Making an assault map.

[==Troy==]

Well, I had recently got an idea of making a human/alien assault map. Much like in every other objective-based game.

My basic quiestion is "Is it possible?",

I am currently working on such example, and my thoughts that it is possible to do so:

The script file for the map can force server timelimits, SD limits and stage threshholds.

Making an assault map? Well, basics are those:

Human assault:

Alien eggs + overmind are out of reach of the main battlefield.
Alien eggs are in the teleport trigger, so everyone is instantly teleported to the designed location, without being able to decon eggs.
The output of the teleporters is controlled by the script.

Humans have reac, telenodes and rest of the building on the main battlefield, but at the start a very-well protected base (forgot to say, BP points can be altered too).
Their objective is not to kill all aliens and eggs + OM, but to complete the designed objective, and aliens are going to prevent them from doing that.

Since we have quite few proximity or damage triggers the objectives can vary.

Aliens are also able to build defences near objectives, due to the creep, provided by the eggs.

The round is limited by the time, if humans will not succeed in the limited amount of time, they loose.

Well, if anyone needs some more details I will be happy to explain further. this is just a thought I wanted to share, which can alter the Tremulous gameplay a bit. And I am not sure if I will be able to make the full map myself , as I dont have much time for that.

[Survivor]

Semi possible. But if you're not the one that's going to build it don't count on a lot of explanations coming your way.
You cannot force time limits or sd limits on server ops in the normal way and they can only be singulary enforced upwards currently through maptweaks. No 1.2 changes are known to me that change this.
Not being able to decon eggs. Damn well near impossible if you want to spawn grangers. People are very fast sometimes. You could however have non grangerspawning eggs and all spawning eggs but it would be a hit and miss method.

[==Troy==]

Worldspawn

Worldspawn is the standard brush ‘entity’. But by definition it isn’t an entity at all. It controls some defining characteristics of gameplay as well.

Keys    Value input    Effect
message    alphanumerical    Message to display at mapstart, usually for name of the map
music    path/name sound (example sound/effects/zap.wav)    Used for level’s music
humanBuildPoints    numerical (default 100)    Determines the max bp of the human team
alienBuildPoints    numerical (default 100)    Determines the max bp of the alien team
humanMaxStage    numerical (default&max 2)    Determines the highest stage of the human team
alienMaxStage    numerical (default&max 2)    Determines the highest stage of the alien team
humanStage2Threshold    numerical (default 50)    Value involved in calculating stage ups. Formula unknown
alienStage2Threshold    numerical (default 50)    Value involved in calculating stage ups. Formula unknown
humanStage3Threshold    numerical (default 100)    Value involved in calculating stage ups. Formula unknown
alienStage3Threshold    numerical (default 100)    Value involved in calculating stage ups. Formula unknown
_ambient    numerical (default 0)    Adds ambient light to map, this raises the light level but lowers contrast, only use low values
_color    numerical (default 0 0 0)    Normalized values of 255 for the color of the ambient light
gravity    numerical (default 800)    Determines gravity for entire map
gridsize    numerical (default 128 128 256)    Compile setting, use only powers of 2, make them larger to shorten compile time
_blocksize    numerical (default 1024)    Compile setting, use only powers of 2, make larger to shorten compile time on low density maps



At least what I got from http://tremmapping.pbwiki.com/entity_explanation

I was not asking someone to make the map. Was just giving an idea, if someone wants to do some "different" map.

I am more of Q3/WolfET mapper than a Tremuloous mapper, but since the engine is the same from my experience the teleporting is instant, even if you place it on spawn.

And yes, I am working on the example map, so for any future plans there will be an example with source released.

[Samurai.mac]

As for people being fast, I'd like to see someone decon and egg in the millisecond it takes for a trigger to respond to usage!

[==Troy==]

actually 50 ms. Server is running at 20fps.

[Vector_Matt]

Aliens are also able to build defences near objectives, due to the creep, provided by the eggs.

If aliens can build more than one tube, they can build an egg.

Also, you should make it so each egg has it's own teleport thing and place the destinations in the air. That way players will be less likely to die because they teleported into someone.

<offtopic>Why does Firefox not recognize the word teleported?</offtopic>

[==Troy==]

The outputs destinations will be in a good places, dont worry about it.

the ability for aliens to build eggs on the main battlefield is a "feature" rather than a bug. They can, they will, and that is the plot. :wink:

Currently working on the burshwork + texturing, once I will get to the point of testing, I will reply here.

[Odin]

It would be much better if we had something like this so that the humans can't defeat the aliens the conventional way.

[==Troy==]

Teleport triggers do exactly this job.

Without any need for mod or change in source.

[Odin]

But if you put a telenode in the map, it removes 10 BP.

This generates an invincible spawn point for free, and you don't see one frame of nothing before you spawn either, which would confuse new players.

[==Troy==]

BP can be altered via mapscript (to be checked). Telenode can be set to state invisible, as it is an enitity, and it will not operate in that state and will not count as spawn (to be checked). Win state of the map can be set via mapscript, end round can be set via mapscript as well. Check for a telenode in the gamefield can be done with triggers, same for ckit and armory.

[Odin]

If it doesn't count as a spawn it won't spawn players.

Some servers set BP manually.

The telenode, if invisible, can still be hit if I understand correctly.

[==Troy==]

invisible script state means that it is invisible for the game engine and does not interact with gameplay in any way, other than occupying a part of memory and being ready to be setstated to not invisible.


And as I previously stated, the map source will be released upon sucess, and all the Abilities and non-abilities will be reported.