Prospective Mods

2014-09-01 10:14:13 pm

getting there...

I relocated this subject from Parax's hacking research thread. I didn't want to clutter up or derail what he had going on there. SO, new thread.

I might be getting ahead of myself here, but if this mod engine pans out in the way that I hope it should, we could be looking at custom maps in the MP series. This could be in the form of an entire new campaign, new maps for multiplayer in echoes, or anything you might imagine.

I personally have opted for a (theoretical) more streamlined "challenge room" style of mod. I had the day off, and this caught my interest, so I just ran with it.

This is the first post, from the old thread:

I just roughed this one out in 10 minutes while drinking a beer. Mondays are awesome.

^= hazard (phazon, lava, etc.) I assume health will be set to 01 on most of these.
////= pit There are no terminal falls in this game, so these are more or less deeper hazards.
o= dash point
missile looking thing= missile In this map, it works like a key, allowing you to exit through the missile door at the end.

This is just sort of a basic scan dash course. You hold your lock while making short dashes over all the hazards (novices will probably just jump over them). Then you use your unbroken lock on through the wall to dash over the expansive pit. The next portion exercises your ability to bend dashes. First with an easy bend forward to the missile expansion, second with a harder bend backwards, then finally with an extreme bend backwards to the exit (think dash to ice door in MQA).

I've got a ton of more ambitious ideas, but I'm finding graph paper to be a bit limiting. I'll try to do more soon though.

END

Like I said, I may be getting ahead of myself here, but the more motivation Parax and Miles have to get this done and done right, the more the community will benefit. I firmly believe that the recent interest in Prime's inner workings has given the game the second wind it deserves.

If anyone is interested in contributing, I would be super excited to hear your ideas, be they maps, or insight on how certain gameplay mechanics could interact.

Thread title:

I relocated this subject from Parax's hacking research thread. I didn't want to clutter up or derail what he had going on there. SO, new thread.

I might be getting ahead of myself here, but if this mod engine pans out in the way that I hope it should, we could be looking at custom maps in the MP series. This could be in the form of an entire new campaign, new maps for multiplayer in echoes, or anything you might imagine.

I personally have opted for a (theoretical) more streamlined "challenge room" style of mod. I had the day off, and this caught my interest, so I just ran with it.

This is the first post, from the old thread:

I just roughed this one out in 10 minutes while drinking a beer. Mondays are awesome.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/z5DzI2U.jpg[/IMG]

^= [b]hazard[/b] (phazon, lava, etc.) I assume health will be set to 01 on most of these.
////= [b]pit[/b] There are no terminal falls in this game, so these are more or less deeper hazards.
o= [b]dash point[/b]
missile looking thing= [b]missile[/b] In this map, it works like a key, allowing you to exit through the missile door at the end.

This is just sort of a basic scan dash course. You hold your lock while making short dashes over all the hazards (novices will probably just jump over them). Then you use your unbroken lock on through the wall to dash over the expansive pit. The next portion exercises your ability to bend dashes. First with an easy bend forward to the missile expansion, second with a harder bend backwards, then finally with an extreme bend backwards to the exit (think dash to ice door in MQA).

I've got a ton of more ambitious ideas, but I'm finding graph paper to be a bit limiting. I'll try to do more soon though.

[b]END[/b]

Like I said, I may be getting ahead of myself here, but the more motivation Parax and Miles have to get this done and done right, the more the community will benefit. I firmly believe that the recent interest in Prime's inner workings has given the game the second wind it deserves.

If anyone is interested in contributing, I would be super excited to hear your ideas, be they maps, or insight on how certain gameplay mechanics could interact.

Caveberry

2014-09-01 10:54:47 pm

getting there...

This is the second map I whipped up:

Once again:

o= dash points
////= pits

but this time...
the up arrow= elevation change. In this instance, the elevation change is equal to that of a space jump.

This map represents the benefits of utilizing advanced techniques in the game. The exit is right in front of you. A UBJ should get you up there, but what if that particular bomb jump is out of your skill set? Then you have an alternate longer route as a choice.

A quick dash jump to the right will land you on a near platform, while another quick dash will land you on the next. Finally, a long dash (landing area is probably lower in elevation) will land you at the SJ boots allowing you to jump up the previously inaccessible ledge above and cross to the earlier dash point. A quick dash and an L-lock SJ will give you easy access to the exit.

I'm imagining these rooms as a sequence rather than singular maps. I think I will try to arrange to rooms so that you acquire a new item every couple of rooms, throughout the mod, and in the end you'll be using your full arsenal to complete puzzles.

This is the second map I whipped up:

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/IcJ2rr4.jpg?1[/IMG]

Once again:

o= dash points
////= pits

but this time...
the up arrow= elevation change. In this instance, the elevation change is equal to that of a space jump.

This map represents the benefits of utilizing advanced techniques in the game. The exit is right in front of you. A UBJ should get you up there, but what if that particular bomb jump is out of your skill set? Then you have an alternate longer route as a choice.

A quick dash jump to the right will land you on a near platform, while another quick dash will land you on the next. Finally, a long dash (landing area is probably lower in elevation) will land you at the SJ boots allowing you to jump up the previously inaccessible ledge above and cross to the earlier dash point. A quick dash and an L-lock SJ will give you easy access to the exit.

I'm imagining these rooms as a sequence rather than singular maps. I think I will try to arrange to rooms so that you acquire a new item every couple of rooms, throughout the mod, and in the end you'll be using your full arsenal to complete puzzles.

Aruki

2014-09-01 11:08:46 pm

I'm kinda picturing this looking visually like Portal test chambers, with Portal-style elevators between rooms. :P

Caveberry

2014-09-01 11:20:36 pm

getting there...

I'd be lying if I said Portal wasn't at the back of my mind when I made these, but really I want to make this for the runners in the community. I want it to slowly introduce concepts for the sake of newer players, all while ramping up the difficulty for veterans. The addition of a timer will further incentivize a hardcore player base.

Caveberry

Edit history:

Caveberry: 2014-09-02 12:36:12 am

Caveberry: 2014-09-02 12:32:53 am

2014-09-02 12:32:21 am

getting there...

Probably the last one for the night.

I wanted to change the perspective, so that I could actualize a more vertical scenario. After all, ghetto jumps need a place in the mod right?

The first jump is just your standard SJ, but the second must be done to perfection, there must be ideal timing.

Next are some ghetto jumps. I want the geometry, that you can perform the ghetto jump from, to be hard to notice. I want players to figure out what they are going to ghetto off of. There are two of those jumps. Then I would like for players to realize they can utilize geometry, so I placed a few ornate objects to jump the rest of the way up. The last jump will be an L-Lock SJ (perhaps custom) to reach the end door.

StefanvanDijke

2014-09-02 04:07:38 am

Nice, really looking forward to this if you guys manage to pull it of.

Aruki

2014-09-02 04:14:21 am

Also I guess you're doing it this way for simplicity, but remember this isn't Super Metroid, and you're not limited to placing tiles. :P You can definitely do some more freeform/less strictly "geometric" level design if you want.

Caveberry

2014-09-02 10:09:18 pm

getting there...

Huh, I kinda figured most level designers map out concepts like this, then they add the window dressing afterwards. I certainly don't intend for the levels to be all made of cubes.

There should be pipes and foliage adding texture. Also there should be extra geometry that doesn't affect the puzzle I'm setting up. I would add in cosmetics, like ornate ceilings or pillars around entrances and exits that won't alter the game experience or solution that it's my goal to provide. (Another bit of irony, an exploiter avoiding exploits.)

The more I think about it, this might become a puzzle platformer, but it's not about flipping switches, or activating trigger points. The puzzles will be more "How the f*** do I get over there?"

Right now, I'm kicking around an idea of getting to a dead end in a room with nothing left to do. The solution would be to leave the level entirely via a secret world, and there would be the exit existing outside the "normal" room. The only thing I'm having problems with, is how to convincingly conceal an intended SW, especially to a veteran runner...

Huh, I kinda figured most level designers map out concepts like this, then they add the window dressing afterwards. I certainly don't intend for the levels to be all made of cubes.

There should be pipes and foliage adding texture. Also there should be extra geometry that doesn't affect the puzzle I'm setting up. I would add in cosmetics, like ornate ceilings or pillars around entrances and exits that won't alter the game experience or solution that it's my goal to provide. (Another bit of irony, an exploiter avoiding exploits.)

The more I think about it, this might become a puzzle platformer, but it's not about flipping switches, or activating trigger points. The puzzles will be more "How the f*** do I get over there?"

Right now, I'm kicking around an idea of getting to a dead end in a room with nothing left to do. The solution would be to leave the level entirely via a secret world, and there would be the exit existing outside the "normal" room. The only thing I'm having problems with, is how to convincingly conceal an intended SW, especially to a veteran runner...

Aruki

2014-09-02 10:12:38 pm

Should have a room somewhere with a disappearing/reappearing water box where you need to get floaty jump and then backtrack to an earlier room to reach an exit or item.

Caveberry

Edit history:

Caveberry: 2014-09-02 10:23:13 pm

2014-09-02 10:13:26 pm

getting there...

Damn, that's devious...

We could even add some spooky Chozo lore via a scan point. "Only those who bathe in tainted water shall be clean in the end." Or some hoaky shit like that :)

I imagine there will be a bit of unobtrusive story told through scan points, but I would probably write it around the game, rather than the other way around. If you look at how the original prime told its' story, my vision isn't far off from that.