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Title                   : Ramses
Version                 : 1.0
Release Date            : 18th June 2004
Filename                : DOM-Ramses.unr
Author(s)               : Warren "Thunderstrike" Wescott
Email Address           : thunderstrike@planetunreal.com
Web Page                : http://www.planetunreal.com/Thunderstrike
Other levels by author  : UT: DM-Azwahtemh, DM-Rustamorai, DM-Deadly Falls
			  UT2003: DOM-Norfolk
Additional Credits to   : See below.

===============================================================
Description:

An ancient construction discovered in the shifting sands of a hostile desert. Seemingly untouched by the passage of time, the entire place remains in pristine condition, with no sign of those who dwelt within its walls. Neither has a specific purpose been identified for the sprawling architecture. More than a temple, more than tombs, more than living quarters yet not quite palatial, the entire structure as a whole offers little in the way of explanation for its behemoth existence.

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--- Play Information ---
Game                    : Unreal Tournament
Level Name              : Ramses
Single Player           : Botmatch (full bot path noding)
Cooperative             : Domination
Deathmatch              : No 
Domination              : Yes
Difficulty Settings     : Nil
New Sounds              : Custom music track
New Textures            : Most definitely! A smorgasbord of custom textures by Sock! :)
NewUnrealScript         : Nil
External DLLs           : Nil
Known bugs              : 1 HOM which I will no doubt rot in hell for. Aside from that, I'm sure you'll let me know! :)

--- Construction ---
Editor(s) used          : UnrealED2 Beta
Base                    : None
Construction Time       : Ok, here's construction time you don't often see; 2 years, five months.
			  I kid you not. Granted, there are large chunks of that time where the
			  map was not being worked on so I suppose the actual time would be less,
			  but still...

Installation
------------
Unzip the .umx file into your Unreal Tournament/music directory.
Unzip the .unr file into your Unreal Tournament/maps directory and enjoy.

Author's Notes
--------------

Before extolling the tome that is the construction history of this level, a word on lighting levels in the map. I use an nVidia based card with no tweaks to brightness other than any driver defaults, and I play UT with the brightness one notch up from default (four notches up from minimum). The brightness levels are pretty much where I want them. That being said, in allowing for driver tweaks, video card variations and personal taste, it is within the realms of possibility that the brightness in the level may not be to your taste. I believe I have the lighting set so that a single notch either way in the UT brightness setting should alleviate any complaints you have in regards to lighting brightness. I've been known to err on the side of being a little too dark, and that may be the case again. I'm sorry for any inconvenience in this regard.

Now then, where on Earth to begin? :) This map started life as a bog standard "Egypt.utx" textured DM level. It was inspired by the opening section of TimeSplitters, moving from cubic room to cubic room through cubic corridors (or at least that's my memory of it), but it seemed to suit the setting. Well, being a level designer for UT I thought, "UT could do that kind of stuff in its sleep!" The first part of the level was the large flanged corridor leading from what is now the "Restful  Oasis", the "Restful Oasis" itself and the tight, cramped maze section. It was left for a while as it was very flat with no z-axis, no change in height and with those "Egypt" textures looking pretty much like every Egyptian map ever released by a new mapper. It just wouldn't do. During a hiatus in working on DM-Deadly Falls whilst waiting for beta-testers' reports on it, I picked up this level and began to develop it further. This stage saw most of the rest of the map developed, with the exception of the "Ascension to Heaven" and the "Hall of Shadows". By this stage, I was really despairing of the textures. The lighting was working well, and the "Tombs" sections looked very good, but those textures. I began scouring all the texture sites on the web to try and locate what I hoped would be a handful of some twenty or so new Egytpian themed textures to help me flesh out the stock textures some. Imagine my delight when I stumbled across "The Big House" on PlanetQuake. A review site for Q2 and Q3 maps, it also hosted several texture packs by various authors, inlcuding five sets by Sock. One look at the preview shots of the pack had me salivating at the potential (and clicking on the download links!). I could never have hoped for such an absolute smorgasboard of Egyptian themed textures, and of such quality! I have incorporated them into the map via the mylevel package, but you can still access them via the editor. I have not used all of the textures in all of the packs, and I didn't want to go releasing a .utx file which might cause conflicts further down the track. After the first round of beta testing, I added extra trim and a few more decorations (predominantly those urns). Then BSP issues, which had proven problematic in securing a stable beta, eventually resulted in the remodelling of what is now the five paths of acquisition. The water was taken out with solid ground replacing it, along with numerous doors to cut down view distances. This helped quite a bit, and the level construction and polish continued. Unfortunately, continuing BSP woes eventually led to the level being shelved. It was picked up and dusted off again most probably around six months later, and after further wrangling with the level and its precocious BSP errors, the water in the five paths of acquisition was returned, much to my relief (I had deliberated long and hard about its removal and was never really happy with the interim solution). Once again, however, BSP errors in combination with a daunting BSP tree (nearly 2200 brushes) and mind-numbing build times (for UEd, although I believe Quakers are pretty happy if they get away with half a day for a build) finally resulted in the level being shelved for a second time. Finally, over the Christmas and New Year break of 2003/4, I picked up the level, and toying around made a few drastic, wholesale changes to the geometry in regards to solidity, and found that the level was more stable than it had ever been. This was the final impetus to go over the level and deal with several small, remaining BSP issues which finally resulted in a stable build from which to tweak lighting, pathing and sounds. The overall architecture may not be breath-taking, but that is, in many cases, due to some rather naughty long view distances! That and the fact that most of this map was constructed around or just after DM-Deadly Falls. Who can remember that little tike now? :)

Thanks to
---------
First, those champions of code whose tools made this level possible:

A huge thanks to Robert Wey for the "American Express quality" (don't leave home without it!) of his TexAlign2 utility. All those cool texture skews on walls and trim just wouldn't be there without this indispensible mapping tool.

Kudos to Tarquin for his fantastic brush builders. Less experienced level designers might well look at some of these brushes (as I did long ago) and ask, when would you need a brush like that? I'm here to tell you that there are times, people, and the streamlining of workflow and saving of hair pulling is almost immeasurable!


Perhaps my single greatest thanks must go to the mighty Sock. Texture creator extraordinare, and a rather dab hand at Quake mapping, to boot! This map simply would not exist in it's current state (whether that's good or bad! ;) without the stunning and bountiful texture packs he created for public use. To be honest, UT doesn't do these textures justice, with having to convert from 24-bit textures to 8-bit. Still, accept no substitute! :)


A quick nod of thanks goes to Will "Mr.Prophet" Drekker, who kindly allowed public use of a music track he was presented with. First put to use in his DM-TimeCrash level, the tracker file was originally called Domatron, and in both this title and musical theme, there could be few tracks which so perfectly fit DOM-Ramses.


Those people who tested this map in it's various stages:
HortonsWho for his effusive praise when the map was first beta back in June, 2002!
Gui in the same beta for some points on lighting and the incentive to knuckle down and add some much needed trim! Homeslice also provided some beta feedback in the final stages, specifically an oversight in my skybox.


Phew! Hope I haven't left anyone out. If I did, sorry! Over two years working on this challenging map, on and off, it's no surprise if I have forgotten someone. It may not represent the best I am currently capable of, as most of it was constructed about a year and a half ago, but I'm still proud of it, and even after all this time, I still find it great fun to play on. I hope you will too!

Cheers

Thunderstrike


Visit my website and let me know if you'd like to beta-test one of my upcoming maps!

Copyright / Permissions
-----------------------
This level is copyright Warren Wescott 2004.

Authors may not NOT use this level as a base to build additional levels.  This map may 
NOT be modified in any way without the author's express, written permission.

You are NOT allowed to commercially exploit this level, i.e. put it on a CD
or any other electronic medium that is sold for money without my explicit
permission!  This INCLUDES putting it on ftp.cdrom.com which have a
tendancy to do just as such or any other major ftp that bundles cd-roms
out of what they carry.

You MAY distribute this level through any electronic network (internet,
FIDO, local BBS etc.), provided you include this file and leave the archive
intact.

----------------------
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