(actually, It's not my role to open this thread, but since vk didn't create one, I'l do it)


Really Nice map, But I think it needs somes changes.

- remove the second floor. this is a good place for campers, espacially to take down tank
- there is two deemers, two CGV, one ehanced deemer at center node. I think it's to much. Just keep one CGV, and the ehanced deemer. maybe u also could add a manta next to bio.
-peg said something right : in the film, u can't see what happens in the next room. Glasses are an interesting idea, but spoil the surprise to find the follow of event (ok maybe this sentence isn't a perfect english :/)
-link setup :


Not bad. But a bit linear (sometimes it's only one way. another idea :


then good point :

- the map itself. Really great job vk
- the design (like always)
- the music ( ) good athmosphere
- the gameplay



That's all I think. Keep it up

Well actually i didn't open a new thread because the map isn't ready, and the name is in discussion with thomas.

The reason why this unfinished map is online, is because is got stuck in that map and wanted to play it with 32 human players instead of those bots. And to get some suggestions. That's why it's alpha, everyting, like not spawning at some nodes is just because i add the lately and didn't put some spawnplaces, as lockers etc.

The windows are an idea from thomas, i like it for some reason.

Another thing is, i thought this map would be easy to build, in fact it is the shittyest map i ever build . And the reason is the cubes! 25 of them, it's my fault, normaly it was 3x3x3 and now it is 5x5x5. If u count right that are 25 of them, 25 copy's around 200 doors with each a trigger, crazy job.

That's why i am lazy now. And need some interesting idea's.

When I am at the far end of one side and look to the other side, I get 30 fps average. Not really acceptible. The windows ruin all chances to actually save some performance.

There is also another issue with the BSP-windows: the replication. You stop seeing enemies through the window 7 seconds after you saw them for real. They just disappear to you although they are there. Makes camping on top extremely easy, simply because nobody can see where you walk from the downside unless you hang your head over the edge and shoot at them.


Snake's second linksetup is exactly the same that Foib had for Pandemonium.

crusha_k_rool wrote:
Snake's second linksetup is exactly the same that Foib had for Pandemonium.

didn't notice that ^^

Sounds interesting I liked Cube 1-3.

How can I get the alpha to have a look?

Because according to Crusha's post, he downloaded it somehow.

How?

Okay, lots to talk about with this one and I'm gonna mention most of them now that the map's still in alpha stage so there'll be a better chance of addressing them at a more convenient time. Overall I like the idea as a concept since I was a fan of the Cube movies (the first 2 actually, Zero sucked), so congrats to VK for giving his and Tommy's idea some shape and here's hoping with enough work it can end up another favourite on TechCom. Now, onto specific things I've divided into categories.

Concept:
- Is this supposed to be a Cube movie tribute? I loved the first 2 Cube movies, but no cube looked like yours. First was industrial/metallic looking with physical behaviour, second was more sterile, space-age themed and featured paranormal/sci-fi happenings. If the map's a tribute indeed, you're failing your mission statement with the current design. Also, why "Hypercube"? Yours has a typical 3-dimensional behaviour, so map's name is kinda misleading :s. Intrigue in those films mostly revolved around each room featuring unknown challenges and traps to overcome, so why not try making different room experiences that change fighting style, like:
* 95% water filled room (air at top 5%)
* low-grav room
* Escher surfaces room (ask for Crusha's help)
* pitch black room (only light from projectiles, or randomly flickering)
* dangerous rooms: radiation/toxic gas (gradual HP deduction), fire room, automated ceiling machinegun turret, spiked walls, sucking vortex/big fan at one side constantly pulling players towards it (maybe even their non-hitscan projectiles!), walk-on triggered traps (think Grit trials), nuke explosion countdown room (affects only players, not node)!
* helpful room (stashed somewhere away from main battle path): teleporters to useful places, health/armour healing area (think Hustle) a decent relic for once (:D), U-dmg/supershield/keg, CCTV monitor and/or mechanism that locks some doors/rooms the enemies are (think BitchSlap), etc.
* countdown node room (why not here? it would fit the special personality rooms theme)
* weird rooms: micro-/macro-scopic battle (players who enter immediately have the newer half-pint adrenaline combo effect applied to them; or, if possible, have their size doubled/tripled making it a very tight fight!), upon exit (barely fit through door), size is restored to normal; invisible players room (all entering pedestrians become invisible and not the shader effect either - completely invisible; perhaps even invisible weap lockers); relic-effect room (all players have a random relic effect applied to them when inside, overwrites their previous one in inventory), spooky exits room (exits don't take you where you think you're going - realtime CCTV-style surfaces need to be used to make it work)
* disappearing node room: node only materializes once every 20secs for ~7secs!

You get the idea, use your imagination to come up with interesting ideas and if you can't pull 'em off, see if perhaps the community can help.

- Rooms were moving 'round the cube in the movie; is that possible to pull off with UT2k4/UEd and new scripting abilities? Moving nodes?
- 2nd level seems an afterthought right now; insignificant gameplay value except in middle node & relics. Flesh out; do you intend to add even more floors later on or not? (Sidetalk here: always been a vision of mine to have multi-floor complex/bldng maps, but can nodes be stacked on top of eachother? Crusha? Radar image must be isometric then, not top-down).
- Do you plan to use the outer space part or is that created just for testing fun? If yes, give it some importance (teleporters to and from, a node or 2).

- Way too many superweaps. Particularly this immature trend with the vortex gun has got to end IMO; it's the cheapest, most annoying weapon/effect to be on the receiving side of: racks up kills but requires no skill besides running away. Not to mention, to make that thing work for offline testing, it requires a shitload of file DLing/extracting. And all that content for what? Just so that shiny thingy can be in all new maps so newbs can say "cooool!!!1"? Please... It's almost the same deal with relics, but at least the files they require are fewer and their game-improving possibilities considerably more practical. Ditch the supernuke and at least one vortex please.

Speaking of them, are relics really an improvement in this particular map? See, life expectancy during mid-game is only a few seconds short, most ppl won't get to enjoy the specific gameplay twists and slight fighting changes you get from relics anyway (unlike in Sektor7, which is bigger and offers lots of 1vs1 chances). If you believe relics add something that *must* be there in Hypercube, at least pick some nicer ones (where's the guns relic? why isn't haste closer to cores?) and please, please, use their proper textures instead of that damned '?' wildcard. I'd like to know what I'm getting instead of having to memorize an increasing (and ever changing around with each new version) amount of pickups.

Node setup: I'd favour a more traditional grid connection over any other proposition mostly because it feels counterintuitive to not be able to start attacking/building a node right next to the one you just set up. Still, it's a part of the map that we should worry about more later on.

Bugs:
- missing player spawns at several nodes, can't teleport there, but end up at core
- unclear intentions with door platforms: tanks get stuck, but can pass with some effort (desireable or not? fix by softening the angle so tanks can roll over easier or add visible blocks so we won't try to drive 'em through)
- As Crusha mentioned (and as I did too ingame), transparent surfaces issues: framerate most importantly. I think they should be changed to opaques.
- misaligned shaft at the half height point above green (middle) room (not really important ATM, but still). How are you supposed to get up there anyway (besides using the ghost command offline, of course)?


PS: Come on, all of you who've played Pandemonium at least once were reminded of it the second you first spawned in Hypercube and looked at the node layout style. Why are we trying to reinvent the wheel here with the exact same gameplay feel and yet ignore the wheel we've already had so far? Yes, Hypercube does have the potential to become something more, but it's definitely not there yet and even if it did happen, there's plenty of other examples of similar maps all found in our map roster. Please add some more ammo to Pandemonium and re-add it to the server for all of us who enjoy it - it would only take an afternoon to do so! Thanks.

Puh, you are requesting many features that don't ship with the game yet and needed to be coded. And I am not sure what is possible.

Moveable objectives? They exist in UT3, but I have never seen any attempt in UT2k4 by anyone of the community and doubt that the idea is so exceptional that just nobody had it before.

Three-dimensional map? Would be certainly possible, but requires to make a separate mutator and is in general much more effort and trouble than it's worth. Jailbreak has such a kind of map, but it's a lot more complex to set it up. But nothing prevents you from stacking Nodes on the map except that you maybe can't really see the bottom one on the map and that it's a bit harder to use the linkdesigner on it.

We couldn't really test the Escher stuff online good enough. It has many online issues for sure. And depending on if you want the weapons to be affected too, you would need a mutator (well, you need one in any case, I guess). And bots are not affected.

Bots also have issues with Nodes underwater because they then get stuck in an endless loop when trying to teleport with that Node. You can only hope that they don't attempt to use that particular Node for teleporting.

Disappearing Node: Might be possible. It wouldn't vanish from Radar, though.

Causing relic-effects on players.. could be done with a bit hacking. And a lot of hacking to get them off again when the player leaves the room.



But don't expect me coding any of this, already have enough. :/

Wait, what? It's already on the server while it's only at alpha state? O.o

Interesting ideas peg, but like Crusha said, most of it isn't possible.

The original idea comes close to what u say. the plan was to make laser rooms, fire rooms, water rooms and an outdoor area.

And actually it is hard, at least for me.
I need to read some new tutorials for this advanced enginering.
But i got the basics, so that wouldn't be to hard.

Unlike this is the alpha version, and not realy what i have in my mind, in fact it is totally different.

U can consider this as a wild "brush", now it needs improvements, adjusting, theme. On all my maps i had first a brush, than changed and changed till i have the copy from my "brain". Mapping is Art. Makes ur imagination for real', at least in-game.


Edit:

Yes it is on the sever for a few test runs. Than it will be removed.