barney (aka n@rby)

interview: barney (aka n@rby)
author: Half-Pint date: february 7th, 2002 print: printable b&w version feedback: 41 comments

Barney has created several popular official CS maps including de_aztec and de_inferno as well as maps for CPL tournaments. Recently Barney got hosted right here at CS-Nation and begun work on a new CS 1.4 map after having just finished Condition Zero work. In case you don't know, narby and Barney are the same creature.

Barney's New Map
CS-Nation: What's your new map about?
Barney: The map is set in a de-commissioned ex cold war soviet arms store. The plot is basically Terrorist have seized 2 nuclear warheads from a 3rd world nuclear power and set them up within the complex with the intent of detonating them and causing instability within the super-powers

CS-Nation: What theme does this map use? What scenario is it?
Barney: The map is de (bomb) and is very close quarter style combat. Fast paced and slightly paranoid :)

CS-Nation: Tell us what makes this map different from your other classics, like de_aztec and de_inferno?
Barney: Its a more believable setting for one, and lacks incredibly bright lights. It's also designed more for non scoped rifles, though I'm sure people will find
uses for the awp.

CS-Nation: The first versions of all your maps seem to get fine-tuned in subsequent releases of Counter-Strike. What are you doing to make sure your latest map is great right off the bat?
Barney: LOTS of playtesting. Then more. Then some more. Then I realize I've forgotten to send cliffe a vital update and swear repeatedly.

CS-Nation: Are you using new mapping or lighting techniques? How will you make your map look good under the aging Half-Life engine?
Barney: The map is very light orientated, lots of mixtures of lighting styles, spotlights, daylight, shadows and glows. I'm using slightly larger scale textures than I normally use, 256x256 (rather than 128x128) for the most part, walls and floors for example. This gives greater texture detail and a smoother appearance

About Barney's World
CS-Nation: Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Barney: My names Chris Auty, I'm 19 and am living in North England.

CS-Nation: So what is the goal of Barney's World?
Barney: I just wanted a place i could upload images, release maps and have a general center point for my work, rizzuh was kind enough to make it and hosted it on csn (thx rish~).

CS-Nation: Any particular reason you ended up on CS-Nation?
Barney: Well rizzuh wrote the code for the site, so he suggested we host it on csn since at the time they were looking for subsites to go with the new csn image.

CS-Nation: What kind of new content can we expect to see in the coming months on "Barney's World"?
Barney: I'd like to add some new maps, and add some custom maps for download. More tutorials, more links and generally pad the site out some more

What's your favorite recent narby creation?
	de_aztec
	de_inferno
	de_vertigo
	cs_thunder
	the CAL maps

About Mapping in General
CS-Nation: What gives you your mapping inspirations?
Barney: TV, movies, the real world. Anything and everything

CS-Nation: What's your favorite part to work on?
Barney: The first room, because it usually decides whether the map will be good or not. You get the feel for it early on

CS-Nation: Have you ever killed a project after only making one room (even if it had a good idea)?
Barney: Yes many times, I've made entire maps and scrapped them

CS-Nation: Is there anything in worldcraft/map making that drives you nuts and wish wasn't there?
Barney: Invalid solid structures, forgetting to de-select "make cylinder", stuff like that.

CS-Nation: When you make your maps do you do your own texture work?
Barney: nope, I'm possibly the worst texture artist in the world since the blind man with no arms managed to install photoshop.
CS-Nation: So do you grab them from the web or enlist the help of others?
Barney: Usually i work with a texture artist, depends if they can put up with me requesting endless changes to textures

workin' with narby CS-Nation recently sat down with MikeZilla, a texture artist at Gearbox who has worked with Barney in person and online. CS-Nation: What maps have you helped Barney out with? MikeZilla: A failed london one, a failed aztec retexture, a bit of help on the inferno retexture. I worked extensively in person on the condition zero maps with Barney. CS-Nation: Do you think a map can be good without a nice texture job? MikeZilla: Well, if the map is fun enough it can get a nice following. Like assault is still very popular, although if that map was released today people would rip it up for being so ugly... I think now a days a map has to look good as well as play good. CS-Nation: You worked extensively with narby for Condition Zero. What did you guys learn from eachother? MikeZilla: I learned why not to talk with my mouth full at a bennigans... and narby learned not to sit across from me... No, I definitely learned a lot about mapping from auty.

CS-Nation: Why did you change the design of the last version of DE_INFERNO? Do you think the change was good now that people have had a chance to play it?
Barney: It was changed purely for league play, i work closely with the CPL in making my cs league friendly and as balanced as possible, those changes reflect that

CS-Nation: Most of your maps have been of the DE variety, any particular reason?
Barney: Again for reasons of league play, that and de maps are generally more popular. I'd like to work on some more hostage maps in the future though.

CS-Nation: What's your take on the AS style of play as far as map making goes?
Barney: I'm not really very interested in making AS maps, i find them pretty linear

Working at Gearbox
CS-Nation: So how did you end up working with Gearbox on Condition Zero?
Barney: Back in June, Stephen Palmer posted on the cs mapping forums that gearbox was looking for some level designers to work on condition zero, i applied and by coincidence they had emailed me the same day. I flew out to TX to discuss things and i started work on the project back in England

CS-Nation: What did you contribute to the CZ project?
Barney: I worked on Trailerpark and Stadium as well as playtesting

CS-Nation: How much time have you been directing to CZ, has it turned into a full time job at this point?
Barney: I've been working on the project for the last 6 months, flying back and fourth occasionally for meetings etc. Shortly before Christmas they made me a full time offer which i accepted.

CS-Nation: Describe for us your maps you made for CZ (if you can)?
Barney: other than the names and screenshots that have been released, i cant really comment :) You'll have to wait and see.

CS-Nation: What kinds of new features can people expect to see in Condition Zero maps that they couldn't have in CS?
Barney: You can expect a whole series of new weapons and gameplay, lots of visual enhancements, weather audio and effects. Some really cool stuff has been done to the engine that will update cs and halflife to a new level

new to mapping? We asked narby for some advice on how to get started in mapping Barney: I posted a starter guide on my site in the news a little while ago, I will make it into a faq for those who want to get started in mapping. You can get my video tutorials from the media page. The best site for getting off the ground is the Valve ERC. Here's a little step by step: » Get Worldcraft 3.3 and the CS .fgd. » Read the tutorial on setting it up. » Make your first room! » Now you're rolling, read the tutorials @ countermap and valve-erc » Finally, you're going to need to compile so read this tutorial.

CS-Nation: Do you think you will include any of the advanced weather effects on your classic CS maps, for example: Rain on Aztec?
Barney: Maybe, we'll see how things go

CS-Nation: So from playing CZ so far do you think people will still play classic CS?
Barney: Well a lot of the stuff in cz will be patched to cs, so i guess they'll become the same game

CS-Nation: Do you have a favorite new weapon in CZ?
Barney: The LAW. Oh yes. The LAW.

Barney @ The CPL
CS-Nation: Was making maps for the CPL your idea or their's?
Barney: I made some contest maps for domain of games, a server network run by Frank Nuccio (of CPL fame) we discussed making a few maps for the contests that would be balanced for both teams, and eventually they got used fro the cpl after a lot of testing and tweaking
Barney: No one persons idea, they just sort of "came about"

CS-Nation: Do you think the attempts at balance worked for your two maps CLAN1_MILL and CLAN2_FIRE?
Barney: We tested them with top clans for weeks. They ended up being very balanced, yes.

CS-Nation: Are you planning any revisions to your CPL maps? Do you think anything should be changed?
Barney: Only bug fixes, they're pretty solid right now.

CS-Nation: Do you plan to do any additional mapping for the CPL?
Barney: I'd like to, i can certainly see a future for it

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» Barney's World
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