Rate my map ideas; Caverna, Residential, and Asylum

[gman19]

I am working on three maps right now, and I'd like the community's opinions on each of them. Screenshots will be uploaded once both projects get further in development. Here's my list of ideas and features for "Caverna" and "Residential."

Caverna (working title)

Setting: Desert canyon at midnight (lighted by flares fired from dropships throughout the map into the night sky)

Human base: Outpost at one end of the canyon, heavily influenced by Whiskey Outpost from Starship Troopers

Alien base: Underground network of caves and tunnels, approximately 60% of the map

Main battle areas: Underground caverns/tunnels, canyon surface, miniature outposts inside mountains

Key features:

Human beneficial:

-Human outpost has guard tower and parapets lining the walls
-Human outpost has a communications tent that can summon a dropship to fly in after 30 minutes of gameplay; ALL humans must enter the dropship to win the match after it is summoned by a button in the communications tent, if not, aliens kill the remaining humans and base to win the match
-Human outpost has a one-use tesla system that takes a working generator in the communications tent AND button activation to activate 1 minute after charging up. Anything that touches the field for the next 30 seconds is immediately killed
-Mountain bunkers have overwatch positions over most of the canyon, PERFECT MD camping spots at the firing slots

Alien beneficial:

-Default human base has a trapdoor that falls out PERMANENTLY when triggered by aliens in the tunnel beneath; PERFECT S3 flanking point for tyrants to come up directly into the heart of the human base, encourages humans to move base from default to alternate location
-Mountain bunkers and human base are easily flankable via tunnel system
-Tunnels open up into various parts of the canyon floor and walls, allowing aliens as large as a marauder to attack unsuspecting humans from above or below
-Tunnels open up into the sides of mountain bunkers and underneath human default base
-Human dropship can be destroyed by heavy alien attacks (tyrant slashes, dragoon pounces, dragoon barbs) and rendered unable to takeoff after landing (STILL IN IDEA FORM; NOT SET TO IMPLEMENT YET)
-Human dropship cannot be summoned if generator in communications tent is destroyed (STILL IN IDEA FORM; NOT SET TO IMPLEMENT YET)
-One-use tesla system cannot be used if generator is destroyed before or during the time in which it is activated (STILL IN IDEA FORM; NOT SET TO IMPLEMENT YET)

Project completion: ~20%
     Human outpost fabricated
     Mountain camps fabricated
     Canyon general layout completed

Screenshots:
Hand drawing of map layout


Residential (working title)

Setting: Earth neighborhood at dusk

Human base: Undetermined

Alien base: Undetermined

Main battle areas: Residential homes, streets of the neighborhood

Key features:

-5 fully furnished houses; couches, lamps, TVs, even plumbing and ventilation for smaller aliens to get inside
-Ventilation systems inside each house to move from room to room as a dretch
-Underground pipelines linking the houses together, can crawl up through toilets, sinks, and bathtubs
-Streetlights light the outside, considerably dark map until you get inside the houses which are lighted by lamps
-Working garage doors, maybe even flushing toilets ("FLUSH THAT GODDAMNED DRETCH, SOLDIER!") if I can figure out how to implement that

Project completion: ~3%
     One house general layout complete

Screenshots: (Will upload later)

Asylum (working title)

Setting: Mental institution (c'mon...admit it; you've always wanted to play in a nuthouse )

Human base: Undetermined

Alien base: Undetermined

Key features:
-Several padded cell rooms with occupants that scream out on a regular basis
-Eerie vibe that you'd expect from a poorly-lit and poorly maintained insane asylum
-Includes cell block, lobby, and generator room

Project completion: 0%-IDEA ONLY SO FAR

Screenshots: (Will upload later)



So, tell me what you think of these. Personally, I think that Residential will be the funnest of both maps; I'm basing the neighborhood off of my own. The houses will be lain out and furnished according to how the ones around here are. Who knows, I might even put a computer in one with the screen playing a short demo video from Trem! If I can figure out how to implement this stuff, that is. I'm not sure if the current Tremulous/GTKRadiant systems are fully capable of doing this sort of thing. I am putting Caverna on the back burner for the next few days to work on Residential, then I'll probably switch back every week or so. I'm doing Caverna to see how well Tremulous and its players can handle mission-based maps instead of shoot/bite/eat everything that moves that it has right now. Don't get me wrong, those maps are fun, but I think the game could use some diversity.

EDIT: Added "Asylum" and "ISS" which I thought of while talking to some AoD people last night. No, don't take it that way; I was telling them about my other two maps and they suggested that Tremulous needs a low-gravity space station map and a nuthouse one too. So, I plan on delivering. Rate these new ones, please!

EDIT: Updated Caverna screenshots

EDIT: Removed "ISS" due to realization that the current Tremulous system cannot handle zero-grav movement to a playable degree.

EDIT: Updated Caverna setting, revamped lighting system

[Evlesoa]

A+++

AWESOME!!! cant wait for em!!

[mooseberry]

It sounds really sweet. Can't wait for screenshots!!!

[Fluxflashor]

Your ideas always amaze me

[gman19]

Your ideas always amaze me

In a good way or bad way?

The last 2, ISS and Asylum, are purely ideas and I haven't even started on drawing out a map plan like I always do with my maps. Caverna has a full map drawn out, and Residential is about 30% drawn. I've uploaded my map plan for Caverna, and it will be linked to the screenshots section momentarily.

[Survivor]

I approve very much of asylum and caverna. Residential really depends on the execution and the real low gravity situation over an entire map is an idea I think you should reconsider since it buggers the gameplay a whole fucking lot.

Also while it is possible to 'destroy' an already present object I doubt you are able to destroy the cargoship after it has flown in. Tremulous' current trigger system does not allow for that without some serious workarounds.
If you are hellbent on it though I think I could present you with a working triggersystem for it. I advice against it but pm me if you don't want to take it .

I also advice to just work on a single map until it has reached at least beta stage. (No comment thorn)

[TRaK]

Caverna : Sounds pretty good.
Residential : Depending on what you do, this is either really cool or completely horrible.
Asylum : Cool idea.
ISS : Not a good idea IMO.

[DarkWolf]

Nice ideas, though would caverna be more mission based, and would that only be able to be in 1.2?

Also, my fav list:
Caverna,
ISS,
Residential,
Asylum.

Hehe, cavern seems nice   .

[Plague Bringer]

Caverna's too large.

[PFB]

we dont need ideas we need maps

[gman19]

Caverna's too large.

You know...most Tremmers complain that maps are too SMALL. Besides, it has to be big to fit the scale of what I'm trying to do; you don't want a tiny outpost over a tiny cavern to make Starship ATCS, you know.

And, now that I think about it after reading other comments about ISS, I agree; I doubt that would work out well. If Tremulous had a better movement system, then it would, but right now, you just float to the ceiling and stay there until the gravity changes.

[whitebear]

residensal sounds fun but I hope that when moving through toilet you use teleporter instead of real movement. if not then you need to have huge toilets.

[Kaleo]

zero grav wouldn't work. it is extreemly frustrating and hard to navigate in zero g

[Fluxflashor]

Your ideas always amaze me

In a good way or bad way?

The last 2, ISS and Asylum, are purely ideas and I haven't even started on drawing out a map plan like I always do with my maps. Caverna has a full map drawn out, and Residential is about 30% drawn. I've uploaded my map plan for Caverna, and it will be linked to the screenshots section momentarily.

In a good way Always interesting to read, love to see them though someday

[doomagent13]

I am working on three maps right now, and I'd like the community's opinions on both of them.

May I suggest going to a grammar school?

Sorry for off topic, easy target.

[gman19]

I am working on three maps right now, and I'd like the community's opinions on both of them.

May I suggest going to a grammar school?

Sorry for off topic, easy target.

I know, I know, I missed that part when I edited the first post. It's fixed now.

Also; I really appreciate the feedback. After some gravity modifications while on the AoD server, I realized just how bad Tremulous handles low-grav movement; unless you have a jetpack or wallwalk ability, it's impossible to move down from your current position, which leaves you stuck to the ceiling for all of eternity.

[gman19]

I've come up with a new idea for Caverna; now it's a desert canyon at midnight with the only lighting coming from NightSun flares fired from several landed dropships throughout the map. This is a bit of a balance modification to the original design; spotty lighting sources makes the open desert a bit more alien-friendly, since MD campers aren't as accurate at low-level lighting conditions. Feedback on this is appreciated.

EDIT:

I remember now that I should tell everyone about the PM I received from Survivor regarding dropship programming. Excerpts from his message follow.

The dropship will be outside the map's boundaries, and will not be created just as the button in the communications tent is pressed. It will already exist in the map world when the map starts; the button activation sets it in motion along its preprogrammed waypoints into the game area, then to land in the outpost.

The fact is we cannot destroy any trains. We can move them but only along one path, we do not have a choice logic system available in tremulous at the time so while it is definately possible to make it explode all the time it is not yet possible to choose between explode and leave normally.

My first readthrough of Survivor's PM told me, in summary, "You can't do that." Then, I read it slower, and notice the emboldened words above. That suggests that modifications to the Tremulous 1.2 engine may allow for special scripting to do this. I will check with the devs to see if I may be informed of and receive prototypes of the new engine so I can work on this. Of course, the scripting for the dropship comes last; I know that they won't give me access to said engine if I don't have anything concrete to show to convince them I'm going to use it to finish the map, and not release it to everyone in the Tremulous community. Of course, it would be pointless to leak the prototype engine to the community; there's no real point to do it.

[screwball77]

they sound awesome, especially the asylum 1.  hope 2 c them soon