I made a ground map.

[Abbysynth]

So some brainstorming on ghostchat led to this idea:

So, atmos systems suck. And maps don't actually need them - turfs start with full air and the only reasons you need atmospherics is for air and gas recycling, and getting rid of heat. But on a ground map all those are moot points -- there's more than enough air that nobody will ever suffocate, gasses (if they did somehow get there) would disperse pretty quickly (or could very easily code a Z-wide auto-scrubber), same with heat. Atmos systems also generate huge amounts of lag; with a static gas system that neutralizes non-normal gas it's much, much less taxing on the hardware.

The last issue though is vent crawling - so I thought of something really neat.

What if to replace vent crawling we had a "tunneler" or "digger" xeno that has the ability to dig tunnels? Effectively you'd build a start hole on your current turf, then walk around the map some, then dig an end hole, and from that point on xenos can travel between them, maybe for like 50 plasma, exactly like vent crawling. You could even have grenades that can collapse the tunnels.

I really want to think about how atmos is going to work on this map before I lay out even a single bit of pipe, because damn, if I remove it later that's a shitload of work to delete.

[Abbysynth]

And in honor of page 2, new screenshot:


Donk pockets and grilled cheese. Dinner of champions.

[Abbysynth]

Another brainstorming idea: Xenos cannot build weeds on the grass turfs. The native flora grows at an insane pace, overwhelming the resin pods.

Thoughts?

[SASoperative]

I like that idea it stops the xenos from building nests in insane locations marines would never look

[coroneljones]

Possible problem
Those windows may not be bolted,that or they arent updating the icon.

[Felkvir]

Possible problem
Those windows may not be bolted,that or they arent updating the icon.

Uhm .. Pretty sure it looks like that for any map before it is actually set to a game and it's starting ... When a game starts with the map the windows will merge thogeter properly i believe

[HalfdeadKiller]

Jones. Felk is correct. The map doesn't connect the windows until it is loaded and running.

[Abbysynth]

Yup, same with the walls looking like single squares, and the grass/rock tiles looking all squareish, and multi-tile tables connecting, it all autoupdates when mapgen starts each round.

[Abbysynth]

New screenie, the main research area. They weren't really prepared for xeno containment at all, but they tried their best. I've tried to make all the areas on the map have a distinct kind of flavor, rather than just generic untouched rooms - the place was abandoned in a hurry after an ineffective defense. The hallway hasn't had anything added to it yet, it won't look so boring later.

[Robin63]

This is fairly cool Weird to see grass around the place! This would be a cool map to use me thinks sometime.

[Sargeantmuffinman]

Hmmm good ground map but what would the event be? (Possibly a hold out till rescue team?)

[MedicInDisquise]

Hmmm good ground map but what would the event be? (Possibly a hold out till rescue team?)

Instead of an event, why not use it as a random map for the Marines to land at? The thing is, this would be impossible on any other code. However, we don't use every Z-Level.. we only use 3 (Sulaco, Nostromo, Centcomm.) Put this in as one of the Z-Levels and have it either somehow randomly pick where we land (The CM's mission would be the same, so there would be little fluff rewrite) or have a gamemode for both maps (This way we could also have the digger xeno without having it in the Sulaco, where it's effectively moot.)

Basically, what I'm saying is that each Z-Level the aliens can be on will have a seperate gamemode. If it lands on, say, the Sulaco Gamemode the Marines land on the Sulaco. If it chooses the Planet gamemode, the Marines land on the planet.

[coroneljones]

Is that a chapel in the research sector?

+9000000 approval

[speedybst]

Beware the alien, the mutant, the heretic.

[Biolock]

The significance of the sandstone layout is it is the moving temple that the predators used as a designated tomb for xenomorphs. What do I win?

[UnknownMurder]

Nothing.

How goes the progress on map?

[Abbysynth]

It goes a bit slower, as I've been testing a few things out on a local server before I proceed on the map itself, mostly some atmos stuff since most of my ideas are just theories. Ie. the viability of an atmos-free map. But little by little it's all coming together.

[Abbysynth]

New screenshot, security and command wing:


Also pictured, Alf, one of the few survivors of the disaster.

[Abbysynth]

The significance of the sandstone layout is it is the moving temple that the predators used as a designated tomb for xenomorphs. What do I win?

Nothing, 'cuz you're wrong. I was talking about the specific arrangement of certain blocks.

[coroneljones]

Its either yautja symbols or W-Y

[MrJJJ]

Remind me to get the kitchen and freezer equipment (along with moar cold) to there so i can freeze xenomorphs and trap them in, then ship them off as meat and make money, oh? i need capturing equipment? i think a plasma butcher cleaver will do, meheheheh, and why is there a guy outside of the freezer angrily staring?

But to be serious, i got no idea, but it seems very good for xenomorphs to ambush marines there.

[Abbysynth]

Hey check it out my name's all blue and stuff. Sexy.

Work continues, slowly but surely. I'm still needing to do a bunch of testing before I work on the atmos or engine systems though. They require a lot of careful thought and planning, as it's a ton of work to undo, say, 300 wires or a whole atmos pipe system.

[Caryl]

Hot damn. Also, you should make aliens be able to plant weeds on the flora or maybe some area outside the complex so that the marines would actually have to "Travel" and scour the area for a possible hive.

Also, my name is blue.

[speedybst]

Yours isn't the sexy blue though :P
Although, i don't like this yellow...

[Feweh]

Looks really good, although one thing I'd really like to see is less reinforced walls.

The outside walls to buildings should be reinforced... but the inners should just be normal walls.

Also the nuke in the security room is a bit odd? I'd recommend maybe having it in the buildings AI mainframe or a military installation.