Suggestions Spawned From Ignorance!
Kitsune
Join Date: 2002-11-09 Member: 7843Members
Join Date: 2002-11-09 Member: 7843Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Fear my non-mapper powers!</div> I tried making a Duke Nukem 3D map. Once. I wound up with a saggy, obliong room with a tilted floor that was supposed to be a staircase running up along a wall.
Needless to say, my ineptitude is somewhat prohibitive, as I can't even make a box.
But that doesn't stop me from having plenty of ideas! I throw them out to the talented people in the hopes that they can use some of 'em. Don't have any clue about whether they're viable through the restrictions of the mapping engine, so my blissful ignorance lets me throw things out unfettered by the facts. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
1. Phase gates integrated into the map. It lets action take place in several smaller areas rather than one big complex, with both teams likely to be fighting over the teleporters to try to restrict the others' mobility.
2. Maps with more of a vertical orientation. By this I mean multiple layers; ground, sewers, catwalks. Like in the archetypal two-forts team fortress map, giving people ways above or below main entrances to try to get around defenders. Although a <i>very</i> vertical map could be cool as well, giving Lerks and jetpackers big advantages in maneuverability while the ground-bound ones have to stick with ramps, elevators, ladders, etc.
3. Weld points, weld points, weld points. I love 'em. More the merrier. They've been restricted to opening and closing passages at the moment, though, when they could do things ten times cooler. Weld a control panel to activate the teleporters from number one. Weld the accessways for sneaky assaults from number two. Weld stuff to raise force fields or pop some turrets out of a wall to take pot shots at people. Weld elevators to make them work. Weld a furnace to blast fire in the surrounding vents and flush them out. On a really dark map, weld a panel to turn on the lights. Hera's a beautiful example of welding done right, it completely alters the flow of the the game depending on what things have been welded. Care would need to be taken to make sure that any results of welding wouldn't be too harsh on the aliens; one weld point dropping Kharaa-B-Gone in the hives and killing them all is overboard. Anything done should be circumventable or destroyable by the aliens, it should just make life more convenient for the marines, not win the game for them. The Hera mapper did good by having the weld points be able to be activated by anyone, letting aliens re-open doors and vents if they took control of an area. Just look at some of the better Tribes 2 maps, some mappers have been positively ingenious at things that can be done with capture points.
Anyways, you guys rule. The developers made the game's skeleton with their hard work, but it's up to the mappers to flesh it out, and it's your efforts that'll make or break NS in the long term. I'm looking forward with much anticipation to see what all comes from the insane mapping community in coming weeks.
Needless to say, my ineptitude is somewhat prohibitive, as I can't even make a box.
But that doesn't stop me from having plenty of ideas! I throw them out to the talented people in the hopes that they can use some of 'em. Don't have any clue about whether they're viable through the restrictions of the mapping engine, so my blissful ignorance lets me throw things out unfettered by the facts. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
1. Phase gates integrated into the map. It lets action take place in several smaller areas rather than one big complex, with both teams likely to be fighting over the teleporters to try to restrict the others' mobility.
2. Maps with more of a vertical orientation. By this I mean multiple layers; ground, sewers, catwalks. Like in the archetypal two-forts team fortress map, giving people ways above or below main entrances to try to get around defenders. Although a <i>very</i> vertical map could be cool as well, giving Lerks and jetpackers big advantages in maneuverability while the ground-bound ones have to stick with ramps, elevators, ladders, etc.
3. Weld points, weld points, weld points. I love 'em. More the merrier. They've been restricted to opening and closing passages at the moment, though, when they could do things ten times cooler. Weld a control panel to activate the teleporters from number one. Weld the accessways for sneaky assaults from number two. Weld stuff to raise force fields or pop some turrets out of a wall to take pot shots at people. Weld elevators to make them work. Weld a furnace to blast fire in the surrounding vents and flush them out. On a really dark map, weld a panel to turn on the lights. Hera's a beautiful example of welding done right, it completely alters the flow of the the game depending on what things have been welded. Care would need to be taken to make sure that any results of welding wouldn't be too harsh on the aliens; one weld point dropping Kharaa-B-Gone in the hives and killing them all is overboard. Anything done should be circumventable or destroyable by the aliens, it should just make life more convenient for the marines, not win the game for them. The Hera mapper did good by having the weld points be able to be activated by anyone, letting aliens re-open doors and vents if they took control of an area. Just look at some of the better Tribes 2 maps, some mappers have been positively ingenious at things that can be done with capture points.
Anyways, you guys rule. The developers made the game's skeleton with their hard work, but it's up to the mappers to flesh it out, and it's your efforts that'll make or break NS in the long term. I'm looking forward with much anticipation to see what all comes from the insane mapping community in coming weeks.
Comments
2 is impossible due to commander view restrictions.