Ns_origin - Preview Video

Cadaver · January 2003

If you missed my first post about this map, there are some screenies and info on this thread:
<a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=16602&hl=ns_origin' target='_blank'>http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/in...02&hl=ns_origin</a>

Couple of screenies here to remind you:

<img src='http://www.planethalflife.com/cadaver/images/origin/ns_origin_biodome.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

<img src='http://www.planethalflife.com/cadaver/images/origin/ns_origin_generator.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

Anyway, I was messing about with VideoMach and put together this little preview/trailer type thing of a flyby through the level, showing off the three major hive routes. It's an AVI file (9.3MB) and needs <a href='http://www.divx.com' target='_blank'>DivX</a> to work. Hope you enjoy it <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'>

<a href='http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?planethalflife/cadaver/origin_preview.avi' target='_blank'>http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?planetha...gin_preview.avi</a>

Psycho-Kinetic_Hyper-Geek · January 2003

Okay then heres the first plant model done. I'd recommend making it so that players can walk and shoot through cause the bounding box is kinda big. Also this will let skulks hide in the leaves and spring out for happy fun ambush time. I tried to make about the right size to obscure a skulk but I can resize it if neccessary. Also anyone else should feel free to use the model in their maps too.

Psycho-Kinetic_Hyper-Geek · January 2003

and heres the model file.

Cadaver · January 2003

Wow, excellent stuff there, that's very cool <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'> Thanks Psycho, that'll definitely make the biodome seem more busy.

I'll work on the map some more tomorrow: put the model in, and see if I can reduce the planes too.

Psycho-Kinetic_Hyper-Geek · January 2003

You might want to hold off putting the models in until you have all of em. I'm definately going to do a slightly more funky alien-tree-musroom and possibly a middle sized plant of some kind as well. They should all be finished with a day or two (I'm in a fairly good modeling mood so maybe tonight).

Liku · January 2003

Nice looking map!!! I'll check the vid out.

Liku · January 2003

OH MY GOD!!!! This should be in NS as an official map! Please tell us when your releasing this!!!!!!!!!!

kyliegirl · January 2003

i watched the movie of it . and all i can say is

WOW!

you have put a heck of alot of effort into making that map look perfect, and i mean it is really really good,. I would LOVE to play in that map multiplayer.

Epoch · January 2003

That looks incredible. Please continue to work on it, or do whatever you have to, to have it accepted as an official map for 1.1!

Lord_Requiem · January 2003

Looks very good, a few areas look extremely bare tho, that might be because you hit engine limitations from other areas tho. Overall looks great!

Orcrist · January 2003

Very impressive <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'> When will you release a beta ?

bicball · January 2003

Looks great, but the hive area should have infested textures. Make sure you pickup the infested glass wad and change the ceiling glass textures. GJ

G-ZeuZ · January 2003

nice <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'> looks real nice

to bad you have reg to get it, course I really really really hate gamespy.

BiTMAP · January 2003

I dunno as a map its pretty solid, you however seem to suffer the same problem i do, Its very well lit <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='wink.gif'> meaning poor in NS standards and lacks alot of places to hide and such... Its on par with tanith which is offical meaning you could be as well, but I don't think tanith "Should" have been officail. I think your map could be, You need to REALLY just chop out half your lighting darken the whole overall map then splash some light (its PRETTY tuff I know cuase I'm trying to do that). Okay so don't take this as like major negitive cuase its a problem i'm faceing as well, its a nice map otherwise!

Psycho-Kinetic_Hyper-Geek · January 2003

Heres a WiP for the other plant. Sorta of a tree-mushroom-jellfish thing. I plan on doing the skinning tomorrow if possible so I'll have it to you in finished form then. Unfortunately its a bit over complex at 550 polies right now(I'll shave it down more) so I would't put more than a few in the room.

6 pod plants = 1 skulks worth of polies
2 Mushroom-Tree-Things = 1.1 skulks worth of polies

Silver_Fox · January 2003

The only real problem I see with it are all the elevators ..

if those are the only ways into those rooms, it'd be too easy for a Gorge to build chambers underneath them and prevent access to that room.

other wise, looks bad ****, looking forward to playing it ..
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Aphal · January 2003

Amazing!!

I like the lighting. It's a nice change of pace from the other maps.

Map looks GREAT, I can't wait to play it!

Edit: Now I remember! You're on the S&I team! I was wondering where I recognized the style/colorations on that map... S&I is one of my favorite mods, its hella fun.

Yamazaki · January 2003

I give this two thumbs up. Lighting might not be dim and gloomy, but a lot of existing official maps are well lit. Europa's corridors for instance, or the central sections of Hera.

That dual rotating centerpiece in your science annex looks really spiffy, and you've got nice details spread around the map to add to the atmosphere. The overall feeling I get is that this place has more life to it than most maps I see (not just for NS).

Only thing that might be left to do is some serious playtesting to find gameplay issues that might ruin the fun.

biofrog · January 2003

This map looks great to me

Bitmap: i dont see why you think that, tanith is my favorite map <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='confused.gif'>

Greedo · January 2003

Looks really good. Now I'm feeling bad that I never got a chance to join in on some of the playtests you held in the past.

Pinky · January 2003

Excellent map by the looks of it. Really great layout, brushwork, and theme.
Good to see how you fit 3 themes into one map, and they all seem to go nicely.
However the first section (the name escapes me) seems a bit too bright, and maybe some more interesting lighting would satisfy me there.
In the other sectors, I love the part where it seems the ceiling is broken out, and in the mining sector where the lava is pouring down, really great work. And the other area with the catwalk over the lava, really great brushwork there by the looks of it. I like 45 degree angled things, they are only a bit different, but they make things very interesting.
My only complaint here is; where are the resource nozzles? I didnt seem to see any during the video.

tommyd · January 2003

nice video, cad. unfortunately i've had this map for a while but i haven't gotten to play it yet. i like all the little details you have spread about (like the fade model)

Infinity · January 2003

ohhh very nish, u really have used alot of time on the brushwork, nicely done!

just dont like the lightning, it seems too bright in all areas, with the same monotome greyness

Psycho-Kinetic_Hyper-Geek · January 2003

Absolutely stompin work man. It does seem a bit bright overall but there is still excellant skulking terrain. I still say that you should let me make you some nice alien vegitation world models so the biodome wont be so empty.

kyliegirl · January 2003

well done, i cant wait to play this map <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'> especially with plants and stuff. itll be better. maybe int eh future we can make an outside map with all those plants and even more.. the only problem with outside maps is that skulks and lerks and jp can go up to the top of the map which will ahve a sky and strangely skulks will walk across the roof of the map and use as an attack advantage. but oh well.

Cadaver · January 2003

Thanks for the comments guys <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

SilverFox: hopefully the elevators won't be a problem. The one in the Science Annex actually has a big depression below the lift in it's bottom position (there's a vent there that leads to the Industrial Sector), therefore a gorge would have to stack buildings quite high in order to block the lift (it's also supposed to deliver damage on block, does that affect buildings?). It's not the only way into the biodome anyway. The only other lift is the one in the Industrial Sector, and this one always auto-returns to the bottom position, so it'd require some llama teamwork to get it blocked (i.e. one alien presses the button to bring it up, then the gorge quickly gets underneath and builds). It'll need some llama playtesting to see if it's going to be a problem, I guess <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

As for the lighting: firstly, I used a gamma correction video effect in VideoMach to make it slightly brighter, which makes it look a bit washed out. In playtesting on Nano, a few people actually said it was too dark, so again, I'm not sure which direction to go in. I do agree that the lighting in the Science Annex is a bit too flat though, I'll try and do something about that.

I also agree that some areas are too sparse and empty, but there's not much I can do about this unless I cull some major areas (which I may well have to do) - I'm pushing all sorts of limits, mainly the max_planes limit, already.

re: the nozzles - they're there, it's just that the way I recorded this (i.e. did a demo first, then timedemo, then startmovie), the particle effects don't seem to work properly, so you don't see the nozzle steam.

Psycho-Kinetic Hyper-Geek: sorry, I've had really irregular internet access since I posted the original thread, and I just completely forgot about your offer. That would definitely be cool if you could do some alien vegetation models for the biodome, it'd really give it some character, and make it less of a death-trap for aliens.

Re: infestation - yeah, I'm aware that this is lacking also. I want to have progressive infestation (things like infestation bursting through walls and ceilings as you get closer to the hive), but at the moment this plan is scuppered by the max_planes thing. I'm also nudging the upper texture memory limit. This will be resolved in the final version, though - I'll find somewhere to cut back and optimise, then add better infestation.

ImaTarget · January 2003

Looks very neat! How do you stop skulks from climbing up into the sky in the room with the hole in the ceiling? without it looking ridiculous? Had a problem with that in one of my testbuilds. I like it alot, especially all the moving parts. The industrial sector i personally like best. alas i have to agree that its too bright at the moment. oh and maybe another skybox, personally i dont like the simple blue sky to much <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

For Max Planes: <a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=21248' target='_blank'>http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/in...=ST&f=4&t=21248</a>

Could solve alot of your problems! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

Yamazaki · January 2003

Cadaver, try out the optimization program and modified Merl's tools in the topic ImaTarget mentioned. So far the modified tools seem to work, but no one has tested it with a map that is over the original limit. If it works, then you're all set!

Revenant · January 2003

I agree way too light, really good. Official? Maybe 1.2, unless Flayra decides to "Extend" the 1.1 mapping deadline. Which I hope he does, because personally we need 3-4 extra maps that have been COMMUNITY APPROVED in ns v1.1. Still its a nice map and his mod.

DanDaMan · January 2003

that first hive pic looks awfully marine friendly. Big open area with no cover, they could just spawn camp once they get in there.

Revenant · January 2003

btw how do u convert ur demos into .avi?

Ns_origin - Preview Video

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