Greetings people of Moddb. As you know, for the past month we've been running a contest to decide a couple of map entries for Tides of War. We recieved a total of 29 entries for this competition, more than we ever thought we would recieve. Thank you to all who participated, please know that if we could, we would turn every one of these ideas into a map. However, we had to choose our two winners. Congratulations to our victors, evengidb and AUS_Doug! Their three ideas will be made into two maps, with one map being a combination of two of them. The winning ideas are:
The Spice Mines of Kessel (evengidb)
Star Destroyer: Interior (AUS_Doug):
Sarlaac: Interior (evengidb):
Congratulations once again to our lucky winners. And now, I would like to take a moment and recognize the runners-up:
Coruscant City by Karriz, and Nighttime Felucia by 411Remnant.
Thanks, to all the members of SpecOps Studios, for choosing my idea as one of the winners.
I'm honored to have my idea accepted into what looks like it will be a great mod!
2 bad i didn't win. but congratulations to the winners. looking forward to this.
If I may guess, the combined Ideas are Kessel and Star Destroyer, right? Pretty nice idea since there's no Kessel Run map yet.
I think the Kessel Run would be something else - you evade asteroids and try not to be sucked into a Black Hole. And spans at least a few systems. I don't think it could be made here.
About the combined map - I have the same suspicion.
Gratz to the winners, although I think that one of the giant space slugs from episode 5 would suit the Sarlacc's position better. The interior is very cramped and there would be no way to explain how you got 360 troops through it's mouth.
First, there is such map in Galactic Warfare Mod for CoD 4 (haven't played the MOD yet, but I know it exists and I know it has such map). Second, I think that Space slug would be too empty and personally I don't think big empty spaces without cover are a good thing in a 3D shooter map. There is a map for Battlefront 2 - the Arena on Rattatak, and the middle part of it, the arena itself is quite boring place.
Ya, open uncovered areas are terrible for SWBF2's gameplay, and there wouldn't be much inside a giant slug. I don't know how the COD mod accomplished it, but the sarlacc is still pretty small. I guess we could make some changes though. My only complaint was the size, an organic type area has never been done in BF2 and would be pretty awesome.
In this trailer they show it: Youtube.com (it's the bluish map with fog and the Falcon in the middle (I suppose)).
Oh, you were talking about the space slug, ok.
Weren't YOU talking about "the giant space slugs from episode 5"? I just gave you one implementation (and probably the only one!) of such map and later I gave you a video "briefly" showing it.
I haven't played the map and I don't know how big it is, but in Episode 5 the slug's belly was quite big, so that would make the map very big and rather empty, even with the Falcon in the middle. I suspect that in "Galactic Warfare" MOD they save the day by making the map rather small and the fog is also helpful. And they mix the earthquake when you shoot the belly. I even won't be surprised if they've put a mynock or two flying inside.
But personally I think that the layout of a Sarlack would be more interesting than of a Space Slug, although a lot more difficult to create.
Also 360 troops... I think the stock maps of BF2 have around 50-60 troopers max. I don't think the engine could handle 300 even in today's computers (or maybe it could?). Also this map have zero canonicity and the same amount of reason - it's just for fun. Although you could always think of a story. For instance, after Boba Fett killed the Sarlack, the Rebels decided to hide there from the Empire. And then the Empire found their "secret, desperate" base and attacked them. Or you can make it the continuation of one of the stock maps on Tatooine (the one with the Sarlack): the new troops would be the caught one from the above and would be "descended" with the help of the Sarlack's tentacles and then be thrown to the appropriate Control Points. Or you can make up another reason to fight there.
But the bottom line - it's not a map with a story - more like a map to have fun with a different (I hope!) gameplay from the rest.
I didn't mean much by the 360 troops, although that is the 180 reinforcements for each side. I was really just worried about the size of the map, the space slug idea was admittedly a bad one though. If we were to slightly alter the anatomy of the Sarlacc it would probably be quite interesting. For example, it has small rooms filled with tentacle like objects used to collect information from its victims. These could be moved and the map would have much more space.
I was really just worried about the map being extremely cramped, if you look at this picture you can see why I was cautious if the image of Boba Fett is to scale(which it is).
Images.wikia.com
Other than some changes I think the map would work perfectly fine.
In the book "Mandalorian Armor" Dengar and Boba hide in a cave, which is a part of the Sarlacc. So at least in the book the Sarlacc is a lot bigger. Also, in my vision the map should be rather cramped with lots of hazardous areas around and a toxic air which will slowly drain your health - in the end killing you whether you want that or not.
But the main problem with such map is the vertical layout - BF2 doesn't handle that too well: I heard the NPCs get very confused.
Ya, it is extremely hard to do a vertical map in BF2 unless the floors all have the same layout. The AI only think on a 2D plain. Slopes would be possible to do to get to certain areas though.
The Star Destroyer Interior mod proves that wrong. Good AI scripting could make 'em smart enough to get around the levels.
Ya, but the levels had the same layout where they overlapped, you can do they just fine, but if the floor crisscrossed on different levels the AI would have been very confused and broken.
would the kessel mines be the mines themselves, or the superstructure under it?
Two maps chose (one and a half, actually)? I'm happy. Thanks
Anyway, do you plan to make additional map packs whit the rest of the good ideas + your ideas after the MOD's release?
In reply to evegidb's comment about releasing map packs, we shall see.
Anyway, I have to tell you guys that you are all barking up the wrong tree about which two maps are combined: It's Star Destroyer and Sarlacc. I won't say anymore about it until it's in development.
That's... interesting and unexpected. Have to wait and see/read what you're cooking.
Thats a wierd combination, though sounds interesting. Would be cool (but impossible) if you can fly TIEs into the Sarlacc.
Theres a Sarlacc in the garbage compacter?
Possible and a good idea, though sounds impossible to fit a Sarlacc in side an ISD's garbage compacter.
......... Baby Sarlacc?
Or maybe an ISD's garbage compactor is like the TARDIS?
.......... Now that's just being silly.
I think it'll be more like ISD in the sky/space and Sarlacc on the ground. Sarlacc inside the ISD or merged with it (like some Zerg infestation) is rather unlikely.
But... who knows? Sooner or later we'll have an announcement or we'll get some pics/vids about this map.
congratulations to the winners! These will make most excellent maps!
Is this project still being worked on? it looked so good :(
Yes, this project is still being worked on, although progress has slowed considerably, that doesn't mean it is dead yet however!
:)