Novus Luna - Mapper Application

[Novus Luna]

Byond ID:
My Byond ID is Novus Luna, as are my Discord and forum usernames.

Age:
I am 20 years, 2 months, and 13 days old.

Gender:
I am male.

How would you define yourself? (Coder, Mapper, Spriter):
I am a Mapper, with limited experience in Spriting and Coding.

If Coder, what languages?
I am not a coder to this extent.

Any previous experience developing with SS13?
My previous experience was an attempt in creating a relatively large station map for the Apollo server during the era of leadership of xRev, Koenigsigg, and Awan. This project was cancelled when the server underwent drastic changes. Beyond this I began to work on a potential redesign for the NSV Petrov that was used on Baystation, however the initial idea, not my own, that I was creating it for had been withdrawn. Both of these projects were not completed due to the projects purpose being lifted. These projects were entirely self-contained and more or less passion-projects, with no oversight or direct need for their completion.

Proof of any previous or current work:
Unfortunately, the computer with my 'NOS Lucifer' and 'NSV Hydra' maps and the screenshots thereof have broken. I will attempt to extract the files if possible, or otherwise restore the computer. Until such a time, once I have a new computer to work from if it is not that one, I will be willing to do work for proof of ability.

How well do you know Git?
I am relatively familiar with it, though will need a degree of a reminder as it has been quite some time since I worked with it.

Your primary job is server development, not policing the server. You may be given Moderator-level of access but you should *not* be invoking any administrative actions unless there are no moderators or Admins online. Do you understand? (Yes/No)
I understand, as I have worked under similar, though far more strict, limitations before.

Anything else you'd like to add?
I am new to mapping compared to those that this server has worked with before, more than likely. I will note that while I have projects in mind to work on, they will likely need to be things I work on in collaboration with others. My niche in mapping is that of creating the concept and superstructure of the design, as well as the layout of the interior. What I am currently unable to do is anything in relations to atmospherics - which should be a null matter on this server anyway - and power, which I can be taught to do, or receive the aid of another mapper to finalize the work.

[Novus Luna]

While I'm still waiting for questions regarding to this, as well as being able to provide my examples (or have such requested in specific), I will note this: while I am unable to create entirely new systems and mechanics within code, I do know how to read through it and understand some things in terms of how they exist, and thereby replicate the function to something else (allowing for fixes and suggestions for certain things that are based around such).

[NethIafins]

Aight, I'll be selfish and since you are applying for mapper, I will ask this.

As you know, we are now randomizing maps by inserting pre-made parts into place with defined probabilities. Question: what where how and with what chances inserts should be created on Solaris Ridge to punish padlock rushes and promote scouting?

[spookydonut]

While I'm still waiting for questions regarding to this, as well as being able to provide my examples (or have such requested in specific), I will note this: while I am unable to create entirely new systems and mechanics within code, I do know how to read through it and understand some things in terms of how they exist, and thereby replicate the function to something else (allowing for fixes and suggestions for certain things that are based around such).

I did tell you to post sample work when applying

[Novus Luna]

I did tell you to post sample work when applying

You also told me sample work could be requested for a specific thing rather than posted initially, and that there had been others who didn't post samples.



I will respond to Neth ideally tomorrow when I'm actually on a computer to type a response of that length.

[Okand37]

Here's a few questions that might help give us a bit of a better idea of not only you as a mapper, but how you might fit into our team dynamic when interacting with other members of the developer team, and how you might work as developer yourself. Tell us a bit about you, and what you'd like to do as a mapper, and how you might approach your work!

1. When it comes to mapping, what are some of the most important qualities in a map? What essential functions or forms would you want a map, or simply area, that you make to provide?

2. As a mapper, would you prefer to try to work on your own content, revamping existing content, or performing bug fixes? Going into the position, is there anything you would immediately desire to do or work on?

3. Sometimes, updates you create or want to create may be criticized, or outright overruled, by other mappers, developers, or the head developer. While this is a worst case scenario, how would you feel about this? Would you do anything in specific in response?

4. Looking at existing maps, what common trends can you find in them that you think are important or vital in an area or map for player enjoyment? What traits do you think could be considered counterproductive or negative?

5. It can be nice to know where you think you excel, and what you prefer doing as a mapper. What kind of themes or areas do you enjoy creating? Do you like making ships? Urban environments? Villages? Colonies? Labs? Bases? What don't you like doing, or what would you say you like doing the least? Is there anything you think you could improve upon?


Lastly, playing off of what NethIafins said above, the current trend in development is pushing towards a more modular system to add some flair, spice, and randomness to our maps. If you'd like to have the opportunity to try creating something by request, I'd like you to try making some form of industrial or military structure in a 30x30 area, and making a total of three variants. You don't have to use the whole 30x30 area, and you're welcome to add terrain around it or simply leave empty space blank. Some ideas might be a warehouse, a barracks, a field command area, a triage center, a shipping area, etc. The three variants can have as little or as large of changes as you think are necessary. Take as much time as you view necessary.

[Novus Luna]

Question: what where how and with what chances inserts should be created on Solaris Ridge to punish padlock rushes and promote scouting?

I feel like my answer to this won't be popular, but it's what I feel would be best, so I'll answer honestly. You can't really stop the marines from pushing to certain points. If there are points of likely activity, you either have to incorporate something that stalls the marines, or you have to just roll with the punches. I'm not a fan of making it so Solaris stalls the marines. Solaris is currently the map that has the best chance of being short, quick rounds (it has had, by far, the most 70 minute or less rounds that I've seen). I think it fits nicely to that niche. I will, however, propose a potential solution that will make it so that the Xenos don't always have an entire squad of marines knocking at their padlock immediately: more laboratories. Adding an extra lab, maybe 2, will make it so that the Marines can't have an entire squad at every lab entrance, making it so that there's no guarantee of them knocking on the Xenos door so early. The other two labs could be static in location, but their interiors could be radiant, allowing for the feeling of a need to scout them (and I hesitantly use the words 'weapons development lab' as a potential reason for scouting)... Another option would be to add radiant things into the caves to promote exploring them, rather than just the colony. An example of this, one which could also benefit survivors, would be to add dug-outs made as outposts in the cave systems either for use during the mining operations, or by the survivors in the time since the distress beacon was launched. I will be going into more detail about this in a later answer.

1. When it comes to mapping, what are some of the most important qualities in a map? What essential functions or forms would you want a map, or simply area, that you make to provide?

When I make a map, I tend to have a sort of 'go big or go home' philosophy. The first map I worked towards making was roughly the largest possible size that the z-level could be (255x255 if memory serves), though I hadn't ended up finishing it due to leaving the server that it was for. I make things incredibly spacious, with room to improve or build upon things later, though it may look like there's just a lot of empty space at first. I also have a bit of a modular building style - something that may help with Project Nightmare - where in a lot of my builds, I design certain areas specifically so that they could be switched with another area with next to no effort.

2. As a mapper, would you prefer to try to work on your own content, revamping existing content, or performing bug fixes? Going into the position, is there anything you would immediately desire to do or work on?

I will be working on a bit of all three as time goes on. I aim to have a long term goal, a couple medium term goals, and several short term goals to work on. The long term goal will be my own content, an entire new map for the server which I'm currently titling 'USS Hamilton'. To not go into much detail about it, as I'd want some things to be a surprise and this is a public forum, it would have us visiting a US Navy flagship where shit has hit the fan in several flavors. My medium term goals are about revamping existing content: the first is to change a bit of the Almayer layout, moving the SD and potentially A.R.E.S. to where the Brig is currently, and the Brig to where SD is currently. The second medium term goal would have me get comments and feedback from the entire whitelisted Yautja community about ideas for their ship, and then filter that through the Yautja Council and Emerald. My short term goals would be more about small tweaks and fixes, such as giving Synths and Yautja vending machines, giving Yautja cryosleep, giving the CIC a fax machine, and other stuff that more or less amounts to spending a few days sweeping over Git.

3. Sometimes, updates you create or want to create may be criticized, or outright overruled, by other mappers, developers, or the head developer. While this is a worst case scenario, how would you feel about this? Would you do anything in specific in response?

I fully realize that my work may not be accepted. The massive map I mentioned before, I went into making knowing that the year or however long I spent making it would be wasted by it being denied. I will not deny the fact that I can be defensive of my opinions and work, but I attempt to normally do so in a professional and civilized manner, especially in a level like this, rather than a normal player, where my work and opinions actually produce fruit far more quickly. If, for instance, my Hamilton map was denied, I wouldn't scrap the file, I would keep it on retainer until a potential time that the opinion of others have changed, or make a copy with several tweaks to let the admins use as an event map.

4. Looking at existing maps, what common trends can you find in them that you think are important or vital in an area or map for player enjoyment? What traits do you think could be considered counterproductive or negative?

Looking at a standpoint of enjoyment by the Xenos, I think the size of the current maps, especially the paths and routes that wind around them, are incredibly important, which is an asset for me given my aforementioned style. The large space makes lighting far less effective, working as an asset to the Xenos, and increasing the tension for the marines. For the marines, at the end of the day, LZ-1 is the most vital thing (then again, I'm one of the weirdos that enjoy building FOB). In my opinion, Prison Station has the best LZ-1 design in that it has a main route into it that allows for creative work by engineering, a flank with an important area to guard in the first place, but less malleable and spacious than the main route, and a 'flank' - a route that the marines don't really consider because it's not often used and blocked off by solid walls. In terms of disenjoyment, I think the main factors of that come from things like the fog on LV which pose an arbitrary timelock on the round, and the labs on Solaris which make it so there are only 2, maybe 3, valid places for the Xenos to go, and they're all the places the Marines check first. Prison is an even worse example of that, because there aren't any options at all in terms of hive choices.

5. It can be nice to know where you think you excel, and what you prefer doing as a mapper. What kind of themes or areas do you enjoy creating? Do you like making ships? Urban environments? Villages? Colonies? Labs? Bases? What don't you like doing, or what would you say you like doing the least? Is there anything you think you could improve upon?

I feel more comfortable designing vessels, but if I'm forced to be grounded, anything that has militaristic roots is more fun for me personally. In creating my large map especially I had great fun in designing the armoury, simply due to being able to kind of go wild with it being the most preset defensive place on the map. As I said before, I find building defenses fun, so any time I can do that in mapping is great.

As for what I don't like and could improve upon, there are two things. The first is anything related to engineering, I am terrible at. I will likely need help from other mappers in setting up wiring and the like for my map, but thankfully atmospherics isn't something as important to worry about. I can lay pipes, and that's what is needed. The other aspect is spatial awareness. In real life my visual sense is very bad - I am colorblind and have no depth perception. The latter issue comes into play as a mapper, and the former when I try spriting. My lack of depth perception is the reason I make things so spacious, as a sort of overcompensation, but I do admit there may be times I do too much.

Lastly, playing off of what NethIafins said above, the current trend in development is pushing towards a more modular system to add some flair, spice, and randomness to our maps. If you'd like to have the opportunity to try creating something by request, I'd like you to try making some form of industrial or military structure in a 30x30 area, and making a total of three variants. You don't have to use the whole 30x30 area, and you're welcome to add terrain around it or simply leave empty space blank. Some ideas might be a warehouse, a barracks, a field command area, a triage center, a shipping area, etc. The three variants can have as little or as large of changes as you think are necessary. Take as much time as you view necessary.

I am currently unable to work on making these at this exact time due to not having the time to make them alongside this post before I'll be booted off the computer. I will, however, in response to this, pose what I will make once I am able to daemon onto this computer. The design I make will be a continuation of what I said in my response to Neth, as it will be dugouts in the caves of Solaris Ridge. The three installations I will make are as follows. The first is a security outpost, heavily armed but lightly fortified, that would provide an alternative to survivors having to hide from the Xenos that immediately rush the armoury to find them and thus allow them to get weapons. The second would be a medical outpost, lightly armed but heavily fortified, which would have few to no arms, but an abundance of medical supplies. The third would be a mish-mash of random gear of various kinds rolled and thrown together into the area as a survivor dugout, formerly a potential rest station for the miners, it is a moderately armed and moderately fortified place for the survivors to hide, if they decide to brave the caves to find it.

[spookydonut]

I'm going to have to reject your application, a lot of troubling issues have been brought up by others and from my own experience with you I feel like you would not work well with the rest of the dev team.