Semi-Sphere Created 17 years ago2006-12-06 17:35:06 UTC by Tycell

http://www.websamba.com/tycell/Semi_Sphere10017.jpg

http://www.websamba.com/tycell/Semi_Sphere10018.jpg

http://www.websamba.com/tycell/Semi_Sphere10020.jpg

Semi-Sphere. Comming soon.

Looks pretty bad. Large, open, un-detailed areas with boring texturing.

The texture scale needs to be large for those huge areas...More interesting lighting with a variety of colours and we'll see how it looks from then.

gotta agree with ZL. sorry

interesting architecture, i guess

I'm guessing this is a single map? (Rather than a series)

Can you give us insight into its plot (if it's single player (judging by the strider)), some game play elements, or perhaps some architectural ideas?

The basic idea of the map looks like it has potential.

I have to agree with the others. It looks like you are trying a new kind of mapping style but it doesn't seem to be working for you. And of course, its extremely bland. NEEDS MOAR LAZORS! SP or MP? If its MP then its got killbox-esque potential, which doesn't say much nowadays, but if its SP then... well what are you actually going to have the player do? Fight in a dome?

Ok. I am aware it is a big empty box. And its not finished yet.

Here is the idea behind Semi-Sphere:

Before every match (yes, multiple levels) the Semi-Sphere is altered and everything you see covered in the white metal plates is changed into an Arena. This could be desert, jungle, alien, barren, mountain, urban or a mix. The player is then let into the arena (player being Freeman, this is SP).

The player can enter the arena is various spots around the edges or from a lift in the center. Or they can be teleported and even air dropped into the Arena to get to a specific area. Once the player is in the Arena that Arena's mission objective will be explained. It can be explained through the booming commentator voice which fills the stadium or it can be explained by allies which the player will be working with.

The idea is then that the player must attack or defend against waves of enemies. These can either be combine, zombie, antlion or whatever. The match is over either when the mission objective(s) are complete. The player is taken from the arena and put back into his cell to wait for the next Arena to be organised.

Its basically like a Combine version of the Roman Collesium.

Dont worry, this wont be a kill bowl. Combat will be tactical. You have to think before you act, act before you die and never underestimate what the Semi-Sphere is going to throw at you next.

More updated screenies comming soon.

Looks like HL1...

Its a WIP.

And trust me its in source.

Update:

Currently I am working (in text box maps, no screenies :P) on the Airlock like system that will allow the two large doors into the arena to work. Currently the airlocks work as such;

-Monsters being added to the arena spawn inside the airlock.
-Airlock door opens.
-Monsters come out (important monsters, such a striders, may get scripts for this to speed things up).
-Airlock is then purged (this basically means everything inside; dead, alive or inaminate gets thrown out, quite litereally).
-Airlock door shuts.

As you can imagine, the "purging" system could be quite fun to watch. Pin a set of enemies down in the airlock, or send a few of your own team members in and Whoops - out you go at 300 I/s.

I have to tell you, watching it go to work on stiders is funny, they look like they are rollerscating and fly out half way accross the map. As you can tell I havn't quite worked out all the bugs yet (rollerscating striders will not feature in the final version :P).

I like the idea, but I don't like the airlock thing.. Why not have like a simple gate with some enemies behind it which opens at start and closes when all enemies are out.
The enemies could rush out of the gate using ai_assault or scripts.
I mean, it would be cool if you had a gate opening and loads of fast zombies assaulted towards you.

Err... that is what the Airlock does.

Anyway, I have updated the airlock to a simple basis now. Two doors.
The huge doors, when they close, litereally force anything left behind to be pushed out (weapons and items wise anyway). The doors have an energy feild at the bottom which means they dont push out bodies, rather the bodies are cleared away once the doors are shut.

Anyway, the reason the Airlock doors have to be so big is because they are mainly used for stiders. They also play a key role in missions in Arena maps (get from gate 1 to gate 2).

Ok. The "Gates" are nearly completed. As it stands each "gate" could bring in 4 stiders and 3-4 waves of enemies (possibly 8 if I push it).

Of course this is not the only place enemies can spawn from. There are ways into the Semi-Sphere from all around the edges. Gunships and Attack Choppers can be brought in from above out of sight (though they cannot leave the Semi-Sphere area). There will also be a lift in the center of the map , this is usually where "defence" teams are brought into their centeral forts in the middle.

And of course, there are always teleporters, though I doubt I will be using those much (seems a bit much just to get one unit into an Arena, but its still a possiblility).

Update: Dont worry, the project still continues. Though I have scrapped the old "arena" shape and implamented a new one. The name "Semi-Sphere" still applies though (as you will find out on the last level or two).

I have everything that I need to actually finish the Arena shell now (including all the air locks and such. The main "gates" are done, I just need to put them back together and copy + paste them back into the map.

No screenies to show as of yet (its all in peices). As soon as I have the Gates constructed I will show them in action.

So far the gate testing is going pretty well. When the gates open a combine shield is in place that only allows the units comming out of the airlock to pass. In this way the player + co, ant lions and zombies cant wonder into the air locks and bugger them up (that was my main concern really).

Stay tuned.