NS2_Trantius Rebirth
I've just remembered my pet project from the NS days. Trantius: <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16284&st=0" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index....=16284&st=0</a> (Yes, I'm WraithOfDark, a.k.a WoD, a.k.a Wodeh)
I'd really love to rebirth this map for Natural Selection 2 and would like to gather some thoughts on how viable it might be.
Obviously some of the concepts don't quite apply to NS2. Hive locations could also be additional locations for command centers, for example.
Needless to say, it's heavily inspired by Alien and the design includes some features which I'm not sure are supported by NS2 such as weldable vents (seal up a vent to stop skulks getting through it).
I'd really love to rebirth this map for Natural Selection 2 and would like to gather some thoughts on how viable it might be.
Obviously some of the concepts don't quite apply to NS2. Hive locations could also be additional locations for command centers, for example.
Needless to say, it's heavily inspired by Alien and the design includes some features which I'm not sure are supported by NS2 such as weldable vents (seal up a vent to stop skulks getting through it).
Comments
I would suggest removing some, if not most, of your doors, and removing the vent in marine start.
I really like your ideas of height differences. Looking forward to progress.
At the moment, yes. It's come up as an issue before, and until I started putting the geometry together in Spark I didn't fully comprehend just how much of a problem it is.
I've shoved a massive ramp in the central area marked "Elevator", but I may close this area off entirely.
The forward area of the map ( The Hub, Docking Reception, Docking Node and Panoramic Observation ) is actually raised a great deal above the aft (Hanger Control, The Neck, Engines) but this difference in height doesn't do enough to curb the easy access straight through the middle of the map.
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Other things:</b>
At the moment scale is really, really hard to get right. I want the hangers to be pretty massive as they'll be occupied by small ships.
There will likely be a fair amount of open areas, which would ordinarily leave Skulks at a disadvantage... but I'm trying to go for nasty, tight vents that only a Skulk would use (Marines shooting down vents with jetpacks is a bit naff) so the well-played Skulk should be able to close in on a Marine "Alien" style.
The central aft of the ship looks a little bare at the moment, too. I'd envision a battle over The Neck to control one of the methods of access to Refectory and Engineering... so perhaps this area will be of strategic significance enough without packing in a resource node.
As mentioned in the linked thread, there needs to be a secondary access to Station Reception (top left). I didn't listen before... hey it was ten years ago! I might have been an idiot.
This could be achieved with an upgrade to the air exchange "Expansion Tank" and Intake Duct to include a "Supplies Corridor" for loading stuff into Crew Quarters ( I like to keep everything thematically plausible ). This tunnel would include another resource node.
The marine spawn probably also needs moved to the bottom right. Swapping Rectory and Lounge into Operations (left upper middle) and Operations would move into the top right, keeping the tech spot.
All feedback and criticism is welcomed... I haven't come close to finishing a rough first grey-boxing
The layout always impressed! Good Luck.
I'm also dropping in some rough lighting concepts. To simulate it getting darker without leaving Marines at a severe disadvantage, I'm trying to flow from pure white in the pristine areas of the vessel through cool blue and, finally, greenish for Bioscanning/Station Reception.
In this version Operations has been thrown out, with one large room that will be split (probably with windows or something) into Refectory/Lounge.
As I've mentioned, Operations will exist in the currently missing top-right area, and the real marine spawn should be in the bottom right... diagonally opposite the aliens.
I'm thinking that a bit of randomness might come in handy, so the new top-right Operations may have a "hull breach" leading through to a second, alternate Alien spawn. Similarly Engineering would become the alternate Marine spawn.
I think some randomness in the spawn locations is probably necessary for longevity and to add some uncertainty in the initial stages of a match.
Edit: Updated the linked map a couple of times, with some silly texture messing about in one of the hangers, plus some basic detail.
Have now also added Operations in the bottom right; the Marine Spawn. This leads directly into Excursion Hanger via two "escape shafts" and also via Excursion Preparation.
Things all look a little close together in Spark, but when I play the map.. everything is huge and many rooms are more or less how I imagined they should be.
All you need to do is sign up on duplexgaming.co.uk - and wait for me to change your membergroup to Map/Mod Maker.
Then go to "Admin" in the topleft, then "Downloads", then the "Maps" button to add your map to the database.
Now I will go take a run around your map :)
Edit: After downloading your map, it seems like the overview files are missing.
After flying around your map, I have a few comments for you.
First of all, it was pretty confusing without the minimap, but that's because the overview files are missing.
You have some veeery long lines of sight, which I think you should adress somehow.
It's hard to tell you where they are, since the minimap is lacking, but I think that you can see what I mean.
As it is now, your map would be hell for skulks, long straight corridors, and long lines of sight.
Try making some corridors shorter, and break line of sight in larger rooms with some geometry or props.
Hope to see some progress. And hopefully a fully greyboxed(closed, cant fly out of map) playtest version :)