Initial room

[aiaf]

I create this topic to discuss the first room/level.

Level will be csg based.

Im fine with cryo room described in the document.If someone want something changed/different speak now and we can vote if necessary.

 

Have a look at design document:

 

[aiaf]

Can someone with more csg knowledge make a simple starting room (in start.map).

Something like a big corridor with rooms on the side (each containing space for a cryo pod).But only our pod is present.

Then we can fill it with models.

I can try myself but im not used to the editor.

[aiaf]

Ill make a test , i have some good gameplay ideas for this map.Also have an idea to include number 004.

Later will need some models, so who can help with this ?

cryo coffin, med kit ,display terminal, power generator, switches  etc . pls add you own ideas to this thread

Stay tuned.

 

[mdgunn]

I'm fine with helping with CSG and models.

First I would probably go with CSG even for models .....Do you need some advice on how to tackle this?  There are a few pitfalls but I can do a post if you want?

Not saying we shouldn't do models.  It can be fun for sure, but be an easy distraction from focusing down on the mechanics. 

You're idea for starting the first room is fine.  I'll mention how I saw it as I think I did not fully expand the way I saw it so I may as well mention it so that you have more 'juice' to fuel your idea.  Though if you prefer just ignore too to avoid 'contamination'.

What I had in my head now (which I don't think ended up in the doc) was that the room we wake up in might be a smaller room of staff cryo pods.  The hero staff member wakes up through some trigger they have put in place in the main computer.  I was thinking they had programmed there waking to be triggered by the proximity to the ship of the incoming meteor shower cube/sphere devices.  They wake up and need to get to the second main cryo room in order to stop the sphere activating the main re-awakening sequence. 

So I saw the first room being smaller and the second being a bit bigger, possibly with a first battle but also possibly just to pick up the hand-blaster thing and the battle being in the next room, perhaps she has to try blaster out with some shots in the first room.   Maybe freeze thing thing, thaw this thing or whatever.

The hand blaster thing instead of wand is just an idea.  Some sort of wand thing fine too but I thought embedding something in a hand was a bit different and potentially super easy to do......get any old hand model and any old thing. stick them together with a pivot....DONE.  Think I had it all done and shooting, though maybe we'd use a different hand model.

Anyway don't think some of these details need to hold us up if we focus very much on simplistic CSG and mechanics.

 

[aiaf]

Yep agree with csg models then.Mechanics are more important.

 

Well , here it is

Player wakes up in one of the outer rooms

Staying long in cryo statsis can be dangerous to health so this level is design to make sure the guardian is still sane and make him remember.Not all guardians survive the trials.

So to gameplay:

Lots of papers in the rooms to read that give info

Each room has a teleporter , that need an number to activate and will move you to that room.

Each room has a switch that need to be pressed only once to activate , once all 8 outer rooms switches are active you unlock the 4 inner rooms.

In the mean time you are presented to all kinds of logic tests, or choices designed to test you.

For example on room could have some spikes that activates in 15 seconds once you get in the room.And you would get warning of this in some of the papers.

More info about the island in papers.Activate the switches in the inner rooms to go to room 0 where is a teleporter out.

 

All outer rooms has displayed in some place its number (001 002 003 004 005 006 007 008)

The 4 inner rooms (01 02 03 04)

The center room has number 0. It contains the way out of this level.

Besides this to each room it corresponds one of this fibonnaci numbers.

0 - exit room
1 2 3 5 - inner
8 13 21 34 55 89 144 etc - outer rooms

Somehow player need to understand this from the papers.

So to go to first room in outer levels you need to input in teleporter 8001.

 

\

This is a bit different, but once we exit this trials rooms we can continue with your story with no problem.

So this is just an idea , i can keep this for other level also but think can serve as good intro,  what do you think ?

 

[aiaf]

I started with something more simple.

Ill commit when something is playable.

[mdgunn]

Ok great.  Seems to fit fine into the very loose suggestion I put in the doc in the 'Fight to Caves' .   

Quote

Player given reason to escape to surface, perhaps to escape growing number of incoming spheres. A short series of corridors and rooms eventually leads player up to airlock.

I didn't emphasize exploration and puzzling but in my mind I am VERY MUCH OK with this and would probably be my assumed direction with the game when not in combat which I think could well be most of the time.  I think puzzles and exploration type game is VERY achievable in Leadwerks. 

Would be fine to not even have a fight. Fight was just one possible idea as an opportunity to have combat tutorial.  

I think originally I imagined that the bulk of information gathering might be at the village but that was more when I saw the hero as probably being a villager or native caught up in this, whereas in the end I went with her being part of this long buried race.  Now, it probably makes more sense for this information gathering to happen before existing the ship as you are suggesting, Some additional backstory bits could still be in village (if we have one).  
 

If you want models then try to give me some clear info and detail on each one (if possible) so I can determine which order to do (though ultimately I will probably do them in order I see most fun in to help me keep engaged).  Maybe add them on the Trello board I guess.  Of course I know you will not expect me to go crazy and deliver loads of models so I think we will both understand there will be a balance of what I can deliver and it will initially probably be very basic and rough.

 

[mdgunn]

I did start doing some CSG of some rooms (I think they are still on my laptop).  If you prefer to focus on simple square rooms and the actual mechanics of viewing simple doc and teleport and traps etc. then I don't mind fleshing out the rooms (I think - could well be a lot of work   ).

If you focus on mechanics always remember that workshop often has example of something similar.  We may well implement our own but they can be good starting point for basic concept.

For example there is a 'view note' item....forget the actual name.  But even if you know how you would do it I think I would probably compare against a workshop item if it exists for any planned items.

Also remember I added a teleporter add-on in the source  and I believe I also added a simple switch and a simple timed trigger I think...check the addons folder.  If you need help locating or understanding them let me know. May well not use them but if it saves a few minutes initially then consider using them.

WARNING: I would warn against bringing in any worksop items into OUR source.  I would say bring them into a separate project and examine them there.  Some addons will scatter their contents into your project and after many items you may not know what belongs to what.  This is why I have created an addon directory and tried to add generic stuff out there where it is clearly separate.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  When doing rooms please try to keep to POWER OF 2 sizes, or POWER OF 2 FRIENDLY sizes . If unsure what this means I mean that a floor should be 512 x 512 or 1024 by 1024 or 512 x 1024 or 256 x 2048. This way things will more easily fit together.  Once we get moving a bit the levels may well need to break out of this and become more organic and interesting in and have more varied sizes but initially can we try to keep to FRIENDLY POWER OF 2 so that we have better chance of fitting things together?

Thanks!