40K Source

Hey, first I'd like to present myself; TarGET, only recently member of the forum, yet daily follower since... well, I can't remember since when. I now how to use Hammer editor, and am really interested in contributing to this mod for two reasons. 1. I love Warhammer 40K, and 2. I love HL2. Anyway, my greatest problem in mapping is ideas. Yes, it's true. Not entities, not sounds, but ideas. Don't worry, I'm not going to steal your code, or your ideas, I'd just like to post some maps on the forum that anyone is free to use & download. That's all, see ya real soon!
EDIT: I may have forgotten to add: I am capable of making ugly forest-like natural environements with water and all, but I'm so much better at making enclosed spaces such as Space Hulk maps, or sewers. Basically, anything without a sky.

Well theres your answer, Space Hulks, imperial Ships or how about a Hive map, based in a hive city. That would allow you to do things like streets and buildings all the while with a roof of steel over your head.

heres a good example of a hive from outside:
http://www.malleus.dk/Ordo/Scintilla/Sibellus.aspx

Oviously far too big to create in its entirity, but some small parts of it would make a good map.

Always remembering the following:
Needs access for all tyranid creatures (the fex is big, he needs special access).
Its an objective based game (so areas have to be captured/defended, stuff blown up, that kind of thing).

Appart from that, the rest is your call. If you need more ideas i could probably sketch out something, but generally blade runner with a roof would be the concept

Right, thanks^^. I don't think I'll be needing sketches, but thanks anyway. I'll probably be posting some screens shortly ;).
PS: The fact that I was answered was really a relief, I was kinda saying to myself; Jesus, I hope the mod aint dead, Jesus I hope the mod aint dead...

Nah were not dead, Chromeangel is just renovating a house which is a somewhat time-consuming business while working at his job. Thus he has no time to actually work on Ex, So everyone is on holiday mostly and i just wander about turning the lights on and off to make it look like people are actually in.


Without Chromeangel the mod cannot progress as he is the lead coder and has all the source code files, and currently no internet thanks to that house renovation.

i was wondering, Do spacemarines/Imperial Guards/Simple Civilian Cities have zoos? as in a planet/base that holds creatures for studies and experiments that live in habitats? you got give that concept a try... it would have little openings into the sky, foilage, etc etc. just an idea i pulled out of my brain.

Zoos...yeah, why not? But first I think I'll concentrate on the Space Hulk/ Spaceship type map. Then move on to zoos. With foliage and all the rest.

Farseer has Gained Good Karma! +10 xp

Hey! Sorry, I have'nt posted yet, I'm discovering the map dev kit. Oh, that and I haven't had much time. But now that I'm back, I'll get working on how to get the dev kit to work. Than, I promise I'll get you guys screens.
EDIT: Ive got a problem, guys. When I've configured SDK, I launch it and try to make my map. Sadly, it gives me an error message in which it says that Gameinfo.txt does not exist. What to do?

http://manual.40ksource.com/index.php5?title=Map_Development_Kit

Use that link to correctly configure your Hammer editor, it needs to be told where everything is otherwise it wont work right.

Yes, I've done that, but it still can't find the file... Anyways, I'll soon be changing my pc, so I'll have to wait until then.

Hey Target I might have a solution to what you're problem is, look to this URL http://www.40ksource.com/forum/index.php?topic=980.0

Also, I like the idea that you are mapping for exterminatus its pretty awesome mod right?
I have some ideas for you to try out and map out also!

1.Make a city map, you start out with the space marines first, they march into a plain open area like a town square then move on, OR they can get ambushed and have to defend there position. Next make a tunnel system, the tyranids have the advantage there, don't make it like a maze where it imposible to get out of (sometimes :D) just make a few tunnels leading to a man hole or some thing like that, or you can make it lead to a tyranid base then the space marines have to destroy the nid's base, or you can plant a bomb there and run back to the Thunder Hawk in a small amount of time, but while running back to the Thunder Hawk make a blockcade in the tunnels and they have to go around them, like back to that man hole part I said, then make them run down a street then into the Thunder Hawk, case closed.

2. As possible as it is to make a drop pod and then let it land to the ground, make a drop off map. The marines jump then land safely into water or some thing soft that it can with stand the weight. (May seem stupid, but hey its an idea) Then they walk across some fields (not ginormous fields but make them big) and face the tyranids, they push on into there hive and destroy it, then they go back to the Thunder Hawk, they get a call from command and they say there is another nest/lair/hive or whatever, they run to the nest then realize its not just a nest, its a colony! they run  back to the Thunder Hawk or take a land raider and get out before a bombing run starts up.

3. The underground city, any Get A Life players here? remember the old church and then go into the catacombs? where the rock crusher part is and that one weird guy who creeps me out? anyway, make a underground city where the marines stroll into, but don't just make them walk into a nest, make some traps like a fall trap or a spikes trap, crushing parts, rock slide, etc. then they jump right into a nest of tyranids (make the floor fall then they jump into it XD) destroy the nest and get the fu** out of there before the whole city falls apart from above and under you!

I hope these ideas help yer out target on you're mapping tours, here's a tip that works for me, Its easier to get help and ideas from people than learning from you're self and thinking of ideas.
Goodluck mapping!  ;D       -cowz with gunz

Why thank you very much! I quite needed that link, and I'll try to get it to work after tomorrow. If it does, I'll get to work on that town idea, but I might just turn it into a factory with millions of enerators to blow up. I'll have to work on using a bomb; I don't think you can simply use a bomb like in Counter-Strike. But I'll work on that.
EDIT: The nid tunnel is a great, exellent idea! But the fex might have to go overground, 'cause it's just too big, and the tunnels aren't meant to be fields.

Agreed lad with the fex, maybe you could make some breakable areas where it is just big enough for the big guy to squeeze into. Or you can try creating some holes on the street and make the fex's spawn up there and drop down, scare the crap outta every one (heh heh). Maybe where the fex is gonna drop into make it like a small base/ out post underground or a little underground catacomb area.

Fex breaking through walls onto the marines is always a good way to get them scared, its a good idea to show the damageable wall sections somehow, i like the sparks and crack in the wall myself, as it allows sight into the space beyond for maximum fex-bursts-tho-wall pant wetting.

Right, back to placing tracer fire in the sky.

I'll be using the breaking wall in the map, thanks for th exellent idea!
Sadly for some reason all my SDK files suddenly got corrupted by the warp, so I'll be reinstalling it as soon as exams are done. That's this friday.
Anyone got any ideas about the town part? I've allready sketched out my tunnel layout, but still have no ideas for the town. Maybe some kind of a main plaza with and objective? Maybe a broken down tower (nice vantage point for the heavy marine)? Or should the town be a series of wide, open roads interconnecting with each other via a system of bridges and tunnels? Maybe anybody thinks that fighting in close quarters inside the houses is an exiting idea?
EDIT:Ooooh, tracer fire! Cool!
I'm also developping an idea; A fight to the bitter end between nids using a derelict space shuttle as  spawning grounds, and the Marines, who are to sweep and secure the area. It would go along these lines; the marines have a limited amount of time to attain the nid spawnpoints and deactivate them, then kill all the remaining xeno. Nice idea, or should the roles be inversed, or, or, or...

A main plaza would be pretty cool, but first things first. (I ain't commanding you to do this but here's my ideas) Take the marines and set them on the out skirts of town, like a slum or hoodlum part of town. When you're making the slum/ bad part of town area make some buildings that are broken down or have fire on them, make multiple sound areas like a warfare is going on. Second, make a bridge or heavy fortified area that the marines have to cross to get to the other side (why did the marine cross the road? to get to the other side, HUR HUR HUR.) If you're gonna make the bridge, make a couple places where the nid's can come around on the other side so they can flank the marines, not just a dead on assault cause if the marines have 3 heavy's.... If you are making the fortified area then make it an outpost where the marines can enable a spawn point there (or in the bridge area also). Make the outpost have fire around it and smoke, but heres the fun part, if you're an "EXTREME" mapper make the floor fall apart and here's part of the tunnels, now now I know what you're thinking this is the part where the marines get into the "lair" but not yet. Make a small maze of tunnels leading to a dead end, but the marines climb up this ladder and find them selves and a burning building, they have only a limited amount of time before the building falls apart on them and they all die ( If making the building fall apart is too hard, then don't do it, make the screen go black and say "The space marines have failed, restarting map) they have to get to the top of the building and cross by the roof tops then they find another building and go down it and enter the main plaza triggering another spawn point area. The plaza should be made up of some fashion stores, or food stores, think of you're typical outside mall area, what stores does it have, what kind of buildings or fountains does it have. After you map out the rest of the part of the plaza, then comes a building that is broken down and the marines have to go into its basement and there's is the tunnels. Or you can map the tunnel area part some where else like at the plaza.
Have fun mapping!

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l320/typheron/RS2-Exterminus/Mappage/city_block0000.jpg

*Gasp!* Did you build that for us?, thanks if you did :o !
But if you got it from a different map or something, poo on you :C   

its already built and just happened to fit your description, theres even a square in the middle of the map

da** I really though there wasn't one, but oh well, target can still work on it if he wants.  :'(  ???  >:(

Yeah, well they probably don't have tunnels. Or any of my other ideas that are kept until release of the map... ;)

Breaking News! Stop press! I've finally configured the mod and the SDK works! It's a marvelous wonder given to us by the Emperor! I can barely write for I shake with happiness! No, seriously, I just simply found a tut...http://www.editlife.net/tutorial.php?tutid=55. It's pretty useful for noobs like me and I hope that other users are encouraged to help this mod. I'm sorry I've been no use to you guys 'till now but it shall all change! I promise my free time will be dedicated to this mod, and my maps.

Your faith in the Emperor has blessed you!  Make your prayers of thanks at once!

Aside from that, I look forward to some awesome maps off of you!  ;D

Thats how I configured. the map help link I gave you a while ago target, but good job though.

Hey got a new one, but I think Ima map this one out.

Winter Train Factory, ex_Factory

I got this idea from reading some of the 40k table top games (you can find useful information and images in there for mapping!)  Basically the tyranids start outside where it is snowing, the space marines start across from them, but there's some pipes and rail road and other stuff separating them. The tranids push forward trying to kill the space marines, the marines fall back inside the building and kill some more of the tranids, they have to wait for the train to start up after that. Once the train is started up they escape on the train because they're s way too many tranids chasing them.

Nice! Sounds like a real tabletop mission!

I'm somewhat a fan of static defence and fortress warfare.  Coincidentally this is almost always the way the Imperium fights Tyranids on the ground when they have the luxury of choosing their battlefield.  So, how do you guys like the idea of an Imperial Bastion that the Ultramarines must defend and the Tyranids seek to breach?  You could have several points to most advantageously assault the rampart from, with different traits.  Such as a quick route, with the disadvantage of it being easily defended.  A long route with plenty of cover on the way, but the longer route means the more time for the Ultramarines to shoot, a secret path that can be discovered and leads into some kind of basement, etc.

-

Woah, I got so hyped that I went away and made a map and then came back to find this unfinished post!  Convenient eh?  :D

So, here is my very rudimentary Paint diagram and I shall explain it!  Hopefully it catches the attention of one of you glorious mappers!

(http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/Skrew_ball/EXmapsuggestion.jpg)
Bigger (http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/Skrew_ball/EXmapsuggestion.jpg)

Okay, first the basics!

Grey: Walls and inaccessible/impassible areas.
Light Grey: Ground floor accessible areas.
Dark Grey: Raised areas, presumably battlement defensive position.  Also stairs.
Dark green: Gates!
Light Green: Accessible areas.
Black: Bottomless pit of doom.
Brown: Ridges, mountains, any impassable terrain obstacles .
Blue Cross: Ultramarine spawn point.
Blue Dots: Just points showing where they would defend from on the battlements above.
Red Cross: Yeah, you got it, Tyranid spawn point.

Now on to the points!

A:  Ultramarine spawn point.  This could possible be a Thunderhawk landing pad or gateway leading from somewhere.  Anything plausible.  I personally like the landing pad idea.  Those grey walls you see around it don't necessarily have to be high walls, they can simply be stonecrete defensive barricades.  The point is, if the Space Marines are pushed back, that is their last stand point.  I'm not sure how the game mechanics work, but presumably if the Tyranids are within the spawn area for an extended duration of time they win.

B:  Front gate set into the wall.  I know that in hammer you can make breakable objects.  If the door were to be custom made it could be done so to withstand a certain amount of punishment before breaking.  Smaller defensive positions could be placed behind the gate, in the archway under the wall.  On top of the gate would be the fortifications where the brave Ultramarines would rain explosive bolts down upon the xenos foes besieging them.

C: Can you decipher those bizarre shapes? Stairs, aye, stairs.

D: Defensive position number two!  The battlement space would be considerably smaller, but offer a more advantageous firing position on any who seek to batter down the gate.  The gate could be made to endure less punishment than the main one for balancing issues.

E: The chamber that the second gate leads into.  This space could serve as a rallying point for Tyranids before they break through another gate which leads into the main fortress area.  Small fortifications, like barricades, could be placed around that gate to offer the Ultramarines another chance to repel the foul Xenos as they seek to infest the bastion proper.

F: This is where the close quarter, desperate combat kicks in.  That area of grey squiggles represents a destroyed area of the bastion, a maze of crumbling walls and easy ambush spots around each corner.  If the Tyranids fight their way through the ruins they will find themselves bereft of incoming fire from high up, as this gate has no battlement platform for the Ultramarines to fire from.

G: A simple terrain obstacle to distinguish between different assault routes, this could make a nice gorge of unfathomable proportions!

H:  At last, the spawning point of the ravenous Tyranids.  As this won't be an area that will see any fighting, as the Ultramarines have no purpose going there, it can be a simple work of aesthetic taste.  You know, that wonderful fauna the Tyranids tend to mutate.  It should lead clearly to the three paths however, unless you wish to keep the route that leads to E a secret to be discovered, in which case you would have to make the entrance to the route hidden.

Things to consider:
-Balance: If done wrong, this could swing horribly either way.  The fort can't be too easy to hold, or too easy to breach.  It has to be done so that victory hinges on player skill.
-Conditions of Victory: How does either side triumph?  Perhaps the Tyranids have to breach the spawning point of the Space Marines while they have to hold the fort for so long?
-Cover:  The placing of cover and fortifications is somewhat vital on this map.  Depending where you place it, it can swing the usability of the paths.  Will you put plenty of cover on the way to the main gate, or leave it with none and place it along the secret path?


So, sorry to bury you with those details!  What do you think?  Any takers?

That looks pretty decent, I haven't started yet because my computer has low graphics every time it wants to load up hammer so I haven't had time to work... Making ideas up here in the posts is easy for me, but then when I want to make em they just don't come to me :C

If you build it, they will come...

Have any of you been pirating my computer or my brain? I was building a "surprise" first map that looks almost identical to that bunker map! My own map, however, instead of your G, has a river. Oh, and the nids can break through the roof of the bunker as well as from the side. But thanks so much for that diagram!

rofl copters

Well you know what they say about great minds?  :D

Except, my map was meant to have a fortress, not a bunker.  I thought that a castle type structure would be more exciting and fit in with the Warhammer 40K theme.  

Ooh, I hereby celebrate my 100th post! I'm officially a Marine and my name is justified!  ;D

Cool I have been mapping all day and have got some results, they may not look good but I have been trying to match up.

We're all very eager to see your work, so by all means gift us with screen shots!

That way we can comment and constructively criticise as well!  :)

I was just realizing earlier when I tested it, it sucked, but its only on the first stage.
I need more room for the tyranids to move around, and some bigger tunnels so the fex can get inside the base and slaughter everyone once he jumps out of his hole. Ill give the ending away, the base blows up and everyone dies, no thunderhawk no harpy comming to save them they all DIE. And no I am not mad right now, it may seem like that but I ain't  ;D

*Edit* Ill make a new thread or post thingy once I have a bit more on it, won't be long, should get it good by this week, Monday---Friday. Hammers also being stupid, making move by brushes and objects while holding alt key when I am not holding it :C

That doesn't really offer any motivation for winning does it?  :(  Which means people won't play the map.

I mean, what is the point in fighting off the Tyranids if at the end you just die anyway?

I guess you're right (dang most of the time I agree with you!, I don't think I have a choice though, im a marine, you're a space marine.) maybe I might change it, it depends on what people think. I was gone most of the day though so I didn't have much time to work.

P.S. Hey do you guys know what Google sketch up is about? I was exploring it today and it got my interest.

You should be able to find everything here, it is a neat little program tbh - http://sketchup.google.com/

Also, I would suggest some kind of objective or goal with a reward.  Perhaps there is precious gene seed in the base that needs protecting and that is why the Ultramarines are seeking to defend it so desperately.  I am sure we can make writing appear on the screen when the objective is won, it could say something like 'The gene seed is safe, the Chapter's future is secured!'

Or something along those lines...

I have been exploring Google sketch up and it kinda confuses me, I really just want to know the purpose of it that's all.
I think I might cancel the map, its not that good and I have not really been able to work on it at all. Ill give you the .vmf and others but its really no use.

Badies:
(this ones for me) when ever I try to move a prop it does the holding alt key thing when I am not holding it.
The maps a little small, not very neet or detailed, since I've only had a few days to work on it.

!!!PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU ARE GOING TO FINISH THIS MAP OR POST IT ON THE EXTERMINATUS FORUM!!!

The .vmf                   http://www.filefront.com/15379391/ex_apocalypse_CarnageOnTheIce.vmf/