What do you want next for Dirty Bomb?

(NotaCobra) #1

So we know there are several characters already in the works, we’ve even seen a few, there’s also a new gamemode and I presume there’s a new map in the works, though I haven’t heard anything certain.

Assuming they are all going to be released, eventually, what do you guys want to see after that?

Some new maps to play on, new gamemodes to try, more new mercs, some new weapons for the old mercs, or something else entirely?

(Ghosthree3) #2

I think new maps. It’s the one area of the game where I’m kinda going ‘ehhh this could get old’. It hasn’t yet, but I could see it happening. The maps that we do have are really good, but there’s only like 4 of them.

(Eox) #3

New maps and Sparks, please !

(reliableTortoise) #4

quantity of mercs are fine… we nd moar maps!!!

(DutchLM) #5

New gamemode will bring new maps with it :slight_smile:

(Guilte) #6

Demos, CTF, and decent maps.

(Fuze) #7

We’ve got plenty of mercs with 8(?) more on the way. No one should be asking for more. :neutral:

(LifeupOmega) #8

Maps would be nice. Even another 2 or 3.

(Serious Sam) #9

I’m really, really looking forward to the new execution gamemode they have planned.

(XavienX) #10

Idk, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who wants everything.

(flipTusk) #11

Honestly, I just hope they implement a way to craft cobalt cards. If they made it 10k for a card that’d be expensive enough to persuade those who would buy with RL cash to do so.

Especially when you consider how much you need to spend to get 4 gold to craft the cobalt.

(Aazhyd) #12

I don’t really need more mercs. New game mode would be welcome, but more maps is my number 1. The current 5 maps become a bit more of the same after playing for a while.

(Reddeadcap) #13

Mercs to be released quickly and in pairs like Kira and Rhino

Large maps like dome along with dome itself

More game modes

All in that order.

(scrub_lord) #14

Definitely more gamemodes, but they’d most likely have to make new maps or change the layouts for them to work.

(eruditeDiamond) #15

But I also want to see more skins, the ability to craft up to cobalt… basically everything EXCEPT more mercs. I feel like with the ones we have now there is a great balance and little redundancy with the exception of Arty.

#16

Mapping tool for the community to use —> maps!

(Nail) #17

DB uses UDK, it’s free, go get it, make stuff

[quote=“Nail;3881”]here’s some extra info as guidelines

may or may not still be relevant

"[QUOTE=@@]Disclaimer: We’re not promising an SDK, nor are we promising that we can make any user-generated content a reality yet, but I decided to post this because there’s a lot of interest in the subject. Maybe Badman will sticky it and I’ll write a sequel later.

PHASE 1 - MAKE A PLAN!

Know Your Toybox
It’s imperative to know and utilise the toys you have at your disposal. By this I mean gameplay mechanics, not editors and engines. New mechanics can be expensive, so if you’re proposing a new one, it needs to be justifiable, and consistent with what already exists. As a rule, you’d have to work hard to negotiate additional features, so start by using what you’ve got. That said, re-purposing existing stuff can work, and can help to sell a new idea you might have for a gameplay feature, but it might be more difficult to communicate. That’s a good reason to propose a plan before making anything.

  • Movement and shooting mechanics
  • Character/class abilities
  • Objective types
  • Game mode rules

Initial Ideation
Generate a bunch of different ideas, or look through your existing set of ideas. Some short, focused brainstorming will help.
Selected one idea based on your answers to the following questions:

  • How excited are you about it?
  • How inspired are you to turn the idea into a game level?

Key Map Features
Try to define what you’re trying to achieve with the map:

  • Are you testing out a new objective configuration?
  • Are you trying to address issues you encountered in making earlier maps (eg: fewer/more side-routes, more open spaces, more variety in combat styles, etc)
  • Think about the features which will support the purpose:
    [INDENT][/INDENT][]How will you make this environment stand out? Visually and/or technically.
    [INDENT][/INDENT][    ]What do you want the player or the viewer to experience?

Narrative, Objectives and Progression
What narrative do you want players to experience as they play through the map? Create a flow diagram showing detailed objective progress.

  • How do the objectives fit into this narrative?
  • Are there any optional side-objectives which the player can choose to interactive with?
  • What effect will they have on their overall progression?

Top-Down Layout
Having answered most of the previous questions, you should be able to make a top-down plan of the whole map in a very simple diagrammatic format. It doesn’t need to go into micro-detail, but should account for:

  • Expected/intended flow
  • Spawn areas
  • Combat zones
  • Transitions
  • Choke points
  • Objectives

Setting
Consider what kind of location you want to use for the map:

  • Geographical location, architectural style
  • Time of day, environmental forces (flooding, weather conditions, etc)

Reference
Gather and include/present reference images which support the previous ideas:

  • Environment and location
  • Set design and props
  • Lighting and style
  • Inspirational reference

The end result should be a document which can be used to clearly and concisely communicate your idea to others, and also provide yourself with a plan that you can refer back to during the following phases in order to help you maintain your high-level goals for the map and prevent yourself from getting lost down the various rabbit holes you’ll create when you start blocking it out.[/QUOTE]
"[QUOTE=@@]I think I promised this aaaaages ago. So here it is.

General Unreal BSP Best Practice Stuff

Dos:

  • Do use BSP
  • Do keep snap to grid turned on
  • Do try to keep layouts axis-aligned
  • Do stick to simple box shapes
  • Do try to add ‘landmark’ shapes to help players stay orientated
  • Do keep your grid size as high as possible at all times
  • Do use keyboard shortcuts to change grid-size, move brush verts and toggle editor modes
  • Do use American keyboard layout so you can toggle Local and World gizmo with the ~ key
  • Do get used to using old-school Ctrl + Mouse Click object manipulation instead of the widget
  • Do place lots of characters in your level (or use SkeletalMesh’EditorMeshes.SkeletalMesh.DefaultSkeletalMesh’) for character scale reference

Don’ts:

  • Don’t place loads of lights as it will dramatically increase your build times
  • Don’t use lots of static meshes in the playspace – it makes it more difficult to iterate (and to be honest, if gameplay doesn’t work with BSP alone then a few meshes isn’t going to help you)
  • Don’t go below a 8 unit grid, ever
  • Don’t go off grid, ever
  • Don’t make lots of crazy rotations
  • Don’t make complex BSP shapes
  • Don’t use extrusions and subdivisions
  • Don’t make wonky floors just for thematic reasons or ‘realism’ – it’s a map shell, it’s not meant to be realistic

BActual Metrics[/B]
These are actual metrics which our movement system and character models appear to conform to.

Cover

  • 64 units is the minimum low cover height for all character sizes to be hidden when crouching

Crouching

  • 64 units is the minimum height for all characters to crouch under
  • 64 units is the minimum tunnel width for a single character

Jumping

  • 64 units is the max jump height from standing (no crouch jump)
  • 72 units is the approx max crouch jump height (from standing)
  • 86 units is the approx max crouch jump height (from sprinting)
  • 256 units is the approx. max jump distance (from sprinting)

Stairs/Steps

  • 16 units is the maximum step-up height
  • 32 units is the recommended depth per step (IMO)
  • Ramps of a 1:2 height to depth ratio should be used instead of steps in blockout maps to prevent step-up camera jittering

Gameplay Metrics
These are more subjective recommendations based on what works and what doesn’t for gameplay (IMO).

Doorways

  • 112 units is the absolute minimum doorway height, but 128 or more is preferable in most cases
  • 64 units is the absolute minimum doorway width, but doorways this narrow are horrible for gameplay and should never be used ever
  • 80 units is the preferable minimum single door width
  • 160 units is the minimum double door width

Wall Thickness

  • 24 units is the absolute minimum wall thickness for a characters arms to NOT stick through and be shootable from the other site
  • 32 units is the preferred wall thickness for characters weapons not to stick through and look all rentaghost from the other side

Ceiling /Floor Thickness

  • 32 units is the minimum thickness for ceilings and floors, so as to avoid issues when arting-up levels later

Play Spaces
This is super-subjective, and totally depends on the kind of map you’re trying to build, but included anyway based on some of the spaces that I think play best in existing maps.

  • 768 units is a good ‘average’ corridor width for combat
  • 1024-1600 units is a good range for the ‘average’ medium engagement range
  • 512 units square is a good minimum guide for a close-combat space
  • 2400 units is a reasonable approx. max LoS range – any more than that and you’re probably going to run into performance issues later down the line

[/quote]

(Cappe) #18

We need more (bigger ET style) maps.

(Eddie) #19

All of them