A Dark Carnival
TranquilChaos
Join Date: 2003-07-25 Member: 18425Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Would a map like this fit the ns theme?</div> Please tell me what you think of this map concept:
Ns_carnival
A ship from the T.S.A having been severely damaged in a firefight between T.S.A marines
and the alien infestation. Critical damage to flight control systems have caused the ship to crash down to
earth, at an abandoned carnival of all places. All marines aboard were killed, however the aliens survived their journey to the surface and have begun a new colony on the fairgrounds.
The Three Main Hives will be located in the ships remains, and funhouse, and a third location which is undecided. The marines will land at entrance to the carnival. The eerie combination of suspense from the abandoned carnival at night and the threat of something sinister lurking in the shadows will be the primary themes.
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Does this sound like a feasible idea?
Is it something you would play?
Does it fit in well enough with the NS setting, or is it too far-fetched?
I appreciate your input.
Ns_carnival
A ship from the T.S.A having been severely damaged in a firefight between T.S.A marines
and the alien infestation. Critical damage to flight control systems have caused the ship to crash down to
earth, at an abandoned carnival of all places. All marines aboard were killed, however the aliens survived their journey to the surface and have begun a new colony on the fairgrounds.
The Three Main Hives will be located in the ships remains, and funhouse, and a third location which is undecided. The marines will land at entrance to the carnival. The eerie combination of suspense from the abandoned carnival at night and the threat of something sinister lurking in the shadows will be the primary themes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Does this sound like a feasible idea?
Is it something you would play?
Does it fit in well enough with the NS setting, or is it too far-fetched?
I appreciate your input.
Comments
1> lerks and the sky box
2> overwhelmingly lrage view area for said lerks
3> jp
if you can figure out how to do that stuff more power to you
I know aliens were a bit overpowered for a while there, but the TSA isn't doing <b>that</b> bad of a job that they're on Earth's doorstep already. You people are eroding the game's brilliant and detailed backstory with your otherwise fine maps based on <i>locales in our own solar system.</i> Stop it!
[/rant] Other than that, it sounds like a great idea. Why not make it a carnival or theme park <i>Space Station,</i> with maybe a ship or two crashed into it. None of this "The Kharra are on Earth" Onos Poo.
Most of the major strategic points are located inside buildings. (Resource Nodes, Hives, Marines Start)
Some free roaming is possible but for there is not an excessive amount of open space, what would be
open areas between park attractions are occupied by food and game booths. (and rubble near the
shipwreck.) A ceiling and the size of several of the larger buildings prevent lerks and jpers from having too much freedom of sight and movement. I might consider adding other elements, (overhead lights, elevator shafts, etc.,) to further this restriction. For a non-jp marine, there are no real shortcuts to hives but rather they for the most part must walk set paths. All the hives are in buildings (as mentioned above) There will be for the most part be balance between open walkways and closed rooms. I will get screenshots up whenever possible, but I don't expect to have much completed worth showing for at least a week. (Like maybe just a few rooms even then.) I am slightly inexperienced so I am going to take my time designing areas, and reading tutorials, I also expect I will have to create a fair number of new textures to implement the theme properly. I appreciate all comments made and am willing to take reasonable ones into consideration. (Except for Chrome's <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> )
B.T.W. the third Hive will be the tunnel of love, infested style! <!--emo&::skulk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'><!--endemo-->
1) Earth: The Kharra have only been encountered in the Ariadne Arm. WarpZone explained the rest though.
2) Outdoor areas: HL doesn't do outdoor areas all that well. You also have the issues with skulks/lerks/jps and the skybox. Also, as oudoor areas are largely open, marines would dominate.
3) Theme: It just doesn't fit the NS theme - cramped, dark sci-fi style corridors, pipes, pouring steam, flickering lights etc. A carnival would have none of these.
However, I applaud you for trying to think of new ideas for NS maps. Generally, though, it's better to think within the sci-fi theme. That's not to say that you can't find new map concepts within that theme. <!--emo&::marine::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/marine.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='marine.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The Trans-System Authority is an independent body funded by 37 trans-gov powers (governments or super-corporations that own and operate phase gates between solar systems)<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Mening The aliens could use a phase gate to get to earth or a system of ship or whatwever thats close to earth. Or they could have affected the ship right before it phased back to earth then infected it shortly therafter. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> Aliens on earth works for me.
The only phase gates that would get you between systems are in space, as I understand it. I would expect that all Gates in the Ariadne Arm would be rigorously monitored to prevent the Bacterium making it's way through.
Anyway, according to the backstory, the Kharra have only been encountered in the Ariadne Arm. They aren't at Earth yet. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
1) Earth: The Kharra have only been encountered in the Ariadne Arm. WarpZone explained the rest though.
2) Outdoor areas: HL doesn't do outdoor areas all that well. You also have the issues with skulks/lerks/jps and the skybox. Also, as oudoor areas are largely open, marines would dominate.
3) Theme: It just doesn't fit the NS theme - cramped, dark sci-fi style corridors, pipes, pouring steam, flickering lights etc. A carnival would have none of these.
However, I applaud you for trying to think of new ideas for NS maps. Generally, though, it's better to think within the sci-fi theme. That's not to say that you can't find new map concepts within that theme. <!--emo&::marine::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/marine.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='marine.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think you could do a Theme Park that works within the NS theme. The trick is to make it a Theme Park on a <i>space station.</i> I also had an idea for a map where the marine spawn is outdoors, with a few large rocks and stuff for cover, and the map leads off into three nearby buildings.
I honestly believe these things could go into an <i>official</i> map, if carefully executed to maintain the style, feel, and gameplay of NS. Lighting is key. Gameplay is king.
For holograms, have them messed up, half working, going static, and pointed in the wrong places, etc.
For the attractions and venders, think of corny names you'd only find in a theme park, like "Cosmic Candy".
Think of a mascot for the theme park, have someone help you out by drawing a picture, and place it everywhere (for example): "Spaceman Spiff says: Don't Litter!"
For the ship parts, either make them completely dark, and have random sparks and such that light it up for a few seconds, or just have everything going haywire, smoke, explosions (small) and random things.
I'll think of more later, perhaps a jumbotron?