WAR-Beachfront
Version 1.3 (Updated Release)
[EDIT: Upgraded to Release version 1.3. Scroll down to the end of this post for the new download link ]
After playing UT3 Warfare online and noticing players (myself included) yearning for new Warfare maps, but receiving none, I decided to become part of the solution. It took longer than I thought, but if it weren’t for MSU, I probably would have procrastinated even longer . I now see why there are so few Warfare maps, as it is at least double the complexity of making an Onslaught map, and significantly more involved than any of the other gametypes (largely due to the scale, but also the wide knowledge of the engine needed). Also, they’re typically an incredible pain to optimize.
Anyways, while I unfortunately ran out of time to fully complete it for MSU (an extra two days was all I needed ), I’ve taken the past few days here to finish it up. So, without further ado:
WAR-Beachfont:
One of the things I kept in mind whilst designing the map was the many common UT3 complaints that I hear. Such as “UT3 maps are all dark, gloomy and blurry”. I decided to tackle this misconception head-on as my vision for the map was an ideal day at the beach: bright, sunny, and clear !.
Although this map is an original, it’s design was partly inspired by both ONS-Battlefront (one of my favourites) and ONS-IslandHop, with a few ideas borrowed from my final ONS map: ONS-StarReach. Creating the map turned out the be a huge challenge for a variety of reasons; partly because there’s so many more new things to do in Warfare maps over ONS, but also because, as you may have noticed, UT3 stock maps are totally devoid of tropical foliage and materials! I actually had to go back to 2k4, grab a bunch of tropical resources, and then “touch them up” for use in UT3 (normal maps, etc).
In terms of gameplay, I drew upon the aspects of Onslaught that people found fun: sizeable/epic battlefields (but not _too_ big ), minimal spamminess, decent node count, avoiding of choke nodes, etc.
The map is designed for epic battles, and requires a good balance of defence and offense. Players more keen on fast-paced action will get plenty of it on offense, meanwhile, players who prefer a more “measured” pace, can play an important role on defence.
I also added some “goodies” in the map. The cores for example, as they become more damaged, the entire core facility itself starts to show it, not just the core itself. Conduits burst into flames, sparks spew from overhead electrical circuitry, control panels and alarms emphasize the direness of the situation. Also, to mix things up, I went with a retro 2k4 core explosion control (i.e. with the moveable camera instead of the fixed animation) so you can look around and see who’s nearby as the core overloads and explodes.
However, don’t think this is simply Onslaught in Warfare’s clothing. The map has a large variety of deployables and powerups hidden throughout the whole map. There are EMPs to help deal with the tanks, a spider mine trap to help with defence, a helmet to help make it past snipers, Invisibility for sneaky stealth attacks, Beserk, double-damage, and of course jump boots to help you get some of these harder-to-get-to powerups. Also, there’s a nightshade hidden on the map (1 per side) that will help with defence, offense, and sneaky stealth attacks. Each core also has an Orb dispenser to help a failing teams make a comeback. I strived to apply the best aspects of both ONS and Warfare to create a map that’s still UT3, but doesn’t forget its fundamentals .
Finally, I tried to provide a diverse battlefield so that, regardless of your favourite style of gameplay, there’s something for you .
Dense jungles: Too dense for vehicles, proceed on foot!
Central hills and grassland: Use the hills for cover, if you get caught out in the open, feign death to hide amongst the grass- it’s tall enough to hide you, but short enough for you to see over! Great for unsuspecting ambushes on passing players from behind. Works in the jungle too!
Beaches: Ever fought for a node underwater? It’s pretty crazy . Shock rifle and minigun are particularly useful here.
Indoor areas: Put your DM skills to use here!
Anyways, hope people enjoy it. Any feedback (good or bad but hopefully constructive) would be awesome ! Hopefully, Warfare players will have a new map to look forward to on the servers soon .
Download Link:
http://files.filefront.com/WAR+Beachfront13zip/;11509941;/fileinfo.html/
Version 1.3 (Updated Release)
[EDIT: Upgraded to Release version 1.3. Scroll down to the end of this post for the new download link ]
After playing UT3 Warfare online and noticing players (myself included) yearning for new Warfare maps, but receiving none, I decided to become part of the solution. It took longer than I thought, but if it weren’t for MSU, I probably would have procrastinated even longer . I now see why there are so few Warfare maps, as it is at least double the complexity of making an Onslaught map, and significantly more involved than any of the other gametypes (largely due to the scale, but also the wide knowledge of the engine needed). Also, they’re typically an incredible pain to optimize.
Anyways, while I unfortunately ran out of time to fully complete it for MSU (an extra two days was all I needed ), I’ve taken the past few days here to finish it up. So, without further ado:
WAR-Beachfont:
One of the things I kept in mind whilst designing the map was the many common UT3 complaints that I hear. Such as “UT3 maps are all dark, gloomy and blurry”. I decided to tackle this misconception head-on as my vision for the map was an ideal day at the beach: bright, sunny, and clear !.
Although this map is an original, it’s design was partly inspired by both ONS-Battlefront (one of my favourites) and ONS-IslandHop, with a few ideas borrowed from my final ONS map: ONS-StarReach. Creating the map turned out the be a huge challenge for a variety of reasons; partly because there’s so many more new things to do in Warfare maps over ONS, but also because, as you may have noticed, UT3 stock maps are totally devoid of tropical foliage and materials! I actually had to go back to 2k4, grab a bunch of tropical resources, and then “touch them up” for use in UT3 (normal maps, etc).
In terms of gameplay, I drew upon the aspects of Onslaught that people found fun: sizeable/epic battlefields (but not _too_ big ), minimal spamminess, decent node count, avoiding of choke nodes, etc.
The map is designed for epic battles, and requires a good balance of defence and offense. Players more keen on fast-paced action will get plenty of it on offense, meanwhile, players who prefer a more “measured” pace, can play an important role on defence.
I also added some “goodies” in the map. The cores for example, as they become more damaged, the entire core facility itself starts to show it, not just the core itself. Conduits burst into flames, sparks spew from overhead electrical circuitry, control panels and alarms emphasize the direness of the situation. Also, to mix things up, I went with a retro 2k4 core explosion control (i.e. with the moveable camera instead of the fixed animation) so you can look around and see who’s nearby as the core overloads and explodes.
However, don’t think this is simply Onslaught in Warfare’s clothing. The map has a large variety of deployables and powerups hidden throughout the whole map. There are EMPs to help deal with the tanks, a spider mine trap to help with defence, a helmet to help make it past snipers, Invisibility for sneaky stealth attacks, Beserk, double-damage, and of course jump boots to help you get some of these harder-to-get-to powerups. Also, there’s a nightshade hidden on the map (1 per side) that will help with defence, offense, and sneaky stealth attacks. Each core also has an Orb dispenser to help a failing teams make a comeback. I strived to apply the best aspects of both ONS and Warfare to create a map that’s still UT3, but doesn’t forget its fundamentals .
Finally, I tried to provide a diverse battlefield so that, regardless of your favourite style of gameplay, there’s something for you .
Dense jungles: Too dense for vehicles, proceed on foot!
Central hills and grassland: Use the hills for cover, if you get caught out in the open, feign death to hide amongst the grass- it’s tall enough to hide you, but short enough for you to see over! Great for unsuspecting ambushes on passing players from behind. Works in the jungle too!
Beaches: Ever fought for a node underwater? It’s pretty crazy . Shock rifle and minigun are particularly useful here.
Indoor areas: Put your DM skills to use here!
Anyways, hope people enjoy it. Any feedback (good or bad but hopefully constructive) would be awesome ! Hopefully, Warfare players will have a new map to look forward to on the servers soon .
Download Link:
http://files.filefront.com/WAR+Beachfront13zip/;11509941;/fileinfo.html/
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