Other mappers playtesting other mappers maps?

SN.Wolf

<div class="IPBDescription">Request</div>To All Active Level Designers,


We have been playtesting my level on my west coast dedicated box and would like to extend the playtesting to more people but don't want to be over run so i want to playtest with other mappers who have proven within the mapping section they are devoted to producing levels for ns2 and have vast knowledge of how and why things work within the game engine with what materials are provided so far.

What i have been doing is testing for areas that you become stuck in or just don't work well for flow, the server is limited to 6 players at a time with the general rule of keeping structure to a minimum and so far have tested with members from SN,KcK, CotC and a few others. they have been invaluable in feedback and would love some feedback suggestions from mappers who have been using the spark editor and have working or near working levels.

This is how it would work. I will make available the level and overviews for the test groups and provide a locked forum within my SN forums for feedback,notes, and trouble areas to be reported. The level with run in it's current state and then updated as fixed are made weekly. We will use My TS3 Server or my 8 slot ventrilo for testing and troubleshooting only.

I will open a dedicated server for those other mappers that would be interested in testing their map via dedicated server with a controlled test group.

I realize that allot of you all are not in the us so this may be unfeasible to do realtime gamplay test but will still be good for bug hunting within the level (not engine).
If you are interested in becoming part of this group please PM the following:

Steam ID:
Level Your working on (name or forum thread):
Voice comm Preference (TS3 or Ventrilo):
Mapping level (1-5):


I will provide FTP access for the final group to share/host files/images for any projects tested privately and the above information will be available to anyone in the group.

The unit for testing dedicated is Q6600 Quad core, 3GB ram headless 1U blade with a 25Mb/6Mb that will be more than ample for 6 player testing.

Regards,

Rob AKA Wolf

yimmasabi

Good idea but first I dont think that current alpha versions of the game are not enough to design a map for a tactical play. We need a bit more time including fades, sieges and other uprades. So I dont think that is a good time to test any maps.

Also maps should have creator ID, password etc to edit.

I would like to test yours too. I'm testing my ns2_thedron map on LAN with my son but it is still %60 done. It is faster than official maps because of less objects and lights. Still waiting much more improvements in game engine to define best locations for the hives, vents, doors etc.

SN.Wolf

The whole level security thing is why i want to keep it to a controlled group of mappers as they know the work that goes into a level and will be more respectful of the content than someone who has never built one from scratch. I would like to have a group of at least 6 to test the levels and entities, not really concerned about game-play yet but balance needs to be looked at also but a few lockable doors can totally off set the balance depending on how the commander uses them strategically so the initial (alpha) level test will be mostly map layouts along with characters getting stuck,sounds,cinimatics and troubleshooting/suggestions on fixes or ways to add atmosphere for a better game experience.

SN.Wolf

To maximize the testing groups effectiveness and level security all level alpha testing will be done at <a href="http://nsarmory.com/" target="_blank">http://nsarmory.com/</a>.

If you are interest, sign up there.

Thaldarin

Mapping level 1-5? What?

It's nice you want to get others involved in playtesting but the way you're doing it is ridiculous. X says can I and you say "no you're not good enough at mapping!".

Just PM people privately and ask them to participate for you before opening it up to the public?

SN.Wolf

1-5 meaning experience, Maybe i should have clarified that a bit better. Sorry to anyone who didn't understand it. What is essential for testers as that they have a level of knowledge on how the tools work and the degree of time and effort involved in certain aspects regarding repairs or additions to levels at the same time adding technical know how to provide positive ideas and work arounds for problem areas. By no means am i stating that anyone is better at something than someone else. The reason i ask this is, I tried testing with a group who has very limited if any knowledge of level editing and the feedback although was good as for testing areas where you became stuck did not help much as far as evaluation on the level the big picture.