Sweet! Cant wait to test it for ya

*2 new screens added to first post.

*added 3 new areas: 2 core areas(screen 3) and 1 node area(screen 2). the node link will be core-node-core and a countdown node.

*map is currently at around 28mb, and heavily static mesh based, hopefully I can keep the filesize under 40mb and still have a bit of custom stuff.

alpha 1 download added to first post.... its like 12 mb......wtf

This is really turning out to be a sweet ass map! I've found some bugs but I'm sure they will be worked out because it is Alpha after all. I will post screen shots when the map is more towards beta stages if I find anymore when you release a later version. Great work bro!!!! this would be a pretty good 3-6 man BTA map too :)

thanks noot... yeah at this point I'm not totally concerned about most of the bugs. Many parts of the map may change and I'm focusing on layout and game flow right now, and making a good container city environment. Do you have any suggestions on improvement of the layout? 1 thing I definetly have planned is to make the core areas a little bigger. Right now I think they are a bit tight. I am undecided on including the orb but if I decide to the core areas as they are now have no extra space for an orb spawner.

I would prefer to keep this as a war/ons/whatever map. I prefer objective based gameplay over run around and kill

wow, I posted on the Brink forums that I was making a UT3 map based on Brink and the lead designer of the game complimented it:

forums.bethsoft.com/index.php

game devs that are actually active in their community, something Epic is too big for....

Cool. That's refreshing!

next version I may bump it up to beta 1 version and it will be multiplayer ready. The drawback is that the more work I do on it, the bigger the filesize. Its already pretty detailed but I guess I'm going to go for so much detail its disgusting Projected filesize will still be under 50mb.

ETA for Beta1: 1-1.5 weeks since my nazi boss is still making work mucho overtime

4/27/10:

* added blocking volumes around perimeter of map

* added core damage from countdown node kismet

* added 2 new hallways/areas

* more detail

* started adding pickups

* more bot pathing

Pacer: do you have any objections to me modding the bio grenade launcher for this map? I plan on making a separate grenade launcher, separate .u, which wont effect ONS2. My plan is to make the grenades explode without the goo shower with a bumped up damage radius. Yes I am looking to go a bit more COD with the gameplay.. but still totally UT that is

grande burrito

Sounds cool. Feel free to mod anything you want... that's why I provide source code at http://code.ut3gow.com.

I should have beta1 out today No modded grenade launcher yet though, I couldnt get it working correctly and have been limited on time. I did put speedboots in.

beta1 download link in first post

a note for Dakilla and Noot: I remember you guys saying you had issues with the speedboots pickup, I was unable to place this pickup in The Ark for some reason but found success with this method: place the speedyboots.u in the published/script directory and copy/paste the actual pickup from this map into yours. You may have to open speedyboots.u in the generic browser prior to pasting the actual pickup in your map. I really have no idea why you have to do it this way?

also, S_Container_01.upk is an uncooked package, if you wanted to use anything from it feel free. Many of the materials in that package are just stock materials that I changed the color on if you wanted to see how to do that.

beta 2 up in first post. Noot, can you fix the screen shot sizes like you do in other posts? thanks brah

pics fixed

man i can't wait to play this sucker! my bloods itchin' for some UT! hopefully i'll have my rig running again by this weekend..

thanks killa... wow that psu it taking quite awhile, are you making the chips yerself?

n Si(CH₃)₂Cl₂ + n H₂O → [Si(CH₃)₂O]_n + 2n HCl

Nice map, first time I got to play it, it's up on the server. The (Prime) node needs to be looked at in the mini map, it showed up as being off the screen! -on the server in Instant action it's fine. The countdown is very easy to get to! Might I suggest that you reverse the two? The Blue canopy hangs down really low, so low I can't get threw while on the HB to get the spider-mines (ONS) also there is no warp nodes, at least in ONS I can use the nodes themselves :) The textures could use some lightening up to make the area less dark, but that's up to y'all. I used Cache Cleaner to play this map in Instant action and the textures are alot different? Humm I've played this map now several times on the server and the textures have changed on it too??? Madness fans will enjoy the high ceiling and there is a glitch that lets you walk on the roof!! Maybe that will be fixed? Some of the blocks are a little annoying around the prime too, slowing you down as you try to get to the node, but I guess that was the point?

Overall I'm really excited to play this map with more people. I think it will be another winner.

There's some missing blocking volumes around the prime node. The countdown does 40 damage... not sure how that will play out but it certainly makes it the focal point. The lift makes for some really fun action in the air around center. The core placement leads to ring-around-the-rosey when you're one-on-one.

We found your little sniper hideouts you bastard!

I hit that blue canopy a few times too while on the hoverboard but I figure it is just one of those things you need to learn... go into a duck or dismount before you get to it.

thanks for the comments. To address the things you mentioned:

1. I want the countdown to be easy to get to. It does 40 damage because I wanted rounds not to last as long as other maps where the countdown does 20 damage (Floodgate).

2. I will adjust any blue canopies that are too big and look for other hanging items that hinder movement.

3. a screenshot of where you got out of the map (on roof?) would help me out a ton. It takes awhile to manually go through every blocking volume to find the hole. I would find it faster if I was shown where :)

4. The blocks (barricades, barrels?) as philip mentioned are intended to make gameplay more duck-cover-shoot rather than just running around.

5. sniper spots, who, me? There are tons of places to snipe from, just about anywhere in the outside countdown area

6. I havent seen the map online yet so I havent experienced any texture or minimap bugs yet but will look for them. Maybe the map got glitched from using cache converter? The map is uncooked so maybe that causes problems? ~ I'm just guessing here

7. the only player starts in the map are at the cores. I figured that its a small enough map that node teleporting wasnt totally necessary. I could change that though if you guys think it will play better?

I'm glad you guys like it, that makes it worth working on

Where are the holes? OMG there are so many! My suggestion to find them would be to load instant action and type "fly" then fly around and see where they all are, I thought that it would be simple enough to find a few, but the whole center (after the core area) seems completely unprotected, also there are spots in the core area, the blue awning in the center is the only place that has hindered me while on the HB but it's not really a big deal, if you are trying for a duck and cover. I'm more of a full out rush, rather than a duck and cover, kinda guy. 40 hp to the core seems like a lot to me as well, but again it's your map. While I was floating around I noticed that my bots were unable to attack the core, they stood at the core switching weapons but not attacking? Try "god" mode to watch and not get wasted in the process.

I did some minor testing with these guys and I had the same problem with the mini-map. The map itself is awesome besides the countdown at 40 I think is to excessive, Here are some screnshots of a few things I found so far and the minimap thingy

There is no collision on any of the pillars in the map that llook like these ones

umm noot your screenshots clickers are borken, they are Top and bottom to click and see the pics in full size, BTW how did you do those anyway?
not make them, add and link them.

http://ut3gow.com/sites/default/files/image/Screenshots/Ark/ark2.JPG
http://ut3gow.com/sites/default/files/image/Screenshots/Ark/ark1.JPG

Sorry about those links :P I was stoopid high last night but they are fixed now. Phillip I'll show you how to post those when we are vent together. Its easier to explain in over the mic then typing it. Remind me though next time you see me

thanks guys... I found the problem with the minimap. In world properties the node links got messed up somehow, only 1 core was linked.

As for being able to get on the roof of the map or out of the map:

The center area is completely unprotected? I have blocking volumes around the whole perimeter of the play area with proper collision set(red):

that is how I have it in all areas of the map. I tried doing "fly" in instant action and couldnt find any holes in the blocking volumes. How exactly did you get out of the map? Anything inside of those red blocking volumes is intended as play area. *note, this map is not intended for Madness or other mutators that make a player fly or allows players to get high above the map. *note2: I did intentionally make it so you can get up on the roofs of some of the stacked containers, like where the invisibility pickup is for example.

What would be some suggestions for the countdown damage? My idea behind why I made it 40 damage is that it is incredibly easy and fast to get to the countdown node from just about anywhere so I'm assuming node capping with the orb would be going back and forth quite a bit, similar to Floodgate. Many times in floodgate I have seen teams somewhat ignore the floodgate node in favor of going prime/center/prime. Why, because 20 damage to the core isnt much to worry about if your team is quick enough to take control of the regular nodes in the map. In The Ark I want the countdown and the center node route to get equal attention and if the countdown causes 40 damage well then you better pay attention to it or your team wont have as many chances to recover. The Ark = 3 countdown nodes to destroy enemy core , Floodgate = 5.

Well you most certainly would have to pay attention because a few lucky hits on the core when open (20hp) and 2 countdowns and poof there goes the core, if the countdown did only 10 damage then yes I could understand that one could ignore it, but seriously the countdown is so easy to get to and I would be one to camp the countdown anyway, the time to hold the countdown is about right, but it's hard to take down if you don't have an orb, you need a good 15 seconds on the clock to take it down with the flack, assuming no one interrupts you, the prime node would get ignored mostly and leave the core wide open to anyone that gets the prime up while the fight is on for the countdown, at least that's how I see it in my mind.

As far as not being meant to be played by mutators like madness, OK but you are on the GOW server with Madness as an option, I would like to make a recommendation that a ceiling be placed there regardless so that no one can just float up and walk on the ceiling. make yourself a good map creator and so others can enjoy it too with any one of their mutators that may make "flying" optional. Remember Corruption in VCTF? Yeah people like getting on the roof and wasting unsuspecting people. Just trying to point it out with out too much nudging.

sorry but I have no intention on changing all of the blocking volumes. The aim of this map is straight WAR and ONS2.

Thanks for the feedback though, once I get a few more suggestions on the countdown damage I will adjust it to a happy medium

FYI in madness I could easily hop up on one of the ceilings and lay down fire on all those with in range and even walk around there hitting the core and nodes no problem, but anyways, whatever you like it's your map.