NS_Expanse
<div class="IPBDescription">A mapping project.</div>After a fair bit of playing about with the editor over the past few months, I've spent the last week or so trying to put together something that could end up being half-playable at some point. I figure the earlier I start getting some opinions in, the better. I was going to aim to hold back any release information until I had something that looked the part, but given I think at this point layout is probably more important than eyegasm potential, I'd start taking in people's thoughts and ideas early on.
<u>Background</u>
The <i>Expanse of Eternity</i> has seen better days. Once a proud lucrative hauler owned by Charles T. Brent, a successful transport magnate before his tragic phase transportation inversion, the <i>Expanse</i> has since been sold off in the wake of BrentCorp's collapse to a less salubrious cohort of would be businesspeople. Riding around space making transactions of dubious legality has taken its toll on the old girl. It's a grimey, unpleasant little can, far eclipsed by more up to date vessels of superior capacity and standards of living. With a somewhat unhinged AI to boot. The <i>Expanse's</i> last recorded departure logs indicated that they'd taken off in a hurry to attempt to salvage an undisclosed disabled ship of it's lucrative cargo - clearly a hot tip down from one of space's less reliable information brokers.
4 months ago, a panicked audio only transmission reached inhabitted space. The <i>Expanse</i> had made contact with a vessel and encounted a species of "unpleasant" origin. Having fled and scuttled the potential cargo, the <i>Expanse's</i> crew entered stasis. The captain woke up some months later to find the ship was not alone, and Jerry, the ship's now deranged onboard AI had set the ship on a course homeward bound.
Upon receipt of the message, the TSA dispatched an interdict vessel to eliminate the incoming threat. With gusto.
<u>The Damn Map</u>
Crummy literature completed, here's the basic layout so far.
<a href="http://img85.imageshack.us/i/basiclayout16042010.jpg/" target="_blank">http://img85.imageshack.us/i/basiclayout16042010.jpg/</a>
Layout-O-Gram: <img src="http://imgur.com/9NQVj.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
As you can see, it's basic, and not entirely finished. I started with the cargo bays - two groups of two bays, with an access corridor moving between them. My idea is to have a middle area which is the predominate place you want to be keeping hold of. The side that holds both cargo bays will have far more resources/tech points. But because they're split in half, you effectively have to hold half the map with half your team.
Furthermore, you've got a choice of what you want more of - more tech, or more resources. If (say the Marines) capture the two points in Cargo Bay 1, they'll have easier access to the tech point in Engineering(?) Room 1. Taking Cargo Bay 2 gives easier access to the RP in Engineering (?) Room 2. The aliens have the same option. Furthermore, both sides can utilise the Access Corridor running between the Cargo Bays to either out flank the Cargo Bays or press into the front or rear of the ship.
At least this is the method behind the madness. Now that I've put it all in writing, I'm not sure it's possible to tell whether or not the layout will work until we start getting some games in the alpha rolling.
That's probably the main reason I'm hesitent to begin working on the aesthetic details - besides the fact I've not actually finished the layout. As you can see, neither side has a spawn area yet for a start, and I'm unsure what I want to do with the rooms labled "Engineering 1/2?" (engineering 1/2 sounds boring doesn't it? Hmmm) The observant will probably notice I have whacked down a few objects/textures (particularly the cargo room, and one peculiarly detailed ramp leading up to the alien hive) though for the most part I'm keeping it spartan until I've worked out the all important layout balance.
Plus I need to work out those all important vents - which again will need some testing come alpha day (wheee!)
So there we go for now. I'll try to do an update every few days :)
<u>Background</u>
The <i>Expanse of Eternity</i> has seen better days. Once a proud lucrative hauler owned by Charles T. Brent, a successful transport magnate before his tragic phase transportation inversion, the <i>Expanse</i> has since been sold off in the wake of BrentCorp's collapse to a less salubrious cohort of would be businesspeople. Riding around space making transactions of dubious legality has taken its toll on the old girl. It's a grimey, unpleasant little can, far eclipsed by more up to date vessels of superior capacity and standards of living. With a somewhat unhinged AI to boot. The <i>Expanse's</i> last recorded departure logs indicated that they'd taken off in a hurry to attempt to salvage an undisclosed disabled ship of it's lucrative cargo - clearly a hot tip down from one of space's less reliable information brokers.
4 months ago, a panicked audio only transmission reached inhabitted space. The <i>Expanse</i> had made contact with a vessel and encounted a species of "unpleasant" origin. Having fled and scuttled the potential cargo, the <i>Expanse's</i> crew entered stasis. The captain woke up some months later to find the ship was not alone, and Jerry, the ship's now deranged onboard AI had set the ship on a course homeward bound.
Upon receipt of the message, the TSA dispatched an interdict vessel to eliminate the incoming threat. With gusto.
<u>The Damn Map</u>
Crummy literature completed, here's the basic layout so far.
<a href="http://img85.imageshack.us/i/basiclayout16042010.jpg/" target="_blank">http://img85.imageshack.us/i/basiclayout16042010.jpg/</a>
Layout-O-Gram: <img src="http://imgur.com/9NQVj.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
As you can see, it's basic, and not entirely finished. I started with the cargo bays - two groups of two bays, with an access corridor moving between them. My idea is to have a middle area which is the predominate place you want to be keeping hold of. The side that holds both cargo bays will have far more resources/tech points. But because they're split in half, you effectively have to hold half the map with half your team.
Furthermore, you've got a choice of what you want more of - more tech, or more resources. If (say the Marines) capture the two points in Cargo Bay 1, they'll have easier access to the tech point in Engineering(?) Room 1. Taking Cargo Bay 2 gives easier access to the RP in Engineering (?) Room 2. The aliens have the same option. Furthermore, both sides can utilise the Access Corridor running between the Cargo Bays to either out flank the Cargo Bays or press into the front or rear of the ship.
At least this is the method behind the madness. Now that I've put it all in writing, I'm not sure it's possible to tell whether or not the layout will work until we start getting some games in the alpha rolling.
That's probably the main reason I'm hesitent to begin working on the aesthetic details - besides the fact I've not actually finished the layout. As you can see, neither side has a spawn area yet for a start, and I'm unsure what I want to do with the rooms labled "Engineering 1/2?" (engineering 1/2 sounds boring doesn't it? Hmmm) The observant will probably notice I have whacked down a few objects/textures (particularly the cargo room, and one peculiarly detailed ramp leading up to the alien hive) though for the most part I'm keeping it spartan until I've worked out the all important layout balance.
Plus I need to work out those all important vents - which again will need some testing come alpha day (wheee!)
So there we go for now. I'll try to do an update every few days :)
Comments
Have you looked at the mapping guidelines that comes with the editor? If not I would highly recommend doing so, it gives you pointers on how you should design your map (and the layout), extremely helpful. It also provides a collection of "abstract layouts" that you can use as a baseline to design your layout. They give you an idea of how they intend to design the flow of the game, how many routes there should be between tech points, starting points etc.
The largest issue I find with that layout is the alien side, they have only one route out of their spawn, and the route goes far inside marine territory. If I was the marines I'd build a turret farm and guard that one entrance while taking the rest of the map uncontested, easy win :P Also, the TP in engineering 1 would probably be too easy to secure for the aliens.
Crew Area looks a bit "out of the way", it's really only a RT (resource tower) there and it would take the player too far away from the action.
The center route is kinda straight forward and would probably favor marines, might be a smart idea to lower the middle of that route so that you can't see the end of the tunnel (like the one on the east side of veil if you played natural selection 1). Or do something similar.
Good luck on your map :)
Indeed, the alien side is as of yet the most under developed - definitely the bit that will need the most work. I'm maybe looking at a route moving from the alien spawn area to one - maybe both of the "Engineering" sections.
I had indeed considered the central access corridor as being a little pro-Marine, so fairly early on I'd lowered the corridor somewhat - Of course, having been done just before the engine test, I forgot to check it out once I'd got it in game. For perspective, here's what it used to look like from both sides.
<a href="http://img18.imageshack.us/i/originalacmarside.jpg/" target="_blank">Original Corridor (Marine Side)</a>
<a href="http://img156.imageshack.us/i/originalacaliside.jpg/" target="_blank">Original Corridor (Alien Side)</a>
Having played around with it for a few minutes, taking a look at it from a Marine's level view, it's a little too easy to see what the aliens are up to. So with a little playing around, I lowered it a little further, making the far end more obscured, and adding some objects it's made things physically a little more difficult for the Marines to fire down the tunnel. Furthermore, I've experimented basically with some more passive methods of obscuring the area - dark textures for one, and dim, grimy looking lighting - which fits within the aesthetic theme too. Lastly, I added a "safety barrier" around the ramp leading down to the access corridor, mostly preventing the Marine's from seeing into it unless they're at the barrier.
Images - the lighting actually looks a fair bit darker than it does in game, oddly. I'm going to be tweaking that over time to get the best results anyway :)
<a href="http://img402.imageshack.us/i/26830667.jpg/" target="_blank">Corridor in Editor</a>
<a href="http://img364.imageshack.us/i/acaliside.jpg/" target="_blank">Alien Side</a>
<a href="http://img688.imageshack.us/i/acmar1.jpg/" target="_blank">Marine Side 1</a>
<a href="http://img101.imageshack.us/i/acmar2.jpg/" target="_blank">Marine Side 2</a>
<a href="http://img685.imageshack.us/i/acmar3.jpg/" target="_blank">Marine Side 3</a>
<a href="http://img402.imageshack.us/i/26830667.jpg/" target="_blank">Within Corridor</a>
Oh, also, there's a vent opening underneath the ramp. Not final, but basically there will be a vent somewhere within that room for getting the drop on the Marines. Maybe an opening within the corridor itself too, or possibly some corridors/rooms running parallel to it. It'll quite a bit of tweaking yet I think :D
Re: Crew Area, definitely. I'm looking at adding a corridor that takes you through to the bridge. There's room to expand things in that direction too perhaps - much like the equivalent rooms on the alien spawn side.
Again, thanks for the advice! It's given me a lot to consider :)
I've updated the inital post with a Layout-O-Gram illustrating the layout to make it a bit more clear.
I quite like the central resource point dynamic. It'll need to be tested, but the idea is that control of the centre is essential to launching the "final onslaught" - or even an early rush. However, in order to advance up the tech tree it's essential to gain control of other points around the map.
Possibly. It could well just end up in frustratingly quick games. It'll need testing.