							DM-Crash_Readme


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Legal Stuff

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Unreal Tournament 3 is copyright of Epic Games.

Epic Games and Paul Fahss are recognised as the author of the original map from Unreal Tournament 2004, DM-1on1-Crash.

G. N. "Snorkelbottom" Singleton and Epic Games are recognised as the authors of this map, DM-Crash, and the contents herein, respectively. 

This Map and its contents are copyright 2010, G. N. "Snorkelbottom" Singleton and Epic Games.

Authors MAY NOT use this map or the contents contained herein as a base to build additional levels without explicit permission from the original author(s).

ANY bug fixes, fixes, changes, and tweaks may only be implemented by the author(s). No other person or party is allowed to release a modified version of the maps contained herein without the author's permission.

You MAY NOT charge any money for this map or the content contained herein or any of its embedded content.

You MAY distribute this map and the contents contained herein through any electronic media (internet (web/ftp), FIDO, local BBS, Magazine coverdisk etc.), provided you include this file.

All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.


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Automatic Installation

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You MUST own a legal copy of Unreal Tournament 3 for the PC, updated to Patch 2.1, to play this map.

Unzip the archive "DM-Crash.rar" to your desktop.

The contents of "DM-Crash.rar" are:
	DM-Crash.ut3.....................................Map File
	DM-Crash_LOC_int.upk.............................Localisation File
	DM-Crash.ini.....................................Settings File
	DM-Crash_Readme.txt..............................This File
	& 3 Screenshots

Extract the first three files from this archive as listed above and place them into the following directory - My Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Published\CookedPC\CustomMaps. 

To play this map simply run Unreal Tournament 3 and select "Crash" in a multiplayer and/or instant action Duel, Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch game.

Note: The three screenshots included with this map are of the same locations shown for the original map in Unreal Tournament 2004's menu.


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Hello There

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Let me introduce myself and my brief history so far in making maps for UT3. I am Snorkelbottom, the fragging elf (real, boring name - G. N. Singleton). I have been a fan of the Unreal series since it first appeared back in 1998, but it wasn't until the release of Unreal Tournament 3: Collectors Edition, that I was actually able to use the editor. After perusing the awesome 3D Buzz video tutorials and researching the do's and don'ts of map design on the net I was finally ready to make my first map for Unreal Tournament 3.

I decided to remake a classic, but overlooked map from Unreal and Unreal Tournament - DM-HealPod as my first map. This classic Deathmatch map first appeared in the "Botmatch" mode of Unreal and then returned in the add-on pack turned full release; Unreal Tournament. Since then the map has never been remade by Epic Games for any UT game (although it was remade for UT2003/4 by fellow modder legacy-Teddie). Because this map is often revered with classic status (along with other maps such as Morbias, Facing Worlds, Pressure and Morpheus) and because it seems that no one wanted to remake it for Unreal Tournament 3 I decided to remake it.

Then, after a period away from the UT3 editor, I remade the Unreal Tournament 2004 Capture The Flag classic CTF-1on1-Joust, renaming it Tokaido Gardens. I made this map over the course of five days, purely to re-acquaint myself with the editor. Please feel free to download either or both of these maps, if you have not already done so (threads with download links can be found at utforums.epicgames.com). 


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Preparation

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With Unreal Tournament 3 Epic Games wanted the franchise to return to its roots, with heavier gravity, beefier weapons and grittier graphics. Epics Games also wanted Unreal Tournament 3 to have a much more cohesive art style, with much more continuity between levels, so that these levels appeared to exist within the same universe. This was achieved through the games packages (ASC-Izanagi, LT-Liandri, HU-Axon, NEC-Necris and KRA-Krall) and the repeated use of the assets contained therein. Therefore I took a professional approach and painstakingly studied Unreal Tournament 3 stock maps such as Strident, Containment and Deimos to ensure that this map, DM-Crash2, fitted in with Epic Games' vision for Unreal Tournament 3 and so that it would sit seamlessly alongside the maps included within UT3. I feel that if I am going to make UT3 maps, I might as well do them properly. 


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Design Approach

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I decided after cutting my teeth with my first two maps (DM-HealPod3 & CTF-TokaidoGardensJoust) that I wanted to remake an small overlooked Duel map from UT2004, using the LT theme - Crash. After looking over the maps original menu description (which hints at a still, melancholy atmosphere), I decided to make the map feel void of life, akin to the atmosphere one would find in a graveyard or tomb. 


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DM-Crash - My First LT Themed Map.

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"A young couple built this automated complex to extend their mortality and their deep love for one another. After twenty years in stasis the man awoke to find that only the frail bones of his wife remained. Griefstricken he punished himself, re-programming the facilities maintenance droids as his tormentors; fighting his own tournament, hoping to seek redemption from his fallen love. The fate of the heartbroken man is unknown, yet a dense mist of sorrow and faint screams of agony still haunt these rooms..."

Gametypes - Duel, Deathmatch & Team Deathmatch
Recommended Player Count - 2 to 6
Map Size - Small
Main Visual Themes - LT


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Beta 0.1 Changes

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Aside from some geometeric changes, most of which should not be immediately noticable, I have made some minor changes to the map after playing the original map, DM-1on1-Crash.

1. The first change to the map is the inclusion of all three pieces of Armour. The Vest replaces the Adrenaline pick-ups connecting the Bio-Rifle room to the Link Gun Room, the Thigh Pads replace the Shield Charger in the Link Gun room, and the Helmet replaces the Adrenaline pick-ups in the Flak Cannon room.

2. Another small change to the map is that the placements of the Shock Rifle and Rocket Launcher have been swapped. The Rocket Launcher is considered the be the most prized of all the main weapons, yet in the original map it was too easily obtained, whereas the Shock Rifle was stashed away in a high risk room. Swapping these two weapons placements should balance the flow of the map.

3. A very small change is the re-arranging of two Health Vials. In the original map there were two clusters of three Health vials (Flak Cannon Room - Back Room & Stinger Room - Link Gun Room), a Health Vial has been moved from both of these clusters and are now found in the doorway connecting the Stinger room to the Back room (originally occupied by a few Adrenaline pick-ups).

4. Each weapon now has three ammunition pick-ups. Most of these are found in or near to their original location, however the Shock Rifle ammunition pick-up from the Back room has now been moved into the UDamage room.

Although this map has no extensive changes I have added a few atmospheric elements to the map to enhance the tomb-like atmosphere I wanted within the map.

1. There are 14 player starts present within the map. Two of these are infront of the stasis pods found in the back room, whereas the other 12 are situated near the maintenance droids found scattered throughout the map.

2. The lights inside the closed stasis pod are a deep red to suggest the presence of blood inside, this being the pod in which the mans wife perished.


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Final Version Changes

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This is a comprehensive list of the changes that have been implemented to the map for the final release to address issues found in the Beta 0.1 release. Thanks to Bl!tz~, HugoMarques, and Thrallala for testing this map and for your invaluable input.

1. Map has been renamed DM-Crash.

2. Player count is 2-6 players, I have not included the 1on1 prefix from the original map as beta testing has proved that this map is more suitable as a FFA (Free For All) and TDM (Team DeathMatch) level.

3. Optimization - Cull distances, detail settings, Lighting settings, backfacing materials & surfaces and improved asset instancing to help increase frame rates.

4. Improved blocking volume pass and collision settings for 'troublesome' static meshes.

5. Scaling and rearranging of certain assets and inclusion/removal of assets to improve atmosphere, increase general gloss of the level and emphasize the cold nature of the level. This has further been emphasized by including low lying fog and by giving the maps Post Process effect a blue hint. 

6. Inclusion of the dead wifes tomb beneath the UDamage, as per HugoMarques suggestion, to further emphasize the lifeless, tomb-like atmosphere of the map. Floor grating and extra meshing underneath within the Link Gun, Bio-Rifle and Flak Cannon rooms have been included to break up the monotomy of the floor materials within these rooms.

7. Originally One of the droids was exceptionally clean compared to its comrades, and this droid would whisper at random moments. HugoMarques suggested allocating a Droid at random at the beginning of every match within the level. However, the Kismet sequence would have been too long for what was just a random gimmick to the map. Now the whisper occurs throughout the map at certain locations (as suggested to in the maps description), The volume being louder the closer it is to the wifes tomb. 

8. In an attempt to imptove performance the three lifts within the map are now lighted via Light Environments, many thanks to M^vL for his guidance in this respect.

After releasing the final some issues that had evaded notice were have been implemented in this the "FIXED" final version of the map.

1. Blocking volumes added around the two stasis pods (thanks Horror).

2. Collision on walkway trims changed to "BlockWeapons" (thanks Zerglings).

3. All fog has been lowered by 8 units (thanks Hugo).

4. Added 2 more PlayerStarts (bringng the total up to the recommended 16).


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Final Word & Acknowledgements

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This map took only 1.5 weeks to make for the Beta release. I started work on the map in September 2010, with the map completed in early october 2010. The final took another 4 weeks due to extensive beta testing before being finished in early November 2010. The "FIXED" final was completed in late 2011.


If you haven't done so already, try out my map and have fun. I hope you enjoy playing this map as much as I enjoyed making it (well, I did... most of the time). If you do enjoy this map let me know on the DM-Crash thread on the UT forums at UTForums.EpicGames.com. If there is plenty of positive feedback and enough demand, I will continue to release other maps in the near future.


Last, but not least, special Thanks go out to...


The Guys at Epic Games for making Unreal Tournament 3.

Paul Fahss, for his work on the original map - DM-1on1-Crash.

Everyone on the Epic Games forums, especially Bl!tz~, bn_avit, Shade Mistress, sneh, zunnie, Hugo Marques and M^vL. Thanks to all for their help and support.

3DBuzz for their invaluable guidance and video tutorials.

UDN (especially Dave Ewing and Richard Nalezynski) for their guidance and advice.

Sjoerd "Hourences" De Jong for his guidance.

The guys at icecreamyou.com for their guidance.

The guys at fraghouse.beyondunreal.com. for their guidance.

James Perry for his playtesting and invaluable feedback.


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...Until next time...