An idea I can't execute.

[DaddyPain]

I have an idea that I am unable to execute. I am brand new (yesterday) to modding but love Half-Life 2 and all of its' derivatives. Ok - idea: An island just slightly smaller than the confines of a single box (1024 x 1024???) containing a tall mountain peak - Matterhorn style. A train track circles up the mountain and then back down, crossing over itself, passing through tunnels and over gaping chasms. The train track is a loop and the train runs the loop for infinity - providing a great setting for a deathmatch. All train cars have roofs to run on and open compartments so that you can have a shootout going on on the roof and inside the train at the same time. If you are blown or fall from the train, no problem - just run to one of three or four boarding points (above tunnels - jump down on train, high hill sides, maybe a passenger loading dock/train station, water tower...). So - deathmatch on train, team oriented - maybe have capture points that must be held. Map options include rain, night time, snow storm, fog... My head will explode if someone doesn't run with this idea.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Awesome idea, Pain.
Oh and don't mind Note 2 self, he's afraid of change.
EDIT: Too bad I can't map.

 

[Yorick]

afraid of change? wtf? he made up the concept of a map great who hasnt? he duznt even kno about modding. good luck getting some1 to use this idea.

At least he can spell and form sentences.

I like the idea. It could be really cool if done well. You probably won't find anyone who will make it for you though.

 

[ehudyoda]

Nothing like fresh ideas

Sounds gr8 keep up the brainstorming
(even if u cant map it)

 

[MorganFreeman911]

By the way, NoteTwoSelf, why is it a bad idea?

I think that it's a great idea and would work well, but the problems include:

Size Of Map Limitations
He can't map
Physics objects interacting with the train may be annoying
The tracks
The scripting

 

[Stigmata]

Although, to be fair, there are intrinsic problems with any theme map of this sort.

Hopefully you can dedicate yourself to Hammer for a few months and get your skill up, because it sounds like a really cool map idea.

 

[Dodo]

It's possible, but a **** load of work : /. But go for it anyway.

-dodo

 

[DaddyPain]

First of all, thank you all for the feedback. I appreciate your ideas and interest. I did some homework last night and found a train prefab I could use, did a mapping course on making mountains and found a script for making the train "go". Baby steps. This is all new to me and I feel learning-disabled. I hate playing catch up but I will keep plugging away. I will obviously give credit to any and all mappers, skinners, coders, etc that I borrow from. I don't care about any credit... I just want to play the darn game.

That's it for now. I will learn more tonight.

Take care all.

Daddy.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Please never use "Daddy" at the end of your post ever. It's kinda... Creepy.

 

[Vegeta897]

You need to make something to stop/discourage people from just fighting while not on the train. It's a lot easier to just be on the ground and shoot eachother than to go on some crazy train and run around looking for someone else on the train to kill.

This is the only problem I see.

 

[DaddyPain]

RE: An idea I can't execute. - Not fighting on train.

My idea would be to have flags or check points along the rail line. A two way lever would be in the engine room at the front of the train. Each team would have a direction that the lever must be facing in order to score points. The train would go in one direction or the other depending opn the direction of the lever. A team would have to hold the train in the same direction for ... say... four checkpoints in order to score a "win" and reset the map. So, it would be vital to remain on the train or get back on as soon as possible in order to remain in control of your team's direction of motion.

Make any sense?

DaddyPain

 

[Ennui]

Hammer gets much easier to use as you practice. This map is tricky and I probably wouldn't attempt it, but if you're willing to put a lot of time and work into it, it can be done.

 

[Mutley]

I imagine fighting on a Disney ride, like Splash Mountain (except without the gay musical) sounds awesome.

 

[Yorick]

Hammer's a challenging editor in itself, yeah.

Sidenote: Ennui your sig doesn't work, you need the www for the ZM site.

 

[Freebound]

I've tried something similar in the past.

I don't know the technicals behind it, but the player lags when they are on top of a moving object. I've seen mappers slow down the func_traintracks to a point where the lag is unnoticeable, but you probably want high speed action trains.

It's a nice idea, pity the source engine won't let you do it.

 

[simon]

In Off Limits when you walk on a car and someone drives away with it you can barely keep standing on it for longer then 2 or 3 seconds. The physics in engine wont let you do the idea you have, so just forget it (even though it would be cool in a western mod or something or golden eye source). The only way you could cheat this is by adding invisible railings into the trains collision model, but that wouldn't really be cool now would it?

 

[Asuka]

Amazing idea. And i hope it gets executed.

 

[DaddyPain]

RE: An idea I can't execute - Walking on train

I noticed the "Civil Protection" video on YouTube called "Rails" I believe. During the movie, one of the characters jumps on a train and "train surfs". Also, during the first city sequence in Half Life 2, you spend a brief amount of time on a train. I am probably too ignorant about Hammer to know the train walking idea is impossible. The good thing is that I am also pretty hard-headed. It will take me ages to try and pull this off but I think I have to try. My brother-in-law worked on the game engine for IL-2 Sturmevik (?). I may have to hit him up on the programming side.

Anyway, thank you all for the continued input. I appreciate it all, even the nay-sayers. Thank you.

DaddyPain

 

[JFry]

In single-player it's easy enough to do, the problem comes in multiplayer. For it to work and look smooth the train and all the players on it have to be in very close sync, latency-wise. When one player is lagging even a little bit (as nearly everyone will), the engine will try to compensate and put that player back where he belongs. This is what results in the jerkiness you experience when on a train in multiplayer. Slowing the train down will sort of increase this buffer you get before your train starts "skipping", but even this isn't a true solution.

 

[Acepilotf14]

You know whats cool? Standing on an AT-AT or AT-ET in SW: BF 2.
It doesnt die.