SpawnPoint

I am not, I repeat not a silly Muppet... Ok!!!

I am meh at the moment ((meh is ok) not in the best of moods). I have been cut down in hours at work, started to do more mapping, customization and Studio stuff and also I have started to help out with editors again. (Thankyou Alpha <3)

I have been a bit more strict on the servers recently, still within the rules, but with persisant troublemakers etc I am starting to be more stern. Many may have noticed I have been acting strange or silly recently on servers and on ventrillo etc. don't worry I am not going crazy, just the usual silly me!

Also I have been asked recently about how to map, what is mapping?

Well the easiest way to explain is to give you a link to the forums...

As always im more than happy to help with any questions and help and give advice.
http://www.spawnpoint.com/forums/game_mapping_customization_skinning/20431-customization_tutorials_index.html

Thats all I can muster up for now, not in the best of mood...

SmJeilicious signing out :)

Yes I blogged!

it may have been a few weeks. Well around 2 or so, and for some reason my previous blog did not get displayed on the forums etc. But ah well.

I just wanted to say thankyou to spawnpoint for the past few months. From Alpha to Raven and everyone in between, all the help advice and support they have given. I also want to thank the server support staff for the excelant work that they are doing with the new ************ahemm....

Also I wanted to say thanks for the opportunities with Administrating the UK servers. As I said in the applications, I may not be on every server 24/7 and I may not be as active on there as I am on LondonGG etc but I will hopefully help support the servers in running and keeping them trouble free when no one is around or anyone needs help.

I could go on but it would either sound to much like **s licking or like I am high. So I will leave that for now.
As for my activities with Mapping (Yes I am talking about that again). I have done zip! Nothing! Nada!
Thats right, I have done nothing, purely down to work and other commitments and also down to lazyness, as I have to be in the right mood to do so. But I can tell you what I have planned.

Well I have in the making a new Zombie mod map for Sp, a new Gungame map for sp and possibly another Gungame map but I will share the details when I get some good screenies and specifications. Also I want to say that I am currently making tutorials for all you budding mappers out there to help with everything from opening Source SDK to making your first map, and into a bit more advanced stuff.

A link can be found on my forums within the next week or so, so stay tuned for that.
I have also updated the London Gungame mirror to include some maps that have changed, and they can be found at
http://www.smje.co.uk/?page_id=24

I will leave this blog for now and hopefully will have more to report on the next blog, whenever that may be.

Bye for now!


(oh and the ***'s were put in by me and not moderated, that is unless more have been added or removed, in that case they might have been added by someone else but I am claiming them to be my own, which may be an offence but I will take the wrap for them either way)(Lol)

Ok I decided to post a new blog!  Woop! well I have nothing new to say. Other than I have less time, I have been given more hours, more pay, less sleep.

I have lapsed a bit in the map making and modding department. I also am on the lookout for new members for Copyright studios! so apply within. I am going to set myself a deadline for some of my maps so I can get them out of my way.

On the subject of the studio we have gained more places, which puts us at rank 38 now. This is a major improvement and is great!

I have also added a map mirror for Spawnpoint’s London Gungame server. This is for people who are having problems with missing maps etc. A link to the post can be found here: Post

Also I have made an effort to stay more active on and around the community in general, and it can only get worse as I have a bit more time.

To wrap up todays update I will leave you with some more screenshots of the newest map of mine, gg_uea_natural. A link to the download can be found here

 

Why are you here? Don't you know its rude to read other peoples diaries? Oh yeah stupid me!

11-02-08

This week saw the relaunch of my studio on fps banana.

We moved from our old and sometimes forgotten name of JS Productions to the new and slightly better (well I say slightly, lol) ©opyright Studios.

We have a new theme, a new style and a new attitude!

Here is our Biography;

©opyright Studios aims to create a high quality of maps, textures, models and prefabs for Counter Strike: Source and Half Life²

The main purpose of our studio is fun, enjoyment and thirdly detail. We are a dedicated team who are mapping for your benefit and enjoyment.

We are always looking for new people to join our ranks, whether you are new to a skill or have established yourself. So apply via our request page!


A link can be found >>HERE<<

Also I have been making some maps, and I have released some works in progress.

Maps:

gg_support which I made for Spawnpoint.com and I have had some positive feedback on it. I also hope to get it added to the lineup but I might be getting ahead of myself. A link can be found here: http://www.fpsbanana.com/maps/45969


Progress:

Well I have made numerous attempts to make another long awaited but forgotten map of mine. ge_dust_stg.

Here are some previews for all you junkies out there,

http://www.fpsbanana.com/studios/wips/view/16410

Also a spinoff from that map is, de_underground_complex. A map made entirely of one corridor at this stage, but its a good corridor!

http://www.fpsbanana.com/studios/wips/view/16409


Also I have been doing more work on bank (*sigh*)

http://www.fpsbanana.com/studios/wips/view/16116

That is all for now... enjoy!

I am in a place at the moment which is not happy nor is it sad. I suppose you could say I was in limbo, but I good kind of limbo. I am currently trying to save up for a holiday which means I cannot get my Nintendo Wii, which I was so looking forward to getting. But I suppose a holiday is better for me.

Also my 20th is coming close. I am not looking forward to it. I know that peoples 21'st is the milestone but I see every year as that. I know I am rambling on and on, but ah well its all for the best.?

Also I have recently been accpeted onto Spawnpoints Editors Staff which is a great opportunity and I thank the guys for all the support, and I wont let you down. I look forward to more work off alpha :P hehe

I am starting to progress with some of my maps. (*Yawn, is that all he talks about)(well yeah sometimes, especially when its in my head atm.)I will be doing more and making sure they look and play good. I also look forward to making more Spawnpoint maps for Spawnpoint, which will be unique and only available to play on Spawnpoint.(Well for a little while)

I have recently departed UEA formally RG and BoD after a year of good playing and stuff. I will miss you guys... I am currently not looking for any clan etc as I think ive had my fill for now. So no more people ask please, especially after being in 6 clans in the past 4 years. Of which I managed 4.

I will also try to update my website with info and help towards modding for css and general info about me and what I do here and there. But I will save that for another blog.

For now I will end this little mind wander and start to play css.

Continuing from the previos blog post I made about cs_bank I have some Works in progress screenshots and some previous versions of the map. I will be releasing this map as a Spawnpoint map and it will have the logo's and credits on there. I am also looking for beta testers, so please contact me if you are interested. Any help and tips are welcomed.

The current file info stands as this:

File Size: 18.1 MB (Fast Compile, Full compile data N/A)

Solids: 3283
Faces: 19900
Point Entities: 1602
Solid Entities: 292
Unique Textures: 216
Texture Memory: 135045120 bytes (131.88 Mb)
Direct Lights: Over 200
Decals: Over 1000
Entities: Over 300

Current Version: 0.78b

Other Versions: 0.53b
Download and info: http://www.fpsbanana.com/maps/24175

Breif Description about the map: The terrorists of an unknown group have captured employees at Royal Bank and are demanding a plane and £1,000,000 and a secure transport to the airport. However they seem to have been split up from each other and half are in the vault and the other half are at the rear of the building stuck as the exit has been blocked.

Your role as Terrorist: Try and stop the counter terrorists from gaining control of the situation, by using both locations to your advantage. Most of the ct's will be trying to get the hostages via the lobby, however you will need to keep a watch on the rear as some might decide to sneak up on you from that way.

Your role as a Counter Terrorist: You need to act fast and precise, most of the Terrorists are located in the vault which is secured by to main blast doors, but the t's have made a mistake by making a tunnel into the vault to steal the money they have left this entrance unguarded! Which means you will need to try and lure them out or the Hostages will be shot!

Features:  This map has three main areas which are inside the actual bank which consist of rooms and corridors and enclosed spaces. The second main area is outside in alleys and underground car park. The third main area is the bank vault and tunnel. This map also features vents and a tunnel. Also the Vault door is operated by a button and the main entrance to the Bank is accessed for the ct's via automatic doors.

Inspiration: Watching many films on Bank robberies and such I decided to make one of my own.

Completion: 85%
Start Date: 20/7/05
Release Date: T.B.A

Author: SmJe


Version 0.53b Screenshots:



Version 0.78b Screenshots:

Street level:



Offices:


Underground and Vault areas:


Lobby:


Alley:


Overviews:

That is the question. What am I talking about? Well I started making a little known map called cs_bank in 2005 or 2004 I can't remember now. But it is set in a bank as you can guess. So why am I talking about it? Well I havent finished it yet. Its 3 years in the making and its only about 70% complete. I have made so many changes to the layout, lighting, style and map theme its unbelieveable. I started off with one idea. To make a bank map that was as realistic as I could possibly make. But in my wisdom I went ahead and started making it without looking at any reference material and its kinda gone wrong but in a good way? Here is my first release... http://www.fpsbanana.com/maps/24175 and as you can see I had it pretty much done. Yes there were a few errors. I have fixed them now, but... I have decided to go ahead and add more. Here are the current Works in Progress... http://www.fpsbanana.com/studios/projects/view/1318 The map is progressing but at annnn extreeemelly sloooow rattte! Should I cut my losses and release now or just quit?? Thanks SmJe

Are customers getting stoopid?

I work in an electrical store as an administrator. This basically means doing everything from filing, to cashing up. (I wont bore you with the details).

Recently we have had a spate of thefts in the store which is really annoying but hey! it happens now and again everywhere you go. One such incident was where a guy was looking around tv's (btw I wasnt in work at this time). He looked dodgy to members of staff so they kept a close eye on him. Obviously not trying to look obvious. So one of my colleagues was following him from afar when he got interupted by another customer. Then once he had finished, he looked for the guy and.... where has he gone.?? Looking down isles he found the guy with his pants round his ankles trying to shove a dvd recorder down them. lol

What was he going to do ?? How the hell can you fit a dvd recorder which is very large and bulky, down your pants? Is he crazy? So the manager (well sales manager) who got told by a colleague who was observing told him and literally kicked the guy out.. He was limping across the car park witrh his pants round his ankles. Lol honestly fool!

Another incident was when 2 men walked into the store. The had entered the retail park together and then split up. After a few minutes one of them came into the store. A few seconds later his budy came in and the greeted each other like they had not met in ages. (Hmm somthing dodgy about that). So anyway a call was put over the tannoy to alert staf of these 2 guys. They were looking at everything. But eventually they came to mobile phones. (Or cell phones) and started to browse. One of them was pretending to listen to music on his mp3 and the other was showing keen interest in the expensive ones. Being in a glass secured cabinet with alarms, he had to ask for a sales assistant to help. Helping we managed to get the guy to decide on a phone, which was one of our most expensive ones and I got it from the secure lockup to be processed at the tills.

So I was processing the sale, and I asked. Do you need a memory card with the phone. (Before I ask for extended waranty lol). He replied this one has one with it doesnt it? I said nope. I then opened the box. and found that the phone didnt require one. So I said do you need one with a card slot? He said yes. So we chose another phone that did. and we processsed. He entered his card and immediatelly, it said Withold the card!
Stolen! I think so.

He then murmered to his friend. and said im gonna get in contact with my bank. They then walked out. I think that they were trying to get as much off the card as possible without making it look to suxxxxious. Thats why he also wanted a card.

I will continue with some more stupid ones when I am less tired.

I feel that having priorities in life and gaming is essential.

Like having priorities with the rest of life.

I have set some priorities in terms of my duties in and out of game. I have decided that Work comes first. After all this is what allows me to play, if I didnt have work then I wouldn't get paid and as a result I wouldn't have the internet to play on. Then I decided to make my admin a secondary priority, as this is what I do most of the time outside work and relaxation (chill out) time. Then thirdly is playing, which I would like to do more of and also enjoy more often as, more often or not this is interrupted by my admin duties, which is in turn interrupted by my work.

Apart from these I also need to keep in check my Studio on FPS Banana which has been in decline since I started to do more work and less admin and less play, which means I look after it less.

So I was wondering, Work, Admin, Play, studio... which comes first, which order? How much of each? and what should I be doing to make the most of each and make sure I am doing everything correctly. Because as it stands I do not want to give up any of the above, but I also don't have time (at the moment) to do everything.


Help!!!!

As an admin on London Gungame I feel that it is my responsibility to make sure that everyone is happy (sometimes crying with laughter).

I feel that I do this by making everyone welcome, by greeting everyone who joins the server, whether they are new or old (not in age). Or whether that is listening to them about something that may appear wrong or something they just have to say.

I have been an admin on the London Gungame now for close to 5 months and I have seen many players join, leave and stay. (Most of which are in my friends list). I try to make the server run smoothly, with my many binds..... (when I say many I mean about 20 or more, I havent counted recently).

I also like to make players laugh, enjoy themselves and make the server seem secure and watched. I do this by running a service called SOC or (SmJe on Call). By this I stay online in steam or in game and I allow anyone on my friends list to call me into the server to sort any problem from changing the map to observing someone who seems to be upto mischief. I usually come on strait away and as someone else. Regular members will know I am on even if I don't have my usual tag on as I use silly or weird names. This makes sure that they don't shout out 'Admins on the server'. etc.

Also I try and make sure that the maps that are played are rotated regularly. So if an automatic map vote appears and the map chosen has just been recently been played I will stop the vote and make a new one which makes the server run smoothly.


Erm......

lol

can't think of anything else at the moment as it is late and I have a major headache... sooo


SmJe

Is the average Texture map getting boring or is it me?

Same layout same looks, same same same... I thought I might change all this. Instead of having a map thats just a map, why not a texture map that Moves. The players start at opposite ends of the map and the center of the map moves either up down left or right. This will allow for multiple routes into and out of areas. This will stop camping and also make it much more fun and harder to play on.

If I make this map I will add the SP banner on it and also try to make it compatible with GG, de and cs map types.