Hey Moddb, it's Will. A while back, I posted a short contest about having one of YOUR map ideas in this mod. I could not have guessed how great of a response I got. In a short amount of time, we recieved 12 map ideas, all of them great, and 40 comments on the original post. Holy smokes! That really says a lot about the support of this community, and I thank you.
Now, don't forget that you have until noon, US Eastern Standard time, on December 25th to submit ideas. We have a lot, but we can take a lot more. So, keep 'em comin' guys!
-Will
Post ideas here or the original Map Request thread?
Here or there, I will check both. Thanks for asking.
Well what would be interesting would be a training facility like that in republic commando. Really make it kamino-ish but at the same time give it some really cool close quarter type action. Think of it as not only as a really unique map, but as a training type map to show users the kind of things you can do with certain weapon types. Some auto turrets for each side of the map would help,heck maybe even some local species like training bots or moving targets.
I'll post a short description about some of my map ideas here (and I'll send longer and better description to your e-mail or as a PM, although I don't know how much time this will take).
- a map involving podracing (as a hazard). I envision it as a small map with 2 CPs on the opposite sides of the map. The setting could be a canyon or something similar. To get to the enemy's CP and capture it, you and your team/army must cross few not-too-wide but not-too-narrow-either tracks for podracing on which every 20-30 seconds a couple (or more) podracers cross it at high speed and you die if they run over you.
- The mines of Kessel - very dark map (the only light is around the CPs). Since it's dark, you basically can't see where you're going or what's around you. To be able to see, you have to shoot and the blaster bolt would activate the spice it passes around. It'll glow for about half a minute before starting to fade out (I think it should glow with bluish light but I'm not sure about that - you need to check Wookipedia and some books). This way you'll have a nice dilemma - either you fire to see what's in front of you and alert pretty much everyone nearby about your presence and where you are or try to sneak around without giving your position. Also, if you throw some energy spiders here and there and maybe a whole pack over there it'll be really fun.
- Communication Center on Toprawa - A two-phase map in which the Rebels must take over the comm station (first phase) and then defend it (second phase). (For reference: Starwars.wikia.com). The Imps must defend the ground until reinforcements arrive (then the rebels would be attacked from both sides) and if the rebels manage to take the comm station, they would have to defend it until the manage to transmit the DS plans to Tantive IV. If they manage to transmit the data or kill all Imperial Forces - they win, otherwise the winner would be the Empire.
- Communication Center on Toprawa - Forgot to say that you transmit the signal (for Rebels) or prevent the transmission of the signal (for Imperials) when you've captured the control room's CP. Also, the attacker's forces are always bigger - at least two or three times and have vehicles. The defenders - don't have them (although the Rebels would have them until their outer CPs are captured by the Imperial reinforcements).
And some more ideas:
- Bespin - ground and Air battle. The interesting part here would be that the Ground battle and the Air battle would be quite separate but still would affect each-other although indirectly. The ground: Here the Rebels are aiding the evacuation of the Cloud City and they must defend 3 power generators (they power shield generators on 3 landing platforms with evac ships). And the imperials must destroy them before the evacuation is complete (or at least destroy as many of them as they can). When the evac is complete, three freighters lift-off and head to space. In there path are two big ships - a Rebel and an Imperial, and lots of fighters and bombers. If all evac ships are destroyed - Imps win, otherwise the Rebels win.
- Trains (similar to the JK3:JA level on Corellia or the CW episode "Destroy Malevolence" but dunno if that's possible) - the main idea is that a number of trains come close (or pass in opposite directions) each other from time to time (but never all at the same time) and you can jump from one to the next. From here - 2 versions:
1) The CPs are at the outermost trains (and maybe some CPs in between).
2) The CPs are at different train stations and you travel between them with the trains and some of the CPs you can get to only if you've jumped from one train-line to other, maybe even change the train a few times.
- Abregado-Rae - city with lots of canals (similar to Venice). You can even use naval vehicles like small boats to get from one place to another. Also, make sewers if you can, this should add an additional dimension. And you can even put some indestructible cleaning droids in the sewers as a hazard.
- Sarlack's Belly - map inside a Sarlack's Belly. You slowly lose health over time, so the best idea is to go fight before you run out of it. Lots of CPs and they're relatively close to each other, so you can have a chance to capture them before you die. Do some hazardous areas like ponds of acid, acid dropping from the "ceiling", tentacles trying to grab you (that Tatooine map), maybe some slippery surfaces, if you can make them. Also, make the ground shake if you shoot the Sarlack's flesh (which is pretty much everything around you except the soldiers). Inspired from the book "Mandalorian Armor" and the mod "Galactic Warfare" for the shaky ground. Map just for fun - no relation to cannon whatsoever.
- Blenjeel - two crashed ships after a space battle. One Imperial, one Rebel. And some hungry sand burrowers around them. The idea is that each ship have a comm array, power generator or something like that which the NPC engineers are trying to repair. The first to repair theirs gets to call for help and wins the game. You can delay the enemy's repairs by infiltrating the enemy's ship and killing their engineers (takes time for them to respawn one at a time - so kill all of them and you'll delay the repairs quite a lot). Of course, when you're on sand, the gameplay of the JA3 level on Blenjeel comes and you'll have to run from the worms while avoiding being shot. Of course, there are some debree which you can use to travel across the map in relative safety. Add some randomly falling debris for more fun as well.
- A battlefield on a random planet - simple idea - trenches, mines, constant orbital bombardment, dust and smoke, explosions... everything you can expect from a battlefield. Don't expect to stay alive for long. The story is that the Imps had found a Rebel base and they're attacking it with everything they've got.
P.S. Everywhere I use the Empire and the Rebels, but you can easily adapt it to Republic and CIS.
- Coruscant museum - A museum setting, you can hide behind or in holograms to make ambush, but can't use them as a cover from blaster fire. Otherwise it's rather small map consisting of part of one floor with few rooms and corridors in it (of course, you can make it a lot bigger).
Enough for now. If you want, I can easily generate more ideas for maps (think of Ryloth and firestorms for instance, or fight on an asteroid or even better - a comet (with low gravity) and so on). But I currently don't have enough time to describe more than two or three in detail, draw sketches (if I can manage to do it - drawing is very hard for me).
Some sktches for some maps:
Blenjeel:
I292.photobucket.com
I292.photobucket.com
I292.photobucket.com
Coruscant:
I292.photobucket.com
Bespin:
I292.photobucket.com
I292.photobucket.com
Will, if you've chosen one or more ideas from me, you can say here or PM me and I'll try to describe it better (since all of them I gave just the very basic information and some might not be explained too well).
Wow, thanks for all your ideas evgenidb! Regarding the selection of maps, and this goes for everyone submitting ideas, if we select your map idea, it doesn't mean it will be exactly the way you describe it. If there is a layout or scenery change that will benefit gameplay, it will be done. In fact, the winner might not even be one map: We might take several map ideas that have potential, and merge them. For example, taking a map about a canyon, and a map about a crashed cruiser, and putting them together into a map about a cruiser crashed in a canyon.
Hey Will, would it be possible for you to make a list of all the ideas so it would be easier for the team to have all the ideas in one area. For example, if random guy 82 suggests a a Coruscant map with a flying monkey spaceship it would go down as Coruscant (Flying monkey spaceship) in the list.
I'm well aware that you'll have to tweak the map ideas to make them work. Especially the details.
That's why I tried to write just the basic idea and concentrate on the gameplay and give you a few starting points from where you can start to iterate on it and see what works and what not.
For instance, when I was thinking about the podracing idea (the first one), I imagined it being in the mountains of Malastare, the setting similar to some levels of the game "Episode 1: Racer". there would be either a small lake or a river (or both - the lake on one side of the map and the river crossing it and one of the tracks would be over the river). There would be a high path which would be hard to access and travel through but will give you a good vantage point and direct path to near the enemy's starting point (of course, it'll be inaccessible by NPC) - no enemy fire, but you can slip and fall or be shot if someone sees you and you have no cover. And etc., etc.
Of course, I'm aware that the more details I give, the more concrete info I give about the map, the more of them would be eventually dropped because they break the gameplay or simply don't work out or cannot be done for one reason or another. That's why I'm trying to be as general as possible and give only the most basic idea about the map I envisioned.
I've got many more ideas since I've been a FOC mapper.
Here are some layouts
Lola Sayu S1289.beta.photobucket.com
Eredenn Prime S1289.beta.photobucket.com
Space Idea : S1289.beta.photobucket.com
I suggest every ship destroyable.
My maps may take a lot of time to work on.
By the way, is it possible to make a series of maps? For example, we have an Endor series of maps in which the Rebels are trying to approach the Imperial base. Each map would be a small one and the Rebels must accomplish a task or two to continue to the next map. The Imperials would have to prevent that and kill as many of the Rebels as possible. The Rebels would have to complete the tasks to go to the next map and if they finish the last one (in this case destroy the power generator - they win). If the Imperials kill all Rebels, i.e. drain their tickets to zero before the Rebels complete their task - the Imps win. The important thing is that when the Rebels complete their mission in a give map, their tickets are transported to the next, i.e. if one map they've finished with 100 tickets, the next they start with 100 and so on.
And the tasks could range from eliminate N imperials, or destroy this, or go from point A to point B and basically whatever is possible to implement.
Here's one idea for space map (at the last moment, I know...):
Each team have at least 2-3 major main ships (destructable, of course) and a neutral station at the center of the map. If captured (all it's CPs are captured by a faction) then the station will be on that faction's side and shoot the enemy. The station could be a Golan space station or some other military station that can give a punch and is actually meaningful to be captured. When a main ship is destroyed it's CPs are removed. The goal is to destroy or capture all enemy's CPs (including those on the station) and kill every enemy combatant.
If possible, make it that the main ships could also be captured like the space station (i.e. capture all CPs and if you extend the ship by adding a bridge, engineering, etc. it'll be great). Captured ships would fire on their ex-allies.
P.S. I think it'll be a great map if there is a lot of combatants. Otherwise it'll feel to empty.