DM_Railway Writeup

Railway was created mostly unplanned. Rather than go a create a level on grid paper and block it out I decided to go ahead and create a level as it came to me. I already had some ideas for certain rooms and theming so I ended up designing the level mostly around aesthetics rather than gameplay.

What I ended up with is, what I would consider, a pretty mediocre level. Routes are very claustrophobic and feel cluttered. It also ended up being really flat, with the only real height variation being in only one room. Also it's very dark, VERY dark; I wanted to try and light the level through as few "artificial" lights as possible, opting instead for natural skylights and Combine installed spotlights.

Aesthetically however I think I did a great job. Areas around the level feel lived in and used. I wanted to make it feel like an abandoned Combine checkpoint that was overrun by Rebels. I even added the citadel in the skybox to try and ground it as a place from Half-Life 2. Also despite the lighting being terrible for gameplay I think it looks pretty good in most places.

If I were to try and fix it I think I'd rebuild everything from the ground up, focusing on creating spaces that are fun to play in before trying to make them look nice.

Downloads for it can be found on Gamebanana

Crouch Jumping Sucks

I think crouch jumping may be one of the most antiquated and hostile mechanics to still exist in modern Source Engine games. While it's not necessary hard to perform when you understand how to do it, it poses a huge hurdle for anyone new to Source's movement. It's artificial difficulty at it's core. 

If your creating a level for some game where this is a mechanic I'd really recommend not designing routes that REQUIRE a crouch jump to be accessible. Always try and view the spaces you create through the lenses of someone who has little to no experience with the game; and I'm not saying design everything with them in mind, just be sure that there are options available so someone doesn't get stuck in a slightly too deep pit.

Here's a video that shows the issues with designing levels with crouch jumping in mind.

Banquet Sweet and Sour Chicken

 

I was at the store today shopping around for some little snacks to have in the AM. When this curious little box caught my eye. I've never seen this Banquet meal before so I HAD to try it. It was pretty cheap, costing a little over a dollar.

Anyway, I just had it, and it was okay. The chicken in it taste pretty alright, however you only get 5 pieces. Not a while lot. The rice in is pretty weird, the sauce doesn't taste good enough to really justify eating the rice after the chicken, it's a very weird flavor. 

I wouldn't recommend this unless you got like two of them and ate them at the same time. There's just not enough food in it. 

The BEST TV Dinner

Banquet has the reputation of being one of the cheaper and lower quality brands of TV dinners. This reputation is earned, majority of the Banquet meals I've had were all low quality trash, nearly inedible. They're alright if you want a quick meal for a couple of dollars but even then there are WAY better alternatives.

To my surprise though I think I've discovered not only one of the best Banquet meals, but maybe one of the best TV Dinner meals of the entire genre. Let me introduce to you the Banquet Mega Meals Boneless Fired Chicken.

The package is pretty unassuming, but this is simply one of the beat frozen food products you can buy. The chicken in it is actually good, like it taste good and the texture isn't gross, it's really weird. It's also under two dollars cost wise.

If you're planning on buying some Tyson chicken to cook skip it and grab a few of these instead. IT'S GOOD. 

Also the Mac & Cheese in it is just okay.