I´m interested in becoming a Beta Mapper

[Silencium18]

thx for the feedback and the help!

I´m now trying to fix the visportals and the empty spaces. After that we can come up with some easy objectives etc...

[Silencium18]

Ok here are some updates from my map

- filled all empty spaces with monsterbrushes

- added another thief standing in front of the campfire

- deleted the torch from the first thief you encounter (to make it a little more easier)

- added visportals to every door and window

- added three objectives (Knock out 5 quards/Steal 500 loot/Steal 1000 loot)

 

Is there something more I should/might do?

Edited February 14, 2009 by Silencium18

[Fidcal]

There are a few details and you need to start thinking about story. Doesn't need to be complex just a few lines as to what it is all about. Also I would not set KO 5 guards as an objective unless there is some good reason to KO 5 guards. The player is a thief in the Dark Mod universe. He is not interested in coshing people for its own sake but only if it is necessary as a means to an end - thievin' ! What is this place? Why is the thief going there? Has he received some info from an informant? Add more objective interest. A common method is add a special object that he has to retrieve. Another is to exit/escape.

 

I was hoping by now you would be made a betamapper; you're certainly good enough. I'll ask in one of the private forums to see what the procedure is. Once you are a betamapper and have access to all the resources it is easy to add a few readables, a message, a log book, etc as we have a lot of types already made and you only have to type the text. The same is true for ammo/player tools like lantern, compass etc.

 

Then we need to go over the map again to specify some individual things like some textures that want adjusting. Also, last two times I played I kept climbing a wall near a tree that looked interesting but it wasn't textured on the other side. Consider making that a yard with something worth retrieving like someone dropped a few coins.

[Silencium18]

There are a few details and you need to start thinking about story.

I had a little story in my mind while building the thief guild:

The thieves want the main character (the player) to give them some money from robbing houses in their territory (kinda like Ramirez blackmailing Garrett in DP). So the main character, instead of paying the money, breaks into the guild, steals some loot and knocks out most all of the thieves to show them that they should´n mess around with him in the future.

I also had in mind that the player could get rid of the boss of the guild by killing him (instead of knocking out everybody)

[Fidcal]

Yes, at least that gives it meaning but personally I would tone it down a bit. Why not just KO the boss as a warning. The player might also leave a calling card - some token that he has been there, a message or something. I can help you with setting up that objective but basically you want the 'entity placed in a location' objective and one of those location entities. I'll give you more detail later - I gotta eat right now. Eat or die right?

[Silencium18]

The Idea of knocking out the boss and then putting some card etc... as a warning next to him is a very good idea

So we can now have four main objects:

-knock out the boss

-leave a sign next to him (token, card etc...) OR INSTEAD steal his purse (for example)

-steal loot

-go to the start of the mission

[Springheel]

So the main character, instead of paying the money, breaks into the guild, steals some loot and knocks out most all of the thieves to show them that they should´n mess around with him in the future.

 

I know the "I'm the best thief in the world and don't have to listen to any authority" type of story tends to be pretty popular with Thief players, but it isn't t terribly realistic. The whole reason thieves join guilds in the first place is to gain access to snitches, informants, bribed officials, and magic connections that the guild has worked to gain. An independent thief would have to put all that together on his own, which would be quite expensive and time-consuming, and leave them little time for actual stealing.

 

A thief who steals in another guild's territory without permission is a major threat to that guild. If a merchant pays protection money but they are robbed anyway, they are not likely to pay again. This is the main reason why independent thieves are not tolerated within a guild's territory--not only are they not paying the guild its fair share of the loot, but they could irreperably damage the guild's reputation.

 

A thief who actually steals in a guild's territory and then attacks the guild itself would quickly find himself in trouble unless he has some serious allies. Fences would refuse his goods, informants would disappear (or turn him in), black market dealers would stop selling him equipment, etc.

 

Rather than make the thief a loner who is attacking the guild just to prove he can, why not make him a member of a rival guild? His attack on the guild could be part of a turf war (in which case, assassinating the enemy guild leader makes perfect sense).

[New Horizon]

Rather than make the thief a loner who is attacking the guild just to prove he can, why not make him a member of a rival guild? His attack on the guild could be part of a turf war (in which case, assassinating the enemy guild leader makes perfect sense).

 

Word.

[Mortem Desino]

The Idea of knocking out the boss and then putting some card etc... as a warning next to him is a very good idea

So we can now have four main objects:

-knock out the boss

-leave a sign next to him (token, card etc...) OR INSTEAD steal his purse (for example)

-steal loot

-go to the start of the mission

THAT'd be cool. You could try binding a trigger_entityname to the leader AI as well as a frob-blocking brush (basically a nodraw'd frobbable brush: so you can't drag the leader corpse away from the trigger_entityname.)

[Jesps]

Couldn't it be done more easily with a "two entities must be within radius of each other"?

 

Oh. And congratulations on the beta mapper status.

[Fidcal]

Yes, congrats Silencium18. Once you are set up and downloaded TDM you might look at the readables prefabs which will make it easier to drop in a few. I'll take another look at your FM when you've committed it.

[Silencium18]

Do you mean the TDM version you´ll release to the public? Or is there already a version with some additions? If so, where can I get it?

Yes, congrats Silencium18

Thx. I was stunned for minutes when I saw how huge the forum really is

[Springheel]

Indeed. Please start here if you haven't already: http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showtopic=6694

[SneaksieDave]

Thx. I was stunned for minutes when I saw how huge the forum really is

Hehe... I often think about that myself sometimes, what those on the public forums think versus reality...

 

Our members have made a total of 175,548 posts

[HappyCheeze]

Thx. I was stunned for minutes when I saw how huge the forum really is

 

Wait till you see how big the download is

[Mortem Desino]

Wait till you see how big the download is

 

*Devious Laugh*

[Silencium18]

Ok, here´s version 3 of my little map

http://rapidshare.com/files/198457490/Testmap_V3.zip.html

 

It includes some minor fixes and changes (for example the bar is now an abbandoned bar used as cover by the guild/ some lights and objects were added etc...)

 

Also there are now three objectives (inspired by the story we talked about):

- Steal some loot (500 in normal , 1000 in hard and expert)

- Kill the boss of the guild

- Steal an expensive trophy from the guilde's storage

 

I also wanted to include some readables, but it´s a little bit...to much work (maybe in the next version)

 

QUOTE (HappyCheeze @ Feb 15 2009, 10:05 AM) Wait till you see how big the download is

 

*Devious Laugh*

Can `t wait to see the full version

[Fidcal]

Ok, here´s version 3 of my little map

http://rapidshare.com/files/198457490/Testmap_V3.zip.html

OK, I'll take a quick look. BTW once you have SVN sorted out you can upload to your own betamapper folder.

I also wanted to include some readables, but it´s a little bit...to much work (maybe in the next version)

Again, once you have downloaded Dark Mod you will find there are readables all ready and very easy to put in your map and just enter your text. See the following link for details...

 

http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php/Readables_Prefabs

 

I suggest you open a thread in the private forums under say Level Editing forum for any specific questions relating to well, any help really.

[Silencium18]

Should we leave the leave this map now with the current status or is there anything we might add to it? Because to me it looks finished and playable and I´m also planning another, better mission with a little mansion.

[Baal]

I wouldn't add any new areas to it but it's not really finished yet. You can start a better, bigger map but you should take care of the problems in this one first (performance is the first that comes to mind).

Remember: the goal is to get it in a state suitable for a public release.

 

I suggest you open a thread in the private forums under say Level Editing forum for any specific questions relating to well, any help really.

 

And welcome aboard.

[Fidcal]

There are quite a few things to do yet otherwise you'll finish up with several unfinished maps. I will open a new thread in Level Editing this evening headed say: Finishing Silencium18's Map and asking for help with finishing it. I and others can check through the map and make suggestions. You must finish up with a finished, archived mission, ready to install, else you have nothing.