Will Ns Ever Move 'outside'?
Varsity
Join Date: 2004-01-29 Member: 25687Members
I was looking at the <a href='http://www.box7.co.uk/thea/1.jpg' target='_blank'>RR</a> for ns_thea and it made me wonder why all of the ns maps are indoors, metallic types. I think a bit of outdoor mapping would do us all some good, although I admit it would probably turn into Lerk/jp country pretty fast. What do the community feel?
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
But I think the official reason, IIRC, is something about the engine not handling detailed wide open spaces very well. This <i>is</i> pretty archaic technology after all. Decent looking outdoor areas have only recently appeared in games. Half Life is a few generations behind that kind of capability, unfortunatly.
Now, if the team moved to a new engine (Unreal/Quake/Source/CryTech/etc)... then it would be possible. But thats a whoooole nuther argument alltogether <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
without extensive mapping tricks at least (dod_omaha)
Hera has an outside area, and basically it ruined the map. (although being able to shut the door from the inside would have made a difference)
Also in large open spaces the problems with clipping become more apparent as marines and skulks become invisible after a certain distance. That and skulks can often walk on the sky, but I think thats a mappers failure rather than an engine fault.
Some types of carefully moulded outside terain might work, like a tight twist canyon crash site but I very much doubt any outside map will ever make it as an official release.
sky
-------------
<!--emo&::skulk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif' /><!--endemo--> (woohoo i'm walking on sunshine - alllllmost)
I even doubt NS2 will move outside, it destroys any atmosphere and causes many problems.
<a href='http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/front_nanotech.html' target='_blank'>http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/front_nanotech.html</a>
<a href='http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/alien_bacterium.html' target='_blank'>http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/alien_bacterium.html</a>
It says that nanotech-networks or something runs through the bases allowing the commander to drop structures, medpacks, ammo and so on. Anyhow, the Half-Life 1 engine isn't very good at handling outdoor areas. When Half-Life 2 arrives (and hopefully Natural Selection 2) the team could add outdoor parts on the maps, but for example not allow commanders to view, drop or build anything outside and the aliens shouldn't be able to use their evolutions (generation, adrenalin etc.) outside to symbolize that they aren't connected to the hive through the nano-network and bacterium.
It's either that or change the story. Instead of the nano-gibberish they could call it magic and allow the commander to drop magical medpacks everywhere. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif' /><!--endemo-->
A fun thing with this so called "Natural Selection 2" (on the Source engine) would be to make a map that is separated by a huge outdoor area. The player has the option of taking the "shortcut" outside or running the longer route through narrow tunnels underneath the surface. Walking outside is however risky, because you can't get medpacks/heal and jetpackers/lerks (especially lerks) have a huge advantage because they can fly several hundred meters up in the sky where you, as a little 'rine or skulk, can't reach them. I would love to circle the skies as a lerk in search for packs of marines trying to reach the base at other end of a rocky field, and then swoop down on them.
Another thing that Half-Life 2 and outdoor areas allow is vehicles. Like that APC in Aliens (Alien 2). <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Bingo.
<span style='color:red'>***Locked.***</span>