A Scary Map
Foxtrot_Uniform
Join Date: 2003-06-12 Member: 17328Members
Join Date: 2003-06-12 Member: 17328Members
<div class="IPBDescription">why doesn't someone make one?</div> Why doesn't someone make a really scary alien map.. maybe inspired by the movie alien? you know, thin, long corridors lined with pipes jetting steam. IT would have to be dark and scary with lights blinking off and on and sirens whirring constantly. You know the detail in the "N Corridor" on NS_bast? Something like that.
Comments
i have allready tested with my own map called ns_explorer.
But i gave up. It was to many things.
You're welcome to give it a try.
1: Engine limitations. If you want lots of flickering lights, pipes with steam, sirens everywhere etc you're gonna use up lots of lightdata/entities/etc. And if you also want to go for a good amount of detail, you're gonna get high r_speeds, and go over several limits (leafs, faces, texdata, etc).
2: NS guidelines. I do believe the NS guidelines state that in no areas should a marine have to use his flashlight to see properly. It might not say that but it's usually a good rule to follow since darkness usually just pisses people off.
3: It would be hard to balance a map with mostly corridors. Where would you put the RTs? Hives? MS? You're gonna need some open rooms anyway.
4: It's very hard to create a scary map. Flickering lights, darkness, steam and sirens do not create a scary map (well, it can, but you usually need something else). NS isn't a very scary game to be honest, and it's hard to make a scary map.
But as I said, you're welcome to give it a try.
To quote from the <a href='http://www.natural-selection.org/Mapping_Guidelines.html' target='_blank'>Natural Selection Mapping Guidelines</a>:
<!--QuoteBegin-The Mapping Guidelines+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (The Mapping Guidelines)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Natural Selection is about lush, atmospheric sci-fi environments, cooperative strategy, and intense battles. It isn't about scaring the player or horrific environments. The aliens will still be scary, but very dark environments, flickering florescent lights, bodies slumped on rafters, and other staples of the horror genre don't help Natural Selection achieve its goals. Don't place dead colonists anywhere (slumped against walls, in piles, etc.). Pools of blood and dismemberment are also to be avoided. The game doesn't avoid blood and gore completely, but doesn't display lingering dead bodies and gibbed alien flesh. In fact, NS is less gory than Half-Life. This may seem like a senseless guideline, but it will help the game appeal to more people--hopefully resulting in more players, more add-ons, and a broader community.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
'Nuff said.
It does for me! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
y am i strangley reminded of halo ?
OFF topic:: i just noticed Jezpuh joined a day after me yet has 3000+ posts
U talk to much Young 1 XD
i think it would be cooler if it was scary. I love that one pic.
The first couple of months I played NS (and this was pre-overlay map days when the minimap was barely visible), I didn't know the maps at all - so going around every corner I didn't know what to expect etc...
But now I know most of the usual camp spots. When I hear an alien on a certain side (using headphones of course) I can predict where they are without worrying about what else might be around etc...
Atmosphere and effects start to become tedious after you know the gameplay well enough... - credit to mappers who do good jobs, but as said, darkness becomes more annoying than atmospheric once you know the level
<b>Some tall guy:</b>
That screenshot would be classified as spookie, not scary. Looks mighty atmopheric there btw. I personally think spooky is the better of the two to be used in ns maps.
what makes a scarymap:
-Dynamic lighting (such as flickering lights, shadow'd areas)
-Ambience sound in background
-BLOOD
-screaming
-MORE BLOOD
-dead bodies
-EVEN MORE BLOOD
do u think someone could make a map like this for NS on the HL engine? i think not
the best thing would be to wait till NS2 <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
what makes a scarymap:
-Dynamic lighting (such as flickering lights, shadow'd areas)
-Ambience sound in background
-BLOOD
-screaming
-MORE BLOOD
-dead bodies
-EVEN MORE BLOOD
do u think someone could make a map like this for NS on the HL engine? i think not
the best thing would be to wait till NS2 <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Dude, have you freaking read what the manual said? Hell, have you even read the other posts?
what makes a scarymap:
-Dynamic lighting (such as flickering lights, shadow'd areas)
-Ambience sound in background
-BLOOD
-screaming
-MORE BLOOD
-dead bodies
-EVEN MORE BLOOD
do u think someone could make a map like this for NS on the HL engine? i think not
the best thing would be to wait till NS2 <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
God man.
1: Flickering lights and shadowed areas are all possible on the HL1 engine.
2: Ambient sounds are very much possible, but too many can cause errors or eat up entities.
3: Blood does NOT create a scary map - and blood is possible on the HL1 engine (didn't you ever play hlsp?)
4: Screaming? From who, exactly?
5: Again, blood does not create a scary map.
6: Neither do dead bodies. NS has a no-gore rule btw.
7: What's with you and blood?
It's sure possible on the HL engine, but I doubt it would be very good (look like crap, play like crap).
-The use of the flashlight looks very crappy, lighting up the player using it, which would in fact turns the flashlight player into a walking target <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
-The fact that aliens would have no idea where they are going without the use of the minimap...
The scary map thing is also a matter of taste really, what one person thinks is scary doesnt have to be scary for another person. And the fact that it would be very very hard to try and get it to go official.
Maybe he's E-Dracula! I'LL SUCK YOUR MEGAHURTZ!!!!111
P.S NS isn't about the scary factor, that's doom.
ps. dont bump it, i'll bump it when i have it done <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
NO.
*looks left*
*looks right*
"did you see that movement?
ehm... ok lets leave till we have some more firepower..."
this atmospheric additions take down your entity count within the first 4 rooms <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> would be perfect for co maps but would be extremely hard for any serious ns map. btw I think it is NOT possible to keep the same, dark, evil style in al locations <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
what makes a scarymap:
-Dynamic lighting (such as flickering lights, shadow'd areas)
-Ambience sound in background
-BLOOD
-screaming
-MORE BLOOD
-dead bodies
-EVEN MORE BLOOD
do u think someone could make a map like this for NS on the HL engine? i think not
the best thing would be to wait till NS2 <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ok...you've said - what makes a scary map and you've listed some points:
- <b>Dynamic lighting (flickering lights, shadow'd areas)</b> - Very doable in half-life
- <b>Ambient Sounds</b> - Incredibly doable in half-life
- <b>Blood</b> - not necessary in NS - Blood denotes death, yes, but the visible sign of death isn't needed to give the idea of death...look at the movie aliens - the first time we get a sense that something is horribly wrong is when they walk into the room and the office is empty and a half eaten donut (I think) and a coffee cup is on the table... Blood is atmospheric (works for doom3) but it's just not necessary. Even using decals to show finger scrapes on the walls and/or floor would work.
- <b>Screaming</b> - Well, given that everyone is already dead when marines get to Space Station/Planet/outpost X, that really isn't necessary for fear.
- <b>MORE BLOOD etc etc (the rest of the list)</b> - As I've shown you above - it's not necessary.
NS is going for the more classy level of fear. Yes, they say that things shouldn't be scary, but everyone knows that for this type of genre of game - a little goosebumps never hurt anyone.
If you want to see a new breed of map which should prove to be intense.. lookout for co_leren - trailer coming soon...
that aint scary, and if u find it scary then your a wimp. and when i gave a list of the thing that make a scary map, they were examples, and plus, Ns visuals isn't very realistic compared to doom 3, that the point im making
DooM 3 isn't scary either... unless you're 10, then it may be scary...
DooM 3 isn't scary either... unless you're 10, then it may be scary... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Obviously he is 10 if he thinks "blood, more blood and even more blood" and dead bodies are scary.