I want to start modeling the inside of the LA River Aqueducts as seen in these reference pics and videos (well just one).



The gameplay area will be the inside of the tunnels, the entrance of which is circled in red, but that outside area will only be viewable from inside the hole (which will be gated to prevent you from exiting the level). The area outside of the blue perimeter will not have to be modeled since you can't see it from the entrance. I'll try to keep the map as close to the real life thing as possible, which means that it will be dark (IRL it's pitch black but I'll leave just enough light to be able to see), there will be scary rumbling noises, and very close quarters action. I have personally gone inside these tunnels many many times and I feel that I know it well enough to really model everything to scale. If I DID model it to scale, you will probably have to be crouching for 95% of the map, although the other 5% are tunnels that have a high enough ceiling to stand (but are still only about 6 feet wide).



This is a view from the freeway facing towards the bridge (POV is behind the tunnel entrance)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZEe3Zd3dw

The tunnel entrance in the video is square, but the one I go to is rounded, although the same size. I'm 5 foot 8 and I have to tilt my head a bit to the side to fit inside.

Modeling the map should be a relatively simple task since the tunnels are literally varying tunnels made of squares and cylinders transitioning from one to another at periodic intervals.

To be honest, I don't even know why I posted, I'm not really asking for help, although I would like it if someone could give me some tips of how to handle the basic cylinder modeling, or something IDK.

Random facts:

I spent about an hour with google maps taking many close zooms of the streets and piecing them together in MSpaint.

There is no smell in the tunnels, they are completely separate from the sewer system and only receives water from street drains, although the air does get a tiny bit stale.

Since I go there often, there are no spiderwebs hanging from the top anymore (I cleared them all).

I see cockroaches/waterbugs/rats only when I go about a mile in, although I've only ever seen rats once in one of the piercing smaller side tunnels. (small enough that you can only fit an arm).

When I go in, I usually take my strongest flashlight with me and a friend.

I've taken a skateboard inside, and it is a RUSH!

No, I have not encountered any monsters, giant spiders or dead bodies... yet.

There is plenty of graffiti in the tunnels, but they thin out noticeably about a mile in.

The most people I've ever gone in with is 7, and the least is by myself.

Inside there are only two tunnels, it starts off as one, splits into two after half a mile and both continue on for a good while, and yes, I've gone through both, no way to get lost since it's easy to backtrack.

You can hear the cars rumbling from inside; the sounds come from the few manholes.

For the first 1\8th of a mile, you can hear the train passing on the overhead bridge.

There's only a thin trail of water about four inches wide.

When I go in, I take my Black sleeveless vest, a tight black shirt, my dark blue slim jeans, my black converse all stars (cause I make NO noise when I walk with those), Two Capri sun juice pouches and My black LED flashlight.

There is a point where the tunnel gets really steep, so steep that it's tough to walk up, although me and my friends turn that hill into a waterslide (think a McDonald's playhouse slide with water running through it, but twice as wide).
Edited by Jesse on Oct 16, 2011 at 02:28 AM
Edited by Jesse on Oct 16, 2011 at 02:43 AM

Good job on getting reference! People tend to overlook this or skip it entirely on this forum.

Reading your description I have two major concerns that would without a keep me wanting to play/look at your map. If this is being made for Halo there's no reason to have the player crouching the entire time and would greatly slow down gameplay for no reason. Use your reference to create something similar aesthetically that works with Halo, odds are the designers of these tunnels were designing the to be practical, not good for gunplay in Halo.

The second thing that worries me is the requirement for a flash light, you know what is dark? Really really bad art! The only time you should make something pitch black in a game is if you don't want it to be seen, otherwise you should have lighting. That doesn't mean that it needs to incredibly bright but don't lead the player into a maze of black corridors where they will end up lost.

Lost leads to Frustration leads to Quiting.

Perhaps I should make it so that you only have to crouch 5% of the time?
I was also thinking of adding many more tunnels than is in the real thing, but making them all distinctly different so that players do not get lost too easily. Since the outside is only viewable from the inside, the freeway does not need to be added in at all, only the immediately viewable objects such as the cement river bend and river itself, and possibly the middle of the bridge.

This video comes very close to relating the experience in the tunnels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afrWj0saOuc&feature=related

It really captures the echos and shows how little ahead you can see (I use powerful flashlights that light that place up though).
Edited by Jesse on Oct 16, 2011 at 02:18 AM

Your lucky voldemort and a couple of Nazi zombies didn't jump out and attack you

I went to the tunnel entrance and took many many pictures of the area. I even managed to piece together a bunch of pictures to make a panorama that can be turned into a cubemap maybe.


View of the inside:


Edited by Jesse on Oct 16, 2011 at 04:23 PM

This might help?
http://photosynth.net/

Hey if your worried about lighting, ive got a suggestion or 2.

Just use glowing algae/moss or somthing (a swomp environment would be cool)
then you could use aether for better lightmaps (dynamic lights & stuff in 3ds max)

Oh you'll definitely have to widen things out, you dont have to make it exactly like real life anyway.

hope that gives you some ideas.

later bro good luck.
Edited by xXThePlague1Xx on Oct 17, 2011 at 01:17 PM

Awesome. I'd grab a few spray cans and bomb the hell outta that place!