Topic: Crowd-source level building

[-<WillyP>-]

I don't think it will work that way.  I think we will discuss designs, then anyone who builds will follow the winning design.

[Babylon]

You could also make a rough layout of the level in general, and then assign specific parts to different people.  (i.e. Willy P gets the spawning room, wazzazzle gets the yellow reactor section, Scyphi gets the blue reactor section, etc.)

To better support competition between players, couldn't you make the tougher robots/reactors drop hoard orbs?

[-<WillyP>-]

Well, the idea is you can propose any idea you want.  We will have some discussion,then a poll if there is an interest in the idea.

Don't think that just because I started the thread, that I am in charge, or that my ideas have any priority.

[Scyphi]

But...it was your idea. That kind of, by default, puts you in some kind of leadership position.

The more I hear about this reactor idea, the more I like it. Dunno how much help I'd be in making it a reality, though.

[-<WillyP>-]

Just by inputting your ideas you can help immensly.  And as far as me being the leader, more like a mentor to the project, kinda like a moderator in a thread, would be more like it.

[-<WillyP>-]

I think someone should think of a name.

[Scyphi]

"Triaction." Or "Triactor." Take your pick.

[(LL)Atan]

my 5c about:

too many new Anarchy levels, which no one will play, are on the marked, so I would vote for a SP-Level(set)
Not too many levels should be inside that mission, let's say 1-3 or 4.
This makes a project build-able. Monster-level-sets are not good because production takes too long and are complicate to handle.
Even building 3 or 4 levels, good levels, are not done such easy.

So I like Willy's basic idea with the good old blue, yellow, red area theme, why? It's reminds me the joy I had starting D1 that days.
I even would like to see the -3 ship only idea- again with *earning* a bonus ship ore some more by killing enough robos.
I know that younger consumers really don't like to 'beat', to 'work' for the success through modern games and will give up too early,
but exact this was the winner idea inside D1 and other good old games.
If you lost your amount of ships you have to start again. This way I had to enter some D1 levels over and over again. (from the point I saved for sure)
Folks, let me say the truth, I really had fear to look around the next corner...
I WANTED to beat that level(s) with limited equipment.., and it was a joy if I did...

Later D3 gave us millions of ships, so I had no fear to fly aggressive through the mines, why should I be careful? Why should I look for shields, for energy or why should I use my weapons carefully?
This was not what I liked to play and maybe D3 missing success could be fixed by that wrong point of gameplay.

One more idea:
The last level could have a boss who maybe would be a teleporting-reactor-bot

If you want coop levels you should be aware about too much customs inside.
Keep it all flat and the project could be finished. Don't try to insert too much.


 

[Kaiaatzl]

If we do it like that I have a 7 minute song that could be split into regions for the level.  I made it with a level like this in mind -- sort of a thought experiment.

Atan, what would you think of a D1/D2 style D3 level -- but with outdoor areas?

[(LL)Atan]

what would you think of a D1/D2 style D3 level -- but with outdoor areas?

Please define us D1/D2 style a little more. What's in your mind exactly, thinking about this?

As for the outdoor area,
D1/D2 style levels would need this if you want the Exit-tunnels too.

And if you would think about SP level: Would be fine, if that area is not too big.
It's  hard to stop the robots outside. All will run towards you, so if you have a plain area, all robots will come to kiss you. Later you fly through the rest without an enemy left
So it will be hard work to design a good playable outdoor area I think.

[Kaiaatzl]

I can think of ways to deal with the robot problems... have robots that are ghosted and unghost once you've completed your objective/as you progress/as you destroy other robots.

I'd like to see something more like the D2 style where the normal/blue/yellow/red areas aren't so precisely defined as they were in D1, or, say, Refactor.

[-<WillyP>-]

Atan, you have made some good points. We had a discussion some time ago where you mentioned about having only three ships, so I made two levels, which are like D1 style play, in D3: ReFactor and IceFactor.  In each of these levels, you do the standard hostages/keys/reactor thing, you get only three ships, and also I put a timer on re-spawning, if you die you only have a limited time to re-pawn or you fail the level.  ReFactor pretty much went the standard d1 thing of getting a key to open a door, but then you have to blow up some force-field generators to lower the force-field to get into the reactor room.  In IceFactor, you have to break some ice, after using the key to turn off the ice-maker, then go underwater, blow up a chiller, then blow up some force-feild generators, and finaly battle a huge room with too many bots. Then blow up the reactor.  The third level hasn't been finished yet but I decided to turn it around so you battle reactors in order to get keys.

[Kaiaatzl]

What's the third level's style?  (By style I mean Beach, Alien, Fire, etc).  Depending on what it is I may have a song that could be split into regions and work for the level (it even has a death theme).
I also have a few songs that might work for IceFactor, check out "Project Fatty" and "Digital Worlds" in the Gallery.  Karx has asked if he can use the soundtrack that I made for Warp Shockwave as the official soundtrack for the mission and it includes Digital Worlds (but not Project Fatty).  So Digital Worlds may be off-limits.

[Scyphi]

Actually, in regards to music, y'know what might be fun to do? Do remixes of already existing Descent songs, and have each area play a different song.

Like, for example, to take advantage of the fact that D2's midi songs only had four to choose from, the blue section plays level 1's music, yellow section plays level 2, red section plays level three, and since Atan suggested it, maybe we could a fourth section with a boss that plays level 4 music.

Just a suggestion, though.

On the boss subject, though, I think that's actually a pretty good idea, making for a good finale, and when you really think about it, it's fitting for the classic Descent feel we seem to be aiming for with this. As for it's theme, seeing that we'll have exhausted the three standard and obvious colors, I'm thinking a cool idea would be to revive the alien theme from D3 Mercenary's level 4. I abhor playing through that level...but the alien theme it bore was still dang cool, and really was kind of overdue to appear in Descent. So I think that'd be both fun and climatic if the last boss section kind of visually mirrored that theme. B)

One more thing, in regards to Atan's request that it be an SP mission...I completely agree with the argument that D3 needs more SP levels, but as we can all agree...that's hard to build. Furthermore, given the nature of WillyP's  Triactor idea (or whatever we're calling it), I think it'd work best and to it's full potential if it was a multiplayer level, as I can see that being SERIOUSLY fun. An SP version of this level I can only see as being partly as successful.

So, in short, while I agree there need to be more D3 SP levels out there, I don't think this particularly level idea should be one.

[-<WillyP>-]

What's the third level's style?  (By style I mean Beach, Alien, Fire, etc).  Depending on what it is I may have a song that could be split into regions and work for the level (it even has a death theme).
I also have a few songs that might work for IceFactor, check out "Project Fatty" and "Digital Worlds" in the Gallery.  Karx has asked if he can use the soundtrack that I made for Warp Shockwave as the official soundtrack for the mission and it includes Digital Worlds (but not Project Fatty).  So Digital Worlds may be off-limits.

In the third level you take on the evil mastermind behind the first two levels, when you enter his own lair. The theme is pure evil.