Underwater Ns Level Type Thing
RED_NED
Join Date: 2002-08-10 Member: 1131Members
Join Date: 2002-08-10 Member: 1131Members
<div class="IPBDescription">ideas pweese!</div> hey folks!
I was contemplating about how to go about doing an 'underwater' level for NS and i think it was cagey or someone who posted about you see when you look out the window of your map, be it space, a planet surface or underwater doesnt matter but adds to the ambience of your map.
when i think of a submerged level i think of the assault map from the original unreal tournament where one team must assault a base in the ocean.
I was wondering about what would produce the best effects to give the level a unique feel.
when looking out of windows to the deep blue im not sure as to how best give the effect of being deeply submerged. i could have a dark brooding skybox that gives an eerie effect, either with a dark blue env_light or none at all and then use specific lights shining through the windows to produce a watery effect. Or i could have the level be set on the ocean floor where the players can see the sand, and have an animated texture that simulates light glittering off from it.
I thought about having some kind of sea creatures floating around outside? If i went with no light env and had the creatures float near the window and come in and out fo the darkness, that might give a 'scary' feel or something. And then i could have some kind of alienified fish near one of the hives swimming outside, like a skulk with fins ( an onos swimming about? :O) or some crap like that.
Also i wasconsidering having the player be able to see from one part of the base acroos the sea to the other? i could keep the max view down with no light_env so that you cant see the whole level but you could see from one corridor across to another room so you can siege across but not actually reach it by foot easily.
if it was to be a station then i could stick airlock equivilents in areas connecting to docked submarine type things, and have one of em be hived.
the hived parts of the station could be hived on the outside as well and you could see it from one of the windows in a corridor looking out (bacteria grows in water or something doesnt it?)
I gather that players in the ready room are invincible and cant take damage right? could the ready room be set underwater then with the players having to swim up to the team to join cos they wont drown? will their screen start shaking as they take drowning damage cos that would spoil it.
or the ready room could be a docked ship that you couldnt get to by foot but you could see from the proper level. also, what lighting would work best to give it a feeling of being under water? i could have pulsating blue lights shining through the windows and a different colour inside, or have the base with blue lighting.
I could put in the obligatory submerged sections of the base wheres theres been a damaged wall letting water in. Or i could have a room where theres a leak and water gradually fills the room up as time goes on, and after a while the rooms completely under water and you have to swim across. would buildings be able to work underwater even though they cant be built there?
A lot of this will just be eye candy to immerse the player in the idea of being underwater, has anyone got any ideas on what gives a good impression of making the player feel constricted and claustrophobic? im thinking a lot of creaking metal whines as if the station is buckling in from the pressure, and drips of water through the roof in places to give the impression that this station isnt exactly safe...
has anyone got any other ideas/suggestions they could post as im just brainstorming before i commit my time to developing this idea. cheers!
I was contemplating about how to go about doing an 'underwater' level for NS and i think it was cagey or someone who posted about you see when you look out the window of your map, be it space, a planet surface or underwater doesnt matter but adds to the ambience of your map.
when i think of a submerged level i think of the assault map from the original unreal tournament where one team must assault a base in the ocean.
I was wondering about what would produce the best effects to give the level a unique feel.
when looking out of windows to the deep blue im not sure as to how best give the effect of being deeply submerged. i could have a dark brooding skybox that gives an eerie effect, either with a dark blue env_light or none at all and then use specific lights shining through the windows to produce a watery effect. Or i could have the level be set on the ocean floor where the players can see the sand, and have an animated texture that simulates light glittering off from it.
I thought about having some kind of sea creatures floating around outside? If i went with no light env and had the creatures float near the window and come in and out fo the darkness, that might give a 'scary' feel or something. And then i could have some kind of alienified fish near one of the hives swimming outside, like a skulk with fins ( an onos swimming about? :O) or some crap like that.
Also i wasconsidering having the player be able to see from one part of the base acroos the sea to the other? i could keep the max view down with no light_env so that you cant see the whole level but you could see from one corridor across to another room so you can siege across but not actually reach it by foot easily.
if it was to be a station then i could stick airlock equivilents in areas connecting to docked submarine type things, and have one of em be hived.
the hived parts of the station could be hived on the outside as well and you could see it from one of the windows in a corridor looking out (bacteria grows in water or something doesnt it?)
I gather that players in the ready room are invincible and cant take damage right? could the ready room be set underwater then with the players having to swim up to the team to join cos they wont drown? will their screen start shaking as they take drowning damage cos that would spoil it.
or the ready room could be a docked ship that you couldnt get to by foot but you could see from the proper level. also, what lighting would work best to give it a feeling of being under water? i could have pulsating blue lights shining through the windows and a different colour inside, or have the base with blue lighting.
I could put in the obligatory submerged sections of the base wheres theres been a damaged wall letting water in. Or i could have a room where theres a leak and water gradually fills the room up as time goes on, and after a while the rooms completely under water and you have to swim across. would buildings be able to work underwater even though they cant be built there?
A lot of this will just be eye candy to immerse the player in the idea of being underwater, has anyone got any ideas on what gives a good impression of making the player feel constricted and claustrophobic? im thinking a lot of creaking metal whines as if the station is buckling in from the pressure, and drips of water through the roof in places to give the impression that this station isnt exactly safe...
has anyone got any other ideas/suggestions they could post as im just brainstorming before i commit my time to developing this idea. cheers!
Comments
Dont forget aliens having big advantages in water.
Marines cant fire or build in deep water.
A RR full of water works and has a great feeling <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
all these eye candy and immersive aspects of being underwater sound really good, but the seem to me they may be a little high on the entity counts if you are not careful.
specific suggestions:
-use very echoey mp3s, examples also in abyss or pretty much any submarine movie you can find.
-have architecture that can be sectioned off by flood-proof doors. almost all sea-vessels have narrowing doors frequently so that sections that leak can be sealed off. this could be combined with your idea of flooding rooms and cause a route to be no longer useful. hard to explain how a leak would be fixed to re-use the area though.
-have underwater vents. it is possible to use the pressure of air to hold back water when it is coming up from underneath. this allows the 'dive pools' you can see them launching their minisubs into in 'the abyss'.
you could use these as entrances to 'vents', which would essentially be paths that were easier for kharaa to swim through than lugheads. you might want to make them shorter than the one out from feedwater in bast though, i always tend to drown in that one. i'm such a noob ~; ) or you could section them off and have them come up at intervals to air pockets.
as nem said though, it might become one sided due to weapons issues. if you plan your air-filled parts such that marines have the advantage (big, bright hallways or something) and carefully consider your layout, all should be good.
i think there are lots of great ideas that can be worked with underwater themed maps. best of luck to you