Main Menu Level Contest possible ?

Joseppe · February 2013

Everytime you start NS2, there is the same main menu all the time.
Months ago in Beta stage the main menu was another one... (better in my opinion).

Conditions (maybe):
* loading: should only be the size of one "room" (with a fixed camera position) for fast main menu loading... current "menu.level" has: ~1600 verts, ~2500 edges, ~900 faces
* camera: we need an example map for the camera options to set to get this working (i by myself dont know how to set up a camera)... current: ns2/maps/menu.level ?
* setting: the setting of the room needs to be defined (maybe)
* random: there needs to be a function to load a random "menuNumber.level" file each time you start ns2 (menuNumber.level represents the "winners" of the contest)
* release: the winners would see their main menu shipped with an ns2-update

How about this idea ?

Why:
* everytime the same main menu is boring
* only 1 room is not such a big work (like a complete map)
* would be nice for yourself to see your little snippet as (random chosen) main menu
* something to show the influence of the community

goblin · February 2013

agreed

slayer20 · February 2013

I would love to see this sort of contest.

TheKarva · February 2013

+1

VonDoom · February 2013

Good idea! I'd love to contribute something

I have spent some time in the cinematic editor, and there is a lot of interesting things you can do in there to make the main menu room look cool (animations, flickering lights, camera settings)

whoppaXXL · February 2013

Yes! Totally agree! UWE make this a contest!

JimWest · February 2013

Like!

Stardog · February 2013

Nice idea.

McGlaspie · February 2013

Excellent idea, some go poke Hugh about this

Kouji_San · February 2013

McGlaspie wrote: »

Excellent idea, some go poke Hugh about this

Poked him twice, with a sharp stick :P

Hugh · February 2013

Coooool. This would definitely be a possibility once Gorgeous has calmed down, so in 1.5-2 months or so

FunkyFungus · February 2013

*thumps up*

Runteh · February 2013

Yeah, I always thought it needed something more exciting and atmospheric. The current one is better than the first, but could do with improvement.

GISP · February 2013

I would totaly make an entrance to this competition

Janos · February 2013

Loving the idea!

Hmm, could I use an area that I have ready from Hera? Or does it have to be something completely new and different? I figured the entrance into Hera from the landing pad might work.

Or would it have to be something smaller and more inline with what we already have?

Joseppe · February 2013

I am not responsible for such a contest... it was only the idea.
You may ask Hugh about this, when he manages to get a contest up (in 1.5-2 months).

in my opinion:
a snippet from an upcoming map would be nice too
(like an area from ns2_hera... so people see it more often (in main menu) and keep licking their fingers

)
BUT it should load really fast and should be small (like current main menu level load time)

Evil_bOb1 · February 2013

I think if such a contest is done, it should be appropriate to take a section from the official maps and working that, optimizing for that view and adding some effects. Appropriate but not required because something original also would add more depth to the Uweverse.