Kbot-map Competition

Kbot-map Competition

Discuss maps & map creation - from concept to execution to the ever elusive release.

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1v0ry_k1ng
Posts: 4656
Joined: 10 Mar 2006, 10:24

Kbot-map Competition

Post by 1v0ry_k1ng »

A COMPETITION?

Delta seige dry and Tabula are represent the two most popular big-team-game maps. This is because they have a variety of terrain, which allows the use of a large variety of diffrent unit types, they are attractive to look at and they have metal and room for 5v5 and larger games (which are very popular). However, while both these maps are great, they are still largely vehicular maps and noticeably, spring really lacks a decent, large team game kbot map atm; most maps with hills end up being rather porcy, which is somthing mapmakers will need to try and avoid

What I'm proposing is that all our resident map makers gear up for a freindly competition to each make their own "showcase" kbot map, a large-teams map that is both awesomely attractive to the eyes and interesting from a gameplay perspective, so we have a bigger portfolio of big, pretty maps to show off spring with

The specifications of entry:

1) Map to be perfectly playable 4v4, but also with the start positions to support 6v6 or more

2) Map to have at least one facing of 16x or greater but be smaller than 20x20 (for performance reasons)

3) Map to "go easy on the chokepoints" - while new players do appreciate chokepoints, bearing in mind this is a kbot map ensure that if there are chokes that there are more options avaliable for all terrain units.

4) Map to look sexy- this should be easy looking at the production of the last six months! WiC and world editior and all the new techniques that have cropped up aught to make creating showcase maps easier than ever. Moon maps, desert maps, acid maps, tropical maps, lava maps... as long as it looks pretty, anything goes

Deadline for the competition to be the 20th of April, at which point I'll put up a poll and we all vote on which map we like the most (I'll keep it open for 14 days so everyone has time to play the map and put it on autohosts etc) and at the end we announce the winner, whose name shall live on in eternal glory!

WHAT IS A KBOT MAP?

To clarifiy, when I say "kbot map", what I really mean is a map that mixes flat plains on which to construct bases and use vehicles, with the presence of mountains, ridges, valleys, ramps and changes of altitude throughout the map. A decent example of Kbot-map would be the top and bottom of Tabula (a series of hills, ramps and flats).
This map would be well suited to CA, EE, S44 and any other map where terrain makes more interesting gameplay

interesting features for kbot maps:

* Metal spots on little hillocks that vehicles have trouble reaching

* "shortcuts" where a kbot passable hill undercuts the route a vehicle ramp allows

* ambush flats, where a flat area is flanked by a hillock or ramp that only kbots can traverse, for kbots to escape up or attack down

* Geothermal vents in elevated places

* Easter egg resources, such as a geo or metal spot inside a pit or volcano that only terraforming, air or use of an impulse weapon can allow you to reach

* Bat caves: much like the penis-mountains on tabula- places where kbots can make a top secret base that is difficult for vehicles to acsess. this could just as easily be an island a little out to sea (red triangle style) or on a raised platform (charlie in the hills style)

* Rocks- to encourage the early appearance off air and/or cons in the middle, also allows a player to faster tech in a teamgame

* Trees - be wary of including too many, all the most popular maps dont have trees for the reason that for players on low graphics they look horrible, for pro elite players they block projectiles unpredictably and in general they just dont look as good as they should

* Water- tundra was an excellent demonstration of how water can be used to mask map edges. considering that every map should be a work of art, this is an interesting feature to play with. plus, small amounts of water in intelligent positions can add interesting tactics into the game (jumping cans over the lakes on tabula in ca, or building tidal farms on a land map..), maybe even anphibs if a game porcs up.

THE ENTRIES:
These will be updated as maps are released and patched

Beherith

Conquest of Paradise

Image

Maplink:
http://spring.jobjol.nl/show_file.php?id=1840


Xenolithic

Image

Maplink:
http://spring.jobjol.nl/show_file.php?id=1854


Hunterw

Talus

Image

Maplink:
http://spring.jobjol.nl/show_file.php?id=1949


Midknight

Ice Mountain

Image

Maplink:
http://spring.jobjol.nl/show_file.php?id=1958

Genblood
Paradise-Dry V3.1

Image

Maplink:
http://spring.jobjol.nl/show_file.php?id=1963
Last edited by 1v0ry_k1ng on 11 Apr 2009, 19:04, edited 7 times in total.
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MidKnight
Posts: 2652
Joined: 10 Sep 2008, 03:11

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by MidKnight »

lengthen the deadline? :P
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1v0ry_k1ng
Posts: 4656
Joined: 10 Mar 2006, 10:24

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by 1v0ry_k1ng »

30 days is not enough ?
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MidKnight
Posts: 2652
Joined: 10 Sep 2008, 03:11

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by MidKnight »

not enough for me to scrape up the cash to buy wic and worldbuilder, learn to make maps, and make a decent one, no :P
bashar
Posts: 152
Joined: 03 Dec 2006, 23:06

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by bashar »

hai Ik, each map is a kbot map using xta point of view (pro tip)

apart from that, your new avatar rockz
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1v0ry_k1ng
Posts: 4656
Joined: 10 Mar 2006, 10:24

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by 1v0ry_k1ng »

bashar wrote:xta
gtfo :P
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MidKnight
Posts: 2652
Joined: 10 Sep 2008, 03:11

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by MidKnight »

i actually like his old avatar better; it made him look more like a troll. The new one just makes him look like lathanstanley :P

third person FTW!
imbaczek
Posts: 3629
Joined: 22 Aug 2006, 16:19

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by imbaczek »

i actually agree with everyone saying that a kbot map is relative to the mod, not the map. BA kbots are nearly useless and this competition is an exercise in finding this very small local optimum for them; hopefully the result will show just how badly useless (overpriced?) kbots are.
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Jazcash
Posts: 5309
Joined: 08 Dec 2007, 17:39

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by Jazcash »

Just a quick map concept idea I came up with, nothing special.
Rocky looking things are for Kbots, roads for vehicles and river for naval.
Where river is fainter is where vehicles and naval units can cross.
West vs East.
All rocks blend in with ground so kbots can easily get onto them, not too rocky so kbots don't take forever to cross them.
Some parts of roads blocked off by landslides or big boulders to prevent vehicle only game play and forcing vehicles to take certain paths.
Ideally would play for 5 v 5, 2 Vehicle, 2 Kbot, 1 Water.
Kbots would be able to cross past the road blocks/boulders to make players wish to choose Kbots more.

Image
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hunterw
Posts: 1838
Joined: 14 May 2006, 12:22

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by hunterw »

im making a kbot map next
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hunterw
Posts: 1838
Joined: 14 May 2006, 12:22

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by hunterw »

imbaczek wrote:BA kbots are nearly useless
negative
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Noruas
XTA Developer
Posts: 1269
Joined: 24 Feb 2005, 02:58

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by Noruas »

imbaczek wrote:kbots are nearly useless.
Why make a useless map competition?
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1v0ry_k1ng
Posts: 4656
Joined: 10 Mar 2006, 10:24

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by 1v0ry_k1ng »

because kbots arent useless in other mods and are due a buff next BA release, and because we DONT HAVE a decent team game map with kbotty terrain
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smoth
Posts: 22309
Joined: 13 Jan 2005, 00:46

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by smoth »

define kbot-y terrain.
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1v0ry_k1ng
Posts: 4656
Joined: 10 Mar 2006, 10:24

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by 1v0ry_k1ng »

well, heres an example of kbotty terrain drawn on paint,

might have to use visual imagination a bit to see rolling hills, ridges and valleys here..

Image

purpose of terrain
Image

resource map
red is metal spot
blue is geothermal
green is reclaimable rocks
Image

idea is to make a map that allows one player maybe to porc or go air, but make the rest expand. sweeten up the bum start pos with rocks worth a few hundred metal, put resources in hard to get spots and vital battle zones to force players to fight hard. put in lots of changes of altitude and ramps whilst ensuring bots get superior firing position. the mission is to make a map where vehicles are viable, but playing bots gives you lots of subtle advantages..
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thesleepless
Posts: 417
Joined: 24 Oct 2007, 04:49

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by thesleepless »

this comp sounds like a great idea, hope we get some entries.

regarding http://spring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Map_development
the SM3 stuff should really mention that SM3 isn't currently usable...
otherwise lots of beginning mappers will waste time with SM3.
Warlord Zsinj
Imperial Winter Developer
Posts: 3742
Joined: 24 Aug 2004, 08:59

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by Warlord Zsinj »

ivory, if you coloured that map according to height it'd be a heap easier to read.

Also, you should really invest in photoshop. Or y'know, get it the same way everyone else gets it.
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Jazcash
Posts: 5309
Joined: 08 Dec 2007, 17:39

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by Jazcash »

Warlord Zsinj wrote: Also, you should really invest in photoshop. Or y'know, get it the same way everyone else gets it.
sucky sucky 5 dollar yahhhhh?
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1v0ry_k1ng
Posts: 4656
Joined: 10 Mar 2006, 10:24

Re: Kbot-map Competition

Post by 1v0ry_k1ng »

I have photoshop :P I'll look into it but it was only my example of a kbotty map. I am going to try and make my first map for this competition but since im starting inexperienced odds are it'll be pretty shocking
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