Entity wishlist for NS2 for mappers
Andos
Join Date: 2003-10-17 Member: 21742Members
Join Date: 2003-10-17 Member: 21742Members
What are your wishes for entities that you can use in your maps for NS2?
(apart from the already discussed infestation entity)
Mine are:
<b>Lightning block entity</b> you can use to seal off outdoor environments. If a lerk, skulk or jetpack-marine moves into it, it's only a matter of seconds before it is struck by a huge lightning. (user defined color)
<b>Storm block entity</b> (same purpose as above). The mapper defines the amount of damage it gives in a region and the engine render a suitable amount of "storm" inside it.
<b>Slimy alien tentacle entity</b> that just hangs dead-like down from the wall and is affected by clientside physics when marines touch it. (only for atmosphere and doesn't have any gameplay-impact)
Generally alot of <b>weather effect entities</b> would be in order <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> Not that NS2 should be a more outdoor game, but because it adds a great deal to the atmosphere of the game when you can see them out of the windows and stuff like that. They aren't limited to outdoor effects only, you could add the rain effect to a pipe so it looked like it was not fully sealed. I know many of theese things can be done with NS1's particle system entity but they can be greatly improved in the HL2 engine.
*Edit*:
It would be nice to have some "cinematic control entities" so players could enter another door from the ready room and see a short animation within the map that tells the player the history behind the map they are playing. What the player sees should only happen clientside so players can enter the room independant of the others.
The story could for example be told with a simple text-overlay in a sealed off part of the map where you see a TSA spacecraft approaching an abandoned factory spaceship. Could be as simple or as advanced as the mapper wants. Would be a nice addition to the NS atmosphere.
(apart from the already discussed infestation entity)
Mine are:
<b>Lightning block entity</b> you can use to seal off outdoor environments. If a lerk, skulk or jetpack-marine moves into it, it's only a matter of seconds before it is struck by a huge lightning. (user defined color)
<b>Storm block entity</b> (same purpose as above). The mapper defines the amount of damage it gives in a region and the engine render a suitable amount of "storm" inside it.
<b>Slimy alien tentacle entity</b> that just hangs dead-like down from the wall and is affected by clientside physics when marines touch it. (only for atmosphere and doesn't have any gameplay-impact)
Generally alot of <b>weather effect entities</b> would be in order <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> Not that NS2 should be a more outdoor game, but because it adds a great deal to the atmosphere of the game when you can see them out of the windows and stuff like that. They aren't limited to outdoor effects only, you could add the rain effect to a pipe so it looked like it was not fully sealed. I know many of theese things can be done with NS1's particle system entity but they can be greatly improved in the HL2 engine.
*Edit*:
It would be nice to have some "cinematic control entities" so players could enter another door from the ready room and see a short animation within the map that tells the player the history behind the map they are playing. What the player sees should only happen clientside so players can enter the room independant of the others.
The story could for example be told with a simple text-overlay in a sealed off part of the map where you see a TSA spacecraft approaching an abandoned factory spaceship. Could be as simple or as advanced as the mapper wants. Would be a nice addition to the NS atmosphere.
Comments
My wishes.
<b>Nuke</b>
Title says it all
<b>Infra red</b>
For those who have played distopia, I think you know what this is. If not, here it is. Commander upgrades the prototype lab to have infrared goggles instructed to your visors. Pressing a fixed button can either turn it off or on. Night vision would also help in dark maps.
<b>Tazers</b>
My favorite! Tazer guns! Shoot down a skulk with 5000 volts of electricity. But the con is that you only have 1 shot to take it down. Shoot an Oni and you can stun it for 10 seconds until you can kill it.
A sort of infestation that slows marines? like spungy goo they have to wade through?
maybe mappers could choose how productive res nodes are. based on some sort of 0.0 - 1.0 scale.
different marine starts?
I'm not even coming up with remotely good ideas. I like the tentacle thing though. All... wavy and occasionally slapping marines in the face. Would liven up the infestation.
What about a mannable seige cannon in a map and when a marine uses it his vision can see through walls like some awesome farsight thing. But seven marines need to weld it at the same time other wise it doesn't work and it does 1000000 damage. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I like that idea. You'd have the marines welding parts of the resnode's underpart where it's connected to the map. That is welded to highten the resources that pass through. Aliens can protect theirs with a sludge that doesn't come off with any bullets or knives, but a torch gun. The marines protect theirs with a magneto. Making only metal stick to it and anything else would be pushed away.
Idk, I like that =]
a ###### brilliant idea. it would be very nice if there would be a setting in the resnodes entity where you can scale up or down its productivity
How would players know how productive a res node was? How would learning players know the difference?
I like the idea of having more than 1 potency in a resource node, but a grade of 0 to 1 seems far too flexible for such an important gameplay aspect. Imagine playing Half-Life 2 and finding health pickups ranging from 50 health to 5 health whilst all looking the same, for example - it just wouldn't be <i>right</i>
HOWEVER, if there were, say, 3 levels of resource nodes to draw from and the mapper choses whether a node were small, medium, or large - that would be far more acceptable, and also offer the possibility of even having to upgrade technology in order to be able to use the 'large' nodes.
Moving on...
I like the lightning-strike idea, very original. Ideas like that though I think are best served per-map rather than being a global NS2 thing, I mean, not every map is going to be on a volitile planetary surface. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /> It's a good idea to counter a possible problem, though.
Being able to somehow get glimpses of the backstory of a map whilst within the map would also be very cool.
Map-placed turrets gets my vote too, providing they don't hamper the fun aspect for the aliens.
This is a good thread to have. Let's keep it serious!
I have been thinking about this, but can't put any ideas down at the moment.
I do like the weather effect entities, certainly would make it easier to produce a storm outside if it could be created by a single entity controlling rain and thunder and lightning, all individually adjustable of course...
I would like to see mappers given control over dynamic infestation via a point entity (di_control or something)
It would take advantage of the ability that mappers already have with Source to attach entities to specific faces (see <a href="http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Env_cubemap" target="_blank">env_cubemap</a> and <a href="http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Info_overlay" target="_blank">info_overlay</a>).
At a minimum it would have 3 fields.
Affected Faces - This is a list of which faces are connected to this control entity
Initial Infestation Level - This is the initial level of infestation on the affected faces.
Maximum Infestation Level - This is the maximum level of infestation on the affected faces.
If the Initial Infestation Level is greater than 0, the level of infestation on a face controlled by this entity slowly increases until it reaches the Maximum Infestation Level; otherwise the face stays uninfested.
Having an entity like this would allow mappers to have as little or as much control over the infestation in their map as they wanted. In addition, if it was triggerable it would allow mappers to include infestation in any scripted event that they may devise. Say for example, infestation being burnt away by a burst steam pipe or something.
Could be made with some smaller objects around the map, too. I would like that style of gameplay..
And the tentacle idea sounds great, too.
Re: the resource node productivity option
I like the idea of having more than 1 potency in a resource node, but a grade of 0 to 1 seems far too flexible for such an important gameplay aspect.
HOWEVER, if there were, say, 3 levels of resource nodes to draw from and the mapper choses whether a node were small, medium, or large - that would be far more acceptable, and also offer the possibility of even having to upgrade technology in order to be able to use the 'large' nodes.
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Your suggestions are good. If would be neat to occasionally be able to upgrade the productivity of a res chamber (as commander or gorge) for a cost that would soon be reaped by the increased res flow. But like Mouse said this is for entities not gameplay adjustments. Mouse should I repost this suggestion elsewhere?
The suggestion about dynamic infestation control is spot on. targetname is a must and it could also work on a radial base of affecting things.
The storm suggestion sounds like a great way to limit outdoor areas but I'd feel sorry for someone that finds out first time. I think it could hurt a tiny bit like acid rain first. Then killem.
Though try and keep the entity suggestions for "SKORPIONS THAT HOVAR AND HAF LAZARS AND STUFF!1!!1" to a minimum if you can <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
gases, steam based, chemical based, bacterium based, many diff colors, many diff effects volumes from blowing small entities away like crumpled paper wasted ammo cartridges a miss sprayed heal spray misses the target and hits the wall
dust, tis sandy its grity it can shirl like a little tornado, piss of both teams if stupid enough to walk thru it
many colors i guess, i dont know how hard it would be to tell the game, this is inside this is out side, if way point opens between the two create effect, depending on out side wind and or said dust lvls
fire effects, should be responsive to gases if flaged flamable, should dynamicly respond to additional sorce flaged as flamable fire can come in a few diff colors depending on the atmosphere, usaly inside with breathable rines would be normal fire colors
liek fire effects gas burst steam and fire and so on should effect infestation, electisity proly wouldnt efect infestaion much prahaps the infestaion would make a nice conductor shocking every thing with in 15 meters till the serge breaker kicks in, efect of eletric shock a sharp jolt or thro back in the opposite direction from where the surge point is, distance of thro back variable on size of shock and or life form size
water effect, driping, flooding, puddleing responding to gravaty and surface matieral, certain matierals should soak others will have a wick effect, water al ldif colros prahaps radiation type flags, eletric water, air come under gases but can be flaged as air if seen under water displys as bubbles riseing if flaged over set amount or bubbles life forms can use it to gain air
if out side leaf fall effect manipulated by current winds, leaf varie depending on said editable sprit prahaps?
wall breaking debrie on weapon damage types, e.g. stack gun from fear, its daamge ranges and sprit over lay is diffrent depending on material it damage
so rock walls cave in's falling rock debrie apearance of structural itegrity lose, graticy and wind produced to blow away dust
fragmented metal twisted richeting steal as results of exsplotions tears strutural lose
if map can be flaged as in deep space or tweaked atmosphere intigners, if alloing mappers to breatch hull give space vacum effects, small object dependant on size weight atmosphere numbers get sucked and vortexed towards the whole before ether bacterium or nanite repair said strurual damage
lighting effect, *note lightning is good but i am talking directly muzzle flashes, exsplotions, electric or other wise, exsternal map lighting with point map sources if your near a star and a hull breatch occers with atmosphereic lose shine light thro that breatch,
weapon damage sprites adjusting alpha of lvl and or map structure, you put a bullet hole on wall or a fade arm tears said flimzy steal allow light to shine thru
map litter from aper to dispenced supplies ammo, waste
carrosive or oxadisation,scortch marks other wear and tear efect flagable on surfaces to give a wear and tear as the map progresses
fog if out side, lens tearing when looking at bright lights, ya know that spot your retaina retains
a magnatude of surface types, from plastics, metals, glass, other carbon based products, biological, vaprorial, liquids, cardbore, paper, plazma, liquid crystal, etherial visual surfaces, hot surfaces, magma, acid, cold surfaces, alien biological e.g. carapaces, soft sqwishie bits, flora biological trees, wood
i dont know how much of this would even be possable, some of it arnt really entites as such but more so client side HUD effects passed on from the result of enttites
any to all of these would be great tweaks for creating a near endless amount of map flavor
cos as it stands now you walk into and go OOow acid, Ooow steam, Ooow crappy hl light and shadows, look glass, look steal, OOow and maybe just maybe some watter or a instant kill bottomless pit like surface
Make it so you can pre-place structures in maps and be able to set the HP for them (-1 = indestructible, positive integers = HP). This would be needed anyway for a proper tutorial map, but could also be used for creating objective-based maps.
<b>'Weld to activate' structures</b>
PGs (and other structures) that can be welded to 'activate' them (leading to a game mode where Commanders aren't neccessary).
<b>'Victory condition' entity</b>
A 'victory condition' entity that can be assigned to pressing a button, welding a weldable, destroying a destructible (or a set of any of these examples, i.e. pressing two or more buttons). This entity would also have a team setting: "0" = both teams, "1" = Aliens, "2" = Marines. This means you can set up objective-based maps where Aliens or Marines attack/defend, and also maps where both are in a race to the same finish line.
<b>Non-random starting Hives</b>
Specifically, the ability to control which Hives are eligible as the starting Hive, such as a "starting Hive" toggle (so you can set up objective-based maps that play out similar to a Starcraft map). E.g. if you clicked the 'starting Hive' toggle on only two Hives, the Aliens would start at one of those Hives chosen at random, but never at the third Hive. If you wanted them to start at a specific Hive, you would simply toggle 'starting Hive' on for that Hive only.
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2 more suggestions. Well since I've got it working in NS1 at the expense of some runtimers, I'd love to see these options available using less engine resources (still HL2 can probably handle more runtimers)
<b>Hive based resnode, bacterium lockdown! (NS1: 17 runtimers):</b>
Going to quote some text from achio readme for those of you not yet up to date <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
<!--QuoteBegin-from ns_achio_v2b3++--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(from ns_achio_v2b3+)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->How it works:
At the start of a round all bacterium resnozzles are enabled, meaning they can be built on by both teams. However, the aliens have the ability to lock the marines out from using these resnodes by pressing a button located on the node.
For the marines to be able to build on these nodes once locked out, they have to push the same button. There will then be an electric bolt sound, making it seem the marines are running a current trough the button into the bacterium. After 4 seconds the bacterium locking down the resnode dies and releases the node after another 3 seconds.
This is ilustrated by an animation (lowering of the bacterium while reveiling more of the resnode). Which looks pretty cool if I do say so myself
Only aliens are able to quickly disable and enable the resnodes. The gorge is able to build on locked and unlocked resnodes
(a lucky bug I guess, which slipped in), it will in fact only have effect on the marines.
Note:
The bacterium lockdown nozzles have a new icon and a modified infested skin texture. I have used a modified version of the aliennode sprite, which will be displayed at the node in a similar fashion as a weldable (only not rendered trough walls). In addition to this they will also have an icon on the minimap.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Weldable resnode (NS1: 4 extra runtimers per node)</b>
Another 'practical' suggestion: Clipping brushes for the various alien life forms. Dont want an onos to fall down there but it's okay for everyone else? onosclip!
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Damn fine idea sir!!!
I don't know if it is possible, but it would be fantastic to be able to make vents that are gorge/skulk/lerk only and actually stop the marines getting into them, as they are supposed to be incorporated into maps to gives aliens an alternative route.
Also these: (can't remember if they are already in NS right now)
Trigger_Once_Marine / Trigger_Multiple_Marine
Trigger_Once_Kharaa / Trigger_Multiple_Kharaa
Each of those entities should have option to select a specific alien or a specific marine (normal,jetpack,heavy)
Not that I can come up with a use for that yet, but it still opens up some possibilities. Maybe some funky maps where an alert goes off and a hologram of an Onos shows up in the marine start at the moment the Onos walks in the door <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" />
Could make some highly unique maps possible <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
The entities you posted can be made team specific at the moment using a game_team_master. But thats it. team based, nothing more...
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Hmm extending from the class specific clip textures. How about solid brushes with a team based nobuild texture instead of the func_nobuild or func_seetroughdoor/func_seetrough at the moment...
nobuild_aliens
nobuild_marines
nobuild
Would not be rendered like the NULL texture, wouldn't add to runtimers (still not sure if this would be a problem in HL2 though <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />) and wouldn't be solid like... AAA-trigger?
I think this has been suggested way back by Cagey once...
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And how about making the info_location available on x y and z planes instead of just the x and y planes. So you can have other named areas above each other (if the commander gets a noclip zoom ability that is)
I take it you're not replying to the info_location suggestion, since it would add something nice IF the commander has this socalled noclip zoom ability that is...
And how about making the info_location available on x y and z planes instead of just the x and y planes. So you can have other named areas above each other (if the commander gets a noclip zoom ability that is)
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Would be useful for Combat as well.
I'd be surprised to see 3d comm scrolling in ns2 tbh. Just seems too confusing. Though 3d info locations would be great to have (again! weren't they the cause of some problems back in 1.0x?) for combat or combats replacement. (It's bitten me as both of my combat maps thus far have a fair amount of level over level.)
And I like the idea of different node sizes. I was originally quite "for" the 1-10 scale, but Merkaba makes a good point about knowing the productivity in game. (Yes, I'm just now reading all the ideas... )
trigger_gravity: NS is in space. I think halflife had this entity but it was broken in NS... imagine floating in a room full of debris then the gravity turns back on and everything falls down...
trigger_pull: Similar to trigger push, but instead is a point based entity that has a gravitational pull. It would use the pitch and yaw to determine the range around it, and a max distance to dictate how far away it starts affecting players and such. This would allow for ye olde opening of the airlock and sucking everything out without overly complex trigger_push nonsense.
hmm... can't find a link!