Betrayal by Fieldmedic (2010/08/17) Summer FM Vertical Contest Entry

[fraten]

I'm currently on the upper level where the cannons are... Did I just missed it or is there no blackjack in the whole mission?

[Jesps]

Did I just missed it or is there no blackjack in the whole mission?

 

If there is I missed it too.

 

Nonetheless it was a very good mission.

 

 

The start was a bit blocky, but when I got to the tower... wow! Nice atmosphere, especially on the zombie infested levels. The arcitecture was beautiful (though something tells me the Builders don't belive in gravity )

 

I did run around for some time trying to find 7 (seven) loot to complete the mission, then read here that the silverware is loot.

The map had a nice flow to it, and I newer got bored.

 

[LEGION]

 

You mean the doorway is connected to the chapel instead of the lighthouse, right? You can get in by ropearrow and braking the window.

 

 

Yeah, the chapel, not the lighthouse I meant! Thanks!

 

 

 

 

The architecture was beautiful (though something tells me the Builders don't believe in gravity )

 

 

Considering the earthquake, is it still wrong? I guess that is what he meant by talking of 'unrealistic'.

 

To be honest, I expected a strange mission in some parallel universe with strange lights like an LSD-trip or sth like that. Gladly, I was disappointed on this conclusiion!

 

Edited August 18, 2010 by LEGION

[id3839315]

My opinion: You're facing a really close battle against "The Glenham Tower". At least these two missions are my favorites in the contest.

Exactly! Very impressive mission !

[nbohr1more]

I wish I could enjoy this one but at a constant 6FPS or worse I don't know what to say.

[Igor bes Thiefer]

Don't get upset, nobohr... I barely noticed it, so immersive it were! (i was listening to my albums and studying at the same time, too, so perhaps you could team it up with other activities, so it wouldnt be so much a time loss) Btw, does anyone know if the cell with the dead man inside, at the very beggining of the game (hardly a spoiler) is openable?

[aidakeeley]

IGI

[fraten]

Wow, finally finished it. That was hard work, I say.

 

Of course, if I had known what massive building is over me, I wouldn't have put the little support beam away...

 

The story was really evolving during the mission, which I like. A bit strange was the ending of the mission. I was disappointed because I like searching all the areas again, when everything is checked already. But no problem here.

 

 

I think I encountered some TDM-Moments: Hovering sleeping people, Undead standing on me (oh, PLEASE, give them a more attractive backside!!!) and guards got stuck with each other so they keep walking on the same spot for ever.

 

This mission could be a winner.

[LEGION]

That reminds me that we are in need for female zombies! I had the last screenshot too. The third screenshot i wasn´t able to see because this priest was stuck at the first floor end on an oil lamp. Quciksaving/loading couldn´t help them out, only alerting them by throwing sth at their feet f.e. was helpful to unstuck them...

 

I don´t think the mapper can do sth against these, could he?

 

ETA:

IGI

 

What´s that again suppose to mean? (besides that it is a game I never played)

Edited August 19, 2010 by LEGION

[DeTeEff]

Oh...my...god...

 

Just got home from Tallinn. I have used my cellphone to follow some of the discussion on the forum,

but it's tedious and as you get out on the sea you connect to other mobile nets and your phone bill

will reach higher levels than Glimmerheight! So I had to wait til now to read. And MAN am I

astonished of all the positive reactions! Where to start...?

 

 

Here I will explain my weird thinking/planning process through the building of this mission, along with the

authors explanation of the strange story.

 

 

 

It started from thin air that I'd try to make some kind of run from an underground cave, through water and through strange canals. Then reach the top and come out through the side of a mountain, and maybe add a road to a tower. The road soon got erased and the mountain walls soon engulfed the whole "towerbottom" and I wanted to create a scary feeling of walking on a ricketyrack-built tower with creaking sounds. Make some ropearrows and hope that the players will realize that roping is the key to success here. Then I made a cage like room with lots of planks on the edges like someone tried to repair it. Then as I started to create the first tower floor I wondered what inhabitants shall I put in the tower? Let it be pagans! And some portal had been opened down in the mountain and some kind of force had gotten loose and engulfed the lower parts. Then I started to write Henrys diary but it felt wrong...what other people can we add insead of pagans? Ahh, the sturdy Builders!

Why have just a random mountain complex? It's a mine! But the strange power is still in the story and gee, did I desperately tried to make it a believable story? Not sure that I did, but I inserted a VERY powerful necromancer that had been a tad angry at the builders (because of a small insulting message delivered by a thief) and thus cast a horrible spell upon the tower that

 

A: Slowly has turned the people on the lower parts of the tower to undead and

 

B: Somehow make an earthquake to take action and made all the elights turn green and in an instant turn all builders to skeletal monsters. (I'm not sure the earthquake is the necromancers doing, but I wanted to make a drastic start. As somebody mentioned the cliché start, I could have made the cell collapse more and make the use of the key obsolete but I think it works the current way).

 

As the tower went on evolving I realized it wouldn't make sense NOT to have some way to get up from the surface to the bottom, so an elevator got added. No, the player will NOT have the easy way out, just to call the elevator down and make an easy ride up. Taking advantage of the earthquake once again I made one stone cripple the control panel and voila!

 

Then I added some random floors and jumped up and down and worked a bit here and a bit there... Wouldn't it be cool to add a church at the top? No, it would just look silly! Yeah, yeah, but I've allready shoot myself in the foot by adding a curse and a loose story around corrupt builder priest and vengeful necromancers so up it goes, a church on the top!

 

I would like to add a little variety to the floors also...hmm...how about making a floor with four towers in each corner. Commence building...Hmm, it would be nice with battlements on these walls. It's almost like a castle! No, Fieldmedic, don't do this, it's not realistic in any way...ohh, you used the bewel command and made four arching-things support the floor above the castle. Let it be then! Brace yourself for the betatesters hard eyes, my friend!

 

A lot of the building was based upon I wanted to make use of the walking on beams outside the tower and as with the surface I wanted the player to feel unsettled to have to balance on small beams.

 

 

Did I have any other prior experience in mapping besides your tries in T3ED?

 

As I say in my profile:

 

 

I have done some mapping in Build for Duke Nukem 3D Not more to say about that Even Sotha commented on my mines beeing too Duke3D, before I added some more patches

 

 

Another thing I would like to mention. I have shyed away from ALL of the other contensting missions as I didn't want to "feel inspired" by someone elses mission. I just wanted to do stick with my own thoughts and make it wholly "on my own". I do not mean that anyone use to steal ideas, but I believe you get my point So I'll have a lot of missions to complete I guess

 

I think that the posted mission is what counts in the competition and my hand is getting sore from all mapping and I'll think I'll leave it for some time, before removing any bugs...Maybe after the weekend when I start working again.

[Fidcal]

I'm stuck going round in circles. Must have missed something but what. This is where I am:

 

 

crates area near a door and some glass windows and a notice about a mint. I have a chest key and a mine key and some broadheads. Try breaking the glass with 3 broadheads but no luck. I have opened one chest. Another chest I can't open. I have opened one door with the key. It does not open the 'mint' door. I have been up the small elevator in the crates area. There is a big elevator there which seems broke. I climbed up some rocks to where I can a green/blue light but one step is death so I'm assuming this is a border limit.

 

 

Every route I take seems to lead me back around in a circle and I've scavenged unsuccessfully for any further tools or clues. This is the point of frustration where I would be glad of my guide stone rather than having to leave the FM for another day because apart from this I was enjoying it.

[LEGION]

I´m here for you, Fidcal. Did you tried to just open the door?

Only for you I fired up the mission right now, in bright daylight!! The door opens without a key on Expert!!

 

 

I assume this is the area at the beginning, though! (Before you reach the tower) And what chestkey? I had to pick the chests before I could open them...

 

Oh, from what you wrote you are by the tower. You should find a or some rope arrows there by the big elevator. But it´s important for you to get to the mint-room, because there are soom important tools for you...

 

Edited August 19, 2010 by LEGION

[Sotha]

I´m here for you, Fidcal. Did you tried to just open the door?

Only for you I fired up the mission right now, in bright daylight!! The door opens without a key on Expert!!

 

-Yeah, it should. You sure you're not playing the betatest version? In that the door was locked.

 

But as LEGION said it should be open in this final version...

[Fidcal]

No, it's locked all right. If I've somehow got the wrong version, where would the key be? As I recall I just downloaded and uploaded a copy to the fidcal.com mirror. If this is wrong then that may be too.

[DeTeEff]

Ahh, Fidcal, the mission I PM:ed you a while ago is the betatest-version. Put that in the trashbin and download the one in this thread. I started to sweat when you mentioned "mine key" and that the mint door is locked.

[DeTeEff]

But if you will insist on playing the older version

 

 

The mint key is carried by the haunt around the elevator

 

[LEGION]

But if you will insist on playing the older version

 

 

The mint key is carried by the haunt around the elevator

 

 

I would´ve liked that too in the final version!

Oh, and thanks for your insight-post, I liked the story and for me it fits into the TDM-world. Only maybe the tower was a bit too high, but as I got to the Lighttower and battlements I didn´t realized that anyway.

 

[Fidcal]

Ah! I wondered if I'd helped out with an earlier version. I must have also downloaded the new version but somehow found myself playing the old. I'd better check what I uploaded to fidcal.com. I'll start again with the new.

 

btw

I did chase that AI around trying to blind frob several times. I am unable to see keys on belts most of the time which I've complained about often before. They are just not bright or visible enough for me. Does that mean the other chest key is probably on that other haunt? I also chased after him blind-frobbing without success.

 

 

I think I'm inclined to soup up the brightness on keys (on my system) so I can see them.

[DeTeEff]

In the beta-version

 

 

The "Chest key" is carried by the haunt in the room with the cracked ceiling and a huge sloping stone. That opens the chest in that room. The haunt in the corridor with the mine cart is carrying the "Mine key" and that goes to the door between that corridor and the sloping stone-room, and the door to the elevator room. The "Mint key" is carried by the elevator haunt and goes to the mint.

 

 

In the final version

 

 

All of the keys in the mine (except for the "Cell key" and "Chest key") is removed and the doors either removed or unlocked. Crap! After some copying/pasting the chest key doesn't open the chests. It is used by "chest_key2"...Oh, well, the chests are pickable at least...

 

[Thiefette]

I'm having a lot of difficulty with

 

 

Climbing the beams. I'm only on the level above the cell and can't seem to get any higher. I`ve gotten the gold here but is there something at the end of the track that would be useful - people have mentioned rope arrows - have I missed one already?

 

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[DeTeEff]

I'm having a lot of difficulty with

 

 

Climbing the beams. I'm only on the level above the cell and can't seem to get any higher. I`ve gotten the gold here but is there something at the end of the track that would be useful - people have mentioned rope arrows - have I missed one already?

 

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

 

I believe you are in the elevator shaft with the broken elevator at the bottom? It is only possible to climb up one floor to the haunt walking about a fire. To the left there is a wheel barrows and a chasm. But to the right (there is also a chasm), but if you move to the chasm you will see stones on the right hand. Jump onto them and follow them around the wall

 

[STiFU]

 

I believe you are in the elevator shaft with the broken elevator at the bottom? It is only possible to climb up one floor to the haunt walking about a fire. To the left there is a wheel barrows and a chasm. But to the right (there is also a chasm), but if you move to the chasm you will see stones on the right hand. Jump onto them and follow them around the wall

 

 

You can actually climb both floors there and I even think the first one is harder to climb than the second...

 

[nbohr1more]

I cannot find anything bad about the mission except frobbing some things out of the chests was quite hard on some occations. The framerate dropped at some occations and by this I mean they went around 30 which I believe is acceptable. Missions shall absolutely be adjusted to make old-computer-folks enjoy them also, but we cannot hold on too much to the old machines. The evolving in computer games will get higher and higher and if you don't keep up you will get behind and I don't think it's totally fair to minimize effects in a mission just so somebody with a 12 year or even older rig can play it acceptable...My computer is about 3-4 years old or something and I don't have any problems with any game...

 

I agree with this idea in most regards (even though your FM murders my old P4... )... My only concern is the efficiency issue. If a map is well optimized you can pack a lot more visual punch per FPS (see Bikerdude's heroic efforts with RTTC). If I or other crusty ole PC folk cant play some FM's that's just a fact of life. But if FM's are heavy on hardware requirements and lack visuals that is a real shame. I think your map has lots of dynamic lighting (shadows) which is a well known performance issue but that is your artistic call to make: more dynamic light verses better geometry... So it's hard to judge yours verses the other entrants who have kept to more traditional ratios of static to dynamic lights Fieldmedic. This is tough one because the strength of Doom 3 is dynamic lighting but if you go too wild with it you'll exacerbate Doom 3's short-comings in comparison to more modern engines. Jesps and Baddcogs (caves) clearly perform better and arguably look a better in screen-shots so you are competing by way of the mood created by all that light movement. It's pretty apples and oranges. But I am curious if there is still some performance that can be squeezed out of your map with further work anyway...

 

I can see a lot of brilliance in the design I just wish I could enjoy it. I will accept the concept that this map is for newer systems. I will try to struggle through it further but I may just forgo voting on this one.

[DeTeEff]

 

You can actually climb both floors there and I even think the first one is harder to climb than the second...

 

 

 

Is that so? I think I realized that it MAYBE would be climbable, but I didn't care because there is some small loot and stuff in the corner by the wheel barrows that you will miss if you climb

 

[DeTeEff]

 

I agree with this idea in most regards (even though your FM murders my old P4... )... My only concern is the efficiency issue. If a map is well optimized you can pack a lot more visual punch per FPS (see Bikerdude's heroic efforts with RTTC). If I or other crusty ole PC folk cant play some FM's that's just a fact of life. But if FM's are heavy on hardware requirements and lack visuals that is a real shame. I think your map has lots of dynamic lighting (shadows) which is a well known performance issue but that is your artistic call to make: more dynamic light verses better geometry... So it's hard to judge yours verses the other entrants who have kept to more traditional ratios of static to dynamic lights Fieldmedic. This is tough one because the strength of Doom 3 is dynamic lighting but if you go too wild with it you'll exacerbate Doom 3's short-comings in comparison to more modern engines. Jesps and Baddcogs (caves) clearly perform better and arguably look a better in screen-shots so you are competing by way of the mood created by all that light movement. It's pretty apples and oranges. But I am curious if there is still some performance that can be squeezed out of your map with further work anyway...

 

I can see a lot of brilliance in the design I just wish I could enjoy it. I will accept the concept that this map is for newer systems. I will try to struggle through it further but I may just forgo voting on this one.

 

Naaw, I don't think my map is solely for the newer systems. Maybe I'll (or somebody else) can visportal it better and/or change some lighting...exactly where is the FPS-drops at its worst?

 

 

I've heard complaints on level 2 by the archery range. But that floor is crammed with VP's and all torches should be not moving. It's hard to make them cast no shadows because that would make the light shine through the walls...

 

Edited August 19, 2010 by Fieldmedic