Maps too static

[Hundopercent]

We know that those things aren’t nessesary, but selling games is basicly selling a entertainment experience. What we discuss in this thread is part of the quality of the maps.

You misinterpreted. What I’m saying is focus on making quality maps, once we have a pool of 5-8 solid maps that aren’t anything like white chapel, then we can work on decorating them.

[rookie1]

[quote=.chris.;432921]i’ve just made this et:qw super competitive mod:

by adding the sun and clouds however the competitiveness of the mod dropped by 10%[/quote]
:=)))

[Woko]

I have just been reading this thread through and honestly agree with the fact the maps are too static at the moment. Something I have been looking to push to remedy for a while, I would definitely like to see more ambient effects in the level from rolling trash to as mentioned before in this thread helicopters passing over. Foliage gently swaying in the wind, to eventually perhaps more complex stuff like rats running about the deserted levels, though this maybe distracting. So yes I already have a large list of potential elements we could use to help bring the levels to life, but if you guys have some cool ideas be good to hear them, I can’t make any promises obviously at this stage but will definitely be reading and taking notes.
Oh and keep watching the update videos for more on what we have done to improve the levels
Cheers
Woko

[slaG]

[QUOTE=Woko;433004]I have just been reading this thread through and honestly agree with the fact the maps are too static at the moment. Something I have been looking to push to remedy for a while, I would definitely like to see more ambient effects in the level from rolling trash to as mentioned before in this thread helicopters passing over. Foliage gently swaying in the wind, to eventually perhaps more complex stuff like rats running about the deserted levels, though this maybe distracting. So yes I already have a large list of potential elements we could use to help bring the levels to life, but if you guys have some cool ideas be good to hear them, I can’t make any promises obviously at this stage but will definitely be reading and taking notes.
Oh and keep watching the update videos for more on what we have done to improve the levels
Cheers
Woko[/QUOTE]

This all sounds really cool, as someone who does graphics I love pretty things. My main concern as a gamer however is I need to respond to movement. When I see something move in the corner of my eye and flick my xhair to them I want it to be a player, not a seagul swooping down to grab a cricket hopping down the road.

That said, some casual players really like this stuff. Thats cool, then add it. But for the hardcore players who are looking to take this game serious and scrim please add an option to turn it all off. Honestly, at the end of the day I think I can say that everyone I play with from fatal1ty to bighogins would like the game most if we had solid white walls and solid red enemy models to fight against. when COD releaed modern warfare with all this stuff flying around it was a real put off and straining on the eyes.

Not to mention DB already eats fps, I would be scared to see if its even playable with all these high graphics.

My suggestions as a nobody,

1. We dont need things flying around, but perhaps open to a responsive map. IE windows can be broken / bins can be shot around / Interactive things that I can move as a player but not done automatically.

2. Fix the map designs first. While you can add all of this stuff, I feel it would be wasted effort while the maps are still not comp friendly.

3. Give an option to turn it all off and run bare bones. The game is called dirty bomb, so by all intensive purposed the only thing alive and moving should be cockroaches. But lets kick that up a notch and pretend that the radiation turned the cockroaches invisible. So that would be fine, radioactive invisible cockroaches could run around when dynamic map is disabled.

Lastly I would just like to say, we look at this game as a potential map to compete in, both online league and potentially LAN. If SD wants to make this a purely pub game please clarify that stand. We are eager for a new fps game to take over this scene, we just want DB to be that game.

[INF3RN0]

[QUOTE=slaG;433011]

2. Fix the map designs first. While you can add all of this stuff, I feel it would be wasted effort while the maps are still not comp friendly.

Lastly I would just like to say, we look at this game as a potential map to compete in, both online league and potentially LAN. If SD wants to make this a purely pub game please clarify that stand. We are eager for a new fps game to take over this scene, we just want DB to be that game.[/QUOTE]

Comp shouldn’t be the main listed reason for why the maps should be good. The maps should be good for the sake of being good. The maps might not suit comp if they were designed for a pub that differed in numbers greatly, but this isn’t the case. If the maps are good for pub in DB they are good for comp and vice versa. Right now were experiencing pretty much identical problems in both types of play, so that’s a big issue.

[INF3RN0]

[QUOTE=slaG;433011]

2. Fix the map designs first. While you can add all of this stuff, I feel it would be wasted effort while the maps are still not comp friendly.

Lastly I would just like to say, we look at this game as a potential map to compete in, both online league and potentially LAN. If SD wants to make this a purely pub game please clarify that stand. We are eager for a new fps game to take over this scene, we just want DB to be that game.[/QUOTE]

Comp shouldn’t be the main listed reason for why the maps should be good. The maps should be good for the sake of being good. The maps might not suit comp if they were designed for a pub that differed in numbers greatly, but this isn’t the case. If the maps are good for pub in DB they are good for comp and vice versa. Right now were experiencing pretty much identical problems in both types of play, so that’s a big issue. Best we don’t use “comp” as the reason for everything otherwise it doesn’t get the more important message across that these changes are vital for the game in general.

[rookie1]

I understand very well your concerns for comp playing.
But I wish both world could have their fair share.
What if before listing servers list there was a question like …do you want to play DB (default) or in Competitive mode
from there list of servers would be filters and maps in comp server would be adapt to comp.
Like someone mention somewhere the first try of the game will be very important and I will add that if they see they have a choice of a mode they will probably be more willing to go further will the game

[scre4m1]

stuff like rats running about the deserted levels, though this maybe distracting.

I hope one can kill those rats. just like you can shoot and knife those chickens in the new CS

[SockDog]

It’s tough without more of the backstory. I’m still unsure why they are no government employees in the city.

Would be nice to have some fire/smoke if not in the actual playable areas then perhaps in some of the visible OOB areas. I love the look of the London Bridge car on fire.

More physics objects for those with high graphics settings like the cones that are already in the game. I’d probably include stuff like signage and parasols for the shops here too.

As has been mentioned, drones flying over the levels. At night time this would look particularly good if they’re lighting up sections as they patrol.

In addition to rats I’d imagine there would be a large population of dogs, cats and foxes along with birds feeding on scraps.

I like the distant weapon fire audio. I think this could be expanded, there is a whole city out there as I assume these are not the only mercenaries around. Explosions both audible and visual in the distance would be great and give a sense there is a bigger picture to the levels.

[Woko]

Some good points Mr SockDog

I agree with the smoke and fire would add a lot to the ambience of the world and the levels, especially if its in the OOB areas, and won’t affect gameplay or potentially cause masses of overdraw. (OOB for those of you who arn’t familiar with the term is Out Of Bounds areas).

Physics stuff is always marvellous to have, and as the game develops be nice to see what we can do here

I do like the idea of wildlife, especially foxes as I can imagine if London became deserted it would become over run with foxes searching for food, and they have a distinctive but eerie cry which would could be interesting, as audio adds a lot to making the levels feel more lively as well.
Funny enough in the early stages of DB production, we did have some pigeons, that when you came across them would suddenly fly off, was a really nice way of warning other players of an approaching enemy. Not sure why they disappeared, I believe it may have been performance related maybe ask Mr Steven.Ty our vfx chappie? Steveo?

[tokamak]

People need to immediately know that something really wrong happened in these places. The chaos of a dirty bombs amply being restored before mercenaries took over.

So people should be able to immediately recognise a DB map by it’s drifting radioactive particles. Yeah I know they’re visible as such but in this stylised form it can be exaggerated. And the Unrealengine seems perfect for this.

28 days later should also be amazing inspiration. Pamphlets and graffiti from relatives looking for each other.

We also know that the moment you loosen up the social cohesion in London shops get torched and plundered. There’s a burning building but we definitely could use some more burned out and pillaged shops.

[Breo]

I have some ideas to make the maps more alive:

• Birds flying out of the shrubs when you approach then
• A flashing broken street light
• Weather (snow/rain maps)? We had rain a few build back in White Chapel
• Rotating advertising boards at busstops (ingame ads)

[Kendle]

I do like the idea of wildlife …

Tapirs dammit, you need Tapirs.

I’m sure some would have escaped from London Zoo, and they’re SD’s mascot, it’d be hilarious as well as unique to have some Tapirs randomly roaming around the maps.

[Chris2]

[QUOTE=Kendle;433196]Tapirs dammit, you need Tapirs.

I’m sure some would have escaped from London Zoo, and they’re SD’s mascot, it’d be hilarious as well as unique to have some Tapirs randomly roaming around the maps.[/QUOTE]

They should be hard to spot rather than blatantly running amok through the maps, like if you look through a gate down an alley you can’t access in the OOB at a certain moment in the map you can see one walking around, perhaps have it do something peculiar in each map.

[rookie1]

[QUOTE=Kendle;433196]Tapirs dammit, you need Tapirs.

I’m sure some would have escaped from London Zoo, and they’re SD’s mascot, it’d be hilarious as well as unique to have some Tapirs randomly roaming around the maps.[/QUOTE]

^^this …

[Kendle]

They should be hard to spot rather than blatantly running amok through the maps, like if you look through a gate down an alley you can’t access in the OOB at a certain moment in the map you can see one walking around, perhaps have it do something peculiar in each map.

Yeah, it’d probably be too much to have them in the map, you’d have to figure out how to interact with them, do they run away if you chase them, can you kill them etc.?

I definitely think there should be a Tapir in every map though, like a signature. It’s not an authentic SD map if it doesn’t have a Tapir.

[rookie1]

Depending where in london maps will occurs.
I wish one envolving an hospital …maybe the only place where we could find some real humans life …from there we could think different things.
If there is some small parks in london you could add moving things in there like swing set

[SockDog]

You have Hyde Park which is positively surrounded with interesting objective targets and recognisable names such as The Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace (with some licence on distance), US (and many other countries) embassy, Hotels and again with a little license lots of stores like Harrods etc.

The park would would serve as a logical local staging area for an evacuation as it’s slap in the middle of the two main exits from the city A4/M4 and A40/M40, so it wouldn’t be beyond reason to have a tent city or compounds built within the park.

That being said. If you went a little further South East you’d have Richmond park. This is jam packed with wild deer (around 650) (http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/map-of-richmond-park <-- this actually links to other Royal parks too). Probably not fitting with SD’s corridoresque maps but I’d love to just see how DB played out on a fairly wide open terrain with hills and bluffs.

[Woko]

[QUOTE=Kendle;433241]

I definitely think there should be a Tapir in every map though, like a signature. It’s not an authentic SD map if it doesn’t have a Tapir. :)[/QUOTE]

There is one in London Bridge already if you haven’t spotted it yet

[Ruben0s]

I hope that the game get launched with a Tapir mod.