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Author Topic: Solar plant RMA map!  (Read 9351 times)

Offline Latino210

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Solar plant RMA map!
« on: October 10, 2012, 03:24:20 am »
Dear friends

I've just completed another RMA map. This one is a brutal underground map in which you'll need some hard hitting short range weapons.
I've used some free textures from the blender site. I've included them in the directory tex_blender.

The background is a solar power plant in the middle of the desert, in a really inhospitable location. The base is self sufficient, containing everything needed to house 10 technician/support personnel and 2 high ranking administrators. The place has a communal kitchen, a common room and even an underground rugby field to keep the workers entertained and sane while isolated for months in the desert.

As usual, any help and feedback will be greatly appreciated.
« Last Edit: October 11, 2012, 11:56:33 pm by Latino210 »

Offline ShipIt

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2012, 06:27:34 am »
Looks very promising. And I like the scenario very much.

Right now I am short on spare time, but I will have a look at this asap.

Offline H-Hour

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2012, 11:41:01 am »
Screenshot of the underground rugby field, please! :)

Offline Latino210

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2012, 11:59:35 am »
Screenshot of the underground rugby field, please! :)

Happy to oblige! :)

In the pic you can see some weird shadows projected through a z-level. There is no effect on gameplay, but it looks pretty strange.

I've tested the map with the map day +solarmap, the Ortnoks charge through the entrance like madmen, it's pretty difficult to stop them without losing soldiers. It's a real carnage.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2012, 12:02:28 pm by Latino210 »

Offline H-Hour

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2012, 12:10:42 pm »
hehe, nice

Offline homunculus

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2012, 04:28:14 pm »
why are there five toilets for 10 people (along the wall of a great hall that seems to be about 1/4 the size of a rugby field)?
makes me think that the whole map could be half the size or even less.

and i can imagine some senior rugby players breaking their bones, is there also a first aid room nearby?

ok, i am sarcastic about something else, not this map really, which slightly resembles but isn't quite as large as the shelter map (takes about 100 applications of goggles to find the aliens there), and unlike the shelter it seems to be planned with a central corridor rather than a circular corridor around the perimeter.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2012, 04:32:49 pm by homunculus »

Offline Latino210

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2012, 06:17:48 pm »
Well, in fact you are right, any self sufficient installation should have at least a first aid room. I am going to modify one of the tiles accordingly.

About the toilets, have you ever been on an Army barrack or a Navy ship? Have you ever seen one toilet for every soldier? I guess not...

About the +shelter map, I simply HATE IT WITH BURNING PASSION, you can guess why.

Offline Nutter

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2012, 07:57:06 pm »
About the toilets, have you ever been on an Army barrack or a Navy ship? Have you ever seen one toilet for every soldier? I guess not...

I was assuming he thought there are too many toilets.

Offline Latino210

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2012, 12:17:01 am »
All right, I've added a small infirmary in the northwest corner.

 
I was assuming he thought there are too many toilets.

Yes, you are right. The regulations says that for 12 people the minimum is 2 toilets, 2 washbasins and 1 urinal. Well, my experience in communal living (NOT JAIL) tells me that it would be not enough!
« Last Edit: October 11, 2012, 11:56:49 pm by Latino210 »

Offline Nutter

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #9 on: October 11, 2012, 12:49:37 pm »
Note: The facility was designed (and built) by the lowest bidder.
Always. Bare minimum is what you get.

Offline Latino210

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2012, 08:36:45 pm »
Note: The facility was designed (and built) by the lowest bidder.
Always. Bare minimum is what you get.

It's privately owned, not military or government. Thiswould also explain all the amenities onsite. It will be explained in the backstory, I am planning to build a mod for the game and these new maps are just the first steps. By the way, there are still some private companies intelligent enough to accept to pay more for a good quality job. I know, I've worked for some of them!
« Last Edit: October 11, 2012, 10:55:45 pm by Latino210 »

Offline Telok

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #11 on: October 17, 2012, 09:37:51 am »
This one is a brutal underground map in which you'll need some hard hitting short range weapons.

Actually it screams snipers and grenadiers to me. That wide open landing field and the long hallways will simply murder short ranged weapons. All the tight rooms and corners just seem to invite bouncing grenades around without exposing your soldiers to point blank RF plasma facials.

Something to note is that on some maps with underground areas it's simply easier to goggle-scan an area and shoot through the ground then to mess with slogging through a maze for half an hour to find the last alien. Try to ensure that floors/ceilings are too thick to shoot through unless you want them to be that way. Also be aware that the AI pathfinding will probably never be superb, simple paths in and out will facilitate AI mobility and fire evacuation drills. Also the military and cheapskate mining companies are the only people who like having only one entrance to underground work sites.

Offline Latino210

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #12 on: October 17, 2012, 04:50:12 pm »
All right. Do you think that adding another level between ground and installation would be enough to prevent shooting though roofs? Maybe it will help with all those weird shadows through levels.

Offline ShipIt

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #13 on: October 17, 2012, 06:36:58 pm »
All right. Do you think that adding another level between ground and installation would be enough to prevent shooting though roofs?

Some weapons are intented to shoot through walls.

Maybe it will help with all those weird shadows through levels.

It will not. This is a bug. You can only do a workaround by removing the func_door entities from the map.

Offline Telok

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Re: Solar plant RMA map!
« Reply #14 on: October 18, 2012, 02:52:55 pm »
All right. Do you think that adding another level between ground and installation would be enough to prevent shooting though roofs?

Check out that construction site map with the giant sewer tunnels. Once pathfinding and alien AI are fixed that should be a nice challenging map. Currently I have snipers pick off the topside aliens while GLs clear the open tunnel near the drop zone. Then the AI issue comes in, find the last clump of aliens in the tunnels by goggling for them and sit some observers on them while a SN/GL duo go down to clear them. The sniper pops them if they move out of cover and the grenadier tosses boom-boom around the corners.

But it's better than that big mansion map. Those tunnels are good for close combat weapons but you'll almost certainly lose soldiers doing it. Once your snipers clear the roof it's best to just wander the grounds goggling and floor sniping anything below you.

It depends on how you want the map to play out.