Just a layout, comments helpful
humb1ed
Join Date: 2002-10-06 Member: 1446Members
Join Date: 2002-10-06 Member: 1446Members
Comments
There are no faults. It would make a really wierd, but at the same time cool, map.
Then again I'm not a pt, and some of my comments are better off not being said. <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->
Belg
I don't see the necessity of having two paths aligned like those. But if you tell me it is important... you're the mapper, i am not.
btw first post <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo--> and I hope my english isn't too bad.
My main beef with your layout is that it doesn't look like it will feel like a real environment at all, but rather a collection of rooms and hallways. Many of the official NS maps did a fantastic job of being both playable and feeling like a real environment.
That said, I'm glad you're trying a small map, that's something I try to encourage around here but people rarely listen... :)
Also, in the layout, the lines are not representitive of the shape of the halls or rooms, they are just showing how the rooms are connected to each other, there are a lot of twists and turns and what might be considered smaller "rooms" between these larger nodes. I also did not include any auxiliary routes in the layout for the rocket marines or the flying aliens, because I think it would be easier for balance to add these after getting a feel for the time it takes to get from one area to another.
Consequently, the layout is broken up into the three seperate areas outside the respective hives. Each of these three areas is going to be defined by the type of walls and scenery you the player can see. The three different areas are, the "outside" edge of the base (including one of the hives) that will be defined by multiple windows that can see out into space/asteroid landscape. The second branch will be beneath the surface of the asteroid, where the mining takes place and will be defined by a claustrophobic series of halls that are cut into the rock of the planet (including one hive). The third branch is going to be simply defined by the lack of this view of space and walls made of rock and it will be the normal series of indoor halls (including one hive).
One other thing, the middle blue room in the layout above the marine start I was thinking could be a central distribution for controlling the flow of trams taking minerals that have been mined from the underground area to the refinement area (the bare halled sector). This would also show a sort of reoccuring theme throughout the map of these tram tracks leading out from the central hub and intersecting certain rooms. These tracks could also be useful as practical auxilary routes for the smaller aliens, instead of just vents and pipes.
If I were to write a story to go along with a map, would that be included as the ns_mapname.txt introducing the map ingame? or is there a standard way to include it as a .doc or something along those lines? Consequently, only the interested player would get to read it outside the game?
We haven't done anything official with the map back stories yet, but I assume we will. Keep us posted with shots!
So amazingly off-topic!
<img src="http://www.boomspeed.com/brer/layoutasofnow.jpg" border="0">
If you look at the picture above this one, you can see what the key is, and figure it out from there, the numbers represent the following...
1. Should I add some kind of connection between here? If so, regular hall, jetpack, or weld?
2. SAme thing as #1
3. Already going to be a possible weld from inside that room back to the marine start. Just hasn't been implemented yet.
4. Jetpack access to that next room.
5. Weld possible to get a better angle on the hive.
Okay, I would like to know how you think this will work out, I still have not added any vents, though you can guess where they will be. Also, I would like to know your thoughts on any more jetpack and welding opportunities. Thanks a lot!
A cramped corridor at 2 would be good.