I'm having several problems here, and I have some screenshots so you can see.

1: Some of my frame models (the ones they use in PTI) are looking very black compared to the ones next to them.

1. I think we can all agree that my ceiling destruction in this screenshot looks very ugly. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also the env_projectedtexture I have up there doesn't seem to be doing anything at all, even when I have disable shadows set to Yes on all of the truss props and square beams.

2. The whole chamber has a very gloomy feeling, even when I'm using standard Wheatley test chamber light colors. And while you can tell it's a Wheatley chamber by the music and the monitors, it doesn't really feel like one. It's funny because while I'm keeping ALL the observation rooms in their original places in Height PLUS much more lighting, it still feels dark.

Add me on steam if you need more help with this. You can get an effect like this: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e9aeaqty1j3hf ... _00006.jpg

What you'll want is:
-Greater FOV
-Greater Brightness Scale (try 10)
-Lesser NearZ

Try to eliminate those 'soft edges', if you can. Also, make sure you look at your map on final compile before making drastic changes. It could just be a matter of fast VRAD.

1. Prop_statics are sensitive to the surrounding stuff when it comes to gather lighting, overall if placed in corners like in your pic. You can correct the lighting they receive using a info_lighting entity; name it and use its name into the prop_static's property "Lighting Origin". Indeed if you look into a PTI map you'll see that VALVe does exactly this: place the info_lighting right in the center of the square that those frames make and use the same lighting origin for all those prop_statics that compose the frame.

2. About a destroyed ceiling for a Wheatley themed map I'd suggest you:

3. Open it. Use a skybox above, the sky_fog is fine from the defaults.

4. Try to make the hole bigger, and the distance from the chamber's tiles to the skybox brush bigger.
5. Don't make those side walls for the hole: imagine the ceiling tiles are supported by the squarebeams and then cables, truss profiles and other metal props, and make the sides be hollow as well so that the player can see that the surrounding tiles are suspended in midair as well as those center tiles.
6. Give some kind of "meaning" to the hole, put a door in one of the walls up there for example and use a catwalk, or use vactubes, they look really great in Wheatley's maps Make the vactubes be the ones that actually break the ceiling for example and make them enter into the chamber coming from the upper area...
7. Use more texture variation, and try to use more "ceiling" tiles instead of those ones that are intended for walls

8. If you use a skybox eventually, use the light_environment entity to give your map the Wheatley mood; altogether with a good fog, they will give the map the correct feeling

9. Try the global_ents instance and use one of these environments for example:

10. environment_wheatley_z

11. environment_bottomless_pit
12. environment_tuberide

Good luck

@josepezdj: I'm using the tools black texture as a "skybox" because it looks better and Valve used it in their maps, so would a light_environment entity still work with this? I am using fog already though and I think that's what's making it feel dark, so I'll change it.

Dr.Toaster Waffles wrote:
I'm using the tools black texture as a "skybox" because it looks better and Valve used it in their maps, so would a light_environment entity still work with this?

No. The light_environment projects light "through" the toolsskybox texture, so I'd suggest you to use it instead of the toolssblack texture. Besides, I do think that the sky_fog skybox would look better for your kind of map.

And finally, the toolsblack texture doesn't allow fog on it, at least I hope you're using the toolsblack_skybox texture instead, that does allow fog.

I insist in the skybox approach, because it offers more options to setup your lighting

About those 2 new pictures, are you sure that you are compiling lighting? to me, the only lighting there seems to be coming from the env_projectedtexture (dynamic) from the observation room, and from the "selfillum" "1" of the strip lights models. Can you make sure that you have the VRAD option checked in your compile? there doesn't seem to be static lighting there.

Lastly, yes, I am compiling lighting. I have my static lighting set so low that you can't see them. I'm about to recompile now with brighter lighting.

Dr.Toaster Waffles wrote:
Alright, I will use a skybox. I'm not familiar with the light_environment entity, can it be placed anywhere in the map?

Yes