Ns_depths
Machiavelli
Join Date: 2003-07-27 Member: 18468Members
Join Date: 2003-07-27 Member: 18468Members
<div class="IPBDescription">map release</div> For the last 9 months now I have been working on an official quality map for Natural-Selection. I have said very little about the map because I did not want to spam these forums with screen shots of single rooms. I am also not a new mapper, I have been doing this for 3 years, however, this is my first map for Natural Selection. All the files you need to play the map are in the zip file. Just unzip it to your Natural Selection folder.
As of right now, screen shots can be seen <a href='http://www.geocities.com/fakemaps/depthspics.htm' target='_blank'>here.</a>
As of right now, the map can be downloaded <a href='http://www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths.zip' target='_blank'>here.</a>
<span style='color:gray'><span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>(note) if clicking on the link doesn't work, try typing it in to you adress bar (www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths.zip)</span></span>
The map file, and more screen shots will be going up over the next few days.
If anyone cares about the back story, here it is, it can also be found in the map txt file.
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Much has been learned about the Dracos moon recently. Originally it was a moon rich in Tungsten ore, just waiting to be harvested by the colonists. Mining was easy thanks to the large network of rock tunnels that had been caused by eons of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. We now know that there was something else that caused these tunnels, the Kharaa. It is now believed that there was a colony of hibernating Kharaa living deep within the moon's crust. A recent earthquake sent lava flooding through the lower tunnels and forced the remaining Kharaa closer to the surface. When the miners first discovered traces of the bacterium in the lower tunnels the Frontiersmen were called in and the miners evacuated. Over the weeks that it took for the Frontiersmen to arrive the bacterium has spread throughout the whole mining complex and hives had already started to grow in the lower infested areas.
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comments? servers running it? shortcomings?
(edit)
Some notes about the website, I used up all my upload space when I put the map and the pictures on the website. They should work now.
As of right now, screen shots can be seen <a href='http://www.geocities.com/fakemaps/depthspics.htm' target='_blank'>here.</a>
As of right now, the map can be downloaded <a href='http://www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths.zip' target='_blank'>here.</a>
<span style='color:gray'><span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>(note) if clicking on the link doesn't work, try typing it in to you adress bar (www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths.zip)</span></span>
The map file, and more screen shots will be going up over the next few days.
If anyone cares about the back story, here it is, it can also be found in the map txt file.
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Much has been learned about the Dracos moon recently. Originally it was a moon rich in Tungsten ore, just waiting to be harvested by the colonists. Mining was easy thanks to the large network of rock tunnels that had been caused by eons of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. We now know that there was something else that caused these tunnels, the Kharaa. It is now believed that there was a colony of hibernating Kharaa living deep within the moon's crust. A recent earthquake sent lava flooding through the lower tunnels and forced the remaining Kharaa closer to the surface. When the miners first discovered traces of the bacterium in the lower tunnels the Frontiersmen were called in and the miners evacuated. Over the weeks that it took for the Frontiersmen to arrive the bacterium has spread throughout the whole mining complex and hives had already started to grow in the lower infested areas.
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comments? servers running it? shortcomings?
(edit)
Some notes about the website, I used up all my upload space when I put the map and the pictures on the website. They should work now.
Comments
To the point:
Nice work! I really would love to play this map with some people! The tram tunnels are very cool. Long enough to make jping across kind of iffy! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> Really like the "pipe" style of the vent system. (Water flowing in places is a nice touch!) The consistant theme works very well too. Feels much more mine shaft like than ns_mineshaft. Use of moving platforms and such is just cool... and pits of doom always get bonus points in my book!
Things that I think could use some touching up:
Marine start could us some more detail. Maybe an "unactive" lift or something showing how the marines got in. (like Bast or Nothing) The walls just look bare to me.
Switchs for the lifts and trams require you to stand in front of them. That's just a little annoyance. I like being able to activate elevators while I'm standing on them. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Lighting. It looks like there is a bit too much reliance on the env_gamma as I see it's set at 2.5. Generally, going over 2 is not recommended and not needed. I'd up the brightness of the lights themselves a bit. I personally like 1.7 but 2.0 works good as well. The use of spot lights would also really help and enhance the contrast in the lighting. And finally, finding switches was tricky as they are hard to see in the darkness! Maybe a light near doors and switches?
And one last complaint... western freightlift... yeah... maybe add a lip on the outside of that rotating platform so that silly marines that fall in can get back out! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
So yeah, good work! Can't wait to play it!
file:///C|/WINDOWS/Desktop/ns_depths%20pictures/ns_depths1.gif
And I seem to lag on it. (I have a suck computer though)
I also noticed that emptyness of marine start, and was worried. After all, this is where much of the gameplay takes place. However, I couldn't think of a good theme for the room, and I couldn't just sprinkle some barrels in because after the commander started dropping buildings, the poly count would be high enough. In the end I desided that I would have to rely on marine buildings to give the room its flair. As for the unactive lift, there is one. The room to the east of marine spawn is called "main surface access" and has an elevator in it that is at the bottem of a very high shaft. For those observent people, this is the same elevator used in the ready room for "join marines". The reason I put the switchs infront of the elevators/trams/doors, is because 1: they can't move with the tram, and 2: half the time the platform will be at the other location. I also know that some parts of the level are a little darker then I wanted, but I figured it was better to be a little to dark, then a little to bright. After all the dark maintenace area in hera is cool (in my opinion). As for my use of the env_gama, it is only 1.7. I didn't want to push it too much higher because it started to brighten the level up too much, and I wanted to create the effect that the player is miles below the surface, with a thick crust of rock between him and any kind of sun.
As for the freightlift, I made it so you couldn't get out on purpose. After all, if I didn't force you to use that lift, you never would. A case example of this is the elevator in bast that is next to main aft, and the elevator that leads up to marine spawn. Who would bother with using the elevator when there is a ladder right there? I also set it up that way, so things could be crushed by the moving left. I envisioned a squad of marines getting on the lift, then as a skulk ran along the floor toward them, at the last second it would get crushed by the lift. (Also, buildings can be crushed by the lift, so if you want to see something funny, build a set of offence chambers in the lift's path, then get on the lift, and watch it mow down the chambers as it hits them.)
If anyone is willing to host images for me, or the map itself, contact me at jonbtsu@yahoo.com
As a work around, I pray that you can at least see the pictures by typing the following links into the adress bar
<span style='color:gray'><span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>
www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths1.gif
www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths2.gif
www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths3.gif
www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths4.gif
www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths5.gif
www.geocities.com/fakemaps/ns_depths6.gif</span></span>
It's just not very detailed. It's extremely bland and so much of it is an irritating. The endless lifts and trams are nothing but a hinderance. I don't mean that in a gameplay affecting way, i'm sure they're practical for that, but as a skulk they're nothing short of annoying.
The brush detailing is boring and / or non-existant and the lighting didn't catch my eye at all. And the texturing... boring.
I'm sorry to say but nothing stands out with this map barring the trams, and they're slow and spell certain death to whoever is forced to use them. I feel that while they may add a little atmosphere or realism, gameplay wise it would be suicide to use them.
Also, the entire map seemed to have no ambience whatsoever, i kept forgetting i was in a hive due to the near total lack of infestation.
In short. Boring. It's not bad mapping, per se, it's just not fantastic either.
Remember, coloured lighting is support lighting! Don't overuse it.
Good job on the architecture in the hive by the way, but a helping of infestation wouldn't hurt.
Unless you're Dubbilex, the god of appealing colored lighting throughout a whole map...
Unless you're Dubbilex, the god of appealing colored lighting throughout a whole map... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Can't see that happening, chump.
Also, as for you comments about adding more infestation, what more could I add? In the hive rooms everything is just about infested, the rocks, the glass, the floor, the wall, the roof and the ladders. The only things that arn't infested are the hand rails. While the infestation texture may not totally cover the walls/floors etc, I didn't want my hive rooms to just be a green mesh. The only way of adding more infestation that I can see is by puting more piles of infested mass.
Anyway, thanks for your comments, I know what I said above may come off as a bit defensive and hostal, but I need the negative feedback. No map is perfect and I'll take another look at my hive rooms and lighting. I guess people like changing color over light vrs darkness.
Also, as for you comments about adding more infestation, what more could I add? In the hive rooms everything is just about infested, the rocks, the glass, the floor, the wall, the roof and the ladders. The only things that arn't infested are the hand rails. While the infestation texture may not totally cover the walls/floors etc, I didn't want my hive rooms to just be a green mesh. The only way of adding more infestation that I can see is by puting more piles of infested mass.
Anyway, thanks for your comments, I know what I said above may come off as a bit defensive and hostal, but I need the negative feedback. No map is perfect and I'll take another look at my hive rooms and lighting. I guess people like changing color over light vrs darkness. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Most of the infestation is only in the hive rooms. The maps should get gradually more infested as you go along until you reach the hive where it's the most infested. The invading kharaa bacterium is spreading out and trying to take over the facility, try and make it look like it. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
As for specifics, the architecture in general, everything, is boring, there's minimal detail whatsoever. There's no one specific spot that needs work, it all does.
-Red
It's a superb map, and I hope to play it with people soon.
The same goes for the tram lines. I think your just standing there to much waiting and you'll quite easily get mauled on them. Final note random pits of death and natural hazards in maps are just plain annoying.
the hive room in ns_depths4.gif has great infestation, but it looks very prone to being jetpack rushed. this is a very common **** of mine, and this is a classic example. if jetpackers can skim across the roof without any blocking, the aliens are goin to have a real hard time defending the hive. put in some rafters or something just to break up the movement, you will prolly find that it will make the roof less bland looking. the lights above the walkway also look somewhat out of place... they aren't throwing any light. maybe focus their light some more.... contrast is the key <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
ns_depths5.gif is great, i lover the multi levels, but there are a few little things; maybe add some more contrasting lighting, it may be my monitor, but the whole room looks pretty much the same. spotlights above the doors (oh and change the texture of them PLEASE) wouldn't go astray, and maybe some spot lights on what looks like the storage area down there, maybe leaving shadows behind those lovely big barrels there for the skulkies to hide. also if you could make the hole in the pipe slightly more jagged... it looks like its been cut. or alternatively have it so it HAS been cut, but put the plate that was cut out on the floor below or something.
overall you have some great ideas here, it looks very original without being too far out. good work.