C&C Hammerfest

[j0g32]

Hello everyone,

Now that the Devs have released Renegade X SDK, and I have a few months off, I thought of returning to a good old hobby: mapping

I hope to find enough time to keep up with a steady progress...

Let's get started...

For those of you, who don't know what the map title refers to:

• Hammerfest is a small town on one of the most northern islands of Norway (see google maps/images)
  
• In C&C Tiberian Sun's GDI campaign (Mission 10) you had to "Recapture Hammerfest" which also features a "firestorm" defence system

The story:

In order to analyze the effects of Tiberium contamination on Earth's magnetic field, astronomists, geologists and other scientists set up a small research facility in northern Europe to investigate auroras and similar phenoma. When they found out that certain electrified blue tiberium crystals were capable of controlling the auroras in color and shape, GDI communications technology specialists became interested and also brought enough funds to expand the research activities. As first results indicated valuable radar defence technologies (foreshadowing the firestorm technology ) GDI headquarters decided to construct an outpost in order to protect the research facilities while at the same time establishing a strategic supply base for GDIs naval forces on the northern hemisphere. Especially, Norway's fjords naturally offer good protection for a shipyard.

(I invented this plot - not sure if this was the actual background for the GDI base in Hammerfest...)

The map:

The layout should be asymmetrical almost like a campaign mission, where GDI with its heavy armoury should take a defending position. Nod's C-130 airdrops and stealth units serve as a perfect counterpart for such a plot.

Based on former mapping experiences with the Battlefield series I tried to imagine the situation in the real location, as Hammerfest also has a harbour and an airfield it seemed quite interesting for a military base:

The GDI Base should have the layout from Tiberian Sun. Note that the helipad in the back and the base entrances fit quite well to the location of hills, roads and the airfield itself... some A-10s could also be placed on the runway(?)

On the other side, Nod would have several C-130 flying in large circles above the map - maybe Nod spawnpoints can be attached to these meshes, so that you will spawn in the back of a C-130 and could simply jump off and use your parachute. How about some AA/Flak explosions and searchlights for more atmosphere ?

However, when I started with a first draft including the real life terrain heightmap reference and coastline layout, I didn't know what to do with all the civilian buildings, cause there are a lot as you can see from the pictures above and I neither wanted to put them all in, nor forget about the real location / reference

Unfortunenately, I broke this first map file, so I cannot show any screenshots...

So, I started again from the scratch and this time wanted to refer to Tiberian Sun's map layout. I found a good overview of the whole mission - remember the sneaky back entrance? In particular, this feature (the cliffs with the back entrance) are not compatible with the real-life reference, the way that I had set the basic layout above...

Then I tried to work out the GDI base layout:

and implemented this within Renegade X:

Sizes and distances fit to the above layout.

Everything is quite basic right now - and I have a few ideas in mind. Therefore, I wanted to ask you for feedback and maybe some comments in which direction I should refine these ideas:

stick to real Hammerfest as close as possible or recreate the Tiberian Sun reference?

Setting/Environment:

• Night/dusk/dawn, maybe with some Auroras? (Google Earth simulated that there are sometimes days with 24h sunlight at this location) Also an airdop with searchlights and AA would feel a lot more epic during night...
  
• season: spring, not everthing covered in snow but still some white spots // or: winter with heavy snowstorm
  
• vegetation: a few bushes, hardly any trees, a lot of rocks
  
• rather open landscape with large mountains and a lot of hills / rocks for infantry cover (Nod paratroopers should have some chance to engage from different angles^^)

I also thought of adding a shipyard / dock at the back entrance of the GDI base (Tibeian Sun reference). Instead some GDI hovercrafts and gunboats could just be laying there...

Gameplay:

• GDI Base has multiple entrances and should not be to easy to defend (as opposed to most bottleneck standard Renegade maps)
  
• manual defence turrets, or maybe even the quad-cannon from Black Dawn, should complement the GDI walls.
  
• Some Nod AI-Soldiers (airdrops) should keep up a constant pressure on all sides of the GDI base - thus balancing with the automatic base defences.
  
• GDI objective suggestion 1) apart from defending the base, GDI might be required to save enough money for cargo hovercrafts which can then be loaded with a certain range of vehicles. This would represent the supply function of Hammerfest base. GDI team would win, e.g. when 5 Mammies, 10 Medium Tanks, 8 Humvees and 4 MRLS made it safely to a specific checkpoint on another beachead.
  
• GDI objective suggestion 2) to stop the Nod airdrop, GDI scouts have to find and destroy Nod Beacons, that are deployed randomly in the perimeter. Once all 5 beacons have been destroyed Nod will not get any reinforces and the game ends.
  
• Nod objective suggestion 1) sneak into the base, especially the Tech building / firestorm construction site and gather intel on these projects.
  
• Nod objective suggestion 2) Hold the position until Nod outpost is constructed (scripted?)
  
• Nod objective suggestion 3) Destroy the GDI scum

What do you think?!

Do you like the idea of an asymmetrical map concept (attack/defend)?

Feedback is welcome!

Cheers

j0g32

[Xtractor]

I like maps that have a story

your map Looks pretty cool to me but isnt a bit too complicated scenario for regular MP match.

I can see this as a Co-op map mode ,is it the case ?

Great Work anyway ,Keep up

[Ruud033]

Nice to see that you're trying to create a tib sun story! I'm really fond of these old school stories (recreating one myself). I do think that it's a bit complicated for a multiplayer match though. The game play might be a bit off I think..

[Handepsilon]

Taking from my experience, multiple PP, Ref and BAR/HoN doesn't work well. Either you wait until the Devs support multiple building placements, or have someone script it out for you...

[j0g32]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I thought the more opinions considered from early progress on the better final result and of course the gameplay!

I can see this as a Co-op map mode ,is it the case ?

Indeed, I am looking for something like co-op, but not necessarily that all players are on one side, which I hold as classical co-op. Instead it should extend the objectives from "attack the enemy base while protecting your own" to something more story-based and especially asymmetrical! Take for example Battelfield "rush" mode which is basically attack/defend objectives, yet turns out quite balanced on a lot of maps.

I like maps that have a story

Nice to see that you're trying to create a tib sun story!

I'm really fond of these old school stories (recreating one myself).

Yes same here, I still remember the first time playing renegade with all these references, the buildings and the harvesters, especially as Tiberian Dawn was on of the first games I have ever played I guess^^. Similarly, Tiberian Sun was absolutely fascinating - and when I look at the recently published walking Titan Video, the Hover MRLS etc. we might see some RenX Tiberian Sun extension in the future, he?

Unfortunately C&C Reborn is not that active anymore...

However, I am still unsure about the right amount of referencing - I mean this map takes place in the Tiberian Dawn universe and should therefore be consistent, but I would like to have some foreshadowing to Tiberian Sun. The Firestorm Defence System and Disruptors would feel out of place and to futuristic, but still the map layout and the story might link both universes a bit ^^

Ideally, I would like to remake

for a mission based intro: You see the Tiberian Sun GDI Mission Recapture Hammerfest in RTS mode. In the background you can hear Chandra say "Mac, wasn't your brother in Hammerfest" - 35 years ago - blend over to Renegade X ingame...

but this is just some fancy PR polishing^^

your map Looks pretty cool to me but isnt a bit too complicated scenario for regular MP match.

I do think that it's a bit complicated for a multiplayer match though. The game play might be a bit off I think..

You definitely got a point on that, all that mission stuff should not hamper the overall gameplay flow of the map. Especially, newcomers should easily navigate around the map and adapt to the non-standard map layout and gameplay.

I wanted to give the players more POSSIBILITIES, not OBLIGATIONS. I became tired of some Marathon rounds were neither team could actually make it into the enemy base to destroy a building...

Now that GDI will have the ability to really prove its armoury by defending a fortified base, Nod on the other side should either be able to counter with lots of relentless, fanatic soldiers (AI-Bots), tactics (artillery fire to fear GDI guards, sneaking), technology (airstrikes, paratroopers stealth units, flametanks, and fast buggies) and so on.

The obstacles for Nod players are obvious, but to make it still challenging enough for GDI players to keep playing this map, their base is designed large enough so that no single camper could overlook all base entrances and they have to coordinate their forces, once Nod pretends to rush on one side while sneaking in from behind...

To achieve this, I will also have to work on lines of sight a lot especially for the AGT and other automated defenses.

Some wall segments can be replaced by "fractured" ones, indicated by pre-placed C4, so that Nod can crack the wall (similar to the battle of helm's deep in LOTR)

Taking from my experience, multiple PP, Ref and BAR/HoN doesn't work well. Either you wait until the Devs support multiple building placements, or have someone script it out for you...

Yes, I also heard that there might be some difficulties with the gameplay system. Right now, they are just plain copies of the buildings. In fact, there is no real purpose for multiple instances in my map other than refering to Tiberian Sun's original.

I might just remove the building controllers & MCT's, so that only the static meshes, purchase terminals and spawnpoints will remain, and pretend that Hammerfest is still a "construction site" by adding some scaffolding around

Now some updates:

I decided that I will stick to the layout of the Tiberian Sun reference for the map, while the environment should resemble the real-life landscape of northern Norway and its fjords.

1. I created a custom Material for the standard UDK mesa rock from the scratch (with some copy paste assistance^^). It uses a different rock detail texture to look more like Norwegian cliffs. I also added some moss variations, based on object rotation and rock normal map, so that these small plants would start to grow from dark and humid cracks instead of leaving those spots uncovered. I am quite proud of the result

2. My landscape material can feauture only 4 layers, 3 textures each (Detail, Normal, LowDetail/ColorMap) (overall 12 textures) using height blend for these layers to get more natural blending.

There is a "generic" layer, a gravel layer, grass and snow.

btw the "generic" texture is from Hourences Nature Pack which features lots of other seamless textures!

The gravel layer is designed to act both for pathways/dirtroads and more importantly to act as transition layer between 3D rock meshes and grass layers of the landscape (where sharp edges would occur). When you look at some images of real mountains which are so steep that you can see bare rock, you will also find lots of gravel, sediments which have been eroded from these rock formations:

the colors need some tweaking, but I hope you will get the idea^^

3. Now some details of the progress and more pictures!

I fiddled with the atmosphere and ended up with a stock dawn sky texture, low intensity sunlight at small angle, which looks epic from the sky but gloomy from below, so that artificial lights are needed.

Here is an overview of the current WIP

The Construction Yard (it's something)^^

Another random military shelter with quad defences on the walls. This is where the communications centre was intended to be located, but I am quite bad at modelling...

his Majesty of Hammerfest Base - the AGT^^

Scenes like this APC attack should break up the orderly setup of Hammerfest Base and provide some cover for approaching Nod infantry:

interconnected Powerplants to supply the Firestorm Research Unit:

The gates could be operated/hacked from small control terminals (on both the inside and outside of the walls): switch between locked, "automated open" only when vehicles/soldiers approach, always open.

(Not yet implemented)

and finally the airdrop scenario...

I thought of some more background story: As Norway's coastline was formerly part of the "atlantic wall", GDI might take advantage of the old German WW2 bunker facilities and reuse them to set up forward outposts with searchlights, AA-turrets, and naval artillery.

This would also open up possiblities for a dock/shipyard, tunnels leading into GDI base etc.

The static mesh planes could act as "fake-elevators", moving in large circles/lines. Due to UDK Engine the players would stick with their feet to the airplane unless they jump off, I think I had tested that already in another project...

Also note that the searchlights feature real spotlights at the top.

Additionally, Nod's vehicle supply concept seems very compelling for this type of map, but a concrete red airstrip might be a little out of place. I though of Nod's first objective to "capture" a landing zone by destroying GDI AA-emplacements so that C-130 can touch the ground to drop their cargo - what do you think?

However, I am not happy with the distances, because you can actually shoot the planes with a Marksman rifle from the GDI Base...

I think that's it for now...

[Ryz]

Quite some good ideas, I think you've done a huge amount of work in a short time? Can't wait for updates!

[Ruud033]

Looking good there! I'm curious about the gameplay, would like to see how it turns out to be ! The airdrop feature is really really cool. I'm curious about how you're going to do this.. Are you going to have a static mesh animated with matinee and just get people in there somehow? .. teleporting, having a spawn point mid-air that disables after a while?

[XD_ERROR_XD]

Holy crap, one of my favourite Tiberian Sun missions in Renegade X? This looks great! I tip my hat to you sir.

[RoundShades]

On top of what everyone else has said, I can only add, that your mastery of unreal material creation is top tier. That is my hardest area to try to grab reigns of, honestly any form of custom assets are.

[j0g32]

Quite some good ideas, I think you've done a huge amount of work in a short time? Can't wait for updates!

Thanks mate, but I have to admit that it is not the first time playing around with game editors and UDK in particular

I have been collecting ideas for this map since quite a while, and implementing them when you have a somewhat clear picture in mind, feels rather easy...

Looking good there! I'm curious about the gameplay, would like to see how it turns out to be ! The airdrop feature is really really cool. I'm curious about how you're going to do this.. Are you going to have a static mesh animated with matinee and just get people in there somehow? .. teleporting, having a spawn point mid-air that disables after a while?

Exactly what I thought of and the best - this simple method actually works!

1. Airplane (InterpActor) moves in circles (Matinee).

2. MockUp Soldiers, a movable PointLight and PT are attached to the interp actor.

3. small Kismet sequence: when Player spawns (and is Team 1=Nod) he will be teleported to the light, thus into the airplane - VOILA

I'm also gonna upload a short video to show you - the PT also works midair!

Do not jump in the airplane, because you might loose traction and fall off^^

Unfortunately, 3rd Person view stutters due to the airplane's movement while standing still.

to dos:

• refine airplane movement (very basic right now)
  
• Add more planes incl. teleport points
  
• random teleport selector (+nearest airplane to dropzone)
  
• red/green light on the interior to indicate when to jump

On top of what everyone else has said, I can only add, that your mastery of unreal material creation is top tier. That is my hardest area to try to grab reigns of, honestly any form of custom assets are.

I feel that the graphical UI for Materials and Kismet in UDK is quite intuitive and easy to use!

Okay, you need some basic understanding of materials and vector algebra, but that's about it. If I can provide help with specific topics just let me know

update:

I replaced some automated guard towers with "manable ones", i.e. with rocket/gun emplacements, as it will be the GDI players' responsibility to defend their base, not relying solely on automated defenses...

I could not yet find the quad-cannon factories, so they are just mock-ups from Black Dawn...

Next up: some more environmental works!

Stay tuned

[Ruud033]

Looking good there! Nicely done with that plane dude! Don't forget to cull everything inside the the plane out though! (don't cull the plane itself).. We don't need to see / render the PT from the ground

You could do the green light easily with a trigger volume, if the interpactor touches it then > green.

Have you ever thought about having the game 'move up' a bit after the base is destroyed? similair to 'Rush' in Battlefield.

[j0g32]

Looking good there! Nicely done with that plane dude! Don't forget to cull everything inside the the plane out though! (don't cull the plane itself).. We don't need to see / render the PT from the ground

You could do the green light easily with a trigger volume, if the interpactor touches it then > green.

Have you ever thought about having the game 'move up' a bit after the base is destroyed? similair to 'Rush' in Battlefield.

Good idea to use a trigger volume as actual landing zone...

Well, maybe the other way round: before attacking the GDI base, e.g., Nod paratroopers have to capture a beachhead at the old WW2 bunkers

here's the video this is what it feels like:

Bm5QlEG5An8

[DaKuja]

Thats awesome! looking forword to this Map. Keep it up!

[dAEc]

wow. very cool goodluck with this

[j0g32]

Hey folks,

I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but last week I was looking for accomodation abroad for my Master's...

This is the landscape set up according to the TS reference (had to recolor, stretch and rotate the (isometric) image when using this as an overlay in UDK):

The landscape is very basic with all these RTS-like cliffs and plateaus. I will be trying to make them look less flat, but starting fairly low at the coastline and rising towards the main land, to get this fjord-feeling^^

However, I do not know, whether I want to put in all those bridges, because I feel that they would be spanning across what should like fjords and might thereby destroy the ambiance... right now there are only the bunkers (= bridge repair huts in TS) which go well with the idea of atlantic wall remainings on the shoreline. The white circles are gun-emplacements on round concrete elements, where Nod will later on (=Tiberian Sun) place their SAM-Sites. Maybe I can attach some shooting effects to these emplacements so that AA bursts would be lighting up the night sky just like in

. Once Nod paratroopers have destroyed all of them, C-130 will be able to airdrop vehicles, i.e. the airfield becomes available - dont' know how to code that by now - just an idea^^

if you wonder: the Nod base (and the obelisk ) were quickly put in for the sake of completing the TS reference, and in case a more symmetric warfare is desired, but to stick to the "story" behind this map, Nod will have at most an outpost/temporary landing zone as opposed to the TS mission (where Nod has like 3 Hands all across the map...)

If I were to keep this layout, then bridges (or at least sth. like fords) are necessary to access Nod/GDI base-to-base...

What do you think? How should I proceed?

cheers

[j0g32]

update:

I started shaping out the coastline, fiddling with some AA-emplacements (not visible due to "game-view-mode"), bunkers and tunnels (there is one tunnel leading through the plateau on the right side, in front of the GDI base, where the wall can be blowed up with C4^^)

you might have noticed some further changes to the color settings

[booleeas]

Jog, very nice work! I was wondering if you know if it would be possible to create the firestorm wall? I don't know if there are some free 3D editing tools to create objects, but I'd gladly collaborate with you on some projects. I'm just getting into the editor myself and its great to see the work being done. Another object we need to make are gates for those walls. I see you've sort of got them down, but maybe there's something like it someone's done in a different game. Keep it up!

Btw, I'm making a D-Day map and I really like some of the aspects you have.

[j0g32]

Jog, very nice work! I was wondering if you know if it would be possible to create the firestorm wall? I don't know if there are some free 3D editing tools to create objects, but I'd gladly collaborate with you on some projects. I'm just getting into the editor myself and its great to see the work being done. Another object we need to make are gates for those walls. I see you've sort of got them down, but maybe there's something like it someone's done in a different game. Keep it up!

Btw, I'm making a D-Day map and I really like some of the aspects you have.

Thanks for offering your help , but I didn't mean to actually put the firestorm wall on this map - it's still the first tiberium war^^

Nonetheless, I can see a Renegade X - Tiberian Sun extension coming

And any help might be greatly appreciated...

Update:

Finally, I did the GDI Tech Center:

cheers

[Ryz]

Wow!

[ljl87]

KANE IS EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH YOUR WORK AND PROGRESS. YOU ARE HEREBY PROMOTED BY KANE TO THE RANK OF A MAJOR. KANE EVEN WANTS TO TEST OUT THE MAP HIMSELF.

NOD Inner Circle Propaganda Division,

ljl87 > ONE VISION, ONE PURPOSE <

NO POWER NO PEACE

PEACE THROUGH POWER

[Henk]

Looking really good!

[Schmitzenbergh]

This look really good. Hammerfest in tib sun really looked like a fort with all the defences. By the looks of the screens you've really captured that very well! Keep up the work! Looking forward to play it.

[MrSunshine]

This is awesome I'm really impressed!

[j0g32]

Thanks for the motivational feedback guys, I'm sorry that updates are overdue...

I did a lot of costal works (quite boring yet necessary), added roads, some other random stuff...

...and played around with kismet:

1. Gate(s) are now automated/triggered and I added some lights that change color according to status (auto = yellow (standard), open = green, currently: "stay clear - gate moving" = red - but I plan to only use red in case a gate will be locked)

I messed up with the lightmaps

2. Wall "break-point" now correctly works with trigger, sound and explosion, though I could not find a way to add the tooltip: "Press [E] to plant C4" - is there a way to add the attribute "tooltip" to an actor? (kenz explained in a video about PTs how to change the tooltip text ) Devs plz help

video upload takes too long, but you will get the idea

Decided to build those TS-bridges/roads and added the airstrip on the other peninsula:

Also changed the water (incl. underwater fog, & post process) and added a pre-rendered cubemap for reflections:

This look really good. Hammerfest in tib sun really looked like a fort with all the defences. By the looks of the screens you've really captured that very well! Keep up the work! Looking forward to play it.

Your comment inspired my to intensify that impression: I added some more tank obstacles, barbed wire, "hesco" barriers and lights around the concrete walls; and some walkways on the inside. To light up the area, two watchtowers were placed at the inner wall and the front lense of the AGT was also converted into another searchlight

Tunnel update, a back entrance staircase and the helipad (Tiberian Dawn/Tiberian Sun cross-over)

GDI armory - what a pity that C4 supplies are so close to orange barrels of boom...

Gameplay plans:

- Nod does not have a refinery, but should capture 4-5 Silos located in Tiberium fields nearby to secure funds - GDI should hardly be able to control the silos (open field)

- Nod Paratroopers have to clear the area by destroying 7 gun emplacements (FlAKs),

=> the Airstrip will then light up and vehicle airdrops become available (via Kismet, need to figure this out)

Oh yeah, it seems that my editor crashes when UDK reaches about 1.9 (of 4) GB RAM - does anybody know how to increase this limit?

cheers

[Havoc89]

Wowzers! I'm completely blown away by this, it looks incredible.

Are you running the 32bit or 64bit version of the editor? Try running 64bit.

[Ryz]

Indeed, I think Ruud's map Crashsite has a competitor!

[j0g32]

Wowzers! I'm completely blown away by this, it looks incredible.

Are you running the 32bit or 64bit version of the editor? Try running 64bit.

Unfortunenately, my Win7 is 32bit (so I can only use 3,5 of 4GB RAM >.<) so I use UDK 32 bit - can/should I run 64bit anyway?

I mean it works, but playing in editor with the editor/level in the background is very likely to push the UDK process' RAM usage beyond the somewhat fuzzy limit of 1.8/1.9 GB (as far as I could observe) and sometimes prompt the message "out of memory"...

Computing lightmaps also crashes SwarmAgent due to a lack of memory, at least what I can tell from the log file...

(even after scaling down the lightmass importance volume)

Thus, is it possible to increase the amount of RAM that UDK is allowed to use?

I think you can change such settings e.g. for java (see minecraft)

Thanks

[Handepsilon]

what's the resolution of your PIE(Play in Editor) window? I always set it to 640x480. Besides it's only there just for testings

[Ruud033]

Try lowering some lightmap resolutions, remove shadows where you can, especially lower resolutions on all those weapons you have in that weapons stash for example..

[Ryz]

Any updates on this? Can't wait!

Handepsilon also imported omni turrets (with some kind of energyfield around them I guess) in his map coastal. Maybe have a look there?

[j0g32]

Any updates on this? Can't wait!

Handepsilon also imported omni turrets (with some kind of energyfield around them I guess) in his map coastal. Maybe have a look there?

I am really sorry for the lack of updates - a music festival took place in my hometown. Also, I had to sort things out, as I will start my masters this month... hope that I can at least leave you with some kind of prototype of the map before starting with my studies...

unfortunately, I haven't had a look at his latest update yet...

Anyway, I wanted to "update" the game assets by overwriting the SDK files with Beta 5 assets, but that didnt work well, ... so I currently have to reinstall the SDK.

Recent updates mainly involve scripting the Nod mission objective ("Clear the area from GDI AA-Emplacements in order to enable the Airfield")

This actually works like so:

1. the game starts with the Nod Airfield being destroyed (0 health) - well for testing purposes i had some delays between the single steps in Kismet (getting and modifying the health)

2. Everytime a GDI-AA-Site is destroyed, the corresponding "fake-firing-ambiance-emitter" will stop and the vehicle factory is deactivated, EVA text then announces that "X/7 AAs were destroyed".

3. once all 7 AA-Sites are destroyed, a Nod-Officer will call for Airfrield clearance (ambient sound from the tower), then the airstrip lights up and restores its health. i really like it that way

This is all good and nice looking, HOWEVER, even though the airfield is destroyed (0 health) the vehicle manager (?) does not know about that, thus still allows Nod to buy vehicles, regardless of its airfield's health.

I only changed the value of the building internals health but I didn't know, how to set a flag/bool that the airstrip is destroyed/unavailable...

as soon as I get the SDK up and running again, I will post some more screens...

[Ryz]

Hey study is more important, although.... Good luck with your masters, thanks for the update so far and don't hesitate to ask help here. I am sure people can help (Kenz is allready watching this topic right now )

[j0g32]

Hey study is more important, although.... Good luck with your masters, thanks for the update so far and don't hesitate to ask help here. I am sure people can help (Kenz is allready watching this topic right now )

thanks man

I restored my files - here you are, some screenshots:

Kismet sequence (I set the objective limit to 2 AA-Emplacements so that I can test/trigger the events more quickly, but it works with all 7)

Airfield destroyed (disabled) on startup (also see the small icon in the HUD)

Attack & destroy 1st AA

attack and destroy 2nd AA

Airfield back on line (I couldn't capture the EVA anouncements in between...)

random screens:

[TK0104]

Wow. I almost can say that you've made a fanmade renegade campaign map

[Xtractor]

Wow..just Wow

[Ryz]

Still having that wow thing, but I bet you are still having that 'study' thing

Any updates?

[j0g32]

Still having that wow thing, but I bet you are still having that 'study' thing

Any updates?

Unfortunately you are right, Riz.

During Christmas holidays I tried to - but in the end I couldn't - make any relevant progress with the map...

I am really sorry, but some things in my life have changed (positively) and at the moment I cannot devote time to mapping.

However, I have to confess that I recently found myself reminiscing about RenX, yet I might post those ideas in a different thread ...

As far as this project is concerned, I might upload the current WIP here - if someone wants to "finish what I started" ?

(no reference intended )

cheerio

[Redline]

Interesting concept. Can you upload the map please.

I'd like to "borrow" that construction yard looking static mesh thing you built. Looks sweet gonna put in my maps gdi base, but just for style.

[Terekhov]

You should definitely upload what you have! Sounds awesome man.

[j0g32]

Alright fellas, there you go

WIP_Hammerfest_by_j0g32.RAR

contains:

• the main map file
  
• a project / a kismet script to combine strings
  
• custom package (might contain some material intended to use in various maps)

Just tested it on my work/uni-laptop: the map file should work without the additional content.

Feel free to download and have a look!

If someone wants to use bits, ideas, concepts from the map, or even finish the whole project - I would be more than happy having contributed at least something to the community

Any problems/questions? Let me know!

[Ryz]

Great, great, great and good luck with your study!

[Terekhov]

Thanks j0g! I'm planning on making an index of all the different maps, mutators, etc. You mind if I put yours in that list?

[j0g32]

Thanks j0g! I'm planning on making an index of all the different maps, mutators, etc. You mind if I put yours in that list?

Sure, feel free to do that, but please keep in mind that this map is far from finished.

It is work in progress (WIP)!

I only uploaded it so that can people can try the (uncooked) version directly to explore the map and some of its features, because I cannot see myself working on it for some time...

Or if someone was interested in borrowing features:

Interesting concept. Can you upload the map please.

I'd like to "borrow" that construction yard looking static mesh thing you built. Looks sweet gonna put in my maps gdi base, but just for style.

btw, I basically copied the hangars from the Nod-Base in Under

So yeah, for your information on the current state of WIP (or if someone wanted to work on it ), here's the to-do list:

Nod

• C-130 flyby: fine tune animation (fly in at the beginning of the round [optionally], then turn in circles), add sound effects and wingtip-emitters, attach purchase terminals and spawn/teleport locations
  
• Spawn/Landing zone: add LZ-volume => add red/green light indicating if ready for airdrop, alter Kismet to teleport into plane closest to dropzone
  
• vehicle manager: dis-/enable vehicle purchase (although Airstrip is destroyed from the beginning, Nod can still buy vehicles...)
  
• Add Bots/AI: "regular" waves from airdrops/chinooks, Blackhand scouts securing the open field (to prevent GDI expansion), Stealth Black Hands (and maybe Stealth Tanks) attacking Hammerfest Base (they can approach the base without being spotted - change automated defenses AI spotting range ?)
  
• UI/Mission objective: Add HUD markers (and description) for (0) Silos, (1) Gun emplacements, (2) breach points at GDI walls and (3) Tech Center or Firestorm Generator as main objectives. [optional] Use radio command sounds and EVA messages to display / update mission objectives. (Resources from Black Dawn?)
  
• [optional] add animated C-130 crash into the sea (shot down if Nod forces cannot advance and disable AA-emplacements.

GDI

• AA-Gunemplacements: add more sophisticated shooting effects (muzzle flash and sound), prevent player usage, add mid-air FLAK explosions
  
• Automatic gates: Add/Fix trigger volumes, sounds, animation, togglable lights and Kismet. Check harvester/bot pathfinding and triggering! [optional] enable gates to be un-/locked by players completely (turtle vs. Troy tactics^^)
  
• Breach points: Add /copy breach sequences (trigger volume, sound/effect, explosion, kismet) [optional] add tooltip info ("Use [E] to plant C4")
  
• multiple building instances: either find a way to enable use/destroy all instances (refinery, powerplants) or disable redundant copies and transform into staticmesh "construction sites"
  
• Add AI-bots (defensive / patrolling)
  
• [optional] add animated ships / hovercraft => mission objective / timer for naval support?

General work and gameplay:

• work on landscape, cliffs, vegetation and background scenes (especially in the vicinity of circling C-130)
  
• fine tune obstacles, cover, routes and line of sight (it should be possible for nod forces to (1) capture and defend silos fairly easy, and (2) to approach GDI base from all angles without being spotted/shot immediately
  
• add multiple sneak routes into Hammerfest at ANY stage of game progress, not too easy to defend

peace

[j0g32]

Probably, it would be too early to say "I am back", but at least I finally finished my studies, got a job, and secured a flat with my lovely gf for the next year -* yay*.

Hopefully, I can pick up this "abandoned" project at some point, but I will definitely have to revise my strategy. As much as I love the original C&C RTS series, I finally agree that porting its elements 1-to-1 into an FPS like RenX does not work easily...

Instead of recreating the map from Tiberian Sun as closely as possible, I would only focus on some key recognisable elements, i.e. the story/setting and maybe the rough base layout, and then develop the whole map based on a balanced gameplay.

Some of these tutorials about choke points, pathing and balance were quite helpful to me:

Also LevelCap's bash on BF4 Map design provides some good insight about pathing, cover and gameplay:

Although I am more that kind of realism/authenticity mapper-type, balanced gameplay is obviously crucial, and I fear if it would actually play out the way I imagined it on my map...

For example, the idea of the first stage Nod airdrop in combination with their primary objective of securing the airfield by destroying all AA-Gun Emplacements, is nice on its own (likely more suitable for a team coop or singleplayer map), but I now think it would set back the Nod team too far behind GDI, who already have a fully equipped base, can harvest tiberium and are ready to roll out tanks...

That's why I am considering of re-working most of the map (yes, again) and will try to postpone the fancy works - as hard as it will be for me. :-P

 

The main objective for Nod is to steal the "sonic crystals", which are used in the research for the firestorm generator (and the disruptor technology?), and are therefore stored somewhere in the inner perimeter of walls. The obvious "chokepoints" would be the GDI gates - both in the outer and the inner line of walls.

Nod infiltrated a nearby harbour with an airfield, a small fishermen / industrial village similar to real-life Hammerfest, where they have set up an outpost on the opposing shore of the peninsula.

There will be 3 main paths leading from the Nod outpost to the GDI Base: the central path is the shortest one which leads over a mountain ridge to the two front gates, heavily defended by the AGT. Additionally, there will be two substantially longer side paths, leading to either side of the base. Some smaller (infantry only?) paths ("connectors") on both sides of the frontline allow to shift forces between the choke points (gates). Maybe the "wall-break" segments can form part of some "dynamic" paths. Additionally, 1 or 2 silos can be captured along the side paths, as well as a communications centre, which are all easier to access for Nod than for GDI.

To balance both teams, the general setting is somewhere between stealth, surprise and siege:

The 3 main paths in combination with the extensive range of the GDI base should make it difficult for GDI to defend on all fronts simultaneously. Nod can use its stealth units with distraction strategies to break through one of the choke points.

I was also thinking of spawning mobile artilleries for Nod - behind cover, out of sight from the GDI base, and with confined manoeuvrability. Similar to the UT3 map VCTF-Kargo, where you can spawn a battle tank on a cargo ship, but can only drive it back and forth on the ship - effectively serving as a stationary gun emplacement. There might be multiple spots that are randomized. Along similar lines I was thinking of spawning Airstrike pick-ups for Nod in some remote sniper locations with good view over the GDI base. The whole idea is that Nod has some tools from the very start of the level to create pressure on GDI defences, and that GDI must use their mobile forces to neutralize this threat.

Nod engineers/technicians would have to capture the firestorm research facility to steal the sonic crystals, and/or simply bring them home in a CTF fashion. The Nod team would be given a tremendous point bonus for the crystals, if it was not possible to end the game instantly. GDI Base destruction would only be a secondary objective, but obviously facilitates to access the inner perimeter.

I think, that's it for now.

Firstly, however, I will work on the Base Building Prefab Kit.

Cheers