[Micky C]

Hey there, are you starting to map? Want to show off your skills with a small, unfinished, underdetailed and oversized map? Great! Don't make a new thread about it, you can upload it and get feedback right here.

Can this be stickied please?

[Hank]

Micky C, on 17 February 2012 - 04:41 PM, said:

Hey there, are you starting to map? Want to show off your skills with a small, unfinished, underdetailed and oversized map? Great! Don't make a new thread about it, you can upload it and get feedback right here.

Can this be stickied please?

Do you really expect those that posted the threads in question to read this?

[Danukem]

I would be happy to pin the topic if it actually gets used.

[Micky C]

Hank, on 17 February 2012 - 04:52 PM, said:

Do you really expect those that posted the threads in question to read this?

DeeperThought, on 17 February 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

I would be happy to pin the topic if it actually gets used.

This was partly a joke thread, but if there are people who are making 2, 3, 4 threads in a short time span about maps which have had less than one tenth the time most people put into mapping while simultaneously learning to map for the first time (bad combination), then I'd strongly encourage them to use this thread instead, especially if the maps are unfinished.

[Master Fibbles]

I am experimenting in my free time with a castle map. I had an ideal a while back and doodled a map on paper. I've since revised how I'm going to do the castle interior and may change it later.

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[Inspector Lagomorf]

Wouldn't this be for the "What are you working on right now" thread in User Mods?

[thatguy]

Curious, what is with the onslaught of new mappers lately? Did some college/high school professor link to Duke 4 and use the Build engine as a tool for the course?

[Micky C]

I think new people are starting mapping all the time, but only a certain percentage of them make new threads about it, and it just so happened that two of them (possibly one or two more) did it roughly around the same time.


And yeah Mr Flibble that probably would have gone in the 'what are you working on now' thread. I mean if you had posted up the map for criticism then this would have been the thread to use.

[Jimmy]

I think it has to do something with devolution.

[Paul B]

Here is my new map, RunningScared.map which is in the early development stages. Unfortunately I am unable to take pictures of the map because the setting is dark and the screenshots don't seem to turn out or do it justice.

So read this first before trying the map:

The story: Duke commandeers a military jeep and heads out of the city with swarms of aliens hot on his tail. The race across the bumpy and sandy terrain of the Nevada dessert almost proves fatal for Duke as he loses control of his jeep and crashes through the gates of an abandoned alien base station. But this base station is far from Area 51. If the accident doesn't kill him the aliens sure will. (Brace yourself from the crash by ducking in the Jeep otherwise Duke will get thrown from the Jeep and may die). Duke's mission is to either scope out the base without drawing any more attention or he can blast his way through the base running scared.

Duke doesn't have a whole lot of time to sit around and debate about which direction he needs to go. Duke's out numbered and he's misplaced his gun during the crash. Which route should Duke take? The choice is yours...

There are two parts to this map:

1) The “Running Scared” part which is the path that is currently underway

2) The “Chicken Run” which requires Duke to get shrunk by aliens so he can escape combat for a series of challenges and puzzles to an anti climatic ending. HAHA!

The Chicken run is the second possible route out of 2 routes and it is not obvious to find. This path hasn't totally been started yet but it will consist of puzzles rather than running and gunning. This route will be tightly integrated with the running and gunning path however the two routes will never allow you to traverse back and forth. Once Duke determines his route from the start there is no changing course as there isn’t enough time. Duke will be able to fully see his alternative route as he progresses through the map he just won't be able to get there from where he is. There will be common rooms which will contain the same keys for both routes. But again, Duke won't be able to veer off his predetermined path. Choose your route wisely.

Each route will have its own ending in the map. How do you plan on surviving? Are you chicken?

So far I am at around 20 hours of editing. This map will be a smaller map then my previously made maps and it will take a lot longer than i anticipated to complete. I am polishing and testing as I go though.

This map will require Polymer because of the use of TROR & for goodness sake use the latest Eduke!

Comments are welcome.

Attached File(s)

•  RunningScared.zip (19.26K)
  Number of downloads: 279

[Danukem]

I'm surprised you would post that, after giving people hell for their imperfect maps. But anyway, here's how it played for me. I did use Polymer, although I did not notice where you used TROR.

I died immediately in the starting explosion about 3 times before realizing that I needed to immediately run backwards as the map is loading to avoid death. Then I ran around a bit with monsters shooting at me. I killed some of them, until the rest consisted of several battlelords and a bunch of newbeasts on the other side of a fence. The newbeasts would shrink the battlelords, and I was able to squish the battlelords through the fence (I did take some damage doing this, though). Then I climbed up onto the roof and explored. I got to a room with a blue keycard and some commanders in it, and killed the commanders using the freezer. Then I came back down to the fence area, got myself shrunk and went though the sewer area to the point where the map stopped.

I think starting the player in a cluster fuck of explosions is pretty horrible. Also I don't think the player should have to take damage on the sewer water; at least guarantee he has boots for that. The newbeast/battlelord combination is flawed for the reason I pointed out. The map does look promising in some respects, though. The concept sounds interesting and there was evidence of some good construction in what I saw.

[Paul B]

Sounds like you've ran through it pretty fast, which is great! This is only really the first tiny part of the map. If you would have read my post about the jeep you are suppose to duck in the jeep before the explosion. The fight at the start is suppose to be unfair and your not suppose to kill the battlelords that's why there are 3 of them and your suppose to use the new aliens as a tool to help you. The crash is suppose to be a near death experience and that is why there is a Medkit in the back of the jeep. It's interesting you were able to kill any miniboss being that you start off with a severe disadvantage. There are boots that you're suppose to pick up from a secret behind the jeep and against the wall. (An exploding crack secret) I think I will relocate those boots to the passenger seat in the jeep and put armor in the secret instead. Otherwise it sounds like you've managed to find your way around ok. Which is good because I wasn't sure if it was going to be too difficult for people to find their way around. Thanks for trying it out. =) I haven't had a chance to implement any puzzles or ideas about forcing duke to run through the map. Also, I haven't prevented Duke from getting back to the jeep yet from the running scared part. That will be done by an exploding floor on the second floor. This will also trigger an alarm with a horde of pigcops coming for Duke via a hallway using a conveyer belt as a hallway to move the pigcops quickly past a series of windows in a hallway. They will then explode through a door and by that time if Duke hasn't started to run he's a dead man. So really I haven't done anything more than the intro at this point. But i'm glad you were able to figure out where to go. That's what I wanted to hear. The good construction comes from the use of the TROR which is subtle and very effective. Once you get comfortable with using TROR and what it can offer you'll know how to recognize it in maps. Thanks for your feedback!

[Inspector Lagomorf]

Similar to how Paul B got inspired by Sin Center, I'm inspired by Paul B to create a "I Wanna Be The Guy" style map.

[Danukem]

Here is my gameplay advise, for what it is worth. If you start the player out being blown up and attacked by a lot of monsters, most people will hate it. The player might manage to find his way to one of the paths, but he probably won't even realize that there was another path he could have taken, because he will be too busy getting attacked. So the whole concept of the map will likely end up being lost on players if you start it that way. Also, you cannot depend on players reading anything about the map before playing it. If there is something the player needs to know, you are better off starting him near a viewscreen pointed at a wall of text, or you could start him in a black room with text on the wall and then transport him to the rest of the map. Or better yet, just don't make the gameplay depend upon the player reading stuff.

[Paul B]

DeeperThought, on 28 February 2012 - 08:41 AM, said:

Here is my gameplay advise, for what it is worth. If you start the player out being blown up and attacked by a lot of monsters, most people will hate it. The player might manage to find his way to one of the paths, but he probably won't even realize that there was another path he could have taken, because he will be too busy getting attacked. So the whole concept of the map will likely end up being lost on players if you start it that way. Also, you cannot depend on players reading anything about the map before playing it. If there is something the player needs to know, you are better off starting him near a viewscreen pointed at a wall of text, or you could start him in a black room with text on the wall and then transport him to the rest of the map. Or better yet, just don't make the gameplay depend upon the player reading stuff.

Very good advice and I will tone down the damage so it doesn't kill Duke.

[rasmus thorup]

Yet so simple right?

[Paul B]

rasmus thorup, on 28 February 2012 - 09:11 AM, said:

Yet so simple right?

Not really. I have a certain vision for my map but not always is my vision the best for everyone. DeeperThought definitely made me aware of this and while it may appease me, it causes someone else frustration. Ultimately when I build a map I build it for others and not for my own self gratification. So when mapping I have to choose what's best for the majority and not just what suites my needs.

[Inspector Lagomorf]

Paul B, on 28 February 2012 - 09:48 AM, said:

Ultimately when I build a map I build it for others and not for my own self gratification. So when mapping I have to choose what's best for the majority and not just what suites my needs.

You will never enjoy mapping if you do this.

[Paul B]

The Mighty Bison, on 28 February 2012 - 09:51 AM, said:

You will never enjoy mapping if you do this.

The satisfaction comes from having a wide variety of players with different play styles play a map and enjoy it. Rather than catering to a select few.

[Hank]

The Mighty Bison, on 28 February 2012 - 09:51 AM, said:

You will never enjoy mapping if you do this.

Why not? Call it ego, but I am hoping for one or two pats on the back with "Well done". How could I reach my goal if I map for myself?

@ Paul B. not sure what you mean as in 'wide variety' yet I think you can't please everyone, otherwise you may lose them all.

[Paul B]

Hank, on 28 February 2012 - 03:30 PM, said:

Why not? Call it ego, but I am hoping for one or two pats on the back with "Well done". How could I reach my goal if I map for myself?

@ Paul B. not sure what you mean as in 'wide variety' yet I think you can't please everyone, otherwise you may lose them all.

Hank I know i've come across with a bad attitude on the forums. I'm trying to work on that. Hey i'm interested in playing some of your maps Hank. Where can I find some of your pride and glory maps?

[rasmus thorup]

You shouldn't be so serious Paul Bitch

[Hank]

Paul B, on 28 February 2012 - 03:33 PM, said:

Hank I know i've come across with a bad attitude on the forums. I'm trying to work on that. Hey i'm interesting in playing some of your maps Hank. Where can I find some of your pride and glory maps?

I just finished your map, well what there is to finish. No comments, well, it is not finished, only one suggestion, (and I play with 8bpp mode only): Make it a bit lighter. I cheated and placed a heat sensor in it and tried it again. The start is very good. I like it, provided you can keep up the intensity.
Just look under Phoenix on either MSDN or Duke Repository, but you need Duke 1.3 or the maps won't play.

[Paul B]

Hank, on 28 February 2012 - 03:48 PM, said:

Just look under Phoenix on either MSDN or Duke Repository, but you need Duke 1.3 or the maps won't play.

Hank I noticed in your read me you said it works with 1.5? will that be a problem or will running your maps change my con files? I really wan't to keep all my orginal files and the only version of Duke I have is 1.5. Any suggestions?

I realize I didn't impress anyone with my sneak preview of my upcoming map except for Hank. Thank you Hank! =)
So maybe the updated file will give you a better idea of how it will play out. At least I have the starting gate for running scared. Now I just need to intergrate the two systems seemlessly together with puzzles while preventing Duke from changing paths but still being able to see the other way.. This should be fun. =) Feel free to try the updated version found here: http://forums.duke4....&attach_id=4589

[Micky C]

It seems the only reason why you have TROR in the first area is for that one sign in the middle and its roof, which is a minor cosmetic thing and you could get an almost identical look with sprites. You should take advantage of the TROR there and carve out the sides of the walls of the surrounding buildings to add some depth.

The floor exploding thing was pretty darn cool the way it looks and was implemented, but IMO you are spoiling these things by posting up such early copies of the map. You should try to save it up and let the player encounter them when they play the final version where it will leave more of an impression.

While I'm posting, I'm quite surprised that instead of noobs posting their very first (attempted) maps, we have people who have already released maps posting screenshots and sneak peaks of their current projects. Where did all the noobs go?

[Danukem]

Micky C, on 29 February 2012 - 01:41 AM, said:

Where did all the noobs go?

Maybe they all grew up.

I have never released a map (and probably never will), but I have made plenty of mods, and sometimes it seems right to release WIP versions along the way, even though it spoils stuff. Of course, spoiling a mod that is based on coding, and spoiling a map aren't quite the same thing. But I believe the motivation for releasing early WIP versions is the same. It's a way of getting early feedback, which can be motivating and helpful. The only time I would object to someone doing that is if they are starting multiple threads about the same map (one thread for development and another for release is OK though).

What I find annoying is when people post a huge number of screenshots. At least when someone is only posting the map file, you can avoid the spoiler by not downloading it.

[Paul B]

Micky C, on 29 February 2012 - 01:41 AM, said:

The floor exploding thing was pretty darn cool the way it looks and was implemented, but IMO you are spoiling these things by posting up such early copies of the map. You should try to save it up and let the player encounter them when they play the final version where it will leave more of an impression.

Hi Micky,

Thanks for your comments. Just so you are aware I am not spoiling anything with this map. I am at the tip of the iceberg. I really haven't done anything yet that's "new". This map is going to contain many different sequences, traps and puzzles. I am only showing you the first intro to the map and nothing else. It's merely to raise interest in the map. I will no longer post any further updates to the map publically. I have designed and setup many different traps and puzzles that I will implement into this map that will be new fresh ideas. The exploding floor you liked so much is really no different then what you did in the Parkade bedroom. Mine's just a more simplistic version which still needs polishing. But it serves its purpose for now to give the player an idea of the style of map this will be. Linear with two possible linear paths. I typically don't do linear but this will be it. There will also be no difficulty setting assigned to this map. One difficulty will fit all.

My intentions on building this map is to get back at all those critical mappers out there. Gambini did It Lives and I will do It Dies. This map will be punishment for those who have given me a tough time on the forums. It will be my way of getting back at them through the map. If they make it through this map to the end I can guarantee by the end of the map they will no longer be sane.

There will be surprises around every corner, ambushes from every direction and puzzles to solve. One of the new elements I will be introducing will be when Duke goes the opposite way and goes through the sewers he'll see the map from a different perspective, the traps untouched and not triggered there won't be any aliens on the map the map will look and feel deserted. It will be up to Duke's brain power to survive and navigate his way through the map. If Duke choses to fall into the building through the floor at the start he can be prepared for constant battles and what looked before to be a peaceful quiet map will come alive and turn into a battle of quick decisions and brawn instead of wits.

[rasmus thorup]

Oh, i didn't see that you released a "map". But i just tried it. It looked finished until i came inside. Starting out with an explosion is not really a bad idea, You gave us health so it wasn't really dangerous. I still have 42 health after the explosion. But if someone dies 3 times in a row, then it's bad. The floor explosion was really cool and looked very real to me. I also love maps where you use the not-so-much used weapons from the original game like the freezer, so i would love if you would just make that the main weapon for a long time, and then give us some more ammo for it. I would also love it if you could post a link to the newest eduke. Because i hate having to seach for things when i want to play a new map. Keep on the good work fellow duke mapper.

[Paul B]

rasmus thorup, on 29 February 2012 - 12:33 PM, said:

so i would love if you would just make that the main weapon for a long time, and then give us some more ammo for it. I would also love it if you could post a link to the newest eduke. Because i hate having to seach for things when i want to play a new map. Keep on the good work fellow duke mapper.

Hi Rasmus,

I'm glad you enjoyed the sneak peak teaser. Here is the link for the latest Eduke

http://dukeworld.duk...ke32/synthesis/

What i typically do since i never remember the link is i go to Google search and type: Eduke + Synthesis

it will come up right away and you can always keep current with the updated changes that are happening. Its really quite interesting even though I don't understand a thing about it.

[Hank]

Paul B, on 29 February 2012 - 01:19 AM, said:

Hank I noticed in your read me you said it works with 1.5? will that be a problem or will running your maps change my con files? I really wan't to keep all my orginal files and the only version of Duke I have is 1.5. Any suggestions?

I realize I didn't impress anyone with my sneak preview of my upcoming map except for Hank. Thank you Hank! =)
So maybe the updated file will give you a better idea of how it will play out. At least I have the starting gate for running scared. Now I just need to intergrate the two systems seemlessly together with puzzles while preventing Duke from changing paths but still being able to see the other way.. This should be fun. =) Feel free to try the updated version found here: http://forums.duke4....&attach_id=4589

Just visit MSDN, the site from Mikko, there is a horde of very good maps around, just pick a couple and have fun, and forget mine.

Also, I am a fan of Platoon and Star Ship Troopers, not Duke per se. It is there were effects like yours work. If you plan to map for the Duke crowd, listen very close to Deeper Thought, not me. - Thus, all the best and good luck