AUTHOR - NEWS

General news - Jobs Site Updated - Unreal Sky - Texture Package
March 12, 2008

 
General News
I arrived well in Sweden and I am settling in at my new job and in the country. I bought a house, well kind of, bostadsratt kind of house (go google that) but it is cool and more or less what I always wanted to have. Small town with not even 500 inhabitants and lots of large forests in the area. Also trying to get a grip on Swedish.
I like the space and serenity here. I come from a tiny country that has been almost entirely urbanized, so Sweden is definitely a change for me, but I love it so far.

I am onto this project. That's the only bit of info available right now.

Also, Starbreeze is especially looking for a Senior Texture Artist right now, so if you think you are up to it, feel free to apply!


I started a LinkedIn Group: Unreal Developers. It is aimed for all those who are, or who have been, professionally active with the Unreal Technology, with in particular those who started out in the Unreal Mod scene, and want to stay in touch with each other. So if you're a professional, feel free to join the group! The more the merrier.

Join the Unreal Developers Group


My level The Spire for Gears Of War didn't seem to run well for some, I've finally released a new version which seems to work well on all pc's. For those of you who still play GOW MP, go grab it here.



Jobs/Site Updates!
My job section has received a big workover thanks to the big help of Kiff who recoded some things. I believe that the job section really has more potential than what I was doing with it, so it has been extended and partially redone. It now features multiple ways to sort the jobs. There are categories now, such as an Unreal Engine category. And jobs can be automatically removed after half a year now. The report page has also been fixed and is fully operational now, and new jobs are now displayed at the top of every page of this website, and the splash page, so they will hopefully get more attention.

  • Aims to lists "all" the available Level and Environment Art/Design related jobs in Europe and North America
  • Lists only those jobs related to Level Design and Environment Art, such as Texture Artists, Object Modelers, Gameplay Scripters, Lighting Artists, and so on.
  • Jobs are listed for free.
  • Jobs are categorized into following categories: Unreal Engine, Freelance, Featured, and three difficulty levels to mark those jobs suitable for modders and graduates.
  • Jobs are automatically removed after around six months, or earlier on request.
  • Featured jobs are given to befriended companies, and those who report the job themselves.

    • The categories

    		An Unreal Engine job, or suspected Unreal Engine job.
    		A freelance job.
    		A job advertised by a recruiter.
    		A featured job.
    		Positions well suited for starters and modders.
    		Midlevel positions.
    		Positions for senior and lead developers.


    Tutorials

    One new one, no changes or additions besides.

    Photoshop Texture Tricks: Random Photoshop tricks, focused on texture creation.



    Unreal Sky for UT3

    I was playing through Operation Na Pali again the other day, and it struck me how awesome the Unreal skies and colors were, and how entirely different UT3 looks, so I decided to do something about it and see if I would be able to create a classic Unreal sky in UT3.


    I made the whole thing in just seven or so hours. All new art and high resolution textures.

    Two layers of clouds with another 6 layers of distortion behind. The whole thing is very dynamic. The stars only appear when the clouds open up for a few seconds.

    The sky is freely available as ready made package, so feel more than free to use my sky in your upcoming levels!




    Texture Pack
    I also created another texture pack! A simple one this time, tiling nature textures. It contains 55 textures, all 1024x1024 large (that is 512x512 extra sharpened for the UT version) and it is free for non commercial use as long as you credit me, and mention my site too.

    Unfortunately the pack is only available as a high quality jpg zip, or as a UT1 utx. I do not feel that it was worth converting it to UT2004 anymore, and converting it to UT3 is too complex and time consuming for such a small in between project like this. Feel free to convert it yourself though! You can email me screenshots if you made stuff with them.





    UnrealTournament 1 Pack - FileFront
    Unreal Tournament 1 Pack - FilePlanet
    High quality JPG zip - FileFront
    High quality JPG zip - FilePlanet
    JPG Zip - DeadMeatGF's server (Thanks)
    Unreal Tournament 1 Pack - DeadMeatGF's server (Thanks)

    Also note that I implemented the option to purchase a commercial license now. I don't intent to get rich on my textures, it is just for fun, but I also don't like the idea that others get paid for my work, so please, if you are working on a commercial project and use the textures, pay the license which costs 35 Euro and you can use any of the textures of any of my packs in any project your company will ever work on. The license is available here.
     

    HOLP Map Pack - Krodan on PS3 - Commercial Stuff - Tutorials - Nalicity
    January 16, 2008

     
    Tutorials
    I've added a bunch of new pages and tutorials to the site.

    Author FAQ: A page with some frequently asked questions, and answers, about me or other relevant subjects.
    Fog: An extensive look on fog in UE3. Distance fog, fog volumes, fog planes, animated fog, and so on.
    Foliage and Deco Layers: How to add Foliage and Deco Layers to a terrain in UE3, and the difference between the two.
    Decals: How to use the Decal Actor in UE3.
    The Final Touches: How to add a music track and a preview screenshot for the menu to your UT3 level, and how to configure the ini file, plus a sample readme file.
    Material Editor - Part 3: Added a piece on blending textures by using vertex colors plus randomizing the result by adding noise on top of the vertex colors.
    Material Editor - Triggering Materials: How to change a material in real time plus basic Instanced Material example.



    Commercial Stuff
    Like plenty of others, I quit my job on the "The Chronicles of Spellborn" project last summer. It was a difficult decision as I spend nearly three years on the project but it is definitely for the better like this. It was really time to move on to new challenges and projects, and further develop myself as a professional.
    Besides the Spellborn Project, I also spend the last 10 or so months working as a remote level designer for Webzen on the UE3 MMOFPS Huxley, for which I made about five or something CTF, DM, and similar, levels. Next to that I also did two short term contracts as tutor. I spend a week at the offices of Playlogic, and couple of days at the offices of VSTEP, to help both of them get up to speed with their new projects. Both of these Dutch studios are still looking for level designers and similar developers by the way, so if anyone happens to be looking for a job in The Netherlands...

    On february 1 I am starting as a Senior Level Designer at Starbreeze in Sweden, developer of The Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness, to work on the preproduction of a big new project. That means no more Unreal Engine for me, and relocating 1600 km up north. That also means that I am going to be completely unavailable to any questions or whatever in the next few weeks (leaving in three days...), and that you shouldn't expect any new levels or whatever of me for the time being. I will be back once I settled in, but I don't know in what way yet. The jobs section and all will be continued though.



    Krodan on PS3

    My level DM-Krodan was converted to Playstation 3 UT3 by Epic. It is my first ever custom level for a console, and for that matter, one of the first custom levels ever to be released on console, so that's pretty cool:)

    Download on Beyondunreal (PS3 version)
    Download on Beyondunreal (PC version)

    For instructions on how to install levels on PS3: read here



    HOLP Map Pack

    A few weeks ago some friends and I released the HOLP Map Pack.

  • 9 Levels in total, 5 CTF and 4 DM levels.
  • The focus is on great gameplay.
  • Hardcore oldskool (think UT1) levels with minimum clutter, maximum gameplay, and somewhat decent visuals.
  • Nearly all contributing level designers are professionally active within the games industry and all of them are European.
  • Involved were Hourences, Sefyra, h0ok, Sabrewulf, Sjosz, Hazel, Slainchild, Barballs.
  • Great perfomance.
  • Wide range of themes and colors.
  • No or limited bloom, depth of field, motion blur, normal maps, and so on.

    Download on Beyondunreal



    Nalicity

    • Nalicity now also supports UT3 and GOW levels so go upload your level! Nalicity is part of Beyondunreal, and Planetunreal aside, it is the oldest still running Unreal site on the net. Levels are mirrored for free to BU's quality filenetwork, and users can comment each other's levels.

    EDIT: Site is temporarily down due to the network wide problems BeyondUnreal are experiencing.

    Nalicity.Beyondunreal.com
     

    UT3 DM Krodan Released! - Low Poly Pack Announced.
    December 12, 2007

     
    DM KRODAN - UT3 RELEASED

    DM Krodan for UT3 has been released!

  • Absolutely zero BSP.
  • 99 percent custom content. Nearly everything was self designed, modeled, and textured except for some statues, spiderwebs, and the car.
  • Unlike UT3, It actually has color! :)
  • Two to six players...
  • It is not meant as a hardcore level. Focus is on the visuals and on enjoyable but casual play. The target audience are casual players, level designers, and graphic fanatics.
  • There are Note actors in the level with additional info for level designers

    • The Making of Krodan: A simple tutorial showing how the level was made.


    Download DM Krodan at BeyondUnreal Fileworks (Thanks BU!) - 44.2 MB







    Low Poly Pack

    As I do not entirely enjoy playing CTF in UT3, while it used to be my favorite gametype, I decided to actually do something about it, and create a level that goes back to the roots: a low poly hardcore UT 1'ish like CTF level. It appeared to be a cool idea as soon a couple of mapping friends joined me in my quest for cubes, which led to the creation of the very first map pack in UT3.

  • Seven or eight maps, two CTF maps of myself, 5 CTF levels, 2 or 3 DM.
  • All contributing mappers are professionally active within the industry.
  • Team consists of myself, Sjosz, Slainchild, Hazel, h00k, C4
  • Pure BSP power! Use of staticmeshes will be limited. All walls will be flat and simple.
  • Color!
  • Great performance.
  • No bloom, depth of field, motion blur, or any other next gen stuff.

    • Estimated release date is next week.

    See the thread on Beyondunreal for a couple of pictures.




    The Spire - Gears of War MP released! - UT3 DM Krodan Announced!
    December 5, 2007

     
    MP_SPIRE - GOW RELEASED

    The Spire is a medium sized Multiplayer level for Gears of War, set on a massive spire, in the middle of a sea of immulsion. A heli circles the estate. Both teams spawn in the gardens surrounding the house, and meet each other in the central hallway. Two stories are available for play.

    The level is actually just 95 percent finished, so there may be a few bugs left. I've decided to release it in an as-is state as the game itself does not fully support custom mapping IMO. I fail to realize why I should try to achieve perfection when the game itself doesn't try so either. GOW mapping seems to go along the same lines of Unreal 2 mapping. The tools are bugged, and few people actually try to do anything with them. Which is a shame, because I really love the gameplay and art styling of GOW.

    The level is also uncooked as it actually seemed to perform better this way for me.. Plus, cooking actually increased filesize by 500 percent or whatever...

    The entire level was made in just four to five days time, and was already finished the weekend after GOW was released. I had to hold it back to make room for the release of my latest book.

    So, enjoy!






    Download MP The Spire at BeyondUnreal Fileworks (Thanks BU!) - 15.3 MB




    DM KRODAN - UT3 ANNOUNCED

    And that wasn't all yet. I hereby also announce DM Krodan for UT3, to be released next week.

  • Absolutely zero BSP.
  • 99 percent custom content. Nearly everything was self designed, modeled, and textured except for some statues, spiderwebs, and the car.
  • Unlike UT3, It actually has color! :)
  • Two to six players...
  • It is not meant as a hardcore level. Focus is on the visuals and on enjoyable but casual play.








    • TUTORIALS

    New tutorials have been released!

    This week's additions:
  • Adding Water To A Level: How to add a body of swimmable water to a level.
  • Real Time Reflections And Cameras: How to create a real time reflection or camera.
  • The Foliage Volume: How to randomly scatter objects around.
  • The Making of Krodan: A simple tutorial showing the evolution of Krodan, an all custom content UT3 DM level.
  • The Making of The Spire : A simple tutorial showing the evolution of The Spire, a Gears Of War multiplayer level using stock content.


    • And be sure to notice the book I've released last week. See the news post right below this one!




    The Hows and Whys of the Games Industry Released! - New UE3 Tutorials!
    November 28, 2007

     
    THE HOWS AND WHYS OF THE GAMES INDUSTRY RELEASED!

    I have released my new book: The Hows and Whys of the Games Industry!


    Click to enlarge.


    About:
    • Intended for amateurs who wish to ‘break into' the games industry and who are looking for additional information. It's also for those who are yet undecided on whether or not to pursue a career in the games industry.
    • Aims to provide the reader with a honest and objective discourse about the games industry, its pros and cons, and why one would, or would not, want to be active within this industry.
    • Interviews with over twenty industry professionals on how they got in, what they like, and what they dislike about the games industry.
    • Attempts to provide the reader with answers to some of the most common questions beginners have; such as how much one can expect to earn, the best way to apply to a studio, and what to expect during a job interview. The book will provide the reader with plenty of tips about what to look for when searching for a job.
    • Illustrated with exclusive concept art by Romano Molenaar.

    Two example extracts are available.

  • The Pros And Cons
  • The Interview


    • Price:

  • PDF: 13.75€ / 19.50$ / 9.8£
  • Print: 20.95€ / 30$ / 15£


    Order:


         		PDF AND PRINTED EDITION - Order on Lulu.com, the publisher - Accepts Paypal/Creditcards/eCheck

    Buy Now
    		 PDF EDITION - Order on E-Junkie via Paypal - Accepts Paypal/Creditcards

    Buy Now
         		PDF EDITION - Order on E-Junkie via Google Checkout - Accepts Creditcards


    The book is shipped world wide and counts 236 pages.

    Because of my extensive experience with online communities and the modding scene, as well as with permanent on-site jobs and freelance offsite jobs, and having performed work in both small studios as large studios, nearby as well as far away, I believe I am able to present an accurate picture of the games industry and approach various subjects from a different and more community minded perspective than similar books.
    In the past eight years I have been highly active within the Unreal mod community, I won several prizes, and I pulled off a successful professional career as a Level Designer and Environment Artist, having worked for clients like Epic Games, Digital Extremes, Guerrilla Games, Webzen, Khaeon Games, Streamline Studios, Playlogic, Prophecy Games, and soon Starbreeze...

    More information about me and my qualifications can be found on my portfolio website.

    More information regarding the book can be found on the About, Content, and FAQ pages.




    UE3 TUTORIALS

    • New Unreal Engine 3 tutorials (GOW/UT3):

  • UE3 FAQ: Frequently asked questions regarding UE3 and developing for UT3 and GOW.
  • Terrain: How to create a Terrain in the engine, control the LOD'ing, paint materials, and bump up lighting quality.
  • Physics: How to apply physics to a model in UE3.

    • I also updated my Mover tutorial a little, and added small sections on how to lit up a mover, make a rotating mover, and how to attach a mover to another mover.

    Be sure to also check out my 15 or so other UE3 Tutorials!

    If you like my tutorials, support me by buying my newest book!



    OTHER

    My Gears of War level is pretty much finished but I am going to hold it of for a few more days, so it doesn't get in the way of the release of my book. I have had plenty of trouble with mapping for GOW though, so I can't say I am really pleased about the experience..
    I am also working on my UT3 DM level, Krodan, and I hope to have near final screenshots ready by the time I launch my GOW level. My 100 percent custom content UT3 level is 85 percent finished already and ended up looking more Unreal'ish than the whole of UT3 combined :)

    A couple of new jobs have recently also been added to my Jobs section, be sure to check them out if you're looking for a level design/artist job!




    New UE3 Tutorials - Example Chapters Released - Price Announced - Gears Of War Map
    November 13, 2007

    BOOK

    I have released two example extracts of my new and upcoming book: The Hows and Whys of the Games Industry.


    Click to enlarge.


  • The Pros And Cons: An example extract of my book "The Hows and Whys of the Games Industry".
  • The Interview: A lighting example extract from my book "The Hows and Whys of the Games Industry".



    • About:

  • Intended for amateurs who wish to ‘break into’ the games industry and who are looking for additional information. It’s also for those who are yet undecided on whether or not to pursue a career in the games industry.
  • Aims to provide the reader with a honest and objective discourse about the games industry, its pros and cons, and why one would, or would not, want to be active within this industry.
  • Interviews with over twenty industry professionals on how they got in, what they like, and what they dislike about the games industry.
  • Attempts to provide the reader with answers to some of the most common questions beginners have; such as how much one can expect to earn, the best way to apply to a studio, and what to expect during a job interview. The book will provide the reader with plenty of tips about what to look for when searching for a job.
  • Illustrated with exclusive concept art by Romano Molenaar.


    Price:
  • PDF: 13.75Euro/Roughly 19.25USD
  • Print: 20.95Euro/Roughly 29.30USD


    • 10 Euro cheaper than my first book for a thicker book! The book is ready to go on sale but I am going to hold it off until UT3 has been released. Wednesday the 28th is a possible release date for my book.


    More information regarding the book can be found on the About, Content, and FAQ pages.




    GEARS OF WAR MP MAP WIP

    I picked up GOW for pc and started on a multiplayer level. I've only managed to more or less finish the outside yet, the inside of the estate is still very much work in progress.

    What you see, is just two days of work. Note that the screenshots were taken inside UED.
    Pics removed - new ones in a later newspost
    I have to say that the GOW Ed is the most buggy UE3 build I have yet worked with though. I have crashed countless of times on really simple things like opening a package, it is not exactly a joy to work with the editor like this. At one point the editor even erased my level from the HD all by itself... Rather insane.



    TUTORIALS

    I also added more Unreal Engine 3 tutorials, to help everyone get up to speed in Gears Of War and UT3 modding.

    Changes and additions:

    Lightfunctions: Corrected two false statements, and added a section on how to make non tillable projections, a pulsing light animation, and a searchlight a la Unreal 1.
    Modeling for UE3 - Part1: Basic introduction on how to prepare and import a model to be imported in the editor, plus a collision overview, plus common problems, plus batch exporting.
    Modeling for UE3 - Part2: A more advanced look on modeling for UE3. Common questions, and an overview of all the things one must keep in mind to build optimized models for a next gen Unreal game.
    Sound in UE3: How to add sound to an environment, plus the use of the Sound Cue editor explained.




    JOBS

    And the Jobs section has also been touched up a little.

    Changes:

  • Now features a short list of the five most recent additions.
  • The jobs in the summary now act as hyperlinks to the job, making it easier to quickly read an ad.
  • A Report page has been added, allowing you to easily report any new jobs. Jobs can be reported by simply entering a URL with more information, and just sending it away.


    More news in two weeks! I intent to write more tutorials, launch my book, release the GOW map, announce and release a UT3 level (70 percent complete already), and other stuff.



    • New Site Launch - The Hows and Whys of the Games Industry Announced!
    October 16, 2007

    As you can see I've launched an entire new website to hold basically everything I do except my professional portfolio.

    Along with my new website, I hereby also announce my new book: The Hows and Whys of the Games Industry.


    Click to enlarge.

    This book is for those who are interested in the video game industry, but who are still undecided as to whether or not to pursue a game development career. It is also for those who have already made their decision but are looking for additional information and guidance before plunging in headfirst.
    The overall goal here, is to provide an objective and honest discourse on how the industry works as a whole; the general expectations within it, and discussion of its positive and negative aspects.
    A career in the games industry may sound nice, but is it really as good as it sounds? Is it actually what you – the reader – are looking for? It is your dream job? Are you a good fit for it?
    Beside the pros and cons, the book will also provide you with answers to some of the most common questions beginners have. For example, How much can one expect to earn? What’s the best way to apply to a position with a company? What can one expect during a job interview? Plenty of tips for what to look for when searching for a job will be provided.

    Just like my previous work, the book will be available as both a printed edition, and as a PDF. Publishing will be done via Lulu, although this time, the PDF will also be featured on E-Junkie; a popular e-commerce site. The book contains 236 pages, 10 concept art illustrations, and 23 interviews with industry professionals.
    I tried hard to lift this book to a much higher level than my first, and I am aiming for a higher quality standard and much larger audience with this new release: professional illustrations, improved proofreading, more effort towards the layout, and lower production costs which therefore means a lower price. I am also investigating whether or not it would be financially possible to get the book into the retail distribution system (read amazon and the like), but it's far from certain if I'll continue with that plan.

    The estimated release date is late November or early December, but sooner may be possible. Two free example extracts can be expected in a few weeks.



    Furthermore, this brand new website also features a good amount of other new content, such as:


  • New Unreal Engine 3 tutorials!

    • I rewrote large sections of the Material Editor tutorials, resorted them, and added part three!
    Material Editor - Part 1: Basic introduction to the new material editor plus examples on how to set up some of the most common materials.
    Material Editor - Part 2: More material examples, slightly more complex.
    Material Editor - Part 3: Complex material examples such as Cell Shading.

    And I added three entirely new tutorials.
    Material Editor - Expressions: A list of all available material expressions and their use, plus a short introduction on the math behind a material.
    Material Editor - In Depth - Water: Outdoor: Advanced material tutorial on how to create a large outdoor water surface.
    Material Editor - In Depth - Water: Indoor: Advanced material tutorial on how to create a small indoor water surface.


  • New section: Jobs!


    • As there seems to be a lack of websites that focus on Level Design jobs, I decided to create one myself. The job section only features jobs that are related to Level Design and Environment Art, both from small studios as from publishers and similar.
    The intention of this section is to simply report any jobs I either come across, or am notified about. I can't guarantee 24/7 coverage, but I will do my utmost to keep it as up-to-date as possible.

    If you'd like to report a job opening, feel free to contact me at jobs@Hourences.com.


  • Textures and News Moved

    • As you can see, I also moved my two most recent texture packs from Team Phalanx to this site, as well as the news section. More texture packs might follow in the relative near future, although nothing is certain yet. I recently returned from a few weeks of vacation in France and shot over a hundred photos of rocks and other natural surfaces.

    More news soon!