Suggestions For Map Makers
Vangor
Join Date: 2002-05-22 Member: 655Members
Join Date: 2002-05-22 Member: 655Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Look at this before making anymore maps</div> I've looked through the maps quite a bit for NS, a few, aren't to great, a few, biased/unbalanced. Of course, considering there are only 7 maps, that doesn't say much. So that I don't sound mean, I won't be referring to any maps besides my favorite, Hera. While not my favorite to play as Kharaa, it is my favorite because it does almost all of what maps need. These things are somewhat lacking in other maps, of course, others do beat it out in some areas.
-Hives -
Because of how 3 Hive dependant Kharaa are, being that basically the only way to win is either kill the Marines in the first 5 minutes or hold them back the entire game and rush with Bile Bomb strikes and the big Onos in front, Hives are the prime target for both sides. If Marines do not attack/hold Hive areas, they obviously have no chance for survival. However, a few maps place these Hives in locations to close to Marines.
They really need to be linked to each other quickly, such as ventilation access, or a few passing halls, with the Marine base about the same length/further from any Hive as any Hive is far away from any other Hive. You should be forced to travel through the better part of a map to get to a Hive, unless you are a Kharaa, and those entrances should be easily guarded.
Try to avoid making an opening that will place few Offense Chambers in an able to defend position, and make sure that they can be built underneath and around, so that defense chambers and other items may be used. Also, a Hive needs good ceiling placement, not just for it's size, but I'll explain later.
Each Hive needs to have atleast 1 or more Vents for just Kharaa and Jetpack Marines to traverse. These should lead as directly between two or three hives as possible, and be placed high enough so that a jumping marine, or a jumping marine on another standing, cannot see into it. One good idea, is to make them horizontal openings, with vertical access tunnels, that then turn horizontal to the other vent openings.
Each Hive also needs two close proximity Resource Nodes, one at the Hive, another a few seconds away. The closest one should be moved away from openings that can potentially be grenaded, and into corners.
Hive placement itself is critical, not just choosing a good room, but a good spot in that room. Make it somewhere that a Marine will have to travel into the room to fire at, it is no use defending a base if only two of those turrets can shoot at Marines.
-Command Center-
Few times will Command Centers really have much more than one entrance to it. This may be good, however, it adds to a much more lengthy battle in an already losing team of Marines. If Kharaa start and assault the Command Console, it is the Marine's job to defend, if they are assaulting it later in the game, then it is normally to late. Vents should be placed in a couple of seconds to the Command Console itself, with the Command Console not in direct light of any other opening, this will cause it to be attacked far to often from the hallways, which can be annoying to defend against. Kharaa should be forced, just like Marines for Hives, to run right into a Command Center, run into a room area, and attack the Console.
Consider how a nice base would look set up. Few Commanders really consider placement, and they screw with players spawning into a crowded area. Give a good place for a Resource Node, Infantry Portals, an Armory, and everything else. Unnecessary to win buildings, or buildings that don't need to be used or that aren't in use very often, aka, Arms Lab, Proto Lab, Observatory, should have a place to be, such as Hera with its boxes.
Also, a back up area that must first be obtained, such as the Cargo Bay in Hera, is a nice touch to add a single button weldable door to, so Marines have a fallback spot, or incase they would for some reason need to expand. Make sure the ceiling of this area is fairly high, and fairly dark, so that any Kharaa exiting a vent may have some cover, from both Marine, and Turrets, this makes the game a bit more exciting with the sneaking Skulk.
-Vents -
I already talked about Vents slightly, those that connect Hives. Well, besides simply Hives, there is the Marine Base to consider. To many maps don't have a good vent to allow them within the confines of the Marine Base, but they should. Without them, it is much harder to annoy marines, Lerks do an especially good job at this. It also becomes difficult to Xenocide decently, this is a major Kharaa tactic for some, so do not count out Lerk spikes or Xenocide.
Vents also need to connect Resource Nodes. This will help Resource Nodes be guarded by Kharaa so Marines cannot quickly overrun them, and will allow smart Kharaa to run to them quickly as Skulk, evolve to a Gorge, and build in a matter of moments, rather than annoyingly traverse ground to get them.
Also, Vents, as I said, need to be above a Marine's height. Even better, they should be entered horizontally, go up vertically twice the height of the height of the opening, then go horizontally. This will almost assure it to be hard for Marines to fire down, and much harder for un-jetpacked Marines to enter through virtually any means. Of course, you won't need to do that if it is at a decent level, but if you must, must, place them near that height, make them as such.
One thing that has assuredly annoyed me about Vents, is they go up, down, left, right, every which way, then get to the area. Do not do this to Kharaa, it is annoying enough to perhaps run into a Vent, especially an unknown one, but making them look all around for the next turn can really screw with the time balance they help with. Also, keep them well lit so you can see your way through them the entire way. Make sure this light is Red, Red is a flag for Marines that there is a Vent here that needs to be watched, it is also a flag for Kharaa that may not play the map often, or have yet to.
-Resources-
Generally, Marines have an easy time with resources, a decent base can be built in a matter of three or so minutes with a single resource node for Marines, not so much for Kharaa however. Make sure there are plenty of Resource Nodes open for the Kharaa to get to quickly, atleast three or four for them to control. Also, Marines need only one or two in close proximity to their base, which should be about equal running time for a Skulk from the two closest Hives, as it is for a standard Marine from the Spawn point.
Resource Nodes also should be on areas that are decent for protection, however, they must have two entrances, and should have one or two vents as well. Few Resource Nodes don't have these things, but, make sure they are like this as much as possible, so that Marines cannot simply set down a Resource Tower, run off, and expect it to be fine for long.
Here, mildly long hallways are good, as well as branching hallways, so Bile Bombs and Spikes can wear down Sentry Turrets, and Machine Guns can tear into Offense Chambers. Also, for even better fighting, a single room in your map should have possibly two Resource Nodes. These areas need good entrance and exits from Kharaa areas, else they will be overrun by Marines in a flash, and these areas need to be fairly close to Kharaa Hives for quick construction.
Obviously, a good illustration is the Holoroom on Hera, while possibly a bit large, it has three vents, two leading from Kharaa areas, one leading to the Command Center, three different entrance areas, two with two more possible entrance choices, and, has a decent area for all manner to attack, not to mention the two Resource Node room.
-Hiding-
This is a Skulk's best advantage, and is used extensively at the beginning of a map, and all throughout the map. However, enough maps do not make good enough use of this, not even Hera in many instances. Doorways should have ceilings a few feet above, with archways if possible, just for ambience. This will allow Skulks to leap from sides and from above at Marines, slaughtering them with a bit more ease.
Lighting can help very much for a Hiding Skulk or other Kharaa type as well. Incredibly dark spots will help them stay hidden from view, and often scare off most Marines from even bothering to move through. And, another side way to do this, is hairpin turns. Hera has this good with exiting the Marine Spawn to go to Hera Entrance and Reception, and leaving there to go to the Holoroom. Kharaa love to sit there and leap at unsuspecting prey.
Another good thing, little areas where Kharaa can hide inside of main rooms, not just a Vent. These should be little lips that are easy to run over and into a safe, dark area. These also allow more surprised assaults at points, and possibly to evolve to a Lerk to destroy people.
-Ambience-
This will turn a fun map into a golden map. To pull off correct ambience, you need to learn not only to set up a map so that it can play well, but set it up so it is nice to run around in without playing. So, consider Lighting, Structure, Spaces, and Sounds into each piece of the map. Unfortunately, for the Half-Life engine, graphics aren't the greatest, and can pale greatly to newer engines, so creating Structural Marvels will be hard to come by, this should be left to textures.
However, the big thing is Lighting and Sounds. Little trickles of water, steam that randomly blasts on and off, clinking noises, and the overwhelming sound of silence. I don't mean sitting there in actual silence, which can be scary, I mean that constant hum sorta noise that you want to believe you are making up but it is very much so there. Things like this, along with things such as random clanks in vents, machinery, and other things, will make people turn in their seats.
Lighting I've already somewhat discussed. They can make a Marine paranoid and watchful, and can change the entire mood of the place, or give certain people a developed advantage in areas of extreme color. Blinking lights, such as broken ones, or those for alert sirens that will keep areas in perpetual blinking red, can freak people out at most times. Don't be afraid to make people tramp through some waste high water, brown/green with sludge, or in a dark area. After those big fish in Half-Life I almost never want to enter water in basically any game cause of that.
Hopefully there will be more later to post up, but that, is what I can think of for now.
-Hives -
Because of how 3 Hive dependant Kharaa are, being that basically the only way to win is either kill the Marines in the first 5 minutes or hold them back the entire game and rush with Bile Bomb strikes and the big Onos in front, Hives are the prime target for both sides. If Marines do not attack/hold Hive areas, they obviously have no chance for survival. However, a few maps place these Hives in locations to close to Marines.
They really need to be linked to each other quickly, such as ventilation access, or a few passing halls, with the Marine base about the same length/further from any Hive as any Hive is far away from any other Hive. You should be forced to travel through the better part of a map to get to a Hive, unless you are a Kharaa, and those entrances should be easily guarded.
Try to avoid making an opening that will place few Offense Chambers in an able to defend position, and make sure that they can be built underneath and around, so that defense chambers and other items may be used. Also, a Hive needs good ceiling placement, not just for it's size, but I'll explain later.
Each Hive needs to have atleast 1 or more Vents for just Kharaa and Jetpack Marines to traverse. These should lead as directly between two or three hives as possible, and be placed high enough so that a jumping marine, or a jumping marine on another standing, cannot see into it. One good idea, is to make them horizontal openings, with vertical access tunnels, that then turn horizontal to the other vent openings.
Each Hive also needs two close proximity Resource Nodes, one at the Hive, another a few seconds away. The closest one should be moved away from openings that can potentially be grenaded, and into corners.
Hive placement itself is critical, not just choosing a good room, but a good spot in that room. Make it somewhere that a Marine will have to travel into the room to fire at, it is no use defending a base if only two of those turrets can shoot at Marines.
-Command Center-
Few times will Command Centers really have much more than one entrance to it. This may be good, however, it adds to a much more lengthy battle in an already losing team of Marines. If Kharaa start and assault the Command Console, it is the Marine's job to defend, if they are assaulting it later in the game, then it is normally to late. Vents should be placed in a couple of seconds to the Command Console itself, with the Command Console not in direct light of any other opening, this will cause it to be attacked far to often from the hallways, which can be annoying to defend against. Kharaa should be forced, just like Marines for Hives, to run right into a Command Center, run into a room area, and attack the Console.
Consider how a nice base would look set up. Few Commanders really consider placement, and they screw with players spawning into a crowded area. Give a good place for a Resource Node, Infantry Portals, an Armory, and everything else. Unnecessary to win buildings, or buildings that don't need to be used or that aren't in use very often, aka, Arms Lab, Proto Lab, Observatory, should have a place to be, such as Hera with its boxes.
Also, a back up area that must first be obtained, such as the Cargo Bay in Hera, is a nice touch to add a single button weldable door to, so Marines have a fallback spot, or incase they would for some reason need to expand. Make sure the ceiling of this area is fairly high, and fairly dark, so that any Kharaa exiting a vent may have some cover, from both Marine, and Turrets, this makes the game a bit more exciting with the sneaking Skulk.
-Vents -
I already talked about Vents slightly, those that connect Hives. Well, besides simply Hives, there is the Marine Base to consider. To many maps don't have a good vent to allow them within the confines of the Marine Base, but they should. Without them, it is much harder to annoy marines, Lerks do an especially good job at this. It also becomes difficult to Xenocide decently, this is a major Kharaa tactic for some, so do not count out Lerk spikes or Xenocide.
Vents also need to connect Resource Nodes. This will help Resource Nodes be guarded by Kharaa so Marines cannot quickly overrun them, and will allow smart Kharaa to run to them quickly as Skulk, evolve to a Gorge, and build in a matter of moments, rather than annoyingly traverse ground to get them.
Also, Vents, as I said, need to be above a Marine's height. Even better, they should be entered horizontally, go up vertically twice the height of the height of the opening, then go horizontally. This will almost assure it to be hard for Marines to fire down, and much harder for un-jetpacked Marines to enter through virtually any means. Of course, you won't need to do that if it is at a decent level, but if you must, must, place them near that height, make them as such.
One thing that has assuredly annoyed me about Vents, is they go up, down, left, right, every which way, then get to the area. Do not do this to Kharaa, it is annoying enough to perhaps run into a Vent, especially an unknown one, but making them look all around for the next turn can really screw with the time balance they help with. Also, keep them well lit so you can see your way through them the entire way. Make sure this light is Red, Red is a flag for Marines that there is a Vent here that needs to be watched, it is also a flag for Kharaa that may not play the map often, or have yet to.
-Resources-
Generally, Marines have an easy time with resources, a decent base can be built in a matter of three or so minutes with a single resource node for Marines, not so much for Kharaa however. Make sure there are plenty of Resource Nodes open for the Kharaa to get to quickly, atleast three or four for them to control. Also, Marines need only one or two in close proximity to their base, which should be about equal running time for a Skulk from the two closest Hives, as it is for a standard Marine from the Spawn point.
Resource Nodes also should be on areas that are decent for protection, however, they must have two entrances, and should have one or two vents as well. Few Resource Nodes don't have these things, but, make sure they are like this as much as possible, so that Marines cannot simply set down a Resource Tower, run off, and expect it to be fine for long.
Here, mildly long hallways are good, as well as branching hallways, so Bile Bombs and Spikes can wear down Sentry Turrets, and Machine Guns can tear into Offense Chambers. Also, for even better fighting, a single room in your map should have possibly two Resource Nodes. These areas need good entrance and exits from Kharaa areas, else they will be overrun by Marines in a flash, and these areas need to be fairly close to Kharaa Hives for quick construction.
Obviously, a good illustration is the Holoroom on Hera, while possibly a bit large, it has three vents, two leading from Kharaa areas, one leading to the Command Center, three different entrance areas, two with two more possible entrance choices, and, has a decent area for all manner to attack, not to mention the two Resource Node room.
-Hiding-
This is a Skulk's best advantage, and is used extensively at the beginning of a map, and all throughout the map. However, enough maps do not make good enough use of this, not even Hera in many instances. Doorways should have ceilings a few feet above, with archways if possible, just for ambience. This will allow Skulks to leap from sides and from above at Marines, slaughtering them with a bit more ease.
Lighting can help very much for a Hiding Skulk or other Kharaa type as well. Incredibly dark spots will help them stay hidden from view, and often scare off most Marines from even bothering to move through. And, another side way to do this, is hairpin turns. Hera has this good with exiting the Marine Spawn to go to Hera Entrance and Reception, and leaving there to go to the Holoroom. Kharaa love to sit there and leap at unsuspecting prey.
Another good thing, little areas where Kharaa can hide inside of main rooms, not just a Vent. These should be little lips that are easy to run over and into a safe, dark area. These also allow more surprised assaults at points, and possibly to evolve to a Lerk to destroy people.
-Ambience-
This will turn a fun map into a golden map. To pull off correct ambience, you need to learn not only to set up a map so that it can play well, but set it up so it is nice to run around in without playing. So, consider Lighting, Structure, Spaces, and Sounds into each piece of the map. Unfortunately, for the Half-Life engine, graphics aren't the greatest, and can pale greatly to newer engines, so creating Structural Marvels will be hard to come by, this should be left to textures.
However, the big thing is Lighting and Sounds. Little trickles of water, steam that randomly blasts on and off, clinking noises, and the overwhelming sound of silence. I don't mean sitting there in actual silence, which can be scary, I mean that constant hum sorta noise that you want to believe you are making up but it is very much so there. Things like this, along with things such as random clanks in vents, machinery, and other things, will make people turn in their seats.
Lighting I've already somewhat discussed. They can make a Marine paranoid and watchful, and can change the entire mood of the place, or give certain people a developed advantage in areas of extreme color. Blinking lights, such as broken ones, or those for alert sirens that will keep areas in perpetual blinking red, can freak people out at most times. Don't be afraid to make people tramp through some waste high water, brown/green with sludge, or in a dark area. After those big fish in Half-Life I almost never want to enter water in basically any game cause of that.
Hopefully there will be more later to post up, but that, is what I can think of for now.
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