Map suggestions

[TarGET]

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.

[Typheron]

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

[TarGET]

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...

[Typheron]

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.

[Farseer]

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.

[TarGET]

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]

Farseer has Gained Good Karma! +10 xp

[TarGET]

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?

[Typheron]

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.

[TarGET]

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.

[cowz with gunz]

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 ) 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!         -cowz with gunz

[TarGET]

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.

[cowz with gunz]

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.

[Typheron]

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.

[TarGET]

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...