ONS-Rail
Posted: Thu 25. Oct 2012, 21:09
Although I'm probably too biased about this map by now (never considered it much more than a linear DM obstacle course masquerading as ONS) to be commenting on what's best for it, this man speaks the truth. In the multi-part Best UT Mapping/Modding Practices guide I intend to write once I've successfully managed to clone myself and split my work load, I'll make sure to include a subsection about the pros and cons of the various methods a mapper can use to move pedestrians around in non-walking fashionWormbo wrote:Personally I'd recommend replacing "essential ladders" with jumppads [...]
.Seriously though, ladders are the worst option you can offer your players when they need to get someplace higher, lower or completely elsewhere.
Jumppads are the smoothest and most agreeable manner to do that, both visually (movement is progressive, predictable and natural), resource-wise (no con-hampering channels needed), as well as in terms of fairness (destinations can't be as easily sabotaged/lamed) and keeping the player's skills relevant to the action (players can still move while traveling, thereby having some leeway to avoid oncoming fire). Bots have an easy time getting around by jumppads, but mappers should take note to pair their jumppads with a properly aligned sparkly emitter so that ppl can easily tell which way and how fast they'll be flying.
Slightly worse, but still acceptable to most, is the option of teleporters, only there you start running into the known gameplay caveats of telefragging as well as whatever other surprises may be lurking at the destination (mines, vec campers). On the other hand, teleporting is the only viable method to link two non-euclidean-neighboring locations, so that works to their benefit. Still, 'porters also become somewhat troublesome to higher ping players, particularly when the exit orientation is pointing toward a used 2-way 'porting system. Bots also do okay with teleporters.
Worse yet are lifts that even by themselves (no enemies around) can potentially malfunction because of how they've been custom coded in a map re: their default position (for how to set up lifts to annoy ppl as much as possible look no further than ONS-Hoover_Dam); their operation can be too easily and repeatedly hampered just by shooting on 'em as they move or standing over their return location, so that's gameplay taking a few blows for it right off the bat. Exit level locations are also as easy to camp and boobytrap as with teleporters. Being movers, that means they're net actors that the server has to keep track of, but also that they can only be at one place at a time, therefore introducing the concept of scarcity to the game as opposed to the previous 2 travel methods that are constant in their availability for a continuous stream of passengers; groups of more than 2 teammates can expect to be separated when they have to travel up/down by lift (as often evidenced in StarReach). One redeeming trait lifts sport, on the other hand, is the extra airtime potential they offer to mid-movement jumpers and that's one additional nuance that mappers should keep in mind when designing lift spaces. Bots have been known to block lifts on foot or with vecs, resetting their cycle in mid-ascent and plummeting to their deaths by shooting around and generally not being situationally aware of what's going on when you force 'em to a lift.
Lastly, there's the ladders. Only beginners or sadistic mappers use ladders. Other than the fact that you eventually can get to your destination, there's nothing else that's good about 'em. Aesthetic agreement with a map's overall existing theme is never a justified reason by itself to hinder gameplay around the area by using ladders instead of any of the previous 3 traveling methods. While they're net-resource-neutral, other players viewed using a ladder will appear to move in a jittery fashion as they themselves sacrifice movement control while climbing, thus becoming predictable targets to anyone else. Even if one manages to scale a high ladder without falling to their death for any number of reasons, they still have to hope they aligned themselves just right to fit through whatever unnecessarily narrow slit the mapper created as a ladder exit point (which are also too easy to camp), otherwise it's all been for naught and they'll need to retake the ladder "test" from the bottom. Never. Ever. Use. Ladders.
Oooh, look, I wasn't going to write this, but the clone did it anyway; good boy. One down, a few dozen more to go, I guess...
