[Project] New map: Marine Outpost
<div class="IPBDescription">Creating a new, very high quality map</div>I would like to create a new NS2 map for use with the original NS2 gameplay.
Intro:
The aliens have found the location of a secret Marine outpost. This is a military installation of vital importance and must be defended. Losing this base means losing the sector.
Major locations:
- Research Lab (Alien Containment, Cryogenics, Dissection table)
- Power Generator Core
- Hangar (Aircraft and supporting vehicles)
- Engineering Workshop (Equipment Construction/Repair)
- Tactical Room (Radar, Command Center)
Minor Locations:
- Mess hall
- Barracks/Living Quarters
- General Storage
- Radar System room
- Corridors and passages
More details to follow as map planning continues.
I can use the original textures and models to do all this, but getting help from others to make custom textures and models will be greatly appreciated.
Suggestions and advice are welcome.
Intro:
The aliens have found the location of a secret Marine outpost. This is a military installation of vital importance and must be defended. Losing this base means losing the sector.
Major locations:
- Research Lab (Alien Containment, Cryogenics, Dissection table)
- Power Generator Core
- Hangar (Aircraft and supporting vehicles)
- Engineering Workshop (Equipment Construction/Repair)
- Tactical Room (Radar, Command Center)
Minor Locations:
- Mess hall
- Barracks/Living Quarters
- General Storage
- Radar System room
- Corridors and passages
More details to follow as map planning continues.
I can use the original textures and models to do all this, but getting help from others to make custom textures and models will be greatly appreciated.
Suggestions and advice are welcome.
Comments
i mean, thats where the mappers hang about and where the conversation moves along.
Great, new mappers are always welcome. It's a good idea to start out with a layout, something to show what you've got on your mind, so others can give feedback. Once you've got a bit more info and a map crystallized, there's a greater chance people will chime in and help.
@AuroN2 - You probably mean well, but leave the moderation to us. Thank you.
Here's the layout i ended up with after a day of work. It's probably going to change so i didnt make it pretty. you get the idea though.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/86298028@N07/7903981890/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/86298028@N07/7903981890/</a>
Something that i really want in this map is to give both sides what they like best. Aliens have so many vents (silly humans like their ventilation :D ) to run through, and the marines have nice, straight, well lit corridors with little cover. There will be a big difference when the power goes down.
So what happens when everybody's happy? :D
I also don't like how fast most games get to the highest tech. I wanted less res points but ended up with 7. I'd like to get feedback: what do you think about having 5 res points only? It'll make all res very valuable, but do you think it'll be a problem for gameplay?
I appreciate comments and feedback.
Thank you
Ekscom
Also, and this is more a mayor gameplay problem, the map looks as if it's too small for NS2. all your tech-locations are basically one small room apart from eachother.
you have to check before you start mapping, that you can't -for example- siege the hanger bay hive from the human start.
you can try this out when you have a working layout with cheats on. (the ARC displays a radius when deployed)
p.s. you say the map is going to be high quality, so what's your previous experience in mapping?? ;)
Thanks for the comment and the feedback. I'm new in NS2 and some things will be off for sure. Wow, that siege problem came out of nowhere! lol. So thanks for the feedback again. :)
Please keep it coming.
I'm working on a new layout that's pretty much the same but with longer corridors and res in all rooms. That brought it up to 10 res. I guess I'll have to put curves in my corridors now for performance issues :( I was hoping for straight ones.
oh well!
About my exp: I've been modding for about 5 years now with a number of editors, mostly with RTS games. Spark is a bit different technically from RTS editors but my Max exp should come in handy. Everything else is universal and should transfer into NS2 seamlessly. We'll see how things go. :)
That stuff about this being a very high quality map: I'm not pretending to be a super badass mapper or anything like that. There are others with way more exp that me. I do intend to get something cool done though because i have before. It will take lots of time and effort but it'll get there.
I don't have much free time so don't expect to see lots of regular updates but I'm working on it.
Cheers and thanks for the feedback. Please keep it coming. :)
There must be no points in your map with a distance of longer than 1500 units. Any distance over this will cause models and players to POP-OUT of existence, although they can still shoot and kill you....
Do not make the mistake of designing a map and overlooking this, almost every map in development at the moment, even some of the official maps, fall foul of this simple rule. Make sure you don't :)
In your notes on the layout you have the following notes..
Brightly lit straight corridors, easy to hold as marines. - No, this is bad. Corridors and rooms should work for Marines and Aliens.
The Hangar Bay will be highly contested. - Do not try and decide gameplay when making a map. Hangar Bay is likely to be avoided rather than highly contested. As soon as someone takes it, it's a game over march onto the starting hive/cc, not good design.
Overall, on your design principles this is already the most Marine Biased map I have ever seen in my life :) Let go of trying to create gameplay scenarios, gamers will do things you never even dreamed of, and do nothing that you thought they would. Make your map work for whatever the players decide to do on it, don't try and make them play the way you want them to.
Good Luck :)
Thanks for the info.
About the rest:
- "Brightly lit straight corridors, easy to hold as marines. - No, this is bad. Corridors and rooms should work for Marines and Aliens."
I also said that there will be lots of vents and no, the corridors won't be devoid of objects to hide behind. Also they can always blow up the lights. No worries, i'll give the aliens ways to survive. There are also lots of rooms and vents, not just corridors. Most encounters happen in rooms and around vent exits anyway. It'll be fun! :D
- "The Hangar Bay will be highly contested. - Do not try and decide gameplay when making a map."
I'm sorry but "deciding gameplay" (aka designing the experience) is of vital importance. Otherwise you end up with a bunch of random areas and hope they click together. Players will do whatever they want but we can predict where they will meet when they walk out of their bases. And i want to make sure that the meeting place is interesting, not just hope that something interesting emerges out of the chaos.
- "Hangar Bay is likely to be avoided rather than highly contested. As soon as someone takes it, it's a game over march onto the starting hive/cc, not good design."
They have to go through an RT room first. Also, i'm extending the corridors now to deal with the siege tank problem. No worries, it'll be fine. About contesting it, yeah they will. Aliens will need it and marines will want to make sure the aliens dont get it. *shrug*.
- Overall, on your design principles this is already the most Marine Biased map I have ever seen in my life :)
It's going to be fine and if it isnt after some play tests i'll change it.
- "Let go of trying to create gameplay scenarios."
It's called "designing the experience". I won't let go.
- "Gamers will do things you never even dreamed of, and do nothing that you thought they would."
True they will so some unexpected things, but they will do the majority of the things they way i think they will. Like running towards each other's bases and meeting in the middle ;) I'll make sure the middle is a cool place.
- "Make your map work for whatever the players decide to do on it, don't try and make them play the way you want them to."
They can do whatever they want on the terrain they encounter each other on. I am trying to give them an interesting terrain.
It's not as Marine biased as you imagine it. There will still be lots of places for aliens to hide and ambush people. And if after a few playtesets it turns out that you are right, I have no problem admitting it and changing things! :)
Cheers! :)
Thanks uffo,
I moved a few entrances to make sure we cant see through a room into the next corridor. I was planning to use doors here and there but i found out those can be welded or destroyed. Yeah, no good. lol.
Things have actually changed quite a bit after I extended the corridors to deal with siege tanks shooting from neighbouring rooms.
I don't have much time to work on it but i've started drawing things on a grid and should have a new layout to show today or tomorrow. I will change it as many times as it takes.
I appreciate the feedback. :)