Suspense in maps...

InZaneFleaArmy · March 2002

<div class="IPBDescription">Is there enough?</div>I've seen all your maps...I've seen mine...I see that...whatever. These maps look great...but are they any places that will be memorable? Not just, "We ran into the Hive, and were attacked by the whole alien team". But sort of a, "We ran into the Hive, and suddenly, the floor fell...We had to weld our way out a door, and then, we met a stink cloud." Tell me your suspense ideas...

Moleculor · March 2002

I'd just prefer really slow opening doors and the like. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'> Doors that not only open slowly, but can't be closed till they're all the way open. *grin*

Yeah. Lame idea. I know.

badmofo · March 2002

actually no i like that idea molec...i have quite a few of those in my map (BIG doors)

realityisdead · March 2002

In other words, shared experiences. Definately very important to NS. I am having a rough time coming up with the most basic ideas, but I've got a few...

Really anything that requires a direct action by one of the players... and lots of waiting afterwards, contributes a lot to this effect. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

The_Artist · March 2002

Suspense eh.....well i would think there would be alot of suspense when the full release of the mod is released.

Playing on the maps for the first time would produce alot of suspense coz no-one really knows were to go.

Slow opening doors are good an all but what about things to really build up suspense like the time it takes for aliens to get to you everything could be really quite and pipes all of a sudden burst.

doors slowly opening just to find out the door only opens half-way and you gotta squeeze through 1 marine at a time so that the first marine through would have to wait for his team mates to get through.

You could have your map when you are getting closer to the hive have lots of airvents open and hidden passageways and say you havent seen any aliens in a while the ceiling of a certain passage way collapses behind you and you have to find your way out, weld a door open.

There are loads of ideas to build up suspense just that what happens when the map has been played over and over again its like a scary movie it loses it suspense (unless your a noob)

liquidscript · March 2002

This is a perfect use for the Trigger_random entity. Mappers can make a bunch of different areas that could have things go wrong, and the disaster that will happen to players will be selected at the beginning of the round randomly. Then, when they enter the 'chosen' area, something drastic will happen, like the floor caves in, or the ceiling falls through, or the engine room floods, or the coolant begins leaking and the team has to deal with it.

The randomness will help make the players sense that each game is different from the next, and it won't be as repetitive as some maps i've noticed for DOD and other mods.

007 · March 2002

I'd think suspensful is having sounds implemented into you're map as you move down a dark hall way and evil screeching sounds can be heard... and a door is slowly opening... and an alarm goes off... and the lights blow up and something falls behind you adn the door slowly opens and breaks and you have to crouch and crawl threw it and find yourself in a xen like hall way... and its really dark and the lights dim and slowly come back on... as you hear more screechign sounds you make you're way down the hall and suddenly behind u a vent blows off its hinges and you spin around expectign a level 4 alien but nothing... that kidna stuff... or a suspenful thing an explosion kills one team memeber and alarms sound and it gets dark and you hear a screwed up vox voice... and yer locked in a room and a door blowso off the hinges..

nrby · March 2002

hehe freon has a few slow doors at critical bulkheads <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

may your wish be granted!

Mouse · March 2002

Or for real suspense put an uninfected room in the middle of an infected area. so it looks like the Mary Celeste

(for those not in the know the mary celeste was this ship that was found drifting at sea and there were hot meals sitting on tables uneaten. and the crew had dissapeared and there were no signs of struggle.) creepy

InZaneFleaArmy · March 2002

I will have nightmares about all that stuff now. trigger_random...Sooo many will be used in my map...Come on, it's "COLLAPSE". I'll have a few things as in the ideas of whole passages falling. Maybe...O.o...A small scratching noise....a loud rip...then...Nothing. Half-way down the same hall, a loud moaning noise, and then the whole floor caves in...That'd would make me scream to my mommy... but it would have to be random. That way people don't get used to the things that happen. And there has to be like 50 different things that could happen...all random.

Moleculor · March 2002

Yuuuuup! trigger_random is -such- a nice thing.

Are you implimenting it to where they fire when the trigger is hit, or they all fire at the beginning, and killtarget randomly selected triggers that cause the random occurances?

Trane · March 2002

Another great suspense factor is pitch black tight corridors. It would be great to have to move around half a map in pitch black, and in places you could only crawl (marine obviously) and it would take so long youd have to take a break cause your flash light didnt have enough battery, and when you turn off your flash light the evil alien noises start, or the evil radio noises. Anyways, pitch black is always scary.

Moleculor · March 2002

But pitch black is always boring and hard to navigate. Frustrating. Needs at least a bit of light, or a few tiny spots of light.

liquidscript · March 2002

Random noises would also be very cool in maps. Random ambient noise, such as hull creaking, like in submarines, even though they'd be spaceships. Or grinding noises in a mine or something.

This way the players won't have the entire background noise memorized in their heads. I know playing dod_omaha, I had that stupid 2 minute sound effect ripped from Saving Private Ryan memorized. I hadn't seen the movie before I played DoD, but when I saw the movie, I was like, HEY that sound is in Day of Defeat, right at the opening Omaha beach scene. Scary huh?

TychoCelchuuu · March 2002

how bout the tiny little door that you gotta open to sneak into the alien hive, but when you walk into hit/hit the use key it turns out it is this huge blast door that takes 15 seconds to open and makes a REALLY loud sound. i can just see the marines running away really fast.

Yolmer · March 2002

I am trying to make areas in my map where the marines can see another part of the map, but not actually get there unless they take the long way around. Like a window overlooking a glassed in walkway. Myself, I thought those were the coolest parts in Half-Life, where you could see aliens fighting marines, but not actually interact.

Tzarcon · March 2002

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (007 @ Mar. 21 2002,22:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I'd think suspensful is having sounds implemented into you're map as you move down a dark hall way and evil screeching sounds can be heard... and a door is slowly opening... and an alarm goes off... and the lights blow up and something falls behind you adn the door slowly opens and breaks and you have to crouch and crawl threw it and find yourself in a xen like hall way... and its really dark and the lights dim and slowly come back on... as you hear more screechign sounds you make you're way down the hall and suddenly behind u a vent blows off its hinges and you spin around expectign a level 4 alien but nothing... that kidna stuff... or a suspenful thing an explosion kills one team memeber and alarms sound and it gets dark and you hear a screwed up vox voice... and yer locked in a room and a door blowso off the hinges..</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Holy hell, sounds like a kick-### horror movie! I wonder if it's possible to have stuff like this all over my map...

Suspense in maps...

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