Map Side Objectives
Hawkeye
Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1855Members
Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1855Members
I had an interesting idea that a mapper could implement 'side objectives'.
When the game starts, both teams see a list of the primary and secondary objectives.
For most games, the Primary Objective is that which it always has been: Destroy the humans (for aliens), eradicate the Kharaa (for humans).
However, what if there were a timed event to go off at a random moment, like "Reactor pressure exceeding threshold. Radiation leak expected in 30 seconds. Activate coolants" (for humans) and "Reactor pressure exceeding threshold. Radiation leak expected in 30 seconds. Prevent marines from activating coolants" (for Kharaa). If successful, humans would regain power to the station and all lights would come on and all vents would be sealed shut. If failed, one of the major bottlenecks of the map would have red lights flashing and have green gas fill the room, which if marines entered would cause the equivalent of spore damage, while Kharaa would take no damage whatsoever.
Another idea is a mining map in which an event goes off which says that geothermal explosion expected to trigger within the next 5 minutes. The team which controls the majority of resource resses when the time ends will have their current resource amount doubled.
These are just a few examples. I'm sure a mapper could think of many others.
All you'd need is a map entity which determines what the random interval of time to activate it would be (or fixed to no interval for a fixed time), what trigger to activate for marines to succeed, what trigger to activate for Kharaa to succeed, and whether or not fulfilling the objective will end the round winning it for whoever achieved it.
When the game starts, both teams see a list of the primary and secondary objectives.
For most games, the Primary Objective is that which it always has been: Destroy the humans (for aliens), eradicate the Kharaa (for humans).
However, what if there were a timed event to go off at a random moment, like "Reactor pressure exceeding threshold. Radiation leak expected in 30 seconds. Activate coolants" (for humans) and "Reactor pressure exceeding threshold. Radiation leak expected in 30 seconds. Prevent marines from activating coolants" (for Kharaa). If successful, humans would regain power to the station and all lights would come on and all vents would be sealed shut. If failed, one of the major bottlenecks of the map would have red lights flashing and have green gas fill the room, which if marines entered would cause the equivalent of spore damage, while Kharaa would take no damage whatsoever.
Another idea is a mining map in which an event goes off which says that geothermal explosion expected to trigger within the next 5 minutes. The team which controls the majority of resource resses when the time ends will have their current resource amount doubled.
These are just a few examples. I'm sure a mapper could think of many others.
All you'd need is a map entity which determines what the random interval of time to activate it would be (or fixed to no interval for a fixed time), what trigger to activate for marines to succeed, what trigger to activate for Kharaa to succeed, and whether or not fulfilling the objective will end the round winning it for whoever achieved it.
Comments
...
>.>
...
What do you mean that isn't self explanatory? Oh allright, I'll explain. One current map (I think the official name is Ayumi?) is "affectionately" referred to as "NS_Coldturn" due to the over-critical importance of one room on the map -- Cold Turn. The team that holds that room will win the game 9 times out of ten. This makes the map someone marine-biased due to the fact that marines are typically much better able to hold a single location than aliens are, as long as they are willing to concentrate a significant amount of force on that important location. This is somewhat off-set by the face that this particular game-ending room is located much closer to the alien start points than to the marine start point, so its a little awkward to reach the first time, but it's still one of our least favorite maps to play due to strong repetition of the "focus everything on Cold Turn" strategy.
This example makes me doubt the benefits of any strongly important side-objectives in maps. If it's important enough to be worth focusing on, the marines will usually take it. Even when they fail, you'll still see the same fight over that room almost every game. If it's not that important, why is it in there at all? Why couldn't you just go with the existing concept of gaining some continuous benefit as long as you control an area (through res nodes and/or weldables) rather than handing some one-time benefit out to whoever controls it at a specific point?
a) benefit a team based on a certain criteria
b) open up / close up different areas of the map
One that comes to mind is after 8 minutes of gameplay, three individual RT nodes are opened up.
Another implementation of this idea can be seen in ns_siege maps, where the door separating the two forces opens after a certain period of time. A more partial version of this idea is welding points for a desired and known effect -- welding open the side door on ns_hera, for example.
On the idea of sub-objectives, it could work. It would be greatly beneficial for marines to secure a sub-directive (say, not letting the generator explode) to ensure the lights are on for the rest of the game. This would include the Marines having to weld five spots in the generator room. However, they only have a certain amount of time to accomplish these five goals, otherwise, the lights go out in certain high-combat areas (tilting the map in aliens favor).
I like the idea.
If you want to make something a side / sub objective, you need it to not actually count towards the end goal of map control. Then why would either side bother? Well, I don't suppose they would if their only personal goal is winning. I have known many a player like that.
But what about fun? Or atmosphere?
Bring on saving citizens or scientists. Find secret diabolical research or a colorful kharaa mushroom. Its kinda like those secret rooms in ready rooms in NS1, you don't have to even know about them to beat the other side, but it can be a lot of fun when you do. It can help further the Natural Selection Universe story, it can add atmosphere, it can set a tone of fun in the game - especially if you are on the losing side, you know you lost the RTS side of the game, so run for the escape pods or turn on the self destruct for a morale or even silly victory of a sorts.
Sometimes, you just need to have fun with your maps and I firmly believe "Map Side Objectives" should be a significant part of that.
Trying to think about what that event might be for aliens..