On the discussion of these tiny NS2 maps

BentRingBentRing Join Date: 2003-03-04 Member: 14318Members
So I got to wondering the other day when reading the sneaking around thread how the old NS1 maps compared to the NS2 maps. So, of course, I did some testing. I loaded up NS1 for the first time in forever and timed how long it took a marine to traverse the longest outer passages of the maps from marine start though all of the hives and back to start.

My thought process is that in practicality, when referring to a small or large map, especially in two different games, size of the map should only be measured by time traveled from one point to another rather than focus on things such as distance shown when loading in a map editor, or the total area of the map, or other means of measurement.

Now I'm not saying those other ways of describing a map as large or small are wrong or meaningless, since it's obvious that extra hallways add depth to play for things such as sneaking a pg, as well as a number of other things we could discuss, But this is what I was curious about: how long does it take to circle the map as marine without using any mobility enhancers such as trick jumps, wall hugging, wiggle walking, compared to a NS2 marine without sprinting. I traveled from the marine start taking the longest outermost route through every hive in a fairly straightforward manner ending back at marine start.
The NS1 maps (that I checked) minutes:seconds

Eclipse - 2:02

Eon - 1:55

Lost - 1:57

Nancy - 2:10

Nothing - 2:33

Tanith - 2:25

Veil - 2:15


And the NS2 maps

Docking - 2:05

Mineshaft - 2:03

Refinery - 1:45

Summit - 1:54

Tram - 1:51

Veil - 2:10




I was actually surprised to see these results, since I was under the impression that the NS2 maps were quite a bit smaller than the NS1 maps. And I must admit I had a ton of nostalgia walking through the old ones.

A couple of things worth mentioning is that on Nothing, I did stop the timer for the elevators, and that some maps have alternate routes (such as the weldable on Tanith that negates going through Chemical Transport) that could be accessible by marines with higher tech.

Also, I was pleasantly surprised that Veil was very close in both games.

Comments

  • semihandysemihandy Florida Join Date: 2012-05-24 Member: 152537Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Gold, WC 2013 - Silver
    This is interesting... not what I expected at all. The new NS2 maps just feel much smaller in comparison. Thanks for sharing.
  • SkackySkacky Join Date: 2005-06-05 Member: 53189Members
    I think part of the reason why we find the NS2 maps fairly small compared to the NS1 ones is because their layouts are much simpler than NS1's maps (except Veil of course).
  • WhiteWeaselWhiteWeasel Join Date: 2012-11-25 Member: 173197Members
    Skacky wrote: »
    I think part of the reason why we find the NS2 maps fairly small compared to the NS1 ones is because their layouts are much simpler than NS1's maps (except Veil of course).
    Plus there are a lot more props/details to crowd things up. like an empty room vs the same one filled with furniture.
  • BentRingBentRing Join Date: 2003-03-04 Member: 14318Members
    edited February 2013
    My feelings are that a big problem of the feeling is the hub centric nature of the newer maps rather than a more randomized design. And the older maps in general seemed to prefer narrow corridors while many newer maps seem like they just connect the large rooms with longer, narrower rooms rather than halls.
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