co_portals - Community Made Fun Map!
DarkSeraph
Join Date: 2004-06-07 Member: 29174Members
Join Date: 2004-06-07 Member: 29174Members
Workshop Link
Image dump:
Warning: Large images below!
Larger version of new logo image:
Layout:
Rooms in close order to layout:
Marine Start - WorthyRival
Transit - Braw
Gravity Hub - WorthyRival
Nautilus - Evil_bOb1
Circus - Rudy.cz
Gorge Tunnel C - Seraph
Crystal Cave - WhiteDevil
Lava Cave - Pandademic
Church of Onos (Alien Start) - Flaterectomy
The concept is pretty simple - each person makes a room that has a certain number of portals in it to connect it to other rooms.
The FLOW would be as diagrammed below
The signup list by room number:
1. WorthRival
2. WorthRival
3. Braw
4. Evil_bOb1
5. Rudy.cz
6. Seraph
7. WhiteDevil
8. Pandademic
9. Flaterectomy
rr. Seraph/Caboose
portal effects. Howser
All spots are filled.
Here is the working file: My Dropbox - ns2_co_portals.level
Find your location and create your room there - if I have to move it later the textures will be misaligned! If you plan on using the skybox let me know - we can change it, but don't want to mess anyone else up that is using it.
Mappers of ALL levels are welcome. BE CREATIVE. Any room shape, move the portals anywhere, etc. just make sure you follow the usual scale and Line of Sight guides of gameplay. Ask if you aren't sure! Everyone should do something to make their room memorable!
Mapping notes: Don't put an enemy portal facing another one (in immediate Line of Sight). Make sure your portals are the right color - the alien circle when heading towards #9 and the marine when heading towards #1 - yes this means running towards blue means running towards marine base and vice versa. You should use Extra Entities Mod when mapping so you can test your room and move the teleport_triggers (ask me if you aren't sure how!). My initial size estimate is that you want a marine to be able to walk (not run) uninhibited from portal to portal in ~6-7 seconds. We can make up some larger size by increasing the distance that the portal spits you out (this might help with your anticamp plans). #5 room landmark is just a thought about blocking LoS - go with what you think will work. If you need to you can move your room outward as long as it's not toward #5. Keep Line of Sight and camping in mind when designing the portal entrance/exit area and add a vent near exits from alien side - excluding the two tech points.
How to setup Extra Entities Mod:
Go to the GitHub site for EEM and download all files by clicking the ZIP button.
Unzip all files directly into your Ns2 folder (steamapps\common\natural selection 2\ExtraEntitesMod). Then you have to set up the Launchpad like this:
Open it, click CreateGame and fill it like the picture.
You have to select on the left side and then you're ready, after restarting the editor you will see the extra entities in the editor. Now you can open the co_portals map and see teleport_triggers!
All thanks go to JimWest for programming this stuff!
Please ask here if you have any questions or need any help with your room - I'd be happy to help anyone out that needs it!
Edit: After checking a lot I think you can likely get away with 7 seconds marine travel time.
Image dump:
Warning: Large images below!
Larger version of new logo image:
Layout:
Rooms in close order to layout:
Marine Start - WorthyRival
Transit - Braw
Gravity Hub - WorthyRival
Nautilus - Evil_bOb1
Circus - Rudy.cz
Gorge Tunnel C - Seraph
Crystal Cave - WhiteDevil
Lava Cave - Pandademic
Church of Onos (Alien Start) - Flaterectomy
The concept is pretty simple - each person makes a room that has a certain number of portals in it to connect it to other rooms.
The FLOW would be as diagrammed below
The signup list by room number:
1. WorthRival
2. WorthRival
3. Braw
4. Evil_bOb1
5. Rudy.cz
6. Seraph
7. WhiteDevil
8. Pandademic
9. Flaterectomy
rr. Seraph/Caboose
portal effects. Howser
All spots are filled.
Here is the working file: My Dropbox - ns2_co_portals.level
Find your location and create your room there - if I have to move it later the textures will be misaligned! If you plan on using the skybox let me know - we can change it, but don't want to mess anyone else up that is using it.
Mappers of ALL levels are welcome. BE CREATIVE. Any room shape, move the portals anywhere, etc. just make sure you follow the usual scale and Line of Sight guides of gameplay. Ask if you aren't sure! Everyone should do something to make their room memorable!
Mapping notes: Don't put an enemy portal facing another one (in immediate Line of Sight). Make sure your portals are the right color - the alien circle when heading towards #9 and the marine when heading towards #1 - yes this means running towards blue means running towards marine base and vice versa. You should use Extra Entities Mod when mapping so you can test your room and move the teleport_triggers (ask me if you aren't sure how!). My initial size estimate is that you want a marine to be able to walk (not run) uninhibited from portal to portal in ~6-7 seconds. We can make up some larger size by increasing the distance that the portal spits you out (this might help with your anticamp plans). #5 room landmark is just a thought about blocking LoS - go with what you think will work. If you need to you can move your room outward as long as it's not toward #5. Keep Line of Sight and camping in mind when designing the portal entrance/exit area and add a vent near exits from alien side - excluding the two tech points.
How to setup Extra Entities Mod:
Go to the GitHub site for EEM and download all files by clicking the ZIP button.
Unzip all files directly into your Ns2 folder (steamapps\common\natural selection 2\ExtraEntitesMod). Then you have to set up the Launchpad like this:
Open it, click CreateGame and fill it like the picture.
You have to select on the left side and then you're ready, after restarting the editor you will see the extra entities in the editor. Now you can open the co_portals map and see teleport_triggers!
All thanks go to JimWest for programming this stuff!
Please ask here if you have any questions or need any help with your room - I'd be happy to help anyone out that needs it!
Edit: After checking a lot I think you can likely get away with 7 seconds marine travel time.
Comments
I'd love for you to play in vertical space, but I'd be careful making it too tall and open. Chuteout is one of the least balanced maps out right now and is just a spiral staircase up 3-4 floors with the center open. Vertical rooms tend to favor those who have the high ground and you don't want people to consciously avoid your room. As long as you break line of sight appropriately it can be good. If you can play in vertical space without giving either side of the room an advantage I'd say go for it.
This seems fun though, I'd like to take number 3
B Dubs, we meet again haha
Do you guys have a schedule for when you hope to have this done by?
Just finish the room & pass it off. If you installed EEM you should be able to test the map and get to your room without issue (no team joins use j1/j2 in console).
Me too. Currently servers will refuse to put Stargate or spacejump into their rotation, but a lot are leaving maps like chuteout & assault in which is confusing. I'm hoping if it looks good enough and plays decently it will be added to rotations.
Not really a schedule - I don't want to rush anyone as I know most people have several projects in the works. I was hoping most people could return a room in a couple months. Once the first few rooms are in I might start pushing the other volunteers to finish up their work.
I've tried 4 times to get the Stargate map working on the Monash Combat server same with many other maps published on the workshop. It won't D/L correctly off the workshop. Something to do with it's size and the fact that we are not in the USA. Endar has bought this point up in the server discussion fourms.
http://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/124547/error-downloading-mods#latest
DarkSeraph would you mind stop bad mouthing my maps if you have no contructive comments.
No ones bought any issues or bugs about either of those maps to my attention through either the mapping fourms or the steam workshop comments which I check regularly.
Chuteouts balance problems have been addessed with the teleporter entity. As have the choke point in alien spawn with an additional exit.
(maybe you should stop trying to solo the hive.)
it's a team objective map so it requires a team effort.
Get to lvl 3 hold and Activate Lvl 3 teleporter,
Get to lvl 5 Hold and Activate lvl 5 teleporter,
Push and Destroy Hive.)
I've no idea what you think is wrong with Assault it works perfectly fine.
I do plan to make some changes to it's teleport entity which I'm not happy with.
My apologies, I really don't mean to unconstructively criticize those maps, however they have a reputation of being unbalanced. The NLG guys wouldn't add spacejump because they were worried it would clear out the server like Stargate - those are not my words, but theirs.
You and I have had a conversation before about map balance and the risk of you using teleporters in an attempt to balance those maps. Please do not pretend like I have not attempted to have constructive conversation with you. So let's put the working gloves back on if you really want some feedback:
Assault - since you have made the map 3/5ths the original working size the marine win % did go up to 40% (in Feb) which is much better than it was. My real problem with it is flow - since there is only one hallway, marines HAVE to go through vents. This map ends up having more vent combat than any other map as a result, which is why balance is still off IMO.
chuteout - Really man... yes I was insisting the balance was off because I'm fukin Rambo.... No. With the vent straight into marine spawn (this is the only combat map with a vent into MS) it seems difficult to organize an EXO train. Not to mention just how difficult it is to get a team organize to actually weld the teleport on the top level. That said if you do manage to weld that you probably will win. But why do I want to play a combat map that I have to weld a teleporter to win - I want to shoot stuff. If I want to weld shiz I'll go play classic. Unclear on last win % - can't seem to find any good data.
In addition - and I have said this above. Vertical maps tend to have balance issues. The team on the higher ground will typically get the benefit. This isn't just Natural Selection, it's a pretty commonly known tactics/strategy issue and will apply to almost all games.
Unfortunately with no NS2stats for combat servers my assumptions now are much more difficult to prove. But I do hope you will understand why I have been critical of your maps and why others are critical as well. I've played a lot of combat lately and have a good sense for the maps as well as the community's thoughts, and I'm always happy to discuss balance with you.
and as a mapper I'm sure you are well aware everyones a critic.
Either way this is not the thread to bring up discussion on my work rather the portals map.
I look forward to a constructive conversation in the appropriate setting about my maps.
*** Back on topic ***
But good luck to everyone on this project I'm looking forward to seeing it and will add it to the monash server rotation when it's on the workshop.
I'm just sorry I missed the boat on grabbing a room.
Then I'll put everyone's together and post the final product.
I'm also hoping people will post WIP screenshots as they get them.
Not sure what to do with the portals yet. Was thinking of waiting to see what the themes for the connecting rooms are going to be, and work with that.
Q: Is it ok to have playable space behind the portals, or should they be against walls?
Looking great so far! I wouldn't worry about tying the portals to the next room - part of the cool concept of the map is your room is a whole different world! Really I like the effect of the portals coming straight out from rock tunnels - it fits the room well.
Please do NOT leave playable space behind the portals. I'm already really worried about camping, and that would only give room to the opportunity for people to shoot/bite you from behind as you teleport in.
As a side note I'm worried I didn't space things out enough and will end up with conflicts
If you want to have a look, here's the map file in it's current state. https://dropbox.com/sh/9e1fnl5iau4fdk3/hWPWM0rPPU/ns2_co_portals_8.level No matter the changes I may make, I plan to stick (lights, props) within the confines of that space. If it's too big as is, let me know.
When you will need it I will send you the source files.
All feedback is welcome !!
In protest of this sick display, I shall add a death trigger entity to my lava room, filling every inch of playable space, set for 5 damage per second. Every day those poor onos remain in captivity I shall increase the damage by 50%.
PS, the cannon is awesome.