[UPDATE] Hexen redux Seven Portals WIP DL up

[SallazarSpellcaster]

All of the areas in the game really have the potential to become humongous and very well detailed. Starting from the Seminary and ending on the Necropolis though, that potential is even greater because you can explore with architecture and whatnot, rather than the small temples present in the Shadow Wood.

[acidhoez]

they definitely do, my only problem is that there are some people that will not like the large areas to explore for some reason..but im still going to go through with it, the castle hub i think is going to be the largest area in the game.

[SallazarSpellcaster]

The question is: So? In the end, it is your mod, and it is what you want to make of it, not what others want, so as long as you feel satisfied with what you accomplish, I believe, it is enough to be good; besides, it is impossible to please everyone, some might like lots of exploration, others would prefer a streamlined progression, it all depends on the person.

And the castle being the largest area does make sense, and that gives leave for a lot of additions, puzzles, traps and whatnot.

[acidhoez]

i was going to say that 'i dont really care what anyone thinks, because im the one creating this' but i didnt want to come off as a hardass, but i do agree with you, it just baffles me that someone would decline a large area to explore, if the person wants a linear game, then they should go play call of duty or something boring. and they definitely should not go to mods, because a good amount of the time, modders make giant levels or expansions in their game. id love to add traps, i really do have to get around to adding the crusher trap to winnowing hall..its fairly simple, i dont really know why ive been putting it off tbh. the shooter traps are a little more difficult i think but im probably wrong, im going to do more work on the fire entrance tonight, hopefully ill finish the 'first' fire entrance.

[twinkieman93]

I like optional exploration, like side paths that lead to additional goodies or additional murder to commit, or just alternate paths all leading to the same objective. But something that's completely open-ended and drops you in the middle of nowhere with little to no clue on where to go? I think I'll give such a game a miss.

That said, something that would be appreciated would be minimal backtracking. Despite what others claim the backtracking in HeXen is minimal compared to some games, even when it had the potential to get really obnoxious. So long as you've got an optimal path planned, even Shadow Wood is generally backtracking-light, which I think most people point to as a problem area. Hopefully you can preserve this feeling, because even when you are technically backtracking, it doesn't feel like you are because they keep it to a minimum. So far, it seems like you're doing a good job of that.

Some suggestions for what's been done so far? On the Winnowing Hall, perhaps making the walls surrounding the area, the cliffs, not just flat walls? Add some height variation, some steep sloping, something to make it more cliff-like. If you do it correctly I think you'd appreciate the difference. Also, would it be possible to put a railing on the upper path outside the Hall itself? That just kinda felt goofy to me, you know? High ledge and no railing? OSHA's gonna be all over that.

[acidhoez]

Also, would it be possible to put a railing on the upper path outside the Hall itself? That just kinda felt goofy to me, you know? High ledge and no railing? OSHA's gonna be all over that.

yeah i can do that, it was originally going to be a way up to the top of the temple or building or whatever you want to call it, but then it turned into what it is now and to be honest, if i didnt keep that structure around the building i feel the building would look goofy as hell considering its shape..but thats just me, i wanted to keep its original five 'legs' or however many there were, but they took up a good amount of room and were already an odd structure, and the backtracking will still be there a little bit probably, i dont plan on removing the switches from shadow wood, so youll have to go back to the wastes to hit a swamp switch etc, but, if i figure out how those six switches work, i might cut them down to three, but i havent given it much thought

EDIT

forgot about the cliffs, i love that idea, i just have to figure out how to do it, i suppose, 'realisticly' so that it doesnt look awful, ive seen it done in a few mods and it really adds character to the area. Maybe ill do that throughout the proper maps.

[SallazarSpellcaster]

The cliff ideas, and the railings and whatnot are part of the necessary polish to be given to the maps, though I believe those are mostly decorations so it looks better and more immersive.

[acidhoez]

ill definitely add them, i finished the fire entrance that i sent you before, now i have to come up with something good for the steel entrance, id love to make pistons and everything and have them actually move, but im clueless as to how to make things like that and im not even sure if its possible, but again, ill figure something out

[Mikk-]

I noticed that the green pond loaded with stalkers has icy-friction, is that intentional? It seems rather odd skating about a pool of sludge like I'm in an ice-rink

[acidhoez]

I noticed that the green pond loaded with stalkers has icy-friction, is that intentional? It seems rather odd skating about a pool of sludge like I'm in an ice-rink

it was temporary, i dont believe that the version i uploaded has the swimmable water, ill re-upload it to make sure

I've updated the dropbox link.

[SallazarSpellcaster]

ill definitely add them, i finished the fire entrance that i sent you before, now i have to come up with something good for the steel entrance, id love to make pistons and everything and have them actually move, but im clueless as to how to make things like that and im not even sure if its possible, but again, ill figure something out

I guess the pistons and whatnot could be crushing traps such as the ones found in the actual Guardian of Steel map. I mean, given the noise they make and the way they move, I think they were intended that way to begin with.

[acidhoez]

possibly, i was thinking of making them out of crushers, but they wouldnt exactly look like pistons..ill figure something out though. would you like to see what the final outcome of the first fire entrance is by the way ?

[SallazarSpellcaster]

Well, you could make them out of crushers, but for example in a sort of "pyramid" build. I mean, try to picture this: On the ceiling, a large cube, followed by a slightly smaller one, followed by a small one that is the crusher, and on the floor, a structure following the same layout.

And of course.

[acidhoez]

hmm..i could even make the center cube into a column, or all of them actually, the link is in your PM's

[SallazarSpellcaster]

The area works, it's a proper fire gauntlet now. Afrits are a royal pain in the behind here, but overall it does its job; also the texture behind which is the portal looks pretty neat.