Altair Feedback Thread
KungFuDiscoMonkey
Creator of ns_altair日本福岡県 Join Date: 2003-03-15 Member: 14555Members, NS1 Playtester, Reinforced - Onos
Creator of ns_altair日本福岡県 Join Date: 2003-03-15 Member: 14555Members, NS1 Playtester, Reinforced - Onos
I’m looking for some feedback on the current version of Altair (the one included in 3.0) so that I can begin fixing the next version. I already have several items on my agenda but I wanted feedback to see if there were other things that needed to be fixed. I only have two rules.
1) You respect me, I’ll respect you.
2) If you’re not going to give me specifics to work with, then don’t post.
Thanks
1) You respect me, I’ll respect you.
2) If you’re not going to give me specifics to work with, then don’t post.
Thanks
Comments
On the other hand, you might benefit from advice on how to deal with these problems you already know about.
Spacer is a bad person.
Spacer is a bad person.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-KungFuDiscoMonkey+Mar 14 2005, 01:13 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (KungFuDiscoMonkey @ Mar 14 2005, 01:13 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->1) You respect me, I’ll respect you.
2) If you’re not going to give me specifics to work with, then don’t post.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Quoted again for those who didn't read it the first time.
Please don't waste my time with sophomoric comments.
1) It takes, at best, a full 30 seconds to get from Altair Command to Docking Control. I think that by making the vent from Surface Umbilical to Docking Control a passageway and by moving the Docking Control RT somewhere else in the room (middle, back corner) that it won't be a hands-down Kharaa RT when Life Support is a hive.
2) I think that Omega Site was better off when it had a pit- If you really want to keep those grates, you could at least make the grates deeper with a couple of ladders coming back up.
3) I feel that we could use a tenth res node, specifically in the Muck Pump/Station Monitoring - Stability area. It would help provide more attention to the middle of the map which is currently for the most part neglected.
4) Consistancy Monitoring is too close to Phi Test Site and there is plenty of empty space to the East. Moving CM to the right a bit can make the hive a bit more assaultable and as of now it is too close to Omega Site.
5) Settling Tanks, while nice looking, serves no purpose that I can see.
That's about all, aside from the fact that I want to thank you for making such a nice map even if its not appreciated by the general public.
Crispy: I would be intrested in what others want without me biasing their input by posting what I'm already planning on doing
TranceRolin:
1) A lot time ago the route did go from Surface Umbilical through Docking control but it made life support too close in travel to MS. I'll see what I can do though
2) I think more people hated the pit than liked it so I don't think I'll bring it back (I liked the pit though <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> )
3) I'm pretty sure I won't be adding any new nodes. Altair already has a lot of res scattered around and I don't think adding another would help.
4) It is kinda hard to move rooms around this late in the game.
5) That comes from a few last min changes. I don't want to remove the room quite yet because I rather like it and it's still part of the way to Consistancy.
<img src='http://teamsdz.free.fr/minimaps/v3.0f/ns_altair0000.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
i think the best way for u to go about this is just lower the brightness of all your lights, recompile, see how it looks, then go about and add extra lights with the same brightness settings. you do not make a room bright by making the one light source brighter, but u add more light sources, thats what makes it more interesting.
Apos: Altair does have a fairly complex layout but making giant rooms is not the answer (especially since HL doesn't do giant rooms well).
NGE: Sorry I didn't post earlier but from previous expierence I found the CAL forums to be fairly useless when posting map feedback threads. I don't believe I got any useful feedback from the threads on the CAL forums.
<img src='http://img164.exs.cx/img164/4207/untitled2xa.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Apos: Altair does have a fairly complex layout but making giant rooms is not the answer (especially since HL doesn't do giant rooms well).<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually, giant rooms don't have to look giant, you just make the room giant, but puts lots of interesting architecture as a draw to the center of the map and make the map more original from others.
I have never played an actual game on this map, mainly because I find it boring. Yeah I know you've been told thousands of times, but while playing, when i'm not in a firefight, I like to look around at my surroundings and it just doesn't hold my attention.
My question is, do you have any plans to upgrade visual appeal once gameplay is done with? Or is this final?
From a gameplay perspective, I hear it's quite good, but I just can't seem to bring myself to actually play it because of this.
Anoter point I wanted to add is the number of vents, while nice, is too many (imo) and too complex to be viable. You have one set (the aqueduct) that runs to each hive, and other smaller sets that run from pretty much every room(or set of rooms).
While I enjoy large maps, there is just too many areas not easily recognizable, and I often find myself looking to my map to navigate areas. Call my siomplistic, but I like my flavors in the veil,eclipse simplicity, or even origin ease of navigation.
Dunno if any of this helps, just my point of view to possibly help out.
I also do not quite get where the map is supposed to be based either, for example it is clear Hera is on a satellite and that Core is based inside some sort of rocky/cave like area.
Altair would be re-invented if it could follow along a hardline unique theme.
Thaldarin: I'm working on some new lighting and working on a more unique theme so I'll try to post some screens when I get it to a more polished state. The new theme is rather rough at the moment.
P.S. Whatever happened to that custom model you were intending on including?
I think that
-omega and consistency are too close together
-the vent system is the most confusing in ns
-there is only 1 valid reloc: phi test site with support as mainhive
-the hole around omega should return
-life support has no acceptable siege spot
-either iota or regulation could be a little closer to ms
-subbay is somehow empty
- It's somewhat difficult to move omega and consistancy this late in the game
- I'll try to make the vents less confusing but I still think they are fairly straightforward
- I think there are more than one but to each his own
- As much as I liked the omega pit I don't think it will return. To many dumb people falling in the hole <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
- Life support might not be very siegeable but it's also somewhat hard to defend as it is. I'll probably work on the hive some.
- I'm not sure if I want to move Nanite Regulations node but I may move Docking Controls node to Sub bay to be a bit closer to MS. I'll have to see how it works out
- SubBay from the beginning was supposed to have a sub model I've just never been able to get a completed model for it.
Plus on the same hand you could make due with a simple Submarine-top instead of a whole model <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Cool beans.
I really like the underwater theme idea though, sub or no (hey... why not a HOVERTANK?!?!! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->), and the Secret room rules!
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->It is kinda hard to move rooms around this late in the game.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Look at Hera, Eclipse, Caged (the 1.0 to 2.0 change was huge, the entire middle of the map redone) Bast (Mendasp is probably up there with you on the list of mappers who have to put up with multiple boat loads of unconstructive critisim <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> ) Nancy (lots of changes to vent system), Angst,
Its not too late to move some things around or even remove things.
If things need to be changed, change them! Don't worry about messing with the layout. Altair is fairly new, its not like you're changing something people have memorized and played as it is for the last two years.