Topic: Crowd-source level building

[Babylon]

It becomes more of an arena-styled multiplayer at that point.  If the level is built like a regular mine would be, it will take too long / be too confusing for players to find one another; even more so when there's not a way to see / track who's carrying what.

That aside, perhaps there could be a time limit until the entire level is destroyed by some cataclysmic event (persay, in five minutes the cavern will flood), and the competition is for an (potentially) infinite supply of something (persay, air capsules).  Robots would still drop mission critical items (e.g. air capsules) at random (the higher the difficulty of bot, the higher the rate/number of drops) and of course you could still plunder other players.  Players would respawn back at the beginning, so as to avoid initial confusion as to who still possesses the mission critical items (e.g. air capsules); the beginning area itself should be inaccessible once left.  When the time limit expires the level ends, and the player with the highest amount of mission critical items (e.g. air capsules) wins.

Alternately, you could work in the exit strategy and have the exit (or safe house) open 60 seconds before the time limit expires and have all robot matcens shut down, leading to some serious last minute brawling...

[(LL)Atan]

Anyone ever thought over a self-modifying level structure?
Owning several possible ways through the mine, which would be activated randomly, while level start?
This way no one would know the best way, each time it's a new challenge.., hmm  but just as long as the level will own possibilities.
If this would work a mine could modify itself while fighting from start to exit too.
Just an other idea, don't really know if this would be possible, while playing online..

[Shroudeye]

About a level-layout, I'm working on a basic layout on 3DsMAX by now, I'll upload a screenie shortly... (And BTW thanks for the newest release Atan, the converter tool is really handy!!)

[Scyphi]

That is an amazing idea. Do it. Now.

Which idea? I'm guessing Shroudeye's idea.

Speaking of which, this is sounding something like some twisted version of CTF or some such. I like, though it does sound like it's getting a little complicated. Could we seriously do all of this and keep it in robo-anarchy?

Anyone ever thought over a self-modifying level structure?

You would probably know better than I would, but wouldn't a possible way be to create multiple routes to get to the same area, but have certain ones be forcefielded off at certain intervals, forcing players to take only a limited number of paths? If so, then this would fit in well with our group-building idea. Each person builds a different path, we combine them all together into one level, do a little fine-tuning, and viola!

...perhaps there could be a time limit until the entire level is destroyed by some cataclysmic event (persay, in five minutes the cavern will flood)...

You know what I always wanted to? Build a level that starts you at one end of it with the goal to escape, but as you go along, the level is slowly filling up with lava (like the lava pits in Dravis's Sanctuary). If you aren't quick enough, you get trapped and die in the flooding lava.

[Shroudeye]

Well I got this basic model of the cavern system of mine... It is a simple layout consisting of two rings that have rooms attached, and a center cavern shaped like a hourglass, which will house the teleport at its "neck"

I'm sending some pictures...

[Foil]

Nice and vertical.  I like it!

[-<WillyP>-]

Could we seriously do all of this and keep it in robo-anarchy?

Single-player is leading right now, 7-2.

[Kaiaatzl]

Nice and vertical.  I like it!

Yeah, infinitely better than some D3 levels *cough*skybox*cough* that look like they could have been made for a groundpounder.  Even some of the better singleplayer levels were like that.
This is why I like Retribution's secret level 2 so much.

[Babylon]

You're all moving too fast.  xD

The only thing that's been decided so far is Descent 3, with a lean towards single-player; I'd like to point out that the direction of this forum and its poll strongly disagree with one another in that aspect.  Rectify your votes, please!

[Kaiaatzl]

All I really said was that I like vertical layouts... I think that's what Foil was saying too.
If Shroudeye can make the level that fast he can make it independantly... he wasn't really violating the thread.

[-<WillyP>-]

You can change your vote by clicking 'remove vote'.  But nobody is really violating any rule, because there are none.

But it's good to flesh out some ideas, even if we decide not to use them.

[Babylon]

Who said anything about violating threads and rules?  We are all chipping in concepts and fleshing out ideas.  I'm just saying that the thread is inconsistant - there needs to be a better way to organize all this.

[Shroudeye]

Well, violating the thread wasn't my intention for the first... I was simply showing an example level for this "resource/part collecting and bailing out" idea we've been discussing lately...

[NUMBERZero]

But Robo-Anarchy is technically Singleplayer if you play alone. Switch da votes!

[Scyphi]

At this point, I'm pretty much okay with either one, Robo-anarchy or Singleplayer, on the reasoning that both could work for this idea.

And Omega's got a point; surely it's not unreasonable to be able to build a level that could do both?