Lad
08-25-2007, 05:00 PM
Ever since I was about 11 I was designing games and fiddling around with custom levels and maps for everything from wolfenstein to command and conquer. A friend of mine used to live across the street from our elementary school and we would go there during our lunch breaks and work on some new project that we decided was our life's ambition for that week. Gradually we moved on to higher platforms, now I like to work on high-end, professional level design (building the game world). I've continued doing this design stuff ever since (off and on, truthfully) and about 6 months ago Sharyl revealed that he too, was a player of Natural-Selection (http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns/). I'm sure a lot of you overheard him and I speaking about this stuff, and it won't come as a surprise to say that I've been working on, for those 6 months, a level for Sharyl. And I know that you are all aware that he has all but dissappeared. Nevertheless I decided to continue with the project and today I'm finally ready to reveal the work.
I'm posting this in the hopes that some of you might get into Natural-Selection, the same way Phewl is trying to get people into Starcraft. This game is what would be concieved if Starcraft and Halo had sex. Heres a quote from the game's website:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTENatural Selection blends first-person combat with real-time strategy. It features intense "marines vs. aliens" teamplay, where one marine can become Commander. The Commander plays from a top-down perspective and leads live players.
The aliens can evolve upgrades like "Cloaking" and "Scent of Fear", and can change lifeforms to run on walls, fly, and even devour marines whole.
NS has atmospheric indoor sci-fi environments full of steam and smoke, and features custom orchestral music from the award-winning Jeremy Soule.
It is a freely-available Half-life modification, and since its release in October of 2002, has had over 2 million downloads, and had been played for 2 billion player-minutes.[/b]
So as a marine you start off with your squad and a command chair. One player hops into the chair and begins playing a big game of starcraft against the alien team, which work as a hive-mind. Only, the forces he commands are real players. On the ground, you will be given orders by your commander, instructed to build the structures he places down, and if he is a generous commander: pick up new weapons and armor that he gives to you.
As an alien you start off as the basic lifeform: the skulk. You can climb on walls and the roof, your basic weapon are your fangs. You can evolve into higher lifeforms like the gorge: the slow, weak, builder class. The lerk: small, fast, capable of flight. The fade: tall, deadly, masters of mental powers. And finally the onos: massive rhinocerous-like creatures. As your team builds more hives you unlock new abilities for each life form, open up extra spawn points, and create a fast-travel system.
There is also the new Combat system. Which sets aside the RTS/strategy aspect of the game and focuses purely on the battles. As you kill opponents you gain experience, allowing you to buy new upgrades or lifeforms. This is the type of map that I have created.[/b][/quote]
And thus I present:
co_centurion
The basic premise behind it is: A once military-controlled space shuttle has ceased all communication with planetside civilization after a bloody mutiny. It now roams the depths of space as a pirate vessel, using the unique docking and boarding technology of the military for more nefarious deeds than law enforcement. Rather unluckily they happened upon an undefended research vessel, and unknowingly contracted the Kharaa virus onto their ship. The virus fed on the nutrient rich humans that were being held in the ships' brig, and evolved into a setient hivemind. The ship is now empty, except for the growing contamination that has rooted itself deep within the ship. The TSA reluctantly sent an expeditionary force to the Centurion, knowing they were facing either hostile humans or Kharaa. They were already stretched so thin fighting the Kharaa on landside installations. The small contingent that arrives on the ship is ill prepared for the extent at which the hive has expanded.[/b]
So if you skipped all the backstory bullshit, I don't blame you. It's just sort of a requirement that you have your level fit in with the game universe.
Here are some screenshots.
[attachment=28:screen1_copy.jpg]
[attachment=31:screen11_copy.jpg]
[attachment=30:screen9_copy.jpg]
[attachment=29:screen4_copy.jpg]
[attachment=32:screen14_copy.jpg]
[attachment=33:screen15_copy.jpg]
As you've probably noticed, the graphics look a little dated. Thats because they are. The original half-life engine is almost 7 years old now. I'm patiently waiting for NS2, which will be on the source engine. The current tech can't handle the stuff that I am doing anymore.
So anyways, you should check out the link to their website at the top of the post and download NS and give it a shot if you own half-life (not half-life 2). It's free and will work on damn near any pc. Here's a link to the actual map if you want to give it a shot.
[attachment=34:co_centurion.zip]
I'm posting this in the hopes that some of you might get into Natural-Selection, the same way Phewl is trying to get people into Starcraft. This game is what would be concieved if Starcraft and Halo had sex. Heres a quote from the game's website:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTENatural Selection blends first-person combat with real-time strategy. It features intense "marines vs. aliens" teamplay, where one marine can become Commander. The Commander plays from a top-down perspective and leads live players.
The aliens can evolve upgrades like "Cloaking" and "Scent of Fear", and can change lifeforms to run on walls, fly, and even devour marines whole.
NS has atmospheric indoor sci-fi environments full of steam and smoke, and features custom orchestral music from the award-winning Jeremy Soule.
It is a freely-available Half-life modification, and since its release in October of 2002, has had over 2 million downloads, and had been played for 2 billion player-minutes.[/b]
So as a marine you start off with your squad and a command chair. One player hops into the chair and begins playing a big game of starcraft against the alien team, which work as a hive-mind. Only, the forces he commands are real players. On the ground, you will be given orders by your commander, instructed to build the structures he places down, and if he is a generous commander: pick up new weapons and armor that he gives to you.
As an alien you start off as the basic lifeform: the skulk. You can climb on walls and the roof, your basic weapon are your fangs. You can evolve into higher lifeforms like the gorge: the slow, weak, builder class. The lerk: small, fast, capable of flight. The fade: tall, deadly, masters of mental powers. And finally the onos: massive rhinocerous-like creatures. As your team builds more hives you unlock new abilities for each life form, open up extra spawn points, and create a fast-travel system.
There is also the new Combat system. Which sets aside the RTS/strategy aspect of the game and focuses purely on the battles. As you kill opponents you gain experience, allowing you to buy new upgrades or lifeforms. This is the type of map that I have created.[/b][/quote]
And thus I present:
co_centurion
The basic premise behind it is: A once military-controlled space shuttle has ceased all communication with planetside civilization after a bloody mutiny. It now roams the depths of space as a pirate vessel, using the unique docking and boarding technology of the military for more nefarious deeds than law enforcement. Rather unluckily they happened upon an undefended research vessel, and unknowingly contracted the Kharaa virus onto their ship. The virus fed on the nutrient rich humans that were being held in the ships' brig, and evolved into a setient hivemind. The ship is now empty, except for the growing contamination that has rooted itself deep within the ship. The TSA reluctantly sent an expeditionary force to the Centurion, knowing they were facing either hostile humans or Kharaa. They were already stretched so thin fighting the Kharaa on landside installations. The small contingent that arrives on the ship is ill prepared for the extent at which the hive has expanded.[/b]
So if you skipped all the backstory bullshit, I don't blame you. It's just sort of a requirement that you have your level fit in with the game universe.
Here are some screenshots.
[attachment=28:screen1_copy.jpg]
[attachment=31:screen11_copy.jpg]
[attachment=30:screen9_copy.jpg]
[attachment=29:screen4_copy.jpg]
[attachment=32:screen14_copy.jpg]
[attachment=33:screen15_copy.jpg]
As you've probably noticed, the graphics look a little dated. Thats because they are. The original half-life engine is almost 7 years old now. I'm patiently waiting for NS2, which will be on the source engine. The current tech can't handle the stuff that I am doing anymore.
So anyways, you should check out the link to their website at the top of the post and download NS and give it a shot if you own half-life (not half-life 2). It's free and will work on damn near any pc. Here's a link to the actual map if you want to give it a shot.
[attachment=34:co_centurion.zip]