Multilevel maps?
Terr
Arthritic Skulk Join Date: 2002-11-07 Member: 7486Members
<div class="IPBDescription">And ideas for implementation.</div>One issue for NS1 maps is that you can't do much with vertical space: Lower floors are covered up by higher-level activity.
So here's the pitch: Allow mappers to define horizontal planes (or even a non-flat displacement surface for sloping floors) which serves as the boundary between each "floor" in a multilevel map. The commander can only see one floor at a time: Other floors are automatically skipped by the rendering engine and by the mouse picking controls. Anything bisected by the "floor separator" is cut along that line into two parts, one for each floor.
<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->Disclosure: I haven't played with Spark.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
It would open up a lot of potential for mappers to use vertical space without making everything visible from a satellite's-eye view.
So here's the pitch: Allow mappers to define horizontal planes (or even a non-flat displacement surface for sloping floors) which serves as the boundary between each "floor" in a multilevel map. The commander can only see one floor at a time: Other floors are automatically skipped by the rendering engine and by the mouse picking controls. Anything bisected by the "floor separator" is cut along that line into two parts, one for each floor.
<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->Disclosure: I haven't played with Spark.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
It would open up a lot of potential for mappers to use vertical space without making everything visible from a satellite's-eye view.
Comments
Commander Mode is the ability for Commander players to play the game from a top-down view. This is handled automatically by the game but does place special limitations on level designers: maps can't have “level over level†geometry. If one room is built on top of another, the commander can't give orders in or see into the lower room. Because of this problem, overlapping hallways and areas that cross over other areas should generally be avoided. Girders, catwalks, balconies, pipes, and other smaller geometry can overlap as long as they don't really block commander access to the area below them.
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<b>Q&A Update</b>
- Nope, we're not supporting multiple levels for Commanders.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Will this be reimplemented because it was very useful, and although it is not going to make it possible to make double level maps it will solve a few problems for mappers who cant avoid some level on level stuff where only one level is important to the commander
Is it possible that it was just a nodraw texture which most marines/aliens couldn't get into position to really see?
(just kidding)
Don't do it as
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Move it to the side more.
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I thought I made it very clear that that is <b>not</b> what I was trying to convey by the phrase "multi-level'. What you're describing is a single level with elevation changes as you move horizontally.
Don't do it as
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Move it to the side more.
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failure of logic. that's not 'level <b>on</b> level', that's more like a stair case.