Duke4.net Forums: [RELEASE] Siebenpolis - Duke4.net Forums

thank you so much for dropping some feedback man. i am glad you liked the map. I can definitely feel you on that fear of flying (ha), I am well aware that over time, most duke players have formed strong habits due to developing familiarity with how the original game itself, and most user maps, play. Ie. always be conservative with the jetpack, keep 5 rockets on you at all times in case of a battlelord encounter, prioritize the shotgun and chaingun as the basic weapons etc... I kind of want to break those habits, and show alternative patterns, most of the time it is hard and confusing for the average player to dare allowing themselves to drift away from those conventions though, as though 'is the level going to punish me for playing it differently ?' / 'am I doing something forbidden ?' was resonating non stop in the background as one plays... So on the mapper's side, experimentation is always a risk. Which is probably why some players (such as MetHy) seem to like those maps more on their second / third / etc playthroughs, once they have gotten familiar enough with it to be in position to fully appreciate it as what it is

I have uploaded the map on the Megaton's workshop. With MRCK's consent I fixed the touchplates set as 'blocking bit on' that would cause invisible blocking in Megaton (one of them even prevented completion of the map).

While playing the map in Megaton I have noticed that playing in 32-bit makes a great deal of a difference in this map. Indeed, with a true 3D renderer, it is MUCH easier to shoot enemies that are above or under you, which in a map like this one happens all the time.
Yes, the renderer even influences gameplay.

There is just one glitch with the map in Megaton, a visual one. In the room with the lights coming out of ceiling in the half destroyed building and the floor sprites, sometimes the sprites clip out and become invisible when viewed from certain angles and through the lightbeams.
I guess it's one of those things that again are better in EDuke32, like being able to use textures on walls with black 'transparent' parts in them behind a semi-transparent mask-wall, which would otherwise appear pink in vanilla. Pretty sure those lightbeams are semi-transparent mask-walls as well.

Also I was just thinking, the map supports 8 players co&op and I'd love to see that happen. If each player goes to a different switch the map could be completed in under 5 mins maybe! Would be really cool to see that done with a video montage showing the screen of each player at the same time; but this is just a wild dream.

MetHy, on 11 November 2014 - 11:37 AM, said:

Are you sure you based the Megaton version on the latest siebenpolis incarnation? The missing line

Quote

in your siebenpolis.txt implies otherwise.

[EDIT:] Nevermind, it's just the text file.

thank you so much for your help putting that map up on Steam and also for your contribution to keeping the community alive and kicking in general. much appreciated

MetHy, on 11 November 2014 - 11:37 AM, said:

yeah that would be crazy ! for this map i kind of went out of my way in order to focus on the practical aspects of the gameplay, and make it well-rounded, hence the 8 switches and co-op starts, also i wanted to make the map good for dukematch as well (hence the vents, multiple exits and all), i think the layout might be decent for that type of play (although a bit large) but i wonder how it really plays due to how the weaponry is distributed, i have close to no experience with dukematch plays whatsoever therefore i don't know about the do's and don'ts, common practices etc... some starting positions might be more unfair than others, stuff like that.

if you don't mind me plugging in my own work again, a map of mine i would love to see a video playthrough of would be bummed out anarchy city x, i think the survival / run-for-your-life type of gameplay could result in some pretty hectic-looking, intense gaming footage due to its fundamental unpredictability

Interesting stuff, this map is the shit, gloomy and brown, lol. Although, I found it a bit too hard to navigate; with all that dark haze, lack of color and lots of open windows overhead you can hardly see where to go until you open the map in the editor (had trouble finding one of those yellow cards). I'm a fan of non-linear maps as long as their layout is sufficiently clear. I remember myself making a non-linear city map like ten years ago (wow!). Still I admit that this map is pretty fair, but one should memorize its layout and pay attention to any hints in order to complete it.

thanks for playing and dropping some feedback. you are right about the layout being a little confusing / misleading, in general my maps are always harder to navigate through than i intend them to be. tiny locations that blend into the bigger scale of the map itself, tiny switches and all. working my way there though - i am trying to get better at 'clear' layouts with every new map. cheers !