Map Features/Designs/Interactivity

[Farley4Fan]

Moving maps would be interesting!  Like say there is a mission on a cargo ship and there are cranes constantly moving boxes and containers.  You could hop on one of the boxes and it would take you up somewhere else, idk.  Or maybe the cargo ship is actually moving and it has a propellor room with huge rods spinning.  What if there was a better warehouse map ( that was balanced and better for story ) with a bunch of conveyor belts that are always moving.  The boxes on top of them would provide cover and what not.  I just think that maps that are more alive would make it a much more enjoyable experience.

Interactive maps.  I think that there should be more emphasis on maps.  If you look at factory, hacks totally affect the map and the way it is at the moment.  Like the bulldozer hack and how it demolishes a wall and makes another hack more accessible.  Make maps more alive.  Example:  You can push a button on top of warehouse to make the conveyor belt to start moving.  I love things like this in maps.  Pushing a button and making a box drop on Aqua isn't enough.  I think you should emphasize the way maps are affected by interactivity.

Since you are remaking Club House, a few things you could think about are:

•   Make the window in the back able to be shattered or opened, instead of having it already opened.
•   If you shoot the cabinets in the top floor hallways the lockers open.

Just cool little things like that would make experiences vary a lot and be better.
Anyone else?  Discussion...

[frvge]

I'd like to emphasize that we're not remaking Club House.

[Gawain]

i guess everyone would like more interactive maps.
the conveyor belt idea is pretty good (airport, warehouse,...)
good examples can be found on factory and steel squat.
some brainstorming on the subject:
-water bucket that can be pushed over to create a conductive surface for tazer and ss
-sprinkler controls
-automatic security doors connected to map security like in pt museum
-bomb objective blows up a hole in the wall
-more pan-moving cams
-more different floor surfaces with different properties (sand, snow => footsteps; carpet => less noise)
-moving objects that can set off mt like wind in trees (garden after roof hack), rats etc
-candle lights that lapse when a window is opened/sprinklers start/nades explode
-....

[frvge]

All is possible. Depends on the map makers and the time they have.

[Farley4Fan]

No club House?  I thought that was said multiple times?  Hmmmm, never mind then.  But I guess you guys can start fresh and make more exciting maps.  Hopefully more interactive, moving, alive maps.  Anymore ideas?

[Zedblade]

I always like a 'changing' environment. Whether that was opening up new paths with explosions, moving items or just a lot of different hacks that change the map around. Ct was really limited in what we could do, since they stripped out so freaking much.

Anyway, as for PS, its a balancing act of making the level 'interactive' but still balanced and fun. Throwing a bunch of crap in just for the sake of throwing crap isn't ever a good idea and if it comes between making a map static, but functioning and balanced or interactive, but buggy and unbalanced; the obvious choice is the static map.

Anyway, the first map we release isn't going to be very interactive since its more or less the testing grounds for overall game balance. But once we get the basics down, the rest of the maps can get increasingly interactive.

I've always wanted a map on a moving train... hmmm

[Farley4Fan]

DOH! I forgot to mention a train.  I loved that mission on PT sooo much.  One of the best missions from all of splinter cell.

What about a jungle level?  Like on PT the indonesian single player mission, but pimped out with new graphics and lighting would be awesome.

What about making deep pools of water?  Possibly that mercs and spies can swim in?  This would make levels a lot more deep and just plain awesome.

[Overstatement]

It would be really cool if things happen depending on the percentage of a hack. For example, the lights dim down according to pirate hack percentage in Aqua with 100% at lights off.

[B1nArY_001]

I made one for CT that was 2 moving trams on a large track that looped. Problem was making a mover that large kept crashing the game. Might be able to make it work in the new engine though.

Edit: I told Nosis about it and he actually figured out a way to make it work using clipping. Problem with that is there was no way to make stations for the trains to stop at. And the train cars were movers so you couldn't place mines etc. I had to discard the map and started on Deep Sea Bunker which I also quit working on because no one could find a way to make vertex animation work which was required to make the map the way I wanted. When there is time I may remake the Deep Sea Bunker for PS.

[Zedblade]

I made one for CT that was 2 moving trams on a large track that looped. Problem was making a mover that large kept crashing the game. Might be able to make it work in the new engine though.

Edit: I told Nosis about it and he actually figured out a way to make it work using clipping. Problem with that is there was no way to make stations for the trains to stop at. And the train cars were movers so you couldn't place mines etc. I had to discard the map and started on Deep Sea Bunker which I also quit working on because no one could find a way to make vertex animation work which was required to make the map the way I wanted. When there is time I may remake the Deep Sea Bunker for PS.

The way you should have done it was to make the train a staticmesh and the terrain and everything arround it move or just slapped a panning texture on the mesh surround the train. Nothing would be movers and that would have been the best way to do it, performance wise.

If you still have the map ed file, mind sending it my way so I can take a gander see?

[neth]

What about a jungle level?  Like on PT the indonesian single player mission, but pimped out with new graphics and lighting would be awesome.

+ night, rain and thunders.

[iservealot]

I made one for CT that was 2 moving trams on a large track that looped. Problem was making a mover that large kept crashing the game. Might be able to make it work in the new engine though.

Edit: I told Nosis about it and he actually figured out a way to make it work using clipping. Problem with that is there was no way to make stations for the trains to stop at. And the train cars were movers so you couldn't place mines etc. I had to discard the map and started on Deep Sea Bunker which I also quit working on because no one could find a way to make vertex animation work which was required to make the map the way I wanted. When there is time I may remake the Deep Sea Bunker for PS.

Like zed said, the best way to have done this was to make the enviorment move as much as possible, and not the train itself. However, if you had to move the train a bit, you should have used a SGamePlayObject and attatched it to the mover. I think mines can placed on that.

Also, I figured out how to import vertex animation in CT, so you can continue your map. :D However, importing vertex animation in UE3 is a different story. lol

[Farley4Fan]

What if you could change the weather and lighting of maps?  Like before the game starts you can toggle whether it is raining or foggy or whatever.  And you can change whether it is sunset, nightime, morning, or day.  Wouldn't that be tight?  You would have to change your strategy to a different style even though it is the same map.  Like if it's day on a jungle level, you can't really rely on darkness anymore.  Instead, you have to rely on using cover, foliage, and timing to keep moving.  And if it's foggy outside, you know that if you keep distance from mercs and don't use visions, you are invisible.  Is changing weather possible on Unreal Engine 3?  I hope so, that would be wicked.

[Gui Brazil]

That would only change the gameplay if we have maps that are outside.

[Farley4Fan]

No, we could also change lighting conditions on inside maps to a desired brightness right?  Like make all the lights turn off, or dim, or be even brighter.  And we will have maps that are outside right?  Think of how different polar would be in the daytime with a lot of fog!  That would actually be pretty cool huh?