nelson - level design

Welcome

2011-01-04T08:03:00.000-08:00

nelsonmaps has moved! Please click HERE or click or below:

nelsonmaps @ wordpress.com

Feel free to contact me.

DM-Samosa released

2010-11-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

Remember DM-Samosa I showed you in the last post?
Well, I decided it was time to release it on PC and PS3.

Downloads:
DM-Samosa PC version

DM-Samosa PS3 Version

Screenshots (click to enlarge):

As you can probably tell by the screenshots this one is relatively small and pretty clean. And a space map. Don't like space maps? Too bad =( But stay tuned I will still release DM-Suraj and CTF-Andhera later on.

Anyway, I made this map in about a week when I was moving in with my girlfriend and only had my pretty weak notebook to work on =)
I would also like to dedicate this map to my girlfriend! You're wonderful :-*

Hope you enjoy the map and drop me line to tell me what you think!
Cheers,

-nelson

The Unnamed Map + DM-Samosa

2010-11-08T02:49:00.000-08:00

Constant reader (scnr),

the map I have introduced you to in one of the recent posts has experienced a change! It now has a name. Both versions do, actually. The DM version will be called DM-Suraj and the CTF version will be CTF-Andhera.
The interesting bit that you will most likely not know is that CTF-Andhera was originally the name of a map I had planned to release along with the CBP3 vol 4 but never got finished. It had a completely different layout and style even though the background was pretty much the same.

Apart from that, I have almost finished a smaller project. I only started this one because I felt like making a map but didn't have access to my desktop computer. I'm still moving in with my girlfriend so there was this one week where I could only work on things on my notebook. The result is DM-Samosa:

This will probably be released later this week. At least I hope I will get around to finishing this until thursday. Got some nice input from Spoondog which I think I will combine with some of my own ideas and then it should be done =)

-nelson

The Ball RELEASED \o/

2010-10-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

Finally, The Ball has been released on Steam!!!
So if you have not yet purchased your copy, now would be a really good time to do so =)

If you're still unsure whether to get the game or not I suggest you either head over to the Steam page or the homepage of the game. The homepage is a great place to see some of the reviews we got so far, too ;)

So, I hope you enjoy the game and feel free to post your impressions in the comments!
-nelson

The Ball Release Date and The Unnamed Map

2010-10-11T03:08:00.000-07:00

So 1 month after my last post I decided it was time to do a little update.

First of all, The Ball is finally gonna be released on October 26th!!! That's for the Steam platform.
Retail dates may vary. Germany for example will get it retail on Novermber 5th.
I'm really happy I can now officially tell people about this.
And while we're at it - look at the previews we got as well!

In other news, I'm still working on The Unnamed Map. This one will be released in two versions! The first one will be a Deathmatch version:

The other, way more colored version will be a Capture the Flag map:

This one will feature a slightly changed layout a completely new environment and will hopefully be done soon. I'd say I'm like 70% done with this now. The DM version is practically done but needs some more flashy effects. Be sure to come back soon for more news on these =)

-nelson

working on this, working on that, working on other things as well... =)

2010-08-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

SO! I'm still kinda busy working on various things for The Ball but every now and then I find the time to work on other things as well. Such as this yet-to-be-named DM map for Unreal Tournament 3:

Clicking the image will take you to a higher resolution version =)
Will probably not take too long until this one is done. We'll see!

-nelson

The Ball News

2010-07-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

So... as already stated on Voodoo Extreme and Beyond Unreal The Ball is going to be published by Tripwire Interactive.
A snippet from the press release ->

Tripwire Interactive is delighted to announce that it will be publishing Teotl Studios’ first person puzzle-adventure game, The Ball, through Steam and in stores world-wide. The Ball won multiple top prizes in Epic’s latest “Make Something Unreal” contest and is now following in the footsteps of Tripwire’s own Red Orchestra in making the leap from mod to full commercial release. Providing an experience far beyond what the mod offered the commercial release of the ball is highly enhanced and expanded featuring a full 6 hours of single-player gameplay.

"Tripwire Interactive is a perfect match for us" says Sjoerd De Jong, founder of Teotl Studios. "We are thrilled to work with them and are confident this deal will help us maximize the potential of our game."

“When we first tried The Ball we knew this was exactly the type of game we would like to publish – fun, creative and a blast to play” said John Gibson, President of Tripwire Interactive. “This is all the more exciting for us as the winner of the previous ‘Make Something Unreal’ contest to have the opportunity to help a winner from the latest MSU contest take their game commercial.”

About the game:
The Ball is a first person action-adventure game featuring a full single-player experience built on Epic’s Unreal™ Engine 3 technology. As a swashbuckling archaeologist working on the slopes of a dormant volcano somewhere in Mexico, you get stuck in a cavern. It doesn’t take long before you realize this is more than just a cave. You reveal ancient ruins that have been hidden from outsiders for centuries and discover a mysterious artifact, a gold and metal shelled Ball. As you progress towards solving the mystery of this amazing place you must unlock the secrets of The Ball and learn to control this ancient artifact. You will also start to encounter not just puzzles and traps, but also various strange creatures – the guardians of this mystery. These creatures also have to be overcome, using only The Ball to defend you. Venturing deeper into the volcano, you reveal some of mankind’s greatest secrets…

Key features:
Six hours of single-player adventure
Game mechanics that are very simple to pick up, immersing the user in the physics-based gameplay right from the start
8 huge levels to explore
Includes bonus Survival game mode, with 3 additional levels
Wide range of enemies to overcome, including mummies, an undead gorilla and boss characters
Unique vehicles – an underground train and the mysterious “Ball Chariot”
More than 30 secrets hidden away to be discovered, as well as multiple achievements for the player to earn
Steamworks™ features including achievements and leaderboards The game will be available on Steam and in stores from Fall 2010. For further information on the game, visit the game website: http://www.theballthegame.com/.

Let me just say - I'm freaking excited about this.

Apart from that there hasn't been too much going on. I've been working on all kinds of stuff for The Ball lately and had pretty much no time to do anything UT3-related but I'm having a good time and working on The Ball is such a fun time. However, I might just do something for UT3. I kinda feel like it recently =)

-nelson

The Ball News; DM-Phera Released

2010-04-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

So. I can't believe I let things slide like that but oh well... UPDATE!

So Toltec Studios are now known as Teotl Studios The Ball gets a new website (which everyone should check out because there's an awesome load of really cool stuff there and a pretty constant flow of dev news, too =)
For example check out our before and after shots of the king:

I'm sure some celebrities wish they're facelift had turned out like this =P

Also, I've done a whole lot of leveldesign for The Ball recently which I guess you're going to see some pics of in the not too distant future.

In other news:
I've finally decided to release DM-Phera.
Download it here:

Download PC version
Download PS3 version

Can't remember what that was? Now I could make you scroll down but... oh, well -> Screenshots:

That's it for now. Enjoy the map and let me what you think about it =)
-nelson

The Ball News and a couple of screenshots

2010-01-10T10:40:00.002-08:00

Okay, it's been kind of a long time and you probably know this already BUT there's this new screenshot of something we're working on for the upcoming stand-alone release of The Ball (and this particular scene even shows the part I'm working on at the moment):

I think it's not yet time to release too much information about this section but that might just follow soon :)

And btw - if you like The Ball, go vote for us here:

or here:

;)

Apart from that I've been working on some other stuff as well. For example there's a finished deathmatch map called DM-Phera (which I'm not sure to release as it is or keep for use with a future CBP...). I felt kinda nostalgic one day and thought it'd be cool to have a map that bears some resemblance to the original Unreal/Unreal Tournament. Very simple Morbias-like layout.

To take nostalgia even further I used Hourences' Unreal Sky for UT3 and since it still wasn't enough I recreated the Nali Healing Fruit from the original Unreal to replace the standard health pickup (custom model and uscript).

Also, here's a part of a Capture the Flag map called CTF-Ilya. Actually this is the background of the map which was the initial idea:

That's it for now. See you later! :)

-nelson

Update

2009-11-29T05:12:00.001-08:00

I finally felt like making a skin for the bird I showed somewhere below.
Low-poly? Yes. Very much so. But it's supposed to be low-poly, so...

Anyway, here it is:

The Ball and the Unreal Development Kit

2009-11-06T08:17:00.001-08:00

Alright, time for a new post.
Yesterday Epic Games surprised us all with the announcement of the Unreal Developer Kit. While that alone is already really awesome, I'm also incredibly proud to tell anyone who's reading this that along with the UDK there is also a real Demo version of The Ball now. So if you don't know it yet or want a playable sneak peek (TBS-Atica) at what's to come with our next release, Cahua, head over to this page and download it!

In other news - we also finally released an updated version of vol. 4 of the Community Pack 3! So while you're downloading a lot of Unreal Goodness why not download this version as well? After all, we've fixed a bunch of problems people have been pointing out and now these maps are even better than before :D

-nelson

A bird!

2009-09-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

Continuing my adventures with skeletal animation I have now made a bird for one or more of my upcoming maps. Pretty lowpoly and all that because it's just decoration, anyway. Check it out:

-nelson

Community Bonus Pack 3 Volume 4... Ver 2

2009-09-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately it seems there have been some problems with the recently released version of the CBP3 Volume 4. We have therefore decided to release a second version to patch as many of these bugs as possible. So stay tuned for version 2 which will be available really soon :)

-nelson

News!

2009-08-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so CBP3 V4 is really close now and, like I said in my last post, will include my maps DM-CBP3-Saip as well as CDOM-CBP3-Saip that uses a slightly changed layout.

I have been kind of quiet about this but I have also been working on something for the incredibly successful UT3 mod The Ball. If you haven't done so already, go download it! My contribution here is the survival map TBS-Teniza:

AND my map DM-CBP3-Cydian just got another honorable mention in the MSUC Phase 3 category Best Deathmatch or CTF map :D \o/

So, that's it for now.

-nelson

CBP3 volume 4!

2009-08-06T03:21:00.000-07:00

zOMG! Another new post and so soon after the last one?! You might ask yourself what the heck is going on.

Well, the CBP3 volume 4 is more or less around the corner. About 3 corners if 1 corner was 1 week, actually, but you get the idea.

Anyway, check out our announcement or just feast your eyes on my contribution:

It's called DM-CBP3-Saip (or DOM-CBP3-Saip for the domination version) and if you look close enough you can actually see that fish I posted a while ago because this is the map I was hinting at in the respective post :)

-nelson

Make something Unreal

2009-08-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

So the MSUC (Make Something Unreal Contest) wrapped up and I'm glad to report that my DM-CBP3-Cydian received an Honorable Mention in the Best Graphics in a Map category. I think that's pretty cool already even though it did not make it among the finalist entries. Who knows, maybe next time ;)

btw: you can check out the complete list of winners HERE.

-nelson

CBP3 v3 reviewed!

2009-07-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

So, a while ago Firefly reviewed Community Bonus Pack 3 Volume 3. Check it out here!

Shameless self-pimpage ahead: DM-CBP3-Cydian reviewed @ UTunlimited

So again: Thanks for the nice reviews, Firefly!

Also, you are officially allowed to look forward to some more news coming your way in the not too distant future via this blog since I have been kinda busy with 'Interesting Stuff'™ lately. So check back soon :)

-nelson

CBP3 V3 Released!

2009-06-02T02:59:00.000-07:00

So after a slight delay the Community Bonus Pack 3 Volume 3 (I just love that title :D ) has finally been released!

Screenshots(click for bigger versions):

See our RELEASE INFO HERE or head directly to the Download page!

Have fun everybody!

Finding Nem... nah, more like finding Harold!

2009-05-24T14:13:00.001-07:00

So! After wanting to do this for something close to forever I have finally taken some time this past weekend to have a closer look at skeletal animation... and wish I had done it ages ago :)

The first result of this closer look is this:

Granted, the animation is kinda choppy and it's not all that detailed and so on but I'm proud of it neverthess \o/

Who knows... you might just stumble across this guy in one of my maps in the not too distant future...?!

-nelson

CBP3 Vol. 3

2009-04-22T00:42:00.002-07:00

So as you may or may not know I'm currenty working on something to contribute to the 3rd volume of the Community Bonus Pack for Unreal Tournament 3.

And since the above link will redirect you direclty to the front page that at this very moment shows our alpha stage announcement I thought I'd just show some screenshots of what I'm working on. There's something else as well but I guess I'll save that one for the next post ;P

Enjoy!

DM-CBP3-Cydian:

i hereby declare this bazaar open...

2009-03-30T10:54:00.001-07:00

So... this is my very own blog then, huh?

In the future I will use this place to shamelessly show off my finished or w.i.p. maps for Unreal Tournament 3, other design-related stuff and maybe even to talk about things you should most definitely know about.

/first post