just an idea Created 18 years ago2006-03-19 14:35:48 UTC by VOX

Normally I think of an Idea, map alittle, and then quit. But this idea is different, I feel I can finish this. It's just a basic idea, and I don't have a name or anything yet.

Basically I have two starting points.
1. You are involved in a research facility, and something goes wrong with the equipment, causing a portal to either A) Hell, or B) another dimension. It turns out later that the whole thing is a conspiracy and someone A) a demon, or B)an alien wanted to destroy your world. You find little bits of info about the plot as you play the mod. Your mission is to shit down the portal by either A) travelling to Hell, which would be SO fun to map, or B) travelling to another dimension. I don't know the ending.

2. Same as above, except you are hired by the government to shut it down, military style.

Depending on what path I choose it will either be A) Horror, or B) Sci-Fi. I'm thinking of reskinning models and changing their size and importance, like a little garg replaces the alien slave, and the slave is huge and dangerous. What do you think?

p.s. Stealing ideas is bad, think about why your head isn't on right.

Travelling to a paralell world would be so awsome.
You could have loads of thing that doesn't make sence, you could make things wich doesn't obey our physical laws, in fact, you could do anything!

Sci-fi - travelling to a paralell world

Travelling to a paralell world would be so awsome.
You could have loads of thing that doesn't make sence, you could make things wich doesn't obey our physical laws, in fact, you could do anything!

Sci-fi - travelling to a paralell world

One word: Spellbinder

^_^

There's a Sven-Coop map called "Wrongworld", as well as a map called "Hnaii - Office Komplex" (that one's on PlanetPhillip) that could give you ideas on how to do an alternate dimention.

The plot seems a bit cliched, though. Why not make the player an innocent bystander in whatever happens? Maybe give them limited weapondry and remove the HUD to make it more dramatic.

If you were in the researcher position, you would be an innocent bystander. But you gave me a better idea...have the station placed underground, but under a major city! That way you could have mass chaos during the rising action of the story. Here's my timeline so far:

Regular day, cutscenes show a strange character walking around who doesn't fit right..
Portals start malfunctioning, nobody suspects anything, people hear voices
People start disappearing (beginning is just like doom3)
On june 6th at 6:00, all hell breaks loose.
People rush like mad to get away from it all (still no weapons here)
You emerge on ground zero of the apocalypse.
You hear people shouting to get to some safe spot
You are at the safe spot, where people try to figure out what's going on
You realize that a demon somehow infiltrated the facility and used your teleportation research to open a portal to hell. "We must close the portal"
Your party is crashed when they find your safe spot, and you'r only escape is to go back into the facility, which is now the demon base (like the hive in aliens)
You go into the first portal
You're in hell
You eventually find the devil himself. Normal weapons don't work (nihilinth remodel)
You kill him and save the world...but you also release all the dead back onto earth
Sequel-

This definately needs work though lol. I'm not sure if the city setting would work.

Sounds pretty cool. If you do make it lead to hell, use this texture for cool hellish walls. (shadertest/gooingglass) It looks awsome!

Sounds awesome. My only question: HL1 or Source?

Edit:

I'm thinking of reskinning models and changing their size and importance, like a little garg replaces the alien slave, and the slave is huge and dangerous. What do you think?

Duh.

It's either going to be Hl1 or Doom. In Hl1 alien invade earth while in doom demons invade it.

Demons only invade earth in doom2. Doom 1 was confined to phobos, diemos, and hell. Doom3 is suped up doom1.

@xyos I don't understand your post. what is (shadertest/gooingglass)? This is hl1 not source btw.

I always had fond thoughts of remapping the ultimate doom for the Hl1 engine, in a way that will preserve the gameplay so the game is still great.

and remember vox, a good looking city is pretty hard to achive without being really resource and time intensive

Poke 646 did it really well. Just try not to use too many gigantic skyscrapers and it should be fine.

Oh, HL1. I thought it was Source. That texture I mentioned looks like the pulsing flesh from DOom 3.

Well story A has been done: Doom3
Story B has also been done: Half-Life 1

So whats the big whoop here? No offence VOX but try to come up with somthing more orignal than Teleporter Technology opening a portal to hell or an alien dimension.

Teleporter accident eh?

Perhaps have the player as a security gaurd? Aw shucks thats been done (Blue Shift). Hmmm, how about a soldier? Ah shucks thats been done too (Opposing Force). Scientist is also taken, obviously (Half-Life), hmm, what about an alien? Aw shucks thats been done aswell (mod where you play as an advanced alien slave, forget the name of it).

Seriously, people should broaden their horizons. I'm in no way having a go at you here VOX, but try to come up with somthing that hasnt been over done by either other games or by half life mods.

Try to think of a more orignal setting than "OMG we have stumbled accross some new enemy while trying to make a teleporter!" or "OMG a virus has made a new enemy!". Try to think of somthing more original, its pretty hard because if you want monsters, there are only really two choices; Aliens or Created by humans.

Too many people use the easy routes these days, either virus in a lab breaks loose or teleporter accident unleashes them. Its quick and conviniant but why not try for somthing more original? Just some examples;

• Monsters found on a newly discovered island.
• Aliens invade earth in space ships.
• Earth invades alien world in space ships.
• Ancient monsters awakened in a tomb expidition deep underground.

Ha!! you said SHIT the generator down
Anyway im lovin this idea.
Need any help wit it send me a pm.

- Ancient monsters awakened in a tomb expidition deep underground.

I tried that once for an Egyptian tomb-like mod, but totally failed (tombs can get boring REALLY fast). I'm original!

Also, many of those ideas like being a security guard and being a soldier have been used before, but combined with many other plot elements that have been used many times before, they can bring out fairly original storys.

I have one last ditch idea...I havn't thought of it at all, but basically the setting is deep underwater. The only probelm is that hl wasn't set up to handle water settings very well. Any travelling outside of a sealed building would have to be swimming, as I don't think you can be in a func train moving through water (and still be in "air").

About my ideas above, I was trying to think of a horror theme, because I see very few of those these days, and i think they give the most entertainment out of a (what 8 years now?) year old engine. Also there is no "big whoop". The ideas are very broad, and anything can happen from them. The plots are very open to tweaking. Just like madcow said above, you can do anything in an alternate dimension. I never saw anything like that (wierd physics)in hl1..o rhl2..or doom, or any mod.

Well story A has been done: Doom3

Excuse me! Doom three has Doom1 story. The story is Doom1,2 and tnt's story.

What I'm asking is that would it be a waste of time to try and create an underwater based mod, or is it better to just try and brainstorm some other wacky idea.

No, and underwater base mod idea is completly possible, even without having water outside the windows. Just have a dark blue (like underwater) skybox and add in bubble sprites to the windows and boom, your underwater. I was planning on doing an underwater base recently.

Underwater horror FTW!

You could turn it into a black-and-white horror B-movie, like "The Thing that Came Out of the Ocean" or something.

I think I'm going to try and map the underwater theme. I was thinking about some basic plotlines today, I think it might work out quite well. The mod is going to open up with you as a tourist in a new marine research facility.

<chuckles>

VOX: Perhaps you would like help with this mod idea? I would love to map an underwater complex.

Perhaps later, when I have the plans down for what I am mapping, I might give people who want to help a section. I still don't know about the facility having anything to do with research. It's just like every other mod...but underwater. Point is I want some complex that is underwater. It doesn't even have to be on earth, it could be in liquid hydrogen on jupiter or something.

it surely wont ever turn to horror.. assuming this is for HL1... It just wouldnt look right. If its for source I would be glad to help. HL1 mapping, yet is better, just doesnt feel right anymore. Feels slightly bloated to me.

Start drawing concepts for it and see where it gets you. Don't give up if you get bored of the map, just put it down for a few days and keep going later.

Sounds good, And yes do what ZL said. I would hate for you to loose complete intrest in it.

Ha, i'm losing interest in my mod already, so i'm taking a little break, doing other things to get my inspiration back.

GrimReafer:What do you mean by bloated?

I think he is reffering to the ammount of HL1 mods there are, leaving HL1 bloated with mods.

As for the complex itself, of course you dont want to make it a research station!

How about some kind of super new under water power plant that is being built and tested? Or a supply depo type place for other underwater bases. Or how about an evil underwater lair?

The first underwater fusion reactor. Great idea, thanks tycell! I'll put you in any credits.

Does this mean I can help map it aswell?

I have a really nice part layed out in my head;

Overhead speakers: "Warning, reactor status; critical. All personell you have six minuets to reach minimum safe distance."

With pipes exploding, the whole base shaking, electricity going everywhere and the player making a b line for the escape pods.

I was thinking more of a science fiction setting, although something like that could happen on a smaller scale, like racing to get to another part of the complex, and losing integrity of a small area.

try to come up with somthing more orignal than Teleporter Technology opening a portal to an alien dimension.

...that's what my mod is about.

be sure to refine the idea very well before doing anyhting serious.

its only bad to reuse an Idea if your reusing an idea that was well done. I personally love people who find great plot lines in games that just didn't live up to the plot. and there of plenty of games like that.

eg: you wouldn't redo systems shock 2, but redoing doom 3 so it accually is a good game would be nice.