Thursday, 19 April 2012
Daylight Review - in Czech - Mangled by Google Translate
In Czech!
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Daylight je klasickým modem ze City 17, kde hráč svádí bitvy s rozličnými nepřáteli a řeší logické hádanky pomocí oblíbeného gravitygunu.
Zpočátku se potýkáte především s fyzikálními hádankami, později si vyzkoušíte své zbraně proti několika typům nepřátel. Sranda je především se zombíkama, na které můžete aplikovat za léta naučené postupy a fígle. Zápalné sudy nebo ozubené kotouče jsou již out, ale co takhle požární sekera v kombinaci s gravitygunem - že bychom získali tomahawk? Ale co když přijdou na scénu rychlé zombies nebo silní Zombines? Přesná střelba z revolveru na dálku nebo vytahování granátů z rukou ohnilců přijdou vhod. Když jste potom zavřeni v ohraničeném prostoru a přísun zombíků se zdá nekonečný, oceníte každou tlakovou láhev i patronu do brokovnice. Naštěstí všeho je kolem dostatek, včetně lékáren. Jiný styl pak musíte aplikovat na příslušníky Combine nebo nastražené kulomety a skákací miny. Některé je vhodné obejít, jiné zničit. Také je třeba dávat si pozor, aby vám přísavka na stropě neukousla hlavu.
Kromě soubojů je vhodné si promyslet postup, předtím než sepnete nějaký čudlík nebo páku. To platí především o podzemní ventilaci nebo zatopeném silu. Zvláště silo je povedenou záležitostí, kde se vám kromě běžných vojáků postaví do cesty i voda v kombinaci s elektřinou a zcela nahoře pak páni snipeři. A možná se dostaví i nějaký ten Hunter.
Z lokací jsou zastoupeny jak ty venkovní tak vnitřní. Namátkou: ulice města, nádražní seřadiště, vězeňský komplex nebo povedené silo. I když nejsou zpracovány nějak zázračně, vyhovují hernímu stylu, takže budete patrně spokojeni. Zbraní je dost, munice i lékáren také, není proto třeba se příliš obávat o své zdraví, pokud teda neuděláte nějakou botu a nevletíte např. do roztočeného větráku.
Modifikace Daylight není nikterak ambiciózním počinem, nicméně nehraje se vůbec špatně, prostředí je slušné a hlavně v závěru ukáže své kvality. Kdo má rád kombinaci hádanek založených na fyzice a střelbu do nepřátel, přijde si dozajista na své.
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Google Translate Mangled!
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Daylight is a classic modem from City 17, where the player brings the battle with various enemies and solve logic puzzles using your favorite gravitygunu.
Initially struggling primarily with physical puzzles, then try out their weapons against several types of enemies. Is especially fun to zombíkama on which you can apply for summer practices and learned tricks. Incendiary barrels or toothed wheels are already out, but what about fire ax in combination with gravitygunem - we got tomahawk? But what if they come on the scene fast zombies or strong Zombines? Accurate shooting a revolver at a distance or pulling out of hand grenades ohnilců come in handy. If you are then locked in a limited space and the supply seems endless zombies, you'll appreciate each cylinder and the shotgun cartridge. Luckily enough all around, including pharmacies. Another style then you must apply to members of the Combine or booby trap guns and jumping mines. Some should be passed, to destroy others. You also need to pay attention to you suction cup on the ceiling neukousla head.
In addition to battles is a good idea to think through the process before any button will switch on or lever. This is especially true for ventilation or flooded underground silo. Especially hilarious is the silo matter where you stand apart from ordinary soldiers in the way of water and electricity in combination with the very top and then the lords snipers. And maybe some will come and the Hunter.
The locations are represented by both the external and internal. At random: city streets, railroad yard, prison or precious silo complex. Even if not handled somehow miraculously they comply play style, so you'll probably be satisfied. Enough weapons, ammunition and pharmacy, there is no need to worry too much about your health, do not do So if a shoe and nevletíte eg spinning fan.
Modifications to Daylight is by no means ambitious achievement, but does not play at all badly, decent environment, and especially at the end indicates its quality. Who likes the combination of physics based puzzles and shooting the enemies, you will certainly come into their own.
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Many thanks to Pete66 for his review! I scored 70%!
Friday, 13 April 2012
More Let's Plays Of Daylight!
First up we have a fantastic Let's Play video in two parts from DrOcto!
He has a wonderful German accent and it's a genuinely funny video.
Part 1:
DrOcto makes a new friend called Paul and then kills him and loses him repeatedly....
Part 2:
DrOcto forgets about Paul completely and instead gets on with playing the mod.
Seems obsessed with gifts!
Next Up!
Bilaros sent through an almost completely cold playthrough of the mod. There's no commentary but what's really interesting is you can see his thought process as he approaches each puzzle. You can almost hear the cogs whirring away in his head and see the moment it clicks.
Fun to watch...
As a level designer it's fascinating to see how each player approaches each new situation. What are they drawn to, what misunderstandings occur. Do they understand what is important in that space etc...
Well worth a watch for level designers out there.
He has a wonderful German accent and it's a genuinely funny video.
Part 1:
DrOcto makes a new friend called Paul and then kills him and loses him repeatedly....
Part 2:
DrOcto forgets about Paul completely and instead gets on with playing the mod.
Seems obsessed with gifts!
Next Up!
Bilaros sent through an almost completely cold playthrough of the mod. There's no commentary but what's really interesting is you can see his thought process as he approaches each puzzle. You can almost hear the cogs whirring away in his head and see the moment it clicks.
Fun to watch...
As a level designer it's fascinating to see how each player approaches each new situation. What are they drawn to, what misunderstandings occur. Do they understand what is important in that space etc...
Well worth a watch for level designers out there.
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Vehicles and critical allies in HL2
I wanted to share my recent experiences of creating maps designed for the player to drive around in and things to consider when building vehicle based maps.
I've also been working with allied NPCs and critcal allies which can add their own frustrations to proceedings.
Critical Allies
When you introduce a buddy character to the player who must be protected or its game over, you change the nature of a first person shooter. The player has to keep an eye out for a second party. This can be used in a variety of ways that can enhance or destroy gameplay.
Pros:
1: The player no longer has to worry about running out of ammo, they can fall back on their buddies firepower if they need to. Anyone who had completed HL2: Episode One achievement "The One Free Bullet" will understand that it is totally possible to survive this way if you alter your playing style.
2:
Firefights become more dynamic if you set areas up correctly. For example, adding raised areas the NPC ally is happy to move to can give a real sense of teamwork and allow for some strategic thinking by the player.
3:
NPC allies are a great way of controlling the flow of play. Adding gates that only the NPC can open will allow you to control when the player can move forward and can solve many gating headaches. This is seen numerous times with Alyx and the Vortigon in Episodes 1 and 2. Often it allows time to pause, deliver some story or some form of reaction to the situation. All of this makes for a more pleasing game experience if used in the right measure.
4:
Buddy characters can also be used to make the player feel special. Alyx in HL2 repeatedly congratulates the player on being awsome as does the Vortigon. In fact, this mechanic is used so much that its a huge slap in the face when you meet Dr Magnusson at White Forest who does nothing but criticise.
Still, FPS gaming can be a lonely experience sometimes and its nice to have someone telling the player they're smart and skillful.
Cons:
1:
From a map design perspective critical allies can be a real headache. The player must never lose them, they have to be able to reach the player through the majority of the map (aside from areas designed to seperate them). Also, they should never be in a place of danger unless the player can help to defend them.
2:
The player can get frustrated waiting for the buddy to catch up.
Ive heard from players who spent the whole of HL2 trying to ditch Alyx. "she's always there again when the next section loads!" one player moaned "I hate her". Buddy gameplay isnt for everyone but you can certainly make it far more bareable by ensuring that when the player completes a loop in the map and they've left the buddy behind somewhere, that the buddy is right there ready and waiting for them to move forward. If the buddy is half a mile away, the player is going to get peeved, trust me.
3:
The buddy can get in the way. Always make sure your walkways etc.. are wide enough for the player and the buddy to move past each other. As anyone whose ever played Counterstrike will tell you, there's nothing more infuriating than someone camped right behind you, so that when you need to back up, you cant move. Death often follows!
Always give the NPC buddy lots of room to move around so that they can make the best of the "get out of the players way" logic they've been programmed with.
4:
They can reduce the challenge of a map. Because NPC allies often have huge health pools it can often make the game much easier. When it comes to combat, dont be afraid to up the numbers of bad guys as the npc buddy will seriously increase the players damage potential. Playtesting should help you find the right balance.
Thoughts on vehicles
Adding drivable vehicles to your map can add great variety to the gameplay but I've found you'll need to consider some things when designing you playing spaces.
Your map areas are probably going to need to be outdoors due to the large spaces required. This means that you'll need to learn how to make displacements and get good at making them. I have found that creating template sections of maps can be very helpful as these can be used to create various layouts which the mapper can then re-arrange at will. You'll need to create a straight, a sloped straight (to go uphill or downhill) and a 90 degree turn, at minimum. A 45 degree turn section can add a bit more variety and realism. Intersperse these template sections with larger areas with more interesting gameplay.
How do you make sure the player doesn't lose the car?
This is a bit of a tricky one. Where a car can go... people can walk... so how do you make sure that the player brings the car with them into a new section of the map where they are going to need it?
How do you make sure they dont end up stranded with no transport?
Well I've come up with several potential solutions...
1: add a jump that only the speeding car can clear
2: add a wall/gate that only the player can break through in the car
3: add an electrified floor
(not very realistic...)
4: add more cars. Add a spare car in each new section of the game.
5: build a route for the player to go back and get the car on foot...
I may employ one or more of these methods in Deep Down... we shall see!
I've also been working with allied NPCs and critcal allies which can add their own frustrations to proceedings.
Critical Allies
When you introduce a buddy character to the player who must be protected or its game over, you change the nature of a first person shooter. The player has to keep an eye out for a second party. This can be used in a variety of ways that can enhance or destroy gameplay.
Pros:
1: The player no longer has to worry about running out of ammo, they can fall back on their buddies firepower if they need to. Anyone who had completed HL2: Episode One achievement "The One Free Bullet" will understand that it is totally possible to survive this way if you alter your playing style.
2:
Firefights become more dynamic if you set areas up correctly. For example, adding raised areas the NPC ally is happy to move to can give a real sense of teamwork and allow for some strategic thinking by the player.
3:
NPC allies are a great way of controlling the flow of play. Adding gates that only the NPC can open will allow you to control when the player can move forward and can solve many gating headaches. This is seen numerous times with Alyx and the Vortigon in Episodes 1 and 2. Often it allows time to pause, deliver some story or some form of reaction to the situation. All of this makes for a more pleasing game experience if used in the right measure.
4:
Buddy characters can also be used to make the player feel special. Alyx in HL2 repeatedly congratulates the player on being awsome as does the Vortigon. In fact, this mechanic is used so much that its a huge slap in the face when you meet Dr Magnusson at White Forest who does nothing but criticise.
Still, FPS gaming can be a lonely experience sometimes and its nice to have someone telling the player they're smart and skillful.
Cons:
1:
From a map design perspective critical allies can be a real headache. The player must never lose them, they have to be able to reach the player through the majority of the map (aside from areas designed to seperate them). Also, they should never be in a place of danger unless the player can help to defend them.
2:
The player can get frustrated waiting for the buddy to catch up.
Ive heard from players who spent the whole of HL2 trying to ditch Alyx. "she's always there again when the next section loads!" one player moaned "I hate her". Buddy gameplay isnt for everyone but you can certainly make it far more bareable by ensuring that when the player completes a loop in the map and they've left the buddy behind somewhere, that the buddy is right there ready and waiting for them to move forward. If the buddy is half a mile away, the player is going to get peeved, trust me.
3:
The buddy can get in the way. Always make sure your walkways etc.. are wide enough for the player and the buddy to move past each other. As anyone whose ever played Counterstrike will tell you, there's nothing more infuriating than someone camped right behind you, so that when you need to back up, you cant move. Death often follows!
Always give the NPC buddy lots of room to move around so that they can make the best of the "get out of the players way" logic they've been programmed with.
4:
They can reduce the challenge of a map. Because NPC allies often have huge health pools it can often make the game much easier. When it comes to combat, dont be afraid to up the numbers of bad guys as the npc buddy will seriously increase the players damage potential. Playtesting should help you find the right balance.
Thoughts on vehicles
Adding drivable vehicles to your map can add great variety to the gameplay but I've found you'll need to consider some things when designing you playing spaces.
Your map areas are probably going to need to be outdoors due to the large spaces required. This means that you'll need to learn how to make displacements and get good at making them. I have found that creating template sections of maps can be very helpful as these can be used to create various layouts which the mapper can then re-arrange at will. You'll need to create a straight, a sloped straight (to go uphill or downhill) and a 90 degree turn, at minimum. A 45 degree turn section can add a bit more variety and realism. Intersperse these template sections with larger areas with more interesting gameplay.
How do you make sure the player doesn't lose the car?
This is a bit of a tricky one. Where a car can go... people can walk... so how do you make sure that the player brings the car with them into a new section of the map where they are going to need it?
How do you make sure they dont end up stranded with no transport?
Well I've come up with several potential solutions...
1: add a jump that only the speeding car can clear
2: add a wall/gate that only the player can break through in the car
3: add an electrified floor
(not very realistic...)
4: add more cars. Add a spare car in each new section of the game.
5: build a route for the player to go back and get the car on foot...
I may employ one or more of these methods in Deep Down... we shall see!
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Allowing the player to play... more...
Hi...
A while back I added a post about some prefabs I had created that I added to my map pack Daylight. They didn't have a huge amount of purpose but were added as oddities that the player could interact with and simply made the player experiences a little more fulfilling (or at least that was my intention).
Continuing this theme I think it's really important to make as much as possible in a map, a game for the player. So what do I mean by that?
Consider a standard item pickup. You can add an item anywhere in a level and the player simply has to walk over to it in order to obtain it. Not much fun really.
Why not add a little challenge? Place the item inside something, behind a pane of glass or a fence or something that requires the player to just go that extra step in order to obtain it.
This kind of mini-game challenge is great in an area that has no bad guys in it. The player can take their time and simply enjoy playing with the mini challenge you have set them. These mini puzzles don't have to be complex at all. Just fun...
The best examples of these are the weapon cache items in HL2 Episode 2. Each cache had a mini puzzle or challenge associated to it, short, simple and fun.
Next time you want to add a pick up, think about how you could make it just a little less simple for them. It will add greater playing time to your map and the player will feel that they received a far more detailed experience.
Jim
A while back I added a post about some prefabs I had created that I added to my map pack Daylight. They didn't have a huge amount of purpose but were added as oddities that the player could interact with and simply made the player experiences a little more fulfilling (or at least that was my intention).
Continuing this theme I think it's really important to make as much as possible in a map, a game for the player. So what do I mean by that?
Consider a standard item pickup. You can add an item anywhere in a level and the player simply has to walk over to it in order to obtain it. Not much fun really.
Why not add a little challenge? Place the item inside something, behind a pane of glass or a fence or something that requires the player to just go that extra step in order to obtain it.
This kind of mini-game challenge is great in an area that has no bad guys in it. The player can take their time and simply enjoy playing with the mini challenge you have set them. These mini puzzles don't have to be complex at all. Just fun...
The best examples of these are the weapon cache items in HL2 Episode 2. Each cache had a mini puzzle or challenge associated to it, short, simple and fun.
Next time you want to add a pick up, think about how you could make it just a little less simple for them. It will add greater playing time to your map and the player will feel that they received a far more detailed experience.
Jim
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Half Life 2: Deep Down Playable Level
You!
Yes YOU!!!!
You have come to my blog... and as you have visited I shall give you a free gift.
An early preview of Half Life 2: Deep Down, a chapter entitled, "Into The Mines...".
You'll need HL2 Episode 2 installed to play it.
I hope you enjoy it and I hope it gives you enough reasons to be excited by this project. Personally, I'm having a whale of a time building it...
Don't forget you can find more dev work over at http://www.moddb.com/mods/half-life-2-deep-down
Here's the link to the download.
Yes YOU!!!!
You have come to my blog... and as you have visited I shall give you a free gift.
An early preview of Half Life 2: Deep Down, a chapter entitled, "Into The Mines...".
You'll need HL2 Episode 2 installed to play it.
I hope you enjoy it and I hope it gives you enough reasons to be excited by this project. Personally, I'm having a whale of a time building it...
Don't forget you can find more dev work over at http://www.moddb.com/mods/half-life-2-deep-down
Here's the link to the download.
ModDB makes baby Jesus cry...
I've been trawling through ModDB recently, reading blogs, reviews, concepts and checking out every HL2 mod in the works on that site. There are some stunning examples of truely innovative gameplay and fanstastic maps but there is also a huge abundance of awfulness (as you would expect). For every mod that shows potential there are about five that have nothing going for them at all and even if they ever reached release (which they wont) would be bland as hell.
The ones that really get my blood up though are the mods that have an amazing gameplay demo video on the site, but they have not released any playable content after a huge amount of development time.
The old rule "release early, release often" holds true for games as much as any other software product. Initial betas of counterstrike were playable, but clunky. Still the team knew they had something fun that people wanted to play. Thats all you need! The community stuck with them because it was always fun to play.
Many mod teams have an unhealthy obsession with perfection or that someone will steal their ideas. They should probably realise that if your attepting perfection, you wont reach it and... trust me.. your ideas probably are not that original and it's doubtful there are lots of people out there just waiting to steal your mod content. If you feel your idea is original, its probably not that good. There are very few original good ideas around. You are not going to re-invent gaming as we know it and at the end of the day, its just a feckin computer game.
It's also very unlikely that your amazing mod, when finally released, will get you hired by a games company. Its far more likely that, by releasing actual playable content iteratively and regularly, you'll learn a lot more through player feedback and become a better game maker thus making you far more hireable. You'll also have a much higher profile out there if people are playing your stuff.
A strange confusion around the difference between a story and a game also seems to exist. I've seen so many mod pages or blog posts where people say, "we've almost got the story finished so we can start building soon".
Story means feck all when building games. Its a veneer painted over gameplay to make the whole thing more pallettable. It's a delivery package for gameplay but it should always come secondary to gameplay.
Finally I don't understand why weapon models seem to be the first thing that mod teams focus on. Its almost always the first sneek peek you get of any mod, most of which dont make it. There must be a humungous arsenal of weaponry out there that never saw the light of day...
The ones that really get my blood up though are the mods that have an amazing gameplay demo video on the site, but they have not released any playable content after a huge amount of development time.
The old rule "release early, release often" holds true for games as much as any other software product. Initial betas of counterstrike were playable, but clunky. Still the team knew they had something fun that people wanted to play. Thats all you need! The community stuck with them because it was always fun to play.
Many mod teams have an unhealthy obsession with perfection or that someone will steal their ideas. They should probably realise that if your attepting perfection, you wont reach it and... trust me.. your ideas probably are not that original and it's doubtful there are lots of people out there just waiting to steal your mod content. If you feel your idea is original, its probably not that good. There are very few original good ideas around. You are not going to re-invent gaming as we know it and at the end of the day, its just a feckin computer game.
It's also very unlikely that your amazing mod, when finally released, will get you hired by a games company. Its far more likely that, by releasing actual playable content iteratively and regularly, you'll learn a lot more through player feedback and become a better game maker thus making you far more hireable. You'll also have a much higher profile out there if people are playing your stuff.
A strange confusion around the difference between a story and a game also seems to exist. I've seen so many mod pages or blog posts where people say, "we've almost got the story finished so we can start building soon".
Story means feck all when building games. Its a veneer painted over gameplay to make the whole thing more pallettable. It's a delivery package for gameplay but it should always come secondary to gameplay.
Finally I don't understand why weapon models seem to be the first thing that mod teams focus on. Its almost always the first sneek peek you get of any mod, most of which dont make it. There must be a humungous arsenal of weaponry out there that never saw the light of day...
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