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I'm currently building art assets for a HD remake of my old map Metro from Renegade. It needs things like barricades, streetlights, trash cans, etc. Things of that nature. While I'm working on props and waiting for the tools to come out, I'd like some ideas on what to do with Metro. I was considering expanding the center of the map and making it roughly twice as big in the middle with something like a railroad running through it because I'm lazy and I already have railroad tracks modeled with signals and whatnot. Toss me some ideas while I work, if you don't mind helping me along.

I'm doing something that's deliberately easier than remaking Glacier right now because I want to get a feel for how much work it'll take to get a UDK map running versus what I'm accustomed to. Although with the modeling I do for a living, making maps feels like a much less complex process.

Here's some old screenshots I just took using W3D View to jog your memory. Man, this old stuff looks horrible!

metrotop.jpg

metrogdi.jpg

metronod.jpg

Keep in mind that I'm going to attempt to preserve the visual theme and texture style while upgrading it.

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I always thought it would be neat to see a sewer (tunnel) systems accessed via ladders/manholes.

I think a subway line leading from one base to the other would be cooler. especially if the trains still worked. how scary would that be.. lol

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Guest Gliven

Tiberium infested subway line. A subway terminal at both bases that are easy to mine. With a ladder to the surface through man-hole about halfway down the line.

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Is every path a visible road bridge? what about some tunnels and other back doors?

You could put more of a city block in the middle with some alleys. Maybe a park or a large natural space, maybe even part of a stadium or something.

Maybe that will give you some ideas.

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I'd like to keep most of the original layout if possible, but expand it in the center so that there's more room to maneuver between bases. I'm hoping it'll open up new strategies, too, since there were only a few methods to reach the enemy base and most of them were covered by base defenses. Speaking of those, I'm entertaining the idea of going light defenses only, so no AGT/OoL to prevent turtling in each base.

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I always thought it would be neat to see a sewer (tunnel) systems accessed via ladders/manholes.

I think a subway line leading from one base to the other would be cooler. especially if the trains still worked. how scary would that be.. lol

I suggested the subway system as well in jelly forums. That way it'd fit both meanings of "metro."

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The original underground zone was a sewer system filled with green sludge that was reminiscent of Tiberium. I'm not a huge fan of making the stuff grow in un-canon ways, but I think I can manage to get the underground zone to keep the spirit of the original while having a subway system simultaneously added. I'd probably have some kind of Tiberium growth in the sewers, but keep the subway area clean (at least as clean as grungy graffed areas are going to look) in comparison.

I'm at the office now, so I don't have any renderings of the stuff I was doing last night, but I did start work on some props that I'm building high-res versions of in case I end up baking normals to them. I'm not even sure it's worth tossing object-specific normals on barricades since a spec map would probably look just as good and help with performance. I'll have to play with it and see - and it'll be really helpful to eventually get my hands on the tools so I can open the RenX models in UDK and see what their target polycount per prop was.

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Adding a couple of road signs next to the base entrance or bridge(s) (like the big sign on the highway on City, or you can make a smaller one with only 1 pole), where text could be added to help greenies navigate the map, should help the pointwhore-issue. As pointwhoring is a valid tactic but a total dick move, place them in such a way this makes for very limited space where artilleries/MRLS can freely shoot a building.

A tunnel system would be neat, but you can make it look abandoned because something went wrong with the foundation and some of the walls collapsed, exposing the tunnel with tiberium-infested soil. This way it's actually still canon, considering tiberium grows like a potato (it duplicates itself underground with a lot of roots before popping out above the ground).

I don't see much reason to replace the Obelisk or AGT. What IMO is necessary though, is a way to end the game if both teams lost their War Factory/Airstrip. Make it so the Barracks and Hand of Nod are both walkable (but very difficult to perform), allowing for teams to nuke/ion the pedestal. Something similar to AGT walking in Glacier_flying and PP/HoN walking in Under (using your environment to block a part of the enemy base defences, but still requires assistance from a repairing engineer/technician, like with the AGT walk. Great map by the way, i love the level of detail put in it regarding the gameplay.

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Perhaps some verticality in the center? Like a couple buildings you could enter and go up a few floors to have vantage points out a couple windows. You could even have some buildings connected in their upper floors to give infantry a tertiary route between bases.

It's a very compact map, so giving infantry more places to run and explore would make it seem less cramped in larger servers.

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The developpers have stated they would take map developpers in the team. That way they can get access to the tools before they are released. Publically. You should apply. I do not like your usual attitude but I am aware that is blatant trolling. Your maps is good so they should take you in.

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The developpers have stated they would take map developpers in the team. That way they can get access to the tools before they are released. Publically. You should apply. I do not like your usual attitude but I am aware that is blatant trolling. Your maps is good so they should take you in.

He should stay independent ... high potential of troubble in the team and in communication with the community once he is in the team

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Hate to say it, but I agree. I am a big fan of Aircraftkiller's work, despite anything else.

I also think michael vic is a good football player and michael jackson made some legacy music, undeniable despite anyone's opinion of them personally, their work is effective.

Despite all else, Aircraftkiller made solid work in a game I personally affiliated with and didn't get much support from anyone else. His work is a charitable donation personally to me, and I am glad for his contributions. Heck, I only wish we could get some Glacier Flying up in this game xD

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I really think that the drama should be kept out of this thread.

As for Metro, I did like the map, in both Renegade and the revised version in APB. I do agree with Xpert on the lack of good tank battles however.

I feel that there should be more space. Perhaps widening the roads would be a good start (It's a modern city, and it has such small roads. How are people supposed to get around?). Perhaps adding some rubble around the city and large potholes from artillery and airstrikes might add to the apparent atmosphere of the map. Another touch I did like about your revised Metro was the propaganda. Perhaps similar stuff with a Tiberian Dawn theme (probably themed to Nod) in your new map would be a nice touch. If you do not feel like making it yourself, outsource it. I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to make a nice one.

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I do not mean to feed drama. But the creators currently use tools. They could open up these toolz to someone who signs a Dna and only works on new.maps. let us be honnest, there are more urgent fixes to do than to create public mod tools. But imo new maps are a priority.

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I am fine with the release of the modfiles after the gold release of the game.

They planing an adding a lot new/classic maps ... i have read they want to do ALL (except glacier) classics and some of their own work ...

there still 5 classics to come

and if they "only" make 2 new maps we are looking forward to 7 maps to come ...

that means there will be around 13 maps in the official release

13 is a ver high number of official maps for a game!

compare it with those commercial games

Natural Selection 2: 8 Maps

COD Black ops 2: 15 Maps

COD Gohsts: 14 Maps

BF4: 10 Maps

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They planing an adding a lot new/classic maps ... i have read they want to do ALL (except glacier) classics and some of their own work ...

there still 5 classics to come

and if they "only" make 2 new maps we are looking forward to 7 maps to come ...

that means there will be around 13 maps in the official release

Where are you getting this poorly-stated information from?

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The originals plus Ack's TS maps are what should be made first. Not really a fan of Lakeside, Goldwhatever, and fuckedupHourglass. Maps without good tunnels and infantry areas were always bad with few exceptions.

It hurts a little to play Renegade without Complex and Canyon

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If I'm not lazy tonight, I'll post a screenshot of the traffic barricade I'm rebuilding. I'm taking all of Metro's props and redoing them, plus adding others where appropriate. I've been wanting an excuse to create traffic barrels, too, since I want to create the traffic barrel monster that was featured on Jalopnik a few years ago:

18nc58ngpikwbjpg.jpg

I was thinking of turning it into a 3D print via Shapeways.com and putting it on my desk at the office.

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If you're wanting to go with whole railway running through the middle of the map idea, maybe you should include a goods yard. This could include a couple of sidings, maybe a few freight or flat bed wagons, a platform and a crane used for loading. It would also give you a good reason to use those signal props.

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I have a freight engine I was working on last year, the EMD SD40-2:

(Click for full-size)

x1f2mv.jpg

That's obviously way too high-poly (That model is sitting around 300k) for RenX, so I'd have to go into it and cut out all of the bolts and other modeled details or find a way to bake all of the detail into an AO/normal map for the low-poly. The SD40-2 was for another project I was doing, but got sidetracked on:

Freight-1.jpg

Freight-3.jpg

Freight-2.jpg

That's all old stuff from 2011, so I'll probably have to upgrade some of it - but it's all in UDK and looked pretty decent for being a rushed final project for my demo reel upon graduation. I'll see what I can reuse and repurpose to save time. The freight yard sounds like a good idea. I'll see what I can do to incorporate it.

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barricade.jpg

High-res traffic barricade for baking out normal maps. I don't want to put too much work into this until the tools come out (I need a sense of urgency to really get anything done lately), but the first prop should come out pretty good. I've got a low-res version. Just needs to be baked and painted. I'll drag it into Mudbox later on and play with it.

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Prop looks good. I like the map, and can't wait to see what you do with it. I hope that it doesn't get filed into the 'lost interest due to laziness' bucket in a week. Let us know what we can do the help you keep on it!

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Its-not-that-Im-lazy.jpg

;-)

It's really more of a question of priorities for me. Since I work full time and have two kids, I don't have the same amount of time I had when I was in my early 20s and still working on Renegade. Having tools for me to test these things out in RenX as I develop them will help me keep my interest, as I don't have any real reason to make work for a demo reel or update my portfolio with crazy amazing things unless I get laid off and have to go job searching again.

So basically, just having the tools will help substantially. I've had a copy of every UDK beta for several years now, but it's not something I generally keep working on constantly unless I have a reason to do it. RenX gave me some inspiration, but I need tools!

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  • 3 years later...
  • 1 year later...
  • Totem Arts Staff

That's CNC-City, much more improved than the original! It is something you would expect from an actual City

 

Metro would be a low-low-priority map to remake

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Well at least now it's confirmed to be the new and improved City.

I didn't realize the new version was no longer using the 8-shape racetrack style road-configuration. That, and I remember Metro having lots of traffic lights, street lights, roads with intersections, and old industrial brick buildings, which are what I can see in the foreground and background of the screenshot.

I wasn't sure if it was possibly Metro or Metropolis in disguise, and mis-labeled as City, as the screen-shot was posted as part of an April 1st troll news post :)

That and it was posted alongside a screenshot of Glacier_Flying so maybe @Aircraftkiller secretly came back to develop maps after a very long hiatus... ;)

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