Realistic Vents?

Bigwig · September 2003

In NS maps, vents are there just as a means for skulks to get around quickly. This is well and good, but sometimes I wonder if any of the NS vents would make sense in real life, like if they actually would be good for ventilation and stuff. Basically I'm asking how vents work in real life (or how they might work in a spaceship)... which rooms would they most likely connect to, where would you find them (ceiling? ground? walls?), how big would they be, would they have fans/filters etc. It might seem dumb, but I like things in maps to look like they actually have a purpose and reason to be there. So a maze of random vents (ns_nancy) just seems odd to me. I hope mappers will take this into account in the future and make vents at least semi-realisitic.

Sorry if I'm rambling, this is just something that bugs me <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

KungFuDiscoMonkey · September 2003

I understand where you are comming from. I try to make most of my map seam like it has a purpose but then sometimes you just have to stop going for realism and put a vent in there for gameplay reasons.

The_Real_Quasar · September 2003

Real vents would all probably lead to one place, with a large fan and possibly some plants to take in the carbon dioxide and release oxygen. I'm planning a room like this for ns_senria actually, but feel free to take the idea. If you look at real buildings, they have much smaller vents than in a game, and generally lead to one single ventilation shaft going up out of the roof, with smaller ones coming out of the side. So in NS and games in general, the vents are pretty unrealistic. But they work.

uffo · September 2003

in REAL spaceship? prolly 1" diameter.

Reese · September 2003

one inch? That's a pretty small vent there uffo. probably meant one foot. Either way I would imagine spaceship vents not being directly connected to the source of air flow. Most of the vents in NS could be "realism updated" by installing a grate somewhere in there and putting a little vent behind it with a black poly at the end to give the idea that there is more back there. In the end gameplay>realism, but having both is better.

Mouse · September 2003

I hate to be an little idle pimp, but check out the 'vent' system of <a href='http://nsworld.ns-central.co.uk/Map.php?UniqueID=51' target='_blank'>ns_hydrosity</a>.
While they aren't vents in a literal sense, their presence fits in with the theme of the map.

Decimator · September 2003

The vent system in my map will be completely centralized, though I haven't gotten to the vents yet.

Olmy · September 2003

he must have meant 1' <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Haze · September 2003

Hmm, well people, how do you know what vents will be like in the future? lol. I say make all the vents wide enough so just a skulk can fit, then make them run to one central point where all the vents connect -- a huge fan.

uffo · September 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Edgecrusher @ Sep 24 2003, 05:23 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> he must have meant 1' <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
dunno, main point was that skulk wouldn't fit there anyways <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'>

SamR · September 2003

Yeah, most vents lead to one main vent shaft. Remember Die Hard, where he crawls into the vent, and ends up in that HUGE vent that goes down and down and down, and he jumps and grabs onto another vent (very far fetched I know lol). Well, that film featured realistic ventilation shafts...!

I absolutely HATED those vents in Nancy! They wouldn't work at all in real life, and they were so ridiculously difficult to navigate. I hope they sort those out in the remake.

If you really wanted to see what kind of path vents take, you could get blueprints to a building or something. I think you can get them from your local planning authority (I'm not sure if that's the correct name) or something for free =/

SamR · September 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (#Ha.Ze- @ Sep 24 2003, 11:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Hmm, well people, how do you know what vents will be like in the future? lol.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Well, I don't think ventilation shafts will change that much... I mean... they'll still function as ventilating air to other areas, or venting fumes out or away.

In the future, vents may be bigger because of higher levels of pollution/denser air or something <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Indica · September 2003

Ventilation:

To provide with a vent, as for airing.
To expose (a substance) to the circulation of fresh air, as to retard spoilage
To admit fresh air into (a mine, for example) to replace stale or noxious air.

Ok. Its a vent. just a vent. Realism is always crucial, but not over gameplay.

People never really look at vents, you just crawl or run through them.

BigD · September 2003

Nancy's vents weren't the easiest to learn, but you drop an hmg and a jp on a guy that knew them, and hives were going down.

Personally, I hope the remake team makes them look nicer, but leaves same functionality. Nancy without it's vents just wouldn't be nancy. (Maybe light them better for all the silly nubs) <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

uffo · September 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Indica @ Sep 25 2003, 12:49 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> People never really look at vents, you just crawl or run through them.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
yah. John McClane crawled in dull box shaped vents, but no-one cared 'cos he kicked
some villain butt anyways!

carioca · September 2003

ventilation isnt only air for the lungs but a complex thermal systen to make a place more natural.
large duts are the best way to bring hot to right places.
remenber the space are cold and a big metal stuff without good thermal control will be turn in a frezeer.
real vents come a main vent systen when the air are clean, hot and wet.
good vent are too:
the water cleaner.
the survive systen

Ollj · September 2003

The vents in nancy had most realism.
i yould like to see more vents like in caged, i dont mean THAT bright or round but above pipes and above a seetrhough ceeling.

lyndak · September 2003

Current REAL spaceships are kept in a constant vacuum, with air blowing through all of them. If they hadn't, the astronaughts would suffocate. Simple physics.

Bigwig · September 2003

I was reading one of the original screenplays for Alien 3 (the one that they <i>should</i> have based the movie on <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif'> ), and I came upon this interesting scene...

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Hicks gestures to Wallace, the driver. The carrier halts. SOUND of the air-
scrubbers from down the tunnel. The Marines shift their weapons, uneasily eye
the tunnel ahead. These are young recruits, not the hard-case vets of
"ALIENS."

HICKS
Now listen up. We don't do this by the book,
we don't pair off. Stay together, tight.
Greenfield up front with me; anything moves,
you torch it. The rest of you, if it moves,
kill it. You gotta get the **** before they
get close. You know about the acid; you know
they don't show on infrared. And you know you
don't let them take you alive. You might have
to do a friend a favor... Ready? Move out.

He climbs down from the carrier, heavily burdened with gear. The others
follow. Greenfield has a flamethrower. They move forward. Toward the next
light; beyond it, the tunnel curves out of sight.

JACKSON (V.O.)
You're right up on it, Hicks. Right around the
corner...

HICKS
Affirmative...

They round the turn, weapons ready. And stop, stunned.

GREENFIELD
Wha' 'th...?

The tunnel, which widens here as it approaches the massive air-scrubber, has
been transformed; its lights are dimly visible through shrouds of resin. Vast
ribs of the stuff sweep up from a dim and monstrous shape that covers the deck
at the base of the scrubber; we're looking into an Alien grotto, black and
pearlescent, and obscene fairyland. The shape's symmetry suggest function.
Patient DRUMMING of the air-scrubber's giant fans.

HICKS
Scan it. Motion?

COSTELLO
(consulting tracker,
adjusting knob)
Negative.

HICKS
Alsop, gimme the flood...

Alsop passes Hicks a portable halogen-flood. Hicks thumbs it on...

WALLACE
Holy Christ.

The central shape is revealed as an enormous mutant queen. The thing is
splayed on its back, mortared into the mass of resin, its vestigial head
toward Hicks and the Marines. Its abdomen is arched like an inverted
scorpion-tail, tipped with a swollen, semi-translucent sac that ripples and
pulses in the glare of Hick's lamp. A biomechanical birth-factory.</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

Then the marines proceed to get torn apart, etc.

But, as you can see, a central ventilation chamber (air scrubber?) would definitely make a great realistic hive location in NS <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>.

Lt_Gravity · September 2003

vents are meant as narrow paths for few alienclasses and jp-marines only. but look at it from the distance: as long as the entrance to this vents is hard to reach, it is not necessary to make the vents too tight.
think about some other solutions: maybe part of the "airduct" is like the viaduct on ns_nothing (no standartmarine or onos will ever get there) or a bunch of cable leading from one hole in the wall to another, maybe a way over the ceiling...
and if anybody creates vents: plz make them interesting. add some details, they might be senseless but useful for orientation.
btw: I really hate the vents on nancy...

Chrono · September 2003

well i think vents should all lead to one central station but this central station should have a maitenece access for marines to get in there but the central vent shouldnt be big enought for them to build in just a idea and i think vents should be relativly big heres my reason what if some thing breaks in the vent you gotta fix it so its gotta be big enough for a human( if he can reach it so you could make like broken ladders to some of the vents or ladders covered int he green alien infestation stuff

P.S. i also hate nancys vents

carioca · September 2003

why all aliens are dumd and dirt? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>
why aliens run in sewers, garbage and dry vents! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'>
the humans must stay there, they like that s... ! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>
i prefer the live rooms, dining rooms and the academy, is more clean than humans, the plague! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif'>
i hate eat the dirt humans! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Realistic Vents?

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