neoduck, Geo and Mr Bond and the HLFallout.net crew for testing this map.
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| Why? | |
There is bound to be someone who asks, or at least thinks, "Why is Plutonic making maps for HL2?" Good question, here's why for those who are interested.
I find it good cognitive exercise to every now and again use editors for other game engines. Given how much time I spend each week using UnrealEd, most of the things I do to construct a level can seem like second nature. But working with a different editor/engine combination takes me out of my comfort zone. This can be challenging and frustrating at times, but ultimately rewarding.
HL2 and Doom3 engines share certain fundamental characteristics with Unreal engine 2 and 2.5, which makes the transition to mapping for a completely different engine not as difficult as it initially seems. Each editor (and engine) has its own distinctive advantages and disadvantages. For example, UnrealEd and DoomEdit allow the user to preview lighting and effects, but Hammer (HL2 editor) does not. Compile times with Hammer are incredibly long! Both of these things frustrated me. But Hammer's implementation of adding and managing game play actors is highly intuitive. Tools for creating visual effects like cubemaps, decorations and even texture alignment are the best I have used to this point. Adding and manipulating brushes is a real joy. Source's lighting and radiosity simulation is impressive (even if it can't be previewed in Hammer).
The whole process renews my appreciation of the joys of level design. In a way it's a bit like painting - an artist who traditionally uses oils, should periodically take the opportunity to paint with water colours.
Another outcome of using or at least experimenting with a different editor is that it gives one a better understanding of the underlying processes of an engine. One gets a "feel" for the thinking/reasoning behind the development of the engine and a hint of the processes the led to its current state. The time devoted to the development of Source and Half-Life 2 is evident in the editor. In the same way, the shear brilliance of John Carmack is evident when using DoomEdit.
I recommend experimenting with another engine to any serious level designer. At the very least, it be a reminder of why you are using the editor/engine you do.
