Will Ns Ever Move 'outside'?

Varsity

I was looking at the <a href='http://www.box7.co.uk/thea/1.jpg' target='_blank'>RR</a> for ns_thea and it made me wonder why all of the ns maps are indoors, metallic types. I think a bit of outdoor mapping would do us all some good, although I admit it would probably turn into Lerk/jp country pretty fast. What do the community feel?

Evo

Well, like you mentioned, ballance would be a problem. We all know rines + long hall = dead aliens.


But I think the official reason, IIRC, is something about the engine not handling detailed wide open spaces very well. This <i>is</i> pretty archaic technology after all. Decent looking outdoor areas have only recently appeared in games. Half Life is a few generations behind that kind of capability, unfortunatly.

Now, if the team moved to a new engine (Unreal/Quake/Source/CryTech/etc)... then it would be possible. But thats a whoooole nuther argument alltogether <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->

SuicideRusher

HL engine just cant handle outdoor maps.

without extensive mapping tricks at least (dod_omaha)

Wolv

It is also deemed inappropriate for the map's atmosphere. For more info, do a search on outdoor maps in the mapping forum, it's been discussed quite often before.

eaglec

This has been brought up a few times before and there are one or two custom maps about that are outside but it's generally bad for gameplay, looks bad and ruins the NS feel.

Hera has an outside area, and basically it ruined the map. (although being able to shut the door from the inside would have made a difference)

Also in large open spaces the problems with clipping become more apparent as marines and skulks become invisible after a certain distance. That and skulks can often walk on the sky, but I think thats a mappers failure rather than an engine fault.

Some types of carefully moulded outside terain might work, like a tight twist canyon crash site but I very much doubt any outside map will ever make it as an official release.

Swiftspear

The HL engine just sucks at going outside, turn noclip on in CS or DoD, the sky is generally all of 10 feet above the highest point in the map. Alow a player to fly outside in HL (lerk or JP) and it will be a matter of minutes before they inevitably find scores of bugs in the map that really can't be fixed.

Testament

In my opinion outdoor maps wouldn't fit the story until "the war" begins. Outright planetary sieges by the Kharaa and the TSA. NS1 is supposed to be sort of the first years against the Kharaa. I think outdoor maps would ruin the gritty, dark, industrial complex style of the current NS.

Tonee

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sky
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<!--emo&::skulk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif' /><!--endemo--> (woohoo i'm walking on sunshine - alllllmost)

Necro

has nothing to with the engine, but the fact that skulks would be useless <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->

kolokol

I think you sig has something to say about that...oh st gorge should get a sword to kill the dragon too. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

MrMojo

Maybe NS2 ;/, but I don't see NS outside at all.

I even doubt NS2 will move outside, it destroys any atmosphere and causes many problems.

Bogglesteinsky

and the fact that it is against the mapping guidlines might have something to do with it.

Namron

Read the background story/manual...

<a href='http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/front_nanotech.html' target='_blank'>http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/front_nanotech.html</a>
<a href='http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/alien_bacterium.html' target='_blank'>http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/alien_bacterium.html</a>

It says that nanotech-networks or something runs through the bases allowing the commander to drop structures, medpacks, ammo and so on. Anyhow, the Half-Life 1 engine isn't very good at handling outdoor areas. When Half-Life 2 arrives (and hopefully Natural Selection 2) the team could add outdoor parts on the maps, but for example not allow commanders to view, drop or build anything outside and the aliens shouldn't be able to use their evolutions (generation, adrenalin etc.) outside to symbolize that they aren't connected to the hive through the nano-network and bacterium.

It's either that or change the story. Instead of the nano-gibberish they could call it magic and allow the commander to drop magical medpacks everywhere. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif' /><!--endemo-->

A fun thing with this so called "Natural Selection 2" (on the Source engine) would be to make a map that is separated by a huge outdoor area. The player has the option of taking the "shortcut" outside or running the longer route through narrow tunnels underneath the surface. Walking outside is however risky, because you can't get medpacks/heal and jetpackers/lerks (especially lerks) have a huge advantage because they can fly several hundred meters up in the sky where you, as a little 'rine or skulk, can't reach them. I would love to circle the skies as a lerk in search for packs of marines trying to reach the base at other end of a rocky field, and then swoop down on them.

Another thing that Half-Life 2 and outdoor areas allow is vehicles. Like that APC in Aliens (Alien 2). <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->

StoatBringer

A cave system might be interesting. Not exactly outdoors, but quite different to the metal/tech bases we generally see. A few maps already have rock/cave areas, so why not an entire underground map?

Nemesis_Zero

<!--QuoteBegin-Wolv+Feb 4 2004, 10:02 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Wolv @ Feb 4 2004, 10:02 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> It is also deemed inappropriate for the map's atmosphere. For more info, do a search on outdoor maps in the mapping forum, it's been discussed quite often before. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Bingo.

<span style='color:red'>***Locked.***</span>