gm_construct is a map every Garry's
Mod player is familiar with. Even if you just bought the game to try out
all the wacky multiplayer servers with your friends, it's more likely than not you
launched into this map at least once. This map is THE sandbox to get your bearings as
a new player. You spawn in and directly in front of you is a wide open space, just begging
to be used as a canvas for your creativity. For those not familiar with Garry's Mod, there's
no objective or goal in a vanilla server. You're just put into a map and given a menu to
spawn models, characters, vehicles, whatever. Maybe you build a little scene, maybe you spawn
in 3 dozen zombies and run around shooting them, or maybe you spawn in as many bouncy balls as
you can. The only limit is your imagination. What I particularly like about gm_construct, is
that it's not JUST an open space. There's a ton of little areas and buildings to inspire you.
Back in 2010, when I first got into the game, I remember spending a ton of time decorating
areas like they were an office or a bedroom. I'd set up chokepoints as if
it were a zombie defense map. gm_construct was a map I became intimately
familiar with. I didn't mess around with roleplay servers or prison escape servers. I just
hung out in these empty maps and built things. I feel like I can't talk about
Construct and garry's mod maps as a whole without bringing up
the unsettlingness of them... is that a word? Whatever, you know what I mean.
I know this aspect of gmod maps have been talked about a LOT on YouTube, so I won't spend too
much time on it, but it is worth bringing up. There's this sense of... unease when
playing Garry's Mod maps by yourself. In the case of gm_construct, just the setting
is weird. There's all these completely empty apartment buildings. What looks like a warehouse
of some sort. Inside of that you have this pure white room as well as one that's pitch black. It
feels unfinished. I'm not saying that to disparage the developer or anything, I'm thinking about
this as a real place, in-world. It's like they constructed the outsides of these buildings
but forgot to do anything with the interior. There's this imposing building that looks like
it could house a ton of people, but... it's completely hollow. It's an imitation of something
we see in everyday life, ever so slightly off. Construct seems like a pretty simple
map, but there's a lot of covert spots. This is a place I'd never think to go when messing
around in this map by myself. Or you could sneak up to the top floor of this apartment building.
And there's a ton of balconies on all the others. You could tell someone you hid this watermelon
somewhere and they'd have a hard time finding it. And of course, there's a cute
little credits room tucked away. (Interlude) This is not the gm_construct I
played back in the day though. It's been updated over the years, adding
various buildings and expanding the playspace. Fortunately, the titular Garry,
has uploaded all the older versions to the Steam Workshop so we can
explore them in the current year. gm_construct_3 is the oldest version available.
It's crazy how simple of a map this is, yet it still feels connected to the modern
version of the map. I think it's the textures, along with the mixing of the stone path and
grass, that give this a "construct" feel. It's so functional and plain. At
this point in the game's life, I'm sure the developers were more focused
on getting the core systems down rather than making their one map look nice. Which is
fine, they had plenty of years to iterate. gm_construct_6 is where the map starts to better
resemble the one we're familiar with today. The pool over here, the garage... thing.
These elevated stone paths were a cornerstone of constructs throughout the years, only
to be mostly absent in the new version. Slowly, Construct is starting to look less like a map to debug the game and more like a
map that was intentionally designed. construct_10 is the one I spend the most time with
as a kid. It's interesting that at some point, whoever was greenlighting these map changes, was
happy with this layout and decided to just add on to it for later versions. Which I respect. You
spawn in after starting a new server, and you're given this view. It's simple, but iconic. And
while the view from the newer map is definitely different, there are some similar elements.
The stone and grass, blue sky, buildings in the distance. gm_construct has changed throughout the
years, but in a lot of ways, it's stayed the same. (Interlude) Allow me to take you on a
journey towards the uncanny, as we look at maps INSPIRED by gm_construct. Bizarre view, right? This is
gm_construct_redesign. There's so many recognizable aspects to this map, but it's
so different. There's this new stone structure, some steps, a BUNCH of shipping containers, as well as this uhh... passage that
leads into some spooky tunnels. It's gm_construct from a parallel universe. It's weird to think that the official additions to
gm_construct seem so normal to me. Like of course they added a few more buildings and another level.
It's easy to imagine that parallel universe where this is the official redesign. All the shipping
containers and dark tunnels would just be normal. gm_megastruct, maybe not so much. I can't
imagine this type of redesign ever replacing the original. Look at all this space. For as
big as construct has gotten over the years, they've shown SOME restraint in
not tripling the size of the map. And some of the design decisions are
bizarre. You get in close to these buildings and they have such weird shapes.
I saw this odd pattern and I didn't even know what to say. I've sat here for like
5 minutes and I still don't know what to take from these parts of the building
sticking out. It makes me uncomfortable. Okay, I'm pulling out the big guns now. gm_genesis. This is barely even
construct anymore. And yes, I know I'm missing textures.
I could try and fix it, but seeing this pattern in the map is a part
of the Garry's Mod experience. Deal with it. What all does this map have? A strip for drag
racing. Some complex, for roleplaying servers I assume. A giant platform that rises up at the push
of a button. Winding tunnels. Oh, and of course, a MASSIVE underground race track. As well as
probably a dozen other areas I completely missed. I almost think it's funny, how construct
is such a simple map. Meant to be nothing more than a canvas to inspire you to
do whatever you feel like doing. With a couple points of interest to nudge you in
certain directions if you need some help. And map makers, they go nuts. They
forgo all subtlety and restraint, in an effort to make the most biggest map that's
sparsely decorated but, paradoxically, also dense. There'll be wide open spaces then
a cluster of buildings or rooms. It's such a specific aesthetic, but that's
what I think of when I think of Garry's Mod. (Interlude) Alright, we're done with gm_construct
and it's inbred cousins... for now. Let's go to... ah! rp_downtown_v4c. Home to many- oof. Okay, gimme a second. Hmm. Good enough. Home to many servers running roleplay mods, this
is a map I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with. While I didn't play on a LOT of RP servers
back in the day, I occasionally jumped on with some friends. It was so cool seeing people
build their little spaces all across the map. You have the center of town where police
and mayors would hang out. Then you have the warehouses further out where the criminals
hole up. And everywhere in-between is where the normal citizens live. It's a real downtown with
actual districts that people sort themselves into. RP servers are their own little societies, and you
can see how the map designers here encourage that playstyle. This is obviously intended to be the
jail. And these are the affordable apartments. There's something pure about everyone deciding to play along and pretend like they're
renting out tiny little apartments. Much like Construct, this is a map brimming
with spots to build in. So many rooms and buildings inspire you to decorate them
in a certain way. It's all very dense. (Interlude) This is gm_bigcity. Look, you'll get
used to the missing textures thing. Much in a similar way to downtown,
this map goes for an urban feel. But where that map had nearly all
the buildings available to enter, this map has almost no interiors. There's only a
handful of buildings you can enter, and even then, only a room or two are available. Or
you'll just be plopped on the roof. This fits into a genre of map that perplexes me. I guess some of the gm_construct inspired maps are
similar, this feels like a map to just explore. There's so many streets and tall buildings,
I don't really feel inspired to build or create. I just wanna walk down the
sidewalk and take in the scenery. The densely packed buildings aren't all of
the map, there's a section with a bunch of warehouses and this sewage treatment area. But
the narrow streets are what stick out to me. (Interlude) gm_megacity is that with the dial turned to 11. It's practically all narrow city
streets tucked between skyscrapers. This actually feels like a
place you could get lost in. Forgive me bringing up the already beaten
dead horse, but it feels backrooms-y. Walking down the street, everything kinda
blends together. I'm imagining a map like this that procedurally generates new buildings
and streets for every corner you turn. Dozens of corners and alleyways to take, but nothing stands
out as a point of interest. A never ending city. The skybox does a pretty good job at making the
city seem bigger than it is. Up here, at the very top of the map, it's intimidating. Fly up a
bit, and the actual playable space is revealed. Still a lot of area to wander around,
but the extra couple layers of buildings at the edges really make a difference
in making the map feel... well, MEGA. (Interlude) Our penultimate stop is... a bizarre
one to say the least. We're going to a location we've actually visited before. Peach's Castle from Super Mario 64. I love this genre of map. Someone takes an iconic location from another game and
recreates it in a new engine. It's uncanny exploring these maps. Like here,
the scale feels slightly off. Or maybe it's normal and Mario is just a tiny dude. Either
way, playing from this perspective is... weird. And the lighting, look at the slight reflection of the green grass on the castle. No way
you'd be seeing that on a Nintendo 64. The lighting is off in this room
too. Also no fishies in the tanks. I feel like I have to say this in every
video where I make observations like that, but I'm not knocking the designer for
not getting every single detail right. There's obviously a lot of differences
at the core of the Source engine and Super Mario 64 where things just look
different. Or maybe the map creator intentionally makes decisions to steer
away from the original, whatever. I'm just here to point out the differences,
I'm not making a value judgement on them. All the little differences here make this
version of Peach's castle unique from the castle in Super Mario 64, as well as different
from recreations of the castle in other games. (Interlude) We've looked at all kinds of complex maps,
but you know what? Let's end on a calm note. The original... gm_flatgrass. This is the other
map that comes preinstalled with the game. And I'm specifying the original version, because
it did get an update at some point. All it added was this structure and a skybox that makes
the map seem much bigger than it actually is. I prefer the simpleness of the
original. It's so effortless. All it has is a simple platform in
the middle, a flat plane of grass, and a baby blue skybox that doesn't trick
you into thinking the map is miles wide. This map is just... so raw. Like
the early versions of gm_construct, this is pure function over form. No distractions
to get between you and your creative ambitions. I remember joining random servers back in
the day that were running gm_flatgrass. I'd join, and more often than not, it'd just
be a couple people hanging out. Shooting the shit while they design weird vehicles
to crash into each other or adding a dozen thrusters to a chair their friend is
sitting in and launching them into space. That was the essence of Garry's Mod and it- ...hey, is that platform off center? Hm. (Interlude) I'll leave you with this note left by
Teikoto, the creator of gm_construct_redesign. Check out my tour of Minecraft for a look at
another sandbox game. It's different covering one of these compared to a Mario 64 or Final
Fantasy 7, but I appreciate them nonetheless. Thanks for watching, and see ya next time.
