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The Last Fortress - FINAL Released!

The archive for the 8th Anniversary Speedmapping Contest entries and discussion.

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User avatar Buff Skeleton
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Posts: 4173
Joined: 15 Dec 2007, 00:46

Subject: The Last Fortress - FINAL Released!

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 04:24

The Last Fortress

Image Image

Current version is v2 Final

Downloads here: http://www.unrealsp.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1573

Also, if you have trouble finding your way, it's my fault for not making the chain more visible (which is now fixed for V2):
Waffnuffly wrote:Explore near the gap between the library (big building with lots of big windows, not the housing near the cistern) and the main fortress itself, past the gate.


Code: Select all


     *********************************************
            The Last Fortress
      by Lord Waffnuffly "War Bonnet" Letz
            An Unreal Singleplayer Level
     *********************************************

                   Released 8/2/2009
  Created for the UnrealSP.org 2009 Six-Week Speedmapping Competition


______________________________________________________________________
         = Version Info =

- 8/2/2009: v1.00, initial release.


To-Do List:

* Polish gameplay balance
* Add coop support
* Optimize some geometry
* Fix any bugs that arise


______________________________________________________________________
            = Setup =

Requirements:

- UT Patch 436
- Oldskool Amp'd v2.39
- Crater.umx and Watcher.umx (from Unreal and RTNP, respectively)


How to install and play:

1) Put TheLastFortress.unr in your \UT\Maps\ folder
2) Install Oldskool Amp'd
3) Go to your Oldskool options and then the Singleplayer tab
4) Uncheck Damage Amplifier -> UDamage and UT Minigun (seriously, why the hell are those defaults)
5) You also MUST disable any Unreal -> UT weapon replacements Oldskool has checked*
6) Go to New Singleplayer Game, select the Custom Maps option, hit Refresh if needed, and select The Last Fortress
7) Pick your difficulty level and start.

*** NOTE: I HIGHLY recommend new players pick either Easy or Medium for their first time through this level. There are tons and tons of enemies all over the map, and almost none of them have an OddsOfApparing greater than 90%. This means that you will almost never be able to guess where all the enemies are specifically even if you've played the map several times and know generally what to expect. Beware!

*** Also be aware that this map is EXTREMELY LARGE and can cause very poor performance for old PCs. If you struggle to run certain Unreal 1 maps, you will most certainly not have a smooth framerate throughout this map.

* You need to disable weapon replacements for this level because I had to place Oldskool versions of the guns directly into the map, not the standard Unreal versions, since Oldskool automatically overrides standard inventory with its own variants. I have several guns with non-default settings placed in the map, and if I had used the original guns, Oldskool would simply replace them at the start of the map and all my custom settings would be overridden by the Oldskool defaults.

______________________________________________________________________
            = Content & Credits =

The Last Fortress contains:

* Several new textures created by me for this map
* A fair amount of custom code created by me
* Three new enemy classes based on existing ones
* A new weapon, the Skaarj SK-6 Rocket Artillery Cannon (which I built specifically for this map)
* A handful of custom sound effects from Company of Heroes, Descent II, Freespace 2, Total Annihilation, and Supreme Commander


Very special thanks to:

* UArchitect for seriously insane amounts of Dwarf Knowledge he has granted me over the years and for helping me fix code and map bugs and all sorts of Unreal Engine issues
* qtit for supplying the climbing code I made extensive use of
* .:..: for fixing a slight waterzone bug in said ladder code
* The UnrealSP.org crew for moral support (UED is hard) and feedback along the way
* The creators of the games I used sounds from. There's no way I'd have been able to make stuff anywhere near as cool or inspired without those and other magnificent titles.


______________________________________________________________________
             = Story =

Having battled through hell to reach this place, you are finally on the last leg of your journey. The enemy is omnipresent and unending, but you won't let them stand in your way. One final task remains - one final step towards the start of a new revolution.


Basically that's a fancy way of saying this map is set in a huge-ass outdoor fortress full of Skaarj. You'll find out more as you play. What, you want me to spoil all the best parts here?


______________________________________________________________________
          = Anything Else =

Nobody reads these gatdam things anyway, but here's my email:

[email protected]

Also: I hope you enjoy the map!

Oh and copyright shit whatever don't try to make money off this or use the map for anything without asking me first etc etc whatever I have to submit this map now





_________________
All of the rest of the shit in this post is old and not really relevant anymore!

Working Story: Having battled through hell to reach the fortress, you, an escapee from a small Nali settlement many hundreds of miles away, are finally on the last leg of your journey. It's no surprise that even this pristine, well-defended castle has fallen to the Skaarj, and there are no longer any allies here to help you. All the gates are locked tight, windows are bolted shut and barred, and sentries are positioned everywhere, but that won't stop you. You've gotten this far; it's time to end this struggle and finally free yourself from this lost, damned place.

Current plans:
Image

  • Huge, huge huge huge scale. This can be pulled off relatively easily with proper texturing and a proportional approach to detailing. Also, because:
  • ALL of the map will take place outdoors. Nothing inside the castle will be accessible and, thus, won't have to be built.
  • The player begins down in the lower left in a large, walled-in moat.
  • Defenses will be EVERYWHERE; this map should be pretty difficult on Hard and Unreal, but will still cater to new players on Medium and Easy.
  • The player will start immediately with several weapons and some ammo, leftovers from the journey to the fortress. No hunting with the DP to find a real gun.
  • Story is vague at first, but you will gradually figure out just how much shit your character has already been through (indirectly; not though character dialogue, because that is annoying and breaks immersion) and just how doomed Na Pali really is.
  • Actual castle will be [edit] brilliant, metallic orange and lime green (striped), not MSPaint-green.

So... what do you guys think of this idea so far? I don't want to reveal too much, but I know that with simple geometry and hugely-scaled tessellated cubes (for the terrain) I can probably make the core of the map in well under 6 weeks and spend the rest of the time working on the gameplay and polishing details.
Last edited by Buff Skeleton on 14 Jun 2010, 17:48, edited 16 times in total.

User avatar aalien
Skaarj Berserker Skaarj Berserker
Posts: 297
Joined: 07 May 2009, 19:39
Location: Norway

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 10:19

I like this. I love castles. There's only one thing...
Actual castle will be hot pink, not green.

lolwut?
Pink??? :?
I hope this is sarcasm :shake:

User avatar Legendslayer222
Skaarj Elder Skaarj Elder
Posts: 1468
Joined: 15 Mar 2009, 10:18
Location: England

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 12:59

I say go for it!

And what do you mean by the colourful castle quote?............

UB_
Nali Priest Nali Priest
Posts: 7960
Joined: 11 Nov 2007, 21:00

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 13:02

No problem with a pink castle, even though I'd prefer it to be purple or something darker than pink.

Idea sounds good; just don't let big hitscan battles to happen in outdoor areas (that cover most of the level as you said), as they become irritating after a while.
ImageImage

User avatar aalien
Skaarj Berserker Skaarj Berserker
Posts: 297
Joined: 07 May 2009, 19:39
Location: Norway

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 13:03

Legendslayer222 wrote:I say go for it!

And what do you mean by the colourful castle quote?............

???
the last point.
Pink sounds to fairytale-ish for me :P

User avatar Buff Skeleton
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Posts: 4173
Joined: 15 Dec 2007, 00:46

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 14:01

Holy crap you guys do NOT get jokes. Just for you, maybe I actually WILL make it pink >:E

But then I'd have to upload the PinkNaliCast.utx texture package >:E

And before that I'd have to make it >:E

Effort >:E

Ah forget it :I


;)
no the goddamn castle is not going to be pink

User avatar NicolasEymerich
Skaarj Warrior Skaarj Warrior
Posts: 98
Joined: 11 Nov 2007, 21:38

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 17:20

Nah.



Green is fine.
Let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. According to this morning's sample, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

User avatar Hellscrag
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Posts: 4007
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Location: In a random access memory of dreams

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 23:37

I think a pink castle would actually be very original. You might have to explain why, though!

BTW: This is a good approach for contestants to post your map threads. There's no obligation to start a thread before your map is finished, though.
Image
Life is what you make of it.

User avatar Buff Skeleton
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Posts: 4173
Joined: 15 Dec 2007, 00:46

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 23:38

It was a joke, guys! Holy crap :lol:

User avatar Hellscrag
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Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 23:40

Waffnuffly wrote:It was a joke, guys! Holy crap :lol:


I know. I get it. But I was trying to say that the design of these maps doesn't have to be conventional!
Image

Life is what you make of it.

User avatar Buff Skeleton
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Joined: 15 Dec 2007, 00:46

Subject:

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 23:43

Indeed, which is why I'm going for an all-outdoor map. It's easier to make technically, but also more challenging in some ways as I have to carefully balance jumping stuff with combat and make sure none of it is irritating or boring or too difficult, and I have to manage to let players scale very very high towers without going indoors. At least mass amounts of duplication will allow me to get the general structure of the map done in probably under a day or so, terrain done in another day or two.

So, does anyone have any comments about the general approach or anything?

I'm also thinking I might need to borrow a page from EXU2 in that I will probably want to create a Jump Boots subclass which doesn't automatically drain charge when you aren't using it (I always hated that stupid shit anyway). It's extremely easy to fix and I could just leave the code in MyLevel. Is anyone else interested in me pasting the code for this?
Last edited by Buff Skeleton on 18 Jun 2009, 23:46, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar Hellscrag
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Location: In a random access memory of dreams

Subject: Re: The Last Fortress

Post Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 23:45

Waffnuffly wrote:Actual castle will be [edit] brilliant, metallic orange and lime green (striped), not MSPaint-green.


Metallic orange... even better! You could cover the entire thing in Studmetal decos to achieve that effect - it would give it real texture!
Image

Life is what you make of it.

User avatar Legendslayer222
Skaarj Elder Skaarj Elder
Posts: 1468
Joined: 15 Mar 2009, 10:18
Location: England

Subject: Re: The Last Fortress

Post Posted: 20 Jun 2009, 22:29

Waffnuffly wrote:Actual castle will be [edit] brilliant, metallic orange and lime green (striped), not MSPaint-green.[/list]


Ah, I'd like to help you make BrilliantMetallicOrangeNaliCast.utx and LimeGreenStripedNaliCast.utx, but I'll be to busy making PurpleSpotsUTech1.utx and PsychedelicBlueUTech1.utx for my map. :lol:

User avatar Buff Skeleton
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Joined: 15 Dec 2007, 00:46

Subject:

Post Posted: 20 Jun 2009, 23:03

OK, anyway, does anyone have any actual useful advice or comments?

User avatar NicolasEymerich
Skaarj Warrior Skaarj Warrior
Posts: 98
Joined: 11 Nov 2007, 21:38

Subject:

Post Posted: 20 Jun 2009, 23:05

mmm atm I don't have a lot to say. I know how able you are, so I won't tell you to be careful about this or that since you already know this stuff.
Looks promising, but I want to see actual work you know :)
Let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. According to this morning's sample, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

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