Mek Arcade [Maps] work in progress

[cdxbow]

If I waited till I had 'conceptual designs' for things nothing would happen.
And with respect to scripting, there will be lots to do. Love to have you help. Just have to be a bit patient.

[raiden]

Hello cdxbow,
before I can continue, I have to show you what I did in the last time. I tried to follow your ideas:

_replace the rock by a hill with ramps:
Instead of the ramps, I replaced the rock in the middle by a huge dropship, while hoping that the entrances will be big enough for the mechs (we'll see, otherwise this could be changed anyway). The powerups could be placed here, if it should work later.

_Two way layout:
The small rocks behind the dropship are thought as a border, to stop the mechs, passing this area. So they only can move around the ship or through it, to find each other. This can be improved.

_nature environment, suitable for plants / discover different environments:
I imagine this map as a basis for a swamp, which gives room for bog plants with vines for example. Trees and grass can be added too. In highest consequence like the swampy home planet of Yoda in the old Star Wars movies (although I don't plan to copy this). If I continue here, I could also colour the rocks a bit more into green, together with the sky environments. For new and other environments, it would be better for me to start with a complete new and clear map instead of improving this one at the moment. (I've collected ideas already and have one new also).

Just tell me what you think .



dropship.zip

(896.66 KiB) Downloaded 292 times

[cdxbow]

Looking good. Love the liquid effect on the ground. Perhaps not water, some hydrocarbon? It certainly is'nt 'dry' anymore so a new name maybe. I had fun populating the ship with a variety of armor. And a 100 plus models and it is still working

You can fit a lot of stuff inside.

I suspect the ship may be too big, but don't change anything until we have a release in feb and we can play on it. The size of the ship will determine if you play around/over, though the ship or even mainly even in the ship, and that sort of thing best determined by doing it. Thanks.

[ballist1c]

quagmire? (quagmire = swamp/bog, which is what is looks like)

[raiden]

Ok, good to know. I will let everything how it is now at first. "Dropship" is the working title at the moment, but you can recommend your own idea. I have no better name in mind at this time .
I agree with you, that doing by testing will be the best option. I'll try out some ideas which could fit the game someday, in the background.

[raiden]

Another environmental study. I call it study, because nothing is certain here. Models or plants could be added and the colours can be changed, however. Maybe it is a good idea, worth to follow and to finish, or it is a blind end, I'm not sure about it at the moment.

crystal.zip

(1.09 MiB) Downloaded 297 times

[ballist1c]

Whoa! Raiden that theme is AWESOME please make a bigger complex RE map with that!

[wowie]

Wish I could post something constructive.

Awesome map is awesome.

[Evropi]

it's so purdy

Not sure how it would work with RE's parkour mechanics, but boy I'd like to see this in RE! (my computer finally broke down, will probably have a new one by the middle of next month so no RE till then :L)

By the way, for Dropship, can you fix the texture on that rock on the left as seen in the first screenshot? Doesn't blend too nicely.

[cdxbow]

Wow. Metacystalloid asteroids are very rare, as they are only forged in the blast of a supenova. Containing all sorts of rare eleements, including unobtanium, they certainly would be fought over. What about a big destructible crystal structure(s) in the middle? Haven't got time to model something at the moment, nor have we implemented destructibles, but when we do I will try to model something to match. Thanks again.

[raiden]

Thanks for feedback everyone. This means for me that continuing here could be worth and I will do this later, when we have a first playable version, to test everything out. An RE-version would be a bit more complicate, because everything has to be more fine, to fit the movementability. Also a different layout would be better for RE probably. I will keep it in mind for later.

Evropi: yeah, I tried already to make this better, but this is difficult, because of the basic form of the rocks. But when we have a testversion of MA, I will give this a second try.

Cdxbow: thanks for the detailed information, I find these things also interesting. Just feel free to manipulate and play around with the mapmaterial to your likings if you want (and you have the time. eventually ).

[ballist1c]

Raiden: I'm glad you'd like to create a version for RE! Maybe, you could color the crystals blue and pretty transparent (alpha material), so that you can partially see people through them, like an ice world, like this:



And be sure to include a lot of parkour oppurtunities, many RE maps miss out on ways to include those

[Ulukai]

Very beautiful looking map Crystal raiden, I can see me running around with a mech already Good to see that you are thinking ahead and developing maps for MA already.
I sent you an email about the skybox you used in here, because I would like to use it in a map of mine if that's alright with you?

[raiden]

I sent you an email about the skybox you used in here, because I would like to use it in a map of mine if that's alright with you?

No need to mail me, feel free to use it .

A short quickcurse for spacescape:
I used a very easy to use tool here: http://alexcpeterson.com/spacescape.
This is only for space environments, other tools are much more complicate (for example: bryce,TerraGen, 3dmax, ... ). "Easy" is the advantage here.
Two main points are tricky: the use of nebula/gasfog lets the skybox look pixelated in the game sometimes. So you have to play around to avoid this, or with the blendlevels for the cloudbox, how I did here.
The second thing: it takes some time to figure out, how to rename the pieces of the box, to put the correct sides together, after exporting the box. Here is one possible combination:

left2 = _bk
bottom4 = _dn
right1 = _ft
back6 = _lf
front5 = _rt
top3 = _up

Otherwise you get an ugly box with wrong sides and you need much time to put them together .
I think the rest is self-explanatory, the author has also nice exambles in his little programm, to show how it can be used.

[raiden]

@ballistic: yes, I keep this idea for RE, together with all subideas, but I can't promise anything with safety, because I have started another project already. This will take much time, but after that, it may happen .

[FryingHigh]

Hello, is there a way I can get my hands on a mac version of MekArcade?

[quintux_v]

Nice work with the various testing maps, raiden. The crystal map is probably one of the more unique maps I've seen yet, although it seems like it needs to be bigger - it's hard to tell with the whole mech-proportioning going on - and it also feels too lonely, or solitary, to me. If there's going to be fighting on it, maybe there should be two mining camps or landing points or something somewhere, almost like bases. If there's nobody there to fight, then there's no fighting to happen.

For the "quagmire" map (to use ballistic's name), I agree that it looks a lot like the scene from Star Wars (of the planet Dagobah), which is an alien planet, so it should work out okay, as long as the more obvious references are changed.

@FryingHigh: there is no MekArcade release yet for any platform.

[Sniper-Goth]

Hello, is there a way I can get my hands on a mac version of MekArcade?

MekArcade haven't been launched out yet.

[qreeves]

Stay tuned in the next week or two while I build a developers candidate.

[Ulukai]

Stay tuned in the next week or two while I build a developers candidate.

Exciting!

left2 = _bk
bottom4 = _dn
right1 = _ft
back6 = _lf
front5 = _rt
top3 = _up

Otherwise you get an ugly box with wrong sides and you need much time to put them together .

Thanks for the help with renaming . I managed to create a skybox which suits perfectly! It is based on an included template, so that was even easier!

[raiden]

Hey, thats much faster than I thought. Good on the one hand, bad on the other: my computer had his final breakdown today. I haven't left enough money over, to by a new at the moment. So I don't know when I have the ability to come back with my work. Hopefully soon, but nothing is safe.
I have a backup of all of my files, except one map which I lost completely . ...

@Ulukai: I'm happy that I could help a bit .

[quintux_v]

Good on the one hand, bad on the other: my computer had his final breakdown today. I haven't left enough money over, to by a new at the moment. So I don't know when I have the ability to come back with my work. Hopefully soon, but nothing is safe.
I have a backup of all of my files, except one map which I lost completely . ...

That's really too bad, what was that one map?

In other news, just a mapping suggestion which seems relevant enough, maybe you could have a couple of spaceships (specifically transport ships) which come together and attack each other, (space) pirate-style. I've always wanted to see a map based off of the old Toonami spaceship (from Cartoon Network).

Stay tuned in the next week or two while I build a developers candidate.

Now to wait through the longest two weeks of my life.

[raiden]

It was a futuristic city-map. But I can't do anything, while I'm disabled. I hope I can start again in the next week, or next month at least.

[wowie]

Hopefully you'll be back soon & make it even better than you did the last time around.

[cdxbow]

raiden: we cant leave you out of action for so long!

quintux_v: don't get too, excited, it's an early release. Weapons to build, meks to balance, lot's to do. Most military meka are space rated and thus capable of operating from/in large spacecraft, so spaceship and space related maps are feasible.

We are working very hard to get ready for the feb release, for myself this means modelling, modelling and more modelling. Then it's trying to makes sure all the artwork is Ok from the licence point of view, which is very difficult when one of the artists talk to me anymore. Then package it all up......

I have also had to remove the 'big pig' and have had to come up with another meka, excitingly named Mek #9 at the moment. The legs are still the same as Mek #7, on which it's based, so it is still needing work, and it's not textured properly but here it is with 2 skins quickly applied.
.

The only problem is, to my eye it looks a bit like another mek, but I can't pick it. The shoulder armor is similar to the chaos marines suit but other than that I can't identify what it is reminiscent of. If anyone can let me know.

I have been playing Front Mission Evolved, only 5 or 6 SP missions so far, and ironiclally, all the missions have been in a city. Its a japanese game, with japanese looking meka, but they have toned down the 'jet plane with legs' physics typical of japannese meka games. The only remenant is 'skating', which i am just getting the hang of (this could become a special ability 'sprint' in mekarcade) It does look very good and I have been suffering 'graphics envy' since I started playing. Nice explosions, good cinematics and lots of things to blow up. The weapons are pretty boring, and it feels a little under done. Nonetheless I am enjoying the SP and it is good for ideas, and when I can play a bit better I will try the MP. Mind you I don't think they could ever have a real winner with a dull name like 'Front Mission Evolved', perhaps it sounds better in japanese. Also 'wanzers' for meka is pretty lame.