UT3 DM-Silo [Alpha 1][Pics][Download][PC]

DM-Silo [v1.2 (20/10/08)][Pics][Download][PC][PS3]

My first map... After eight months, it's finally at version 1...

Name: DM-Silo
Version: 1.2

Compatibility: PC, PS3 (patch 1.3+)

Description: An underground missile launch silo, built for wars long forgotten. The safety concerns about live-fire combat in the vicinity of an "inert" ion pulse warhead only encouraged Liandri to scout it as a possible future tournament venue.

PC Version Download: http://hosted.filefront.com/Vectorspace
PS3 version Download: http://hosted.filefront.com/Vectorspace

Screenshots (click for higher res):






More here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23635814@N04/sets/72157608198425738/

I am entering this map in the 3dBuzz UT3 Old-School Contest. You can view my development thread here: http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=167199

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Changelog:

version 1.2

As it turns out, all this time I've been playing with Vivid post-processing turned on - V1 and 1.1 were much brighter than I intended. Entire level has now been darkened to match what I originally saw.
Fuel rooms brightened slightly.
Burst bio-goo pipe deco added to lower fuel room.
Tech room lifts improved so the player no longer ramdonly falls through them or causes them to reverse.
Fixed a pathing bug in the tech room where bots would sometimes get stuck on the holo-globe platform.
Possibly fixed a rare pathing bug where bots can get stuck passing through the doorways leading from the fuel room to the missile room.
Moved the Invulnerability pickup out of the tunnel and closer to the surface of the water troth.
Three more of the monitors in the tech room are now animated based on the statuses of pickups.
The running lights on the redeemer ramp have been extended down the wall behind the lift.
Missile room catwalks are now lit.
Fixed a minor bug on the tech room lift button material.
Fixed two collision bugs - meshes that weapons fire did not collide with.
Randomised the top water tank exit spark interval.
Randomised the flashing on sequence of the redeemer ramp lighting.
Minor tweaks and improvements to the tech room lift and tower lift kismet.
Missile spotlights brightened.
Warhead room door forcefield emitters chavged from blue to green to match forcefield material.
Warhead room robot arms now animated with a 122.5 second reversing sequence of them rotating around the warhead.
Replaced the Ambient music tracd with the Suspense track from the Coret music arrangement.
Added level-specific coloured stripes to the tunnels and symbols to each section to aid navigation.
Made the lighting in the water tank below the water line more blue.
Added a pair of jump boots to the lower missile catwalk.
Added additional closed-off passageways to give the impression that the level is part of a larger complex:
*Three more tunnels closed off with gates form existing intersections.
*Four bricked-off tunnels from existing intersections.
*A passageway from the tech room blocked by a forcefield, behind the UDamage.
*Lift shaft adjacent to the water tank extended up and down, with a kill volume at the bottom.


Version 1.1

Meshes with changed pivot position re-tooled to not need it, to correct PS3 cook bug
Several minor geometry tweaks
Light meshes in entryway attached to wall


Version 1 - PS3

Version 1 cooked for PS3

Version 1

Replaced Link Gun pickup in water tank with Enforcer pickup
Reduced health vials in water tank to 6
Added Kismet so Enforcer pickup triggers a sound (Enforcer pickup method does not result in a sound)
Further modified shield emitter particle system (used by tech room lifts) so that only one was needed per lift instead of two
Modified material used by tower rail tracks to remove specular component (shine effect) - shine resulted in obvious seams when tiling
Removed the top row of missile room wall panels on each side to make room for the crane framework
Removed template/construction meshes/BSP from non-visible portions of map
Added light source for holographic globe in Tech Room
Added 2 playerstarts to the missile room walkways
Modified pathing to fix 8 nodes marked as unnecessary on path build
*Water Tank
*Missile Room Walkways
*Generator Room > Tech Room Corridor

Beta1

Improved water leak
Multiple water splash particle emitters
Second water surface showing water streaming away form where leak hits
Rearranged/added pickups
*Moved Keg into Water Tank
*Moved Invulnerability into Water Troth beneath missile
*Moved uDamage into Tech Room
*Added 2x medium health to Tech Room
*Added 10x health vials to Water Tank
*Added Link Gun & ammo to Water Tank
*Added Shock Rifle & ammo to Water Tank
Altered kill volume in Fuel Room shaft so you fall for less time before dying


Alpha2

Light meshes in generator room given orange tinge
Launch towers lit on the interior
Spotlights on missile brightened
Generator room BSP redone to remove odd texture seams
Entryway walls tweaked to remove odd texture seam
Edging meshes added to where entryway roof and tech room entry point floor meets missile room wall
Added supports to the stairs in the water tank
Added deco to more corridors
Added jump pads to the tech room (bottom level top top level)
Added water leak in tank viewing room
Added trigger volume to top of tower lifts, to bring lift up when pawn approaches exit
Added animated buttons to top of each tech room lift - when shot brings lift up
Added blocking volumes to some corners of the missile room walkways to prevet player from falling through.
Added sound effects to all lifts
Added sound effect to spark on top tank door
Added ambient sounds:
*Water leak
*Tech room forcefields
*Generators
*Generator room air processor
*Fuel room - green tanks
*Fuel room - machinery
*Fuel room - large vertical pipes
Added music


Alpha1

First release

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This is my first map, and I have been working on it for seven months. So, please be kind with the constructive criticism...

Based on other feedback, I am going to add buttons in the control room that you can shoot to make the lifts come up so you can ride them down.

There are times when bots wait on the exit points for the two tower lifts for no reason, if I can't solve that I may add a trigger volume so that when a bot/player stands by that node the lift will come up (if it is not already moving).

Will those help?

Which walkways/stairs do you feel go nowhere? Oh, and if you do it right, you can get from the redeemer to the very bottom floor in about 10 seconds with no fall damage.

The spiral staircase leads up to a small walkway with a sniper rifle, shield belt, and a lift. The lift leads up to the top of the missile, which is where the Redeemer spawns - that and the shield belt are about the only reason to go up there, but I thought it fitting that the redeemer be up there.

The buttons to shoot are not co-operating right now, but the trigger volumes to bring up the tower lifts work.

Actually, I already did look at your map
I have the buttons working now, they weren't working because I added them as StaticMeshActors instead of InterpActors.

I'll think about adding a button/trigger to bring the Redeemer lift back up - of course as the bots often demonstrate, you can go from the lift to the redeemer and back again before the lift disappears.

I dunno about the lighting, I quite like it how it is. The generator room, the missile room, and the fuel room (with all the pipes) - I can't imagine them being any other colour.

I do plan to add deco to more of the corridors at some point, and break up the symmetry by making some of the lights off, etc.

Now the lift buttons are really working!

Well, button - because there is only one. But what a button!

When you shoot it, it brings the lift up (even if it is still moving down). But the button itself is one of those animated coloured arrows you get in CTF.

When the lift is at the bottom, the button arrows are red, pointing up, and not flashing.
When the lift is moving up, the button arrows are red, pointing up, and flashing.
When the lift is moving down, the button arrows are blue, pointing down, and flashing.

The button even automatically changes if the lift changes direction while in motion - like if it hits an actor or you shoot the button again.
The Kismet was not simple :


And I had to extensively modify the material to make the flashing and direction of the arrows toggleable from Kismet.


I've also lit the towers, as you suggested, and I'm glad I did:



Click for a bigger pic.
The towers now have lights up the side, and the spotlights pointing at the missile have been brightened up.

DM-Silo Alpha 2 Released!

Version Alpha 2 released 22/06/08, downloadable from FileFront: <link no longer accurate, see first post>

Download it, playtest it, then help me make it better.

Alpha2 updated: <link no longer accurate, see first post>

I forgot to include the ini file

DM-Silo Beta1 Released!

Version Beta 1 released 24/06/08, downloadable from FileFront: <see first post for most up-to-date download link>

Download it, playtest it, then help me make it better.

Screenshots updated, view a full galery here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/2363581...7605861343694/

I anticipate v1 being released later today.

DM-Silo, version 1, released. Download link is in first post.

After eight months, it's finally at version 1...

Thanks to everyone who has offered help, advice, criticism, and to everyone who has downloaded the Alpha/Beta versions.

Test PS3 Version available for download: http://hosted.filefront.com/Vectorspace

I don't have a PS3 so I can't test it myself, so I have no idea if it works.
Please let me know if it works.

I was aiming for a big map, but when I finally got bot support in I was surprised how cramped it felt in some places.

The lifts that keep going back down before they get to the top - do you mean the four that go into the control room? The buttons can only call the lifts up, they don't make them go back down. The effect you describe I only encountered when playing the game in the editor, and then yesterday evening when I tried installing UT3 on my laptop. I think its some kind of performance issue, because when I drastically reduced the resolution on my laptop the effect went away.

Since I have no idea why it happens, I don't know when I'll be able to fix it.

Updated to v1.1. Download link in first post.

Only minor changes, but hopefully this will solve the PS3 cook issues.