[quakis]

Done & Dusted v1.1 (Final) - by Ryan 'quakis' Rouse & Mikko Sandt

Note to players: If you've already played the original version, don't expect too many changes. These are some things I didn't get around to touching up the first time, and to also polish up areas based on feedback such as the buggy elevator doors. This is the one and final update I'll make.

Changelog:

• Fixed some bugs, i.e: elevator doors
  
• Some switches made invisible for Polymer
  
• Polished up design and lighting, i.e: starting docks
  
• Changed a corridor near the start into a break room
  
• Moved Battlelords during finale where they belong

Plot;
A race of aliens known as The Assault have invaded a human facility located on an island sixty miles off the coast of California. The facility personnel have presumably been killed, but it's not known for sure. The loss of this facility is a major setback to research into alien physiology as the facility contains several important Protector Drone samples and gigabytes of research data. For these reasons the facility itself cannot be bombed: The samples and the data must be recovered, assuming they haven't been destroyed by the invaders. It is for this reason that you are sent to investigate the facility, to gather intel for our strike forces that'll take over the mission once your job is done.

Your mission is as follows:
1) Investigate the facility, keeping an eye on potential human survivors, preserved research data and Protector Drone samples. It is not, however, up to you to recover any of these.
2) Blow up the primary reactor. This should considerably lower their defense capabilities, paving the way for our strike forces
3) Once done, establish contact with the strike forces who will then proceed to take over the mission
4) Escape via the northern waterway leading to the sea

Requires Eduke32. HRP not supported. Intended for 8bit mode.

Download: Here



Map Info:
Mikko Sandt - About five years ago I received a bunch of old map scraps from quakis who's a bit infamous for starting many projects without ever actually finishing them. Many of the scraps consisted of only a few corridors and/or rooms but they shared a common hi-tech theme. Having missed the 12th MSDN anniversary update, I decided to make up for it by doing something with these scraps, which I had kept in mind over the years. (I had previously finished two usermaps that had been worked on by someone else but never finished.) I recovered the scraps from my old computer and went through them several times to see what would be the best way to tie them together. In the end, seven scraps ended up in the final map. After this merger (which involved a bit of copypasting, flipping, raising/lowering floors/ceilings and filling in some blanks) and after implementing gameplay dynamics (keys, buttons and monsters) I sent the map to quakis who held it for a week during which he modernized and streamlined the map's more than 5-year-old architecture.

quakis - I never expected these map sections to be used and once I took the map off Mikko's hands, I gave myself only a week to edit the map as much as I could. The layout and basic gameplay was there, but I thought it felt a bit lifeless and generic to play through. Over that week I worked on redesigning many locations and some areas were completely remade. The gameplay also became more refined, adding in that needed bit of life and little effects here and there. The map as a whole is considerably different from the version Mikko had sent and I felt pleased with the work I managed in a week.

Watch this space for an upcoming map commentary article I'm currently writing up!

[Danukem]

Wow, this map is really good. I couldn't tell that it was put together from scraps. Loved the architecture, especially in the outdoor areas. I also liked the way the text was handled, a nice change from the standard view screens. I have no complaints about gameplay either....the flow was good, difficulty was about right, and there were no hidden buttons or anything to slow the player down too much.

I guess by "8-bit mode" you meant the software renderer, but I played it in Polymost with 8-bit art.

By the way, do you guys want this thread moved to the user map forum?

[Mikko]

DeeperThought, on 21 May 2011 - 08:14 AM, said:

By the way, do you guys want this thread moved to the user map forum?

Yeah, that'd make more sense.

[Mblackwell]

Thread Moved.

Nice work btw Quakis.

[E.C.S]

Excellent map, rep for you Quakis

[Mikko]

DeeperThought, on 21 May 2011 - 08:14 AM, said:

I guess by "8-bit mode" you meant the software renderer, but I played it in Polymost with 8-bit art.

I personally don't agree with this recommendation. 32-bit Polymost is optimal in my opinion (without the HRP of course).

[Helixhorned]

Very solid 20-minute ride. I especially liked the architecture at the end and the fact that a mighty weapon was provided at the beginning. Also, point 3 of the mission is executed pretty nicely.

[Master Fibbles]

That was a nice map. It took a few times around to beat the end because I ran out of health pretty quickly. I don't think I had full health except at the very beginning. Seemed balanced though.

I will say that I got stuck at the end:
After I detonated the bridge, somehow the elevator that goes back down was sent down and I wasn't able to get it back up because the door would open and close instead. The next time I did it I managed to not get stuck there though.

[Danukem]

Mr.Flibble, on 21 May 2011 - 01:39 PM, said:

After I detonated the bridge, somehow the elevator that goes back down was sent down and I wasn't able to get it back up because the door would open and close instead. The next time I did it I managed to not get stuck there though.

That happened to me, too, but I was able to push through after several tries.

[Hank]

Hey Quakis, I could not resist another shot. I could not get an angle during play, so I used mapster. - I never seen anything like this; so much work here.

[bullerbullerseven]

That's 10-20 minutes of very nice mapping. Loved it man. It was nicely detailed and very good sprite work

[Jimmy]

I hate being so busy. Can't believe I haven't talked to you in a week and therefore haven't heard about this map. D'oh!

[Spirrwell]

The map is great, although I'm not too into that style of a map (8 bit). It's nothing though, I always sort of hated the 8 bit lighting which is what bugs me.

As for getting low on health, that isn't a big issue. Right next to doors of the bathrooms there's a fountain, so you can get some health there.

Overall, it's a good map, great design, I didn't totally finish it yet because my laptop overheated and was about to die. Great job on the map.

[Danukem]

The map works fine with the HRP and actually looks quite good (if you like the HRP, that is) except for two switches, which are supposed to be invisible but which can be seen when using the HRP. They are the ones in front of the computer terminals that activate the small text. Fixing it for the HRP is simply a matter of making them fully invisible (press F8 on the switch in 2D mode, and set flags to 32768). I did it for my own copy already.

[Mikko]

A non-partisan review here in case you haven't yet been convinced to play the map: http://msdn.duke4.net/hotdusted.shtml

Mr.Flibble, on 21 May 2011 - 01:39 PM, said:

After I detonated the bridge, somehow the elevator that goes back down was sent down and I wasn't able to get it back up because the door would open and close instead. The next time I did it I managed to not get stuck there though.

This is something that seems to pop up every now and then when dealing with T19 elevators that are next to doors. But as DT said, you can quite easily "glitch" yourself through the wall.

DeeperThought, on 21 May 2011 - 11:59 PM, said:

Fixing it for the HRP is simply a matter of making them fully invisible (press F8 on the switch in 2D mode, and set flags to 32768).

Had no idea such a feature existed!

[Danukem]

Mikko_Sandt, on 22 May 2011 - 02:23 PM, said:

Had no idea such a feature existed!

Yes, the flags field is the same as cstat, the value that gets changed when you make sprites transparent, one sided, floor aligned, etc. 32768 is the flag for being invisible, which is not available on a hot key, but can be set in F8 mode. Invisibility, like the other flags, can be combined with other properties. For example, if you wanted a floor aligned blocking invisible sprite (maybe you want to make an invisible sprite bridge for some reason), you would set flags to 32801 ( 32768 invisible + 32 floor aligned + 1 blocking ).

[Jimmy]

This map is rad. It's a somewhat old school experience, and it really puts me in mind of C3PO's Fruit Loops map. Clean design with lots of cool little interactive bits that are creatively made. It's also a lot of fun. I'm also really happy to see some of these scraps put to use, because I remember receiving many of them hot off mapster!

[VinsaneOne]

This is a great map! Had fun playing it.Thanks for the 25min time killer!

[quakis]

DeeperThought, on 22 May 2011 - 03:36 PM, said:

32768 is the flag for being invisible,

It is a handy feature. I made use of it on the bridge to block player access while not preventing them swimming beneath it. Just never came to mind at the time to use them on the switches until after release.

[Mike Norvak]

Excelent old school map. Took me over 20 min. Pure action, a very enjoyable map thanks for finish and release this.
Maybe off topic but It could be a cool idea if you DT did a new episode for attrition with lots of past and new short old school maps for those who only wants to kick some alien asses.

Also i love the spritework and shadows everywhere and the diagonal doors all over the map.

[Spiker]

I've just played it. Despite the recommendation I played with HRP and polymer and it looked very good. The map is excelent, I really liked the flow. There weren't any boring moments or problems. I didn't notice it was made of chunks, the layout is very good and coherent. Really good job with this!

[DaVince]

Omg hi folks! Remember me?

Pretty good! Nice architecture. I like all the mechanisms and monitors. Sure was a challenge for me too (esp. since I just returned to the game). Ran out of ammo pretty often!

I also think there are too many closed doors in plain sight that don't do anything! I get that you're supposed to move along a path, but it's probably not a good idea to have all these non-functional doors around when you do. Some way to indicate that some doors really won't do anything would be nice, or perhaps maybe even make them accessible for a bit of player distraction.

[Gambini]

I remember you, yeah

[Tetsuo]

quakis, on 21 May 2011 - 07:21 AM, said:

Requires Eduke32. HRP not supported. Intended for 8bit mode.

Mikko_Sandt, on 21 May 2011 - 12:34 PM, said:

I personally don't agree with this recommendation. 32-bit Polymost is optimal in my opinion (without the HRP of course).

It's interesting how you say it doesn't support the HRP yet when I loaded it up with the HRP it looked just fine and I could hardly tell it doesn't support it especially with how many of the models where facing the correct ways. Looks just fine to me with the HRP. I guess you just don't want people coming to you with bugs if they have any running maps like this with the HRP.... or you have something against the HRP.

Seriously this looks great and nothing anyone says will make me want to play it without the HRP:

http://dl.dropbox.co...duke32/HRP0.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.co...eduke32/HRP.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.co...duke32/HRP2.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.co...duke32/HRP3.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.co...duke32/HRP4.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.co...duke32/HRP5.jpg


So I don't agree with either of these recommendations... but that's just my personal opinion. In fact I quite like it with the Polymer HRP and renderer.

[Danukem]

Tetsuo, on 25 September 2011 - 07:46 PM, said:

It's interesting how you say it doesn't support the HRP yet when I loaded it up with the HRP it looked just fine and I could hardly tell it doesn't support it especially with how many of the models where facing the correct ways. Looks just fine to me with the HRP. I guess you just don't want people coming to you with bugs if they have any running maps like this with the HRP.... or you have something against the HRP.

Many level designers, especially those who were mapping for Duke before the HRP existed, do "have something against the HRP". Compatibility with user maps has gotten better, but there are still many problems. I think they should say that the map has not been tested with the HRP and leave it at that.

One of your screenshots actually illustrates a common problem with the HRP. Notice the texture that says "operate the door with scubagear only!" even though the texture is not being used as a door at all, let alone as an airlock for a water area. Stuff like that would never have become part of the HRP if it had proper quality control. The original texture did not have those words on it, and everyone should know that textures can be put to a variety of uses, as they are in thousands of user maps. The HRP is full of examples like that. However, some of the more major compatibility problems, such as lack of support for alt-pals, have been dealt with recently.

[Jimmy]

quakis does not support the HRP and you are going against his wishes by using it.

[Tetsuo]

Lock me up and throw away the keys for this travesty I am committing! Hear that? The king of tact has said I'm going against quakis wishes. What a crime!

Stuff like it saying "operate the door with scubagear only" doesn't affect the gameplay, so I don't care about it. Actually the old tile did have words (you can even spot it in the screenshot in the OP) but they where so indistinct that they could have said anything.... although I would agree that having it say "Operate with scuba gear only" doesn't apply to all cases where the texture may be used.

I just say that playing it with the HRP especially now isn't as soul shatteringly game breaking as they may insinuate it is. In fact I highly prefer it.

Anyway I liked the gameplay on this for the most part and it's one of the best user maps I have played so far.

[Mikko]

The screenshots look horrible. That's why we don't want people to play with the HRP.

[rasmus thorup]

Personally i don't care about the textures being a bit wrong. But the 3d models annoys me. And how does the screenshots look horrible?

[Mikko]

rasmus thorup, on 26 September 2011 - 09:43 AM, said:

And how does the screenshots look horrible?

We didn't design the level to look like that.

Imagine someone stealing Mona Lisa from the Louvre and "improving" it with lens flares.