I'm not alone with my opinion, that there is too less color in the map. Different people in our forum said the same
You need to final compile your map always before you release it, not matter if it's a beta or a final. The final compile will light your map and reduce the r_speeds (a little bit, your map isn't big, but very opened), if there are no warnings, errors, etc. while exporting. The reflective water raises up your r_speeds. It should be possible though. I think the bigger problem are the many and complex stalactites. BSP won't like those structures. Maybe there is a possibility to make them less complex or delete some of them without destroying the atmosphere. You can do this when you raise them up. Also make all of them
detail.
Some of the textures are very nice, other ones doesn't fit. I wondered why there are so much not used textures in the download, because it makes the file size higher. And almost every textur has the same dimension in lowres and highres. That couldn't be right. You should take a look at this. And here is an example for a textur you used and doesn't fit.
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Now the more detailed feedback for this map itself
Use the sun light keys for lighting. It should be enough. Maybe you need to add some more lights in the low area after doing this. Something like the default settings could be ok.
_sun_light 250_sun_angle 85 -38_sun_ambient 30_sun_diffuse 60Very important is also the
angle key for the spawnpoints. Use them always to set the direction the players look at.
I really like the idea with the foodsteps. I looks very nice in my opinion.
And here are some screenshots of the map. It's the most easy way to explain things with the help of screenshots
Most things you have to do on the other side too. Useless to make two or four screenshots with the nearly the same.
Put this platform a little bit lower. It will look better and maybe save a few r_speeds too. And use an origin brush to set the mid of the platform. At the moment it wobbles
Rotate some of this faces by 90 degrees. Align the texture on all of this transparent things
Did you rotate the barrels a little bit? Looking weird. Turn it back, that they look like the barrels low mid.
Uff... Make this plank more thick, that it's more realistic.
This brush looks out of place. I would try to find a better (box-?)textur.
Two texture bugs. Should be easy to fix.
Try to avoid those holes for the r_speeds and lighting. Just raise up the ramp a few units.
The same like the first screenshot of the map itself, rotate some faces.
Put the texture up or down a little bit. The dark lines should help you to align those barrels. It should look like the textur
I don't understand this place. Does the texture look horrible here or is it a horrible brushwork? Btw. there are two different textures... Maybe you destroyed the brush with the circled hole. But it shouldn't be more than 4 brushes + the hole and the corners around the hole. Here a fast made example with paint
The green areas are only one brush. Just the red area are lots of small brushes.
Putting a hint brush in this hole could save the r_speeds in some places a little, little bit, because the hole is very thick. It's done in a few seconds. The hint brush should fit the sides low and high (the red lines).
Here is a glitch. This could be happened because of the complex stalactites. Maybe
detailing them or running the final compile can fix it. If not, try to move the stalactites in this area a few units.
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I hope that I didn't forget anything. All things I didn't mention are good/nice/ok for a first beta
Keep on working...
