And now for something completely different!

[FraGnBraG]

Man, this is way harder than making CTF maps, lol

I've had to spend time writing everything down on paper. Not that I am totally ignorant of how the process should go, but I didn't expect this part would be so time consuming! Anyways, I've got my story filtered down to something reasonable (i think). So it seems an act (as i've called it) represents more of a locale switch than a map, and a switch can occur a number of times in ONE map. Right now I see 3 maps for what I want to do (not including the Intro). Now I've started to write out all the events... (like writing a tv script, lol)

So now my SP looks more like this:

1. Intro CS
2. Spaceship part of story + CS [basically shipwreck storyline]
3. Skaarj Research facility + CS [prisoner/oppression storyline]
4. Escape from Skaarj planet + CS [assisted prison break storyline]

I'll guess should have 30-60 minutes of gameplay...

Edit: Here's a little space craft...

[BuddhaMaster]

Man, this is way harder than making CTF maps, lol

I've had to spend time writing everything down on paper. Not that I am totally ignorant of how the process should go, but I didn't expect this part would be so time consuming! Anyways, I've got my story filtered down to something reasonable (i think). So it seems an act (as i've called it) represents more of a locale switch than a map, and a switch can occur a number of times in ONE map. Right now I see 3 maps for what I want to do (not including the Intro). Now I've started to write out all the events... (like writing a tv script, lol)

So now my SP looks more like this:

1. Intro CS
2. Spaceship part of story + CS [basically shipwreck storyline]
3. Skaarj Research facility + CS [prisoner/oppression storyline]
4. Escape from Skaarj planet + CS [assisted prison break storyline]

I'll guess should have 30-60 minutes of gameplay...

Edit: Here's a little space craft...

what the hell, total conversions for speedmapping contests?
Reminds me of Wing Commander....
Very nice impression

[Shivaxi]

omg...this is all stock? this looks awesome so far

[TheIronKnuckle]

Stock content my bum *Is impressed*

[Jet v4.3.5]

Dude. I see the intro ships, after looking at it for a second, but the way you've combined stuff to make that ship was very intelligent.

[FraGnBraG]

Dude. I see the intro ships, after looking at it for a second, but the way you've combined stuff to make that ship was very intelligent.

i don't know about "intelligent" lol! - that's usually my "undoing"... anyways, that's just a little "deco" that the camera pans by on it's circuit.

...about the "intro": not exactly time well spent (at this point) imo - 182k = 6 hours, and it's not 100% done yet

i might have to remake that deco with bsp since it's a cobble of decorations attached to a mover - unfortunately taking even a single screenshot while the intro plays will cause the "attached-items-slip-behind-the-mover" issue (which looks quite funny, actually - take 3 shots and by the time that ship appears is a pile of debris zipping by

don't think there's a fix for that issue, unfortunately oh well, i might post a few more pix of the intro, but it's quite short (only about 2 minutes) so i don't want to give it all away...

on the maps, i'm still blocking them out - i might split them into more smaller maps rather than 3 bigger ones, simply to keep things from getting to complex per map - i think for me that might give the best chance of hitting my targets, so to speak

Cheers

[redeye]

Hey if FNB can make the largest map known to man, all these little maps will be like ONP times 2.

[FraGnBraG]

Hey if FNB can make the largest map known to man, all these little maps will be like ONP times 2.

heh, woah there what i'm doing is smaller than ONP - i played that one back in the day (or maybe it was gryhpon) - I doubt my SP maps are going to look as good as many of the other's here... i'm more used to larger higher detail "tech" textures I can use for trims, panels, walls, details, etc, everywhere) so all these 128 x 128 splotchy things are making me crazy already I think I'll be forced to revert to bases and inlaying for details which means way more cuts, nodes and invariably the evil homs. Oh well, please keep in mind that a map can be quite small - quite possible that I could have 4 small maps (say 600 brushes each) thats much LESS content than one 3000 brush map...

[redeye]

I was thinking of your large map you fall off and you used a skyzone with brushes as well on the ground, one giant industrial level.
Forget the name but I think it was like 12 meg , all fun.

rock on !

[FraGnBraG]

In a vrikers game, player starts with no gun, then they eventually pick up a gun. i want to trigger them to then "lose" the gun (somehow)... any ideas?

[integration]

Without coding the only way I am aware of is using EndGame as the levels GameType: This destroys all your inventory (not only weapons) when loading the map. But I don't think, this is what you were looking for.

[FraGnBraG]

Without coding the only way I am aware of is using EndGame as the levels GameType: This destroys all your inventory (not only weapons) when loading the map. But I don't think, this is what you were looking for.

hmm, i wish they had someway to do that, like a "destroy-all-weapons-trigger" where the player walks (or is transported/teleported) into the trigger radius and poof all guns are gone... Anyways, all this means is one brilliant plan gets tweaked into something else: (without giving too much of this "storyline" away) the player at this point is a survivor/prisoner, and skaarj are "experimenting" with him/her. S/he finds themselves in one of (several, heh) controlled arenas, where these skaarj "scientists" are seeing how well the captive humans can survive in various scenarios. This is important to them because they've decided now they will invade earth, and like all imperial powers they will plan their conquest, and need to plan out how many resources they'll need to conquer humanity (NaPali, by comparison, was a cake-walk since the Nali's were pacifists and would NOT fight back. So essentially, the rest of your captured crew are getting killed off as they fail these battle tests, except of course you (the player You keep surviving, and of course the tests get "harder" each time
Now all this to say, when you stand before the scientists you have no gun. This is fine the first time. As soon as they give you a gun (or various guns eventually) to begin your "test" you can fight like a normal unreal player. Trouble is once you (the player) passed the test for this round, I wanted to have the guns taken away from you (i.e. in the same map). Possibly several rounds. So if I can't make that happen, I'll just have to switch levels, meaning my MAP#2 (the lab part) will become 3 or 4 very small maps. That's okay, i guess

[redeye]

I think you can do it with a zone setting, or type of zone used.

not sure, there was a MH map that did that, but it might have been some code, i forget.

[integration]

Hm, ZoneInfos have a variable called bNoInventory. It shall destroy an inventory, when it enters a zone. But collected weapons/items don't collide, so they shouldn't be affected by this.

[FraGnBraG]

Hm, ZoneInfos have a variable called bNoInventory. It shall destroy an inventory, when it enters a zone. But collected weapons/items don't collide, so they shouldn't be affected by this.

(not-really-related small rant here) It seems UE1 - well, maybe at the the time of Unreal - was limited in some ways... for example, no ability to have a dynamic or "moving zone", like the old complaint about rising/falling lava or waterzone. Like in that level where you're on the merc/slith ship - the second area is all walkways and pools full of green liquid. you fight your way to a room where you push a button, then it does the "loading" thing and when you leave the room tanks are empty, and you jump down to continue on... So they just did a clever little level switch, rather than figure out how to make a sheet/zone move. oh well.

I've noticed too that in the game Unreal there are often tiny levels bridging bigger ones, so the effect of "starting with no gun" for each phase of fighting i want will just use a "level switch". This might be better anyways, since it fits with my story, and smaller maps usually means faster editing, building etc etc.

As for where I'm at, still figuring sh$$t out story and "Script" is done, blocking's done. Intro is 90% finished. I've started with finishing areas of map#1 (the crusty old space ship) There's basically the player's Bedroom, Upper Deck Corridors, an Atrium (these parts are now done), still need 3 deco areas, a big Lift to a lower Deck, more corridors, more decos, Galley, a "turbo" lift to another part of the ship which exits to an area that will be destroyed in the accident (this will be the fun part Stacking bunches of Movers to "collapse properly" could turn out to be a pain... If it does get stupid or looks bad then I'll just change the nature of the accident, heh, so I don't waste my time

That's all for now...