unfinished projects

[Slowguy]

i just thought i'd share a few of the projects i once started, but never had the time, or patience to complete... i don't think i'll ever get around to finishing these, but hey, maybe they'll help motivate someone else to finish their project.





this was one of my earlier projects, the level was never named and there was no story... my goal was to create a high poly level. i had big ideas, and i think that's why i failed... it's a lot of work building rooms with 1000+ face counts, and the results aren't really that impressive.



the gx was built entirely in d3edit, i dunno why i did it, i guess i was just bored or something. the model is complete... but it needs to be skinned, and i just haven't had the time to do it.



this is my latest project. i started a couple months ago and i've already lost interest. it's a port of miranda mine, d1 level 18. the reason i lost interest is because, it's just way too much work, i mean the level is huge, and there are too many doors, and putting the doors in is a real pain... so i just kinda gave up on it.

well, that's all, i just felt like sharing this stuff with you guys, i know that i've always liked looking at other peoples projects, and getting ideas from them... maybe someone will get ideas from these...

*sorry about picture quality... i'll fix it*

[Liquid Fire]

Wow. If you get the time, DEFINITELY release those.

...you did that gx in d3edit?

[CDN_Merlin]

Wow. If you get the time, DEFINITELY release those.

...you did that gx in d3edit?

x2

[pipsqueak10]

You obviously know your way around D3Edit. Too bad you lost interest.

[Top Gun]

Unbelievable work. That first level is amazing, and the GX...I wish we could persuade you to keep working.

[Kyouryuu]

It's interesting how some of those Miranda Mine shots look a lot like what Nathan Padgett would render in 3DSMax back when he was active in the community. As for the first, I think it goes to show just how good Descent 3 can look if you up the polygon counts.

That and I always wanted to do a snow base level, so I'm really excited that someone tried! Looking out those windows is extremely cool. You really ought to release what you have completed, just so we can all ooh and aah over it.

[Slowguy]

release it? hmm... maybe heh heh. i'd need to do some work compiling it into something someone could play though... right now it's just a mess of files on my computer. i think i only have around 16 rooms completed for that level, so it's pretty small, those 16 rooms though, they were alot of work... heh heh. i was thinking that i could probably turn what i have into a symmetrical ctf level. originally it was supposed to be a singleplayer level, but it never made it that far. it wouldn't be too difficult, or take too much time :/ i mean the geometry is already there, it just needs to be put together and tweaked a little bit. so maybe i'll that, and then release it. i think that would be better then just releasing now, as is.

hmm... i don't think i've ever seen any of nathans work, but i probably have. the geometry for miranda mine was ported directly from d1 to d3edit. it's actually pretty easy to port d1 levels, just flip a few hundred faces, and retexture and you're done. lol, nah, it's not that easy. the thing that i found difficult was placing doors and lights. nothing lines up on the grid, heh heh. so that's why i gave up on that project, it just became too much work. i might port another d1 level, one with no doors though

as for the gx... i donâ??t know what i'm going to do with that. if someone wants to skin it for me, that'd be great. but if not, then i'll probably end up skinning it myself... someday, when i have the time, heh.

well i'm glad you guys like the stuff, sorry for the low quality screens, i tried to fix them, but i couldn't figure it out, it might just be a problem with my computer, i dunno.

[Robo]

Excellent stuff. Nice to know someone apart from myself tried making something snowy.

I remember the days when I was given the 'Return to Europa' level for Orbital's D4. It was meant to be level 14 if I remember correctly. Oh, the memories

I agree with everyone else, you should try and release at least one of those

[Kyouryuu]

I remember when Ellusion (hah, there's an old name) was working on the Desperation project, Kam was constructing a snow mine. I'm not sure he got past the first shaft though. Me, it was my first SP level attempt so of course it was dumpy.

Like I said, snow levels are pretty neat and if I ever made another one, it would be snow-based. The first screen Slowguy presents reminds me of that snow level in Unreal 2 ("Hell") and its really long bridge.

How do you port something from D1 to D3? You can't do it directly - is there an intermediate format?

[Slowguy]

yeah, you cannot port a d1 level directly to d3, umm i forget how i did it exactly, there's a tool that allows you to export the d1 level into dfx format. and there's another tool that converts dfx format to orf format. uhh, the d1 level is saved as one room. there are no textures, and some of the faces need flipping in order to get it looking right. there is actually a lot of work involved, you have to retexture, break the level into separate rooms, add doors, and lights, that kind of stuff. basically you're just using the shell of the original level as an outline. if you want the names of the tools i used, i can find out for you.

Robo: i was also on the DIV team i was assigned to level 8, or maybe it was nine, hmm, i forget. and i don't remember the name, but it was the one where you return to valhalla tower. i wish i still had the stuff i started on for that level. if still had it then i could have posted it here.

[Robo]

Really?

I never noticed you anywhere on Orbital's forum. I suppose you were one of Valin's secrets? Heh. I remember the brief for your level perfectly, and I used to have the actual D4 storyline, but then I went and lost it

I've got ambitions to have a go at that game in the distant future with another team, accept I wouldn't make the same mistake Valin made and base it online. No, it would be in an actual office, with actual faces, and actual contracts But that's in the distant future, and it may not even happen!

I think I'll go root out some stuff from my D3Edit folders, see what I can find. But still, your work is great

[Sirius]

I remember quite a few years ago there was a Descent 1/2 -> Descent 3 conversion tool. Naturally, it had limitations, but it did basically work.

Curiously, Ellusion Design doesn't seem that distant a memory to me... even though it only lasted a year I think. Maybe two actually - 1999 was spent releasing some pretty impressive stuff, then D3 came out, we spent the next year effectively wondering what to do and making false starts, then broke up soon after.

[Slowguy]

Robo: thanks, i was working under the name max, or maybe i was rs_max, i cannot remember, either one, sometimes valin and other people called me maxx, heh. but yeah, i was never really active on the message boards. most of my communication was through instant messaging... it would have been nice if there was more organization, more communication. it would have been an awesome game, lots of good ideas, and lots of talent... but the lack of communication, and organization, killed it.

i used to have the storyline too, i had three versions heh heh. but i think it got thrown out. cougar probably still has it, i remember hearing that he was going to release it about a year ago over on the planet descent forums... i don't think he got around to it though... or maybe he just changed his mind.