UnOfficial : Co-op campaign
<div class="IPBDescription">who's interested?</div>Hi All,
I'm mapper with an over active imagination :P and I've been thinking about how much fun a co-op campaign for NS2 could be.
It would be subtley story driven(no voice actors, and only sutble clues as to where things are headed), but using all of the gameplay mechanics that are already in ns2 and even expanding on some of them to create an sci-fi journey - perhaps similar to the first half-life game, as i think it had very good pacing and variety of gameplay.
So perhaps think co-op half-life 1 with 2-8 NS2 marines, with a bit of system shock 2.
Gameplay wise I see it being quite different from the standard ns2 gameplay. I'd like the gameplay to vary alot as the story progresses, ranging from:
-the usual ns2 base building / base defense
-puzzles and platforming
-survival and suspense
-item finding
-light RPG elements like in NS2 Combat?
-boss fights (onos)
I would like to make this as part of a community project, as has been done with NS2_Jambi - but this time not only having mappers aboard, but modders as well, and some people that can do cinematics and scripted events - e.g. a dead skulk ragdoll falling from a ceiling vent to freak you out.
I know its fairly ambitions, but I also know that ns2 has a talented and dedicated community, and most of the work has already been done for us, we have the engine, the modding and mapping tools, and 99% of the art assets. Its just a matter of putting all together :)
The beauty of a co-op campaign is it gives us a lot of freedom to narrate a fun experience for the players - since we aren't limited to making things fair for both teams etc.
Mapping for ns2 has taught me how to do things step by step, e.g creating a concept first, a rough draft, testing it, going back to fix things and then polishing etc. Similar to the ns2 combat mod, i think it would be best to create a base gameplay frame work and then just keep adding to it, more items, more maps.
Please post here if you are interested in making something like this with a team of like this :)
I'm mapper with an over active imagination :P and I've been thinking about how much fun a co-op campaign for NS2 could be.
It would be subtley story driven(no voice actors, and only sutble clues as to where things are headed), but using all of the gameplay mechanics that are already in ns2 and even expanding on some of them to create an sci-fi journey - perhaps similar to the first half-life game, as i think it had very good pacing and variety of gameplay.
So perhaps think co-op half-life 1 with 2-8 NS2 marines, with a bit of system shock 2.
Gameplay wise I see it being quite different from the standard ns2 gameplay. I'd like the gameplay to vary alot as the story progresses, ranging from:
-the usual ns2 base building / base defense
-puzzles and platforming
-survival and suspense
-item finding
-light RPG elements like in NS2 Combat?
-boss fights (onos)
I would like to make this as part of a community project, as has been done with NS2_Jambi - but this time not only having mappers aboard, but modders as well, and some people that can do cinematics and scripted events - e.g. a dead skulk ragdoll falling from a ceiling vent to freak you out.
I know its fairly ambitions, but I also know that ns2 has a talented and dedicated community, and most of the work has already been done for us, we have the engine, the modding and mapping tools, and 99% of the art assets. Its just a matter of putting all together :)
The beauty of a co-op campaign is it gives us a lot of freedom to narrate a fun experience for the players - since we aren't limited to making things fair for both teams etc.
Mapping for ns2 has taught me how to do things step by step, e.g creating a concept first, a rough draft, testing it, going back to fix things and then polishing etc. Similar to the ns2 combat mod, i think it would be best to create a base gameplay frame work and then just keep adding to it, more items, more maps.
Please post here if you are interested in making something like this with a team of like this :)
Comments
I was going to start a new thread for this when I'd put a basic team together, but I've written a high level game design for a similar kind of 'trapped on a space station' game with all the above themes (also, one player is the ship's computer). It'd be mainly multiplayer though. Would you be interested in reading it if I send it your way?
I would like to see a coop mod., i love PvE.
e.g. players enter a new area - skulks climb out of the vents and run towards the players. its not like the AI needs to know how to build a base or anything, just how to attack - so the real players have something to fear and shoot and run away from.
The most advanced thing for the AI would be to make the skulks use walls and ceilings randomly instead of just the floor. And perhaps fade blinking might be tricky.
<!--quoteo(post=2066307:date=Jan 25 2013, 11:42 PM:name=MCMLXXXIV)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MCMLXXXIV @ Jan 25 2013, 11:42 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2066307"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It's interesting that this keeps coming up... I also think that NS2's engine and existing art assets would be perfect for a multiplayer System Shock-style game.
I was going to start a new thread for this when I'd put a basic team together, but I've written a high level game design for a similar kind of 'trapped on a space station' game with all the above themes (also, one player is the ship's computer). It'd be mainly multiplayer though. Would you be interested in reading it if I send it your way?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Sure i'll give it a read :) Sounds like we are thinking along the same lines.
Same here!
- 2 to 8 Player's join a server that is running the co-op campaign mod (there probably won't be any reason to have more than two players, however it is always annoying in say a 4 player co-op game being the 5th wheel and you don't get to play with your friends and see them repeatedly fail to jump across a chasm:P )
- They spawn in a ready room, which is a very technological looking room with the emphasis on a phase gate(it looks like an upgraded and long distance version of the phase gate we are used to seeing, a bigger structure around it, with more pipes and wires powering it) in the middle of the room. There is a sealed supply crate with pistols and welders and general repair tools in this room - which looks like it would be pushed through the phase gate after you go through the PG.The room is sealed and the only thing to do is to walk through the phase gate.
-Players in the ready room can walk up to a terminal and press a button, which will print the mission objectives on their HUD. Essentially it would expand on something like "Space station X which is orbiting the blue planet of X has gone dark, after several attempts to contact the station and getting no response, TSF have managed to hack the system and rerouted enough of the stations power to get the phase gate on the other end to operate. Your mission is to investigate. Turn on the infantry portals so that you can respawn on the station."
<!--coloro:#00FFFF--><span style="color:#00FFFF"><!--/coloro-->-The game starts with the players walking thru the phase gate.<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
- Players are phased through to a room which looks like a run down & older generation version of the room they came from - as soon as they have teleported here, the entire room loses power.The room is pitch black, but surely enough the emergency power kicks in and at least there is some red lighting. However with main the power off, there is no easy way to get back home. And the supply crate also didn't make it through, so the players have no guns and no gear. But they still have their brains :)
Re-routing the power to phase gates to get us here in the first place must have blown some circuits.
- The only door exit to this room is sealed by what looks like a grated security door. Looking through the grated security door players can see a dim hallway mostly lit by the blue glow of the planet that this station is orbiting. the glow from this planet is shining through thick glassed windows in the hallway. Observant players will also notice a welder in this hallway. but it is out of reach.
- Looking around the room it appears that there is no way out. So you take a closer look at the security door, no obvious buttons - but you try to click the mouse buttons - and what do you know! Right mouse button makes your character push - similar to the rifle bash. But it has no effect on strong metal grated door.
-Then something catches your attention. It is a barrel lying sideways on the floor, and it is gently rocking back and forth, as if some kind of wind is pushing just enough make it rock a few centimeters, but then the weight of whatever is in the barrel pull it back to its original position.
-You march over to the barrel and push away with your new found right mouse ability. Hitting the barrel with your push ability makes it roll about 3 metres - and reveals an opening that was previously covered by the barrel. There is a plate missing in the metal plated floor, with a ladder that goes straight down - its a maintenance shaft.
- The players climb down and start working their way through some vents - sometimes crouching some times jumping across and through pipes in this tight environment. after a while you notice that there is a strange green bio mass grown along some of the vents. Eventually you reach a larger area where the players can all stand up, and you find 1 TSF issue collapsible utility axe. Putting 2 and 2 together, the players rearrange themselves so that the player that picked up the axe goes first. Continuing on through this vent system, the green bio mass starts to grown around them, and eventually blocks possible paths - the player with axe has to destroy these "clogs" with the axe to in order to keep going forward - the clogs regrow in specific locations which blocks players and the axe player keeps clearing the the clogs in order for all of the other players to fit through this particular area.
- Eventually the players get to an area in the vents which is quite brightly lit in comparison to the vents, and looking up there is a cylindrical opening with a ladder
- climbing up the ladder reveals that the entire room is cylindrical and has catwalks above the the ladder - it is the heart of some kind of generator.
- The only way out of this room looks familiar - it is the hallway that you were previously able to see from the phase gate room. And you can finally pick up that welder.
- Some sparks catch your attention and you use the axe break open an electrical control box near the grated security door - it reveals a broken power node! You get that welder to work on the power node, and in a few short moments the power is restored to the hallway, and as the security door begins to slowly open, the lights in the phase gate room also begin to turn on.
-About 1/2 of the phase gate room gets powered up, before you hear a very alien sounding squeal - as if some creature is being electrocuted. The security door grinds to halt - but it is now about 1/2 open - allowing you access between the phase gate room and the hallway.
-A second or two later a skulk falls out of a ceiling vent - however it looks dead - pushing it does nothing, it must have gotten electrocuted when you repaired the power node.
-Climbing under the security door , back into the phase gate room, you notice that only the 1/2 of the room has power, but the phase gate area itself is still offline. However the power has opened a small area which has a couple of infantry portals in it - and it is powered! You can press "E" on a terminal next to the infantry portals and a hologram shows up - indicating that it has now stored your DNA. You might not be able to leave the station, but dying isn't such a big deal now. You will respawn here.
- These infantry portals are present in older facilities where phase gate technology was not yet reliable - so you could "back up" your DNA and clone yourself in case something happened.
- All of a sudden.... The skulk comes back to life - it must have regenerated. It begins to attack the players. The players can push it away with right mouse - however it does not damage so it is a messy welder and axe fight to finally kill it. (if they died they will respawn at the IPs)
- A moment after the skulk is killed, it looks like an elevator shaft door in the hallway begins to malfunction, opening and closing. If you are quick enough to get through the door without being crushed, it lets you drop down to the next floor if you are careful - if you are not - well its a long way down :) but hey you can respawn now.
- The next floor is another hallway similar to the one you were just in, it looks like the power is on, and there some small areas which you might be able to squeeze through - but for now your attention is drawn to a 1/8th open door and another power node - it looks like this door leads is part of bulk head / airlock that leads to another area. You start welding the door - which all of sudden starts to cave in. cave in some more. and then it burst open - an onos crouches through the sideways sliding door(as per ns2 teaser 2009). And then proceeds to charge down the hallway trampling anything and anyone in it's way. Its rampaging, it keeps charging from one end of the hallway to the other. It must have been trapped into that bulkhead on purpose, and you've set it free! Your only option is to either die, or try to squeeze through the narrow crevices in the hallway to hide from its attacks.
- The 2nd door in the bulk head now starts to open - its an armory in there! (perhaps the onos is noise sensitive, so that players can bait it, by hitting walls with their right click push button) While the onos is busy charging or trying to gore the other players, a few players run into the armory and immediately equip some of the 8 or so exo suits in the room.
- The exo suits deal massive damage to the onos - however it because of its rage it is simply not dying, luckily the power of the weapons on the exo suit have a pushing effect to them and with a bit of ranch style rounding up, the exo's push the onos into the elevator shaft. That takes care of the onos.
- at this point any dead players would have been respawning and coming down this hallway again- through the now open security door, and down the elevator shaft.
- there are enough exo suits for everyone to equip, and the exo's bash their way though the next door. Which just so happens to be a completely infested hive room - it looks like a shift hive. However it is behind a force field so it cannot be damaged.
- eggs all around the exos start hatching, and after a while it is apparent there is no stopping this infestation. A message appears on screen telling all marines to escape. There is another door that the exo's bash through and a long hallway.
-As the exos continue throught this new hallway, skulks are popping out of every vent and opening imaginable, its non stop action. The hallway twists and turns, and the skulks keep coming.
-After mowing down huge numbers of skulks and bashing through several hallway doors, the exo's reach an escape pod room. Conveniently there are 8 escape pods - one for each player.
Once all players escape the next map loads - escaped players go into spectator mode.
Story continues - while you have escape the space facility, you are not safe, and you are still far from home. the escape pod takes you down to the blue planet. The objective will be for players to rally at a point on the map, restore respawning capabilities, secure a base, and then work their way up a space elevator - which periodically docks with the space station you just escaped from. Destroy the 3 hives throughout the space station, bring its power and phase gates back online and get home in time for oprah :P - Or will you fail your mission and sacrifice yourselves - overloading the space stations power generators and causing a nuclear explosion which will destroy the space station and the kharaa along with it?
I'm kinda making it up as i go a long, so there is plenty of room for improvement of course :)
And if you got this far - thx for reading :)
Map wise:
<img src="http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/4572/level1v.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />