(Released) conc_school (9.12.09)

[Dr.Satan]

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conc_school changelog 9/12/2009

* final version released
* removed the interest and overview images being blurry for some players
* fixed top floor of juggle missing lighting
* fixed the water not showing up in previous final versions
* added numbered signs to all jumps 
* removed some cubemaps (had way too many in the map)

Known issues:

* players can get stuck in an infinite loop of hitting water on certain jumps 
	+ this is a physics issue that would mess up the mobility of the jumps 
            if I fixed it. It has been left alone on purpose.
* prop_physics in final_room do not show up like they do in the .vmf 
	+ I kinda like the effect this makes, so I've decided to leave it in. 

_b3 changelog 6/27/2009:

* fixed welcome_slate 
* fixed points_of_interest and overview fly through
* fixed interest and overview image missing
* added signs at each jump 

Known issues:

* top floor of juggle missing lighting
* players can get stuck in an infinite loop of hitting water on certain jumps

_b2 changelog 6/2/2008:

* fixed map overview
* fixed prop_static in end room not touching floor
* fixed location_jump7 - '¿' is not recognized by the game
* fixed location_jump15 - triple was spelled wrong (tripple)
* added missing chalkboard model texture

Known issues:

* welcome_slate says "coresponds with the jump..." should be spelled 
    corresponds
* points_of_interest fly through is not working (need to add a new 
    path_mapguide entity and tie it to "1" and tie "15" back to it)
* chairs in finish room don't show up like in the .vmf (finish board would 
    need changing and props need lifted up to be mesh with the floor)


Credits:

* Jester for compiling and testing _b2
* A1win for allowing me to use his map (ff_juggle_this) in mine
* Squeek, pon, Jester, Crazy Carl, Sh4x for all their help with the .lua and
 other mapping issues I had
* [AE] 82694 for compiling this for me when my computer couldn't handle it! 
* GambiT for help with optimizing this! 
* geokill, jester, firefox11, and others for pointing out issues with _b1
* Anyone else I missed!

[Player]

I would suggest adding another level for your triple conc section

Juggling: force the player to juggle the concs (make held concs inactive so no hhing is possible), whilst also enforcing only one conc on the floor at any given time (they have to juggle two concs (mark areas on the floor where concs are active and apply entities / lua to achieve the effect...if lua can do that)). Alternatively, trust the player to do as you ask :P

You may say "But they have already learnt juggling from my drop conc section.", but I can say now with plenty of experience that the majority of new players always struggle with the concept of juggling (multiple consecutive drop concs) even after learning the drop conc; they simply do not know how to progress from the single drop conc to the second drop conc and so on. Their timing is usually the problem; they often get confused, thinking "When do I prime? When do I drop?". If this is explained, they usually pick it up quickly.

I say this not knowing whether a jump like this is planned for a later jump :P

Here is an image with a couple of jumps (scrapped by stino for his newbie map for "being too complex for beginners" :s)

Of course, not the most scale-accurate depiction of beginner jumps but changes made where necessary will make them completely beginner-friendly. Pictures on the left = jumps viewed from side; pictures on the right = pictures viewed from above.

Jump 1 can be modified by including a hole, this emphasizes the need for class control (don't take the piss and make a big hole :P)

[Dr.Satan]

That is awesome man! Although I kinda gotta agree that it might be a bit too difficult for a newb. I'm sure I can get some variation of those maps in there though...

[Player]

That is the whole point :P

Take out the two strafe walls in jump four so they have a simple under section, but to make it a bit more difficult due to the removal of said walls, lower the undersection and push it forward a bit (harder drop conc; yay for progression (easy drop conc, medium drop conc, hard drop conc :P)). Another possibility: require the user to drop conc under and OVER and object, this way they are forced to gain height and distance, not just distance / speed.

Jump five could have two walls removed to make it easier, and to follow the progression route, you could slap a hole in the floor at the end...or not :P

MS Paint skills :P

[Dr.Satan]

yeah...I'll play with it a bit. I want to start getting a nice theme going and start texturing it cause it's bothering me with the crap textures I have right now.

I'm thinking like portalesq textures...I really want it to seem like a training area and I'm thinking I might even steal the textures from portal and use them. What do you think?

[Player]

You tell me, I have never played Portal :P

If they look clinical, then go ahead; anything with a clean, clinical look will fit sci-fi / futuristic training schools perfectly :P

[stino]

speaking of portal, i had the idea of using the momentum that players get from teleports in conc maps, by having players speed up using concs they will increase their distance untill they finally end up on the other side

[Player]

I was going to do something like that.

it would have worked a bit like this:

A generic challenging juggle (both horizontal and vertical), then you come to a vertical where you are required to set up an air hand-held conc just before entering a teleporter at the top of the area; now, with your air hh set up to enter the teleporter (class control is required), you then exit the teleporter directly above some water / land (something that redirects you back to the start of the jump) with your air hand-held conc speeds to get over an object to continue on to the end / up to the end of the jump. Of course, with that description, you could essentially cheat it and get through with a conc to juggle beyond the water, but if a no_fucking_concs entity would be applied to prevent juggling up to a certain point, this would force the player to air huh-huh conc through it :P

There are other, more imaginative and creative ways of applying this, but who cares...it is something new map makers can think of when designing jumps. Think of the fun you could have with no quad (HOW MANY ROCKETS CAN YOU COMBINE FOR ONE JUMP?) / quad rjump maps :P

[fishBurger]

Personally I think simple strafing jumps are easier than the jump down conc up type jumps (more personal control instead of annoying repetitive rehearsal of timing). I can easily tell "I didn't go far enough right" or "I didnt go far enough left" and correct. But it's a lot trickier, esp for new concers to manage "toss, prime, wait, beep, fall, wait, toss, pray for ledge."

Also I think they're more useful in most ctf maps compared to the down up drops, and teaching/refining air control will help with bunnyhop, etc.
Also I don't suck at them so much. :P

[Dr.Satan]

so um yeah...anyone know where the hell my portal textures are? I just want the basic textures, but portal doesn't even have a materials folder...am I just looking in the wrong place or what?

[KubeDawg]

U have the GCF extractor? Use that on the portal folder and you can find all the portal st00fs u need.

[Dr.Satan]

Originally Posted by KubeDawg

U have the GCF extractor? Use that on the portal folder and you can find all the portal st00fs u need.

um...what?

EDIT: Ok I see what your talking about...what is the best GCF extractor to use?

[stino]

GCFScape, and you shouldn't rip official textures

just asking, arent the new vtf files in a new format, incompatible with ff, being an episode 1 engine game?

[Dr.Satan]

Originally Posted by stino

GCFScape, and you shouldn't rip official textures

just asking, arent the new vtf files in a new format, incompatible with ff, being an episode 1 engine game?

umm...they might be and yeah thinking about it, I might just create my own or find someone to help cause this seems like 1) a lot of trouble and 2) not worth it cause I know what I want in my head and they might not be right in the end...

[Dr.Satan]

update (kinda)...

spent all weekend making up some crappy custom textures cause I couldn't find what I wanted in the base textures and I can't / wont steal the portal ones.

Now I need to tweek the jumps, add in some more jumps and texture the hell out of this bitch!

Should have SS's by the end of the week though!

[KubeDawg]

I don't mind if you steal the portal ones. Hell, I'd steal em.

[Dr.Satan]

Originally Posted by KubeDawg

I don't mind if you steal the portal ones. Hell, I'd steal em.

meh...it's a ton of trouble and I already made the one's I like...just need to tweek them a bit more and it should be good!

[KubeDawg]

Ton of trouble? Takes maybe 15 seconds to open an asston of vtf files in vtf editor once you've extracted the portal st00fz.

Well;, anyways, making ur own textures = win because they're urs, and noone can bitch that you stole em.

[cownaetion]

Actually I had a question about that. I believe in TFC if you used textures that didn't come with the main game/mod, they had to download a seperate pak file that contained the textures for the map (unless they forced the textures into the map which I know is possible). Is that the same way in FF? If I used custom textures, would I have to include the vtf files that housed them with the map as well? Because of this I usually try to stick with what comes with the game/mod so that way everyone has it and don't have to worry about someone not being able to not run the map if they only got their hands on the bsp file and not the other files that were with it.

[Dr.Satan]

Originally Posted by cownaetion

Actually I had a question about that. I believe in TFC if you used textures that didn't come with the main game/mod, they had to download a seperate pak file that contained the textures for the map (unless they forced the textures into the map which I know is possible). Is that the same way in FF? If I used custom textures, would I have to include the vtf files that housed them with the map as well? Because of this I usually try to stick with what comes with the game/mod so that way everyone has it and don't have to worry about someone not being able to not run the map if they only got their hands on the bsp file and not the other files that were with it.

Well you have 2 ways to do it:

Either create a .zip file with a maps file and a materials file and force them to upload them to the correct places

Or you can use Pakrat (or similar program) to take the vtf's and vmt's and actually integrate them into your map's .bsp so that the .bsp and the .lua is all they need. Squeek showed me the Pakrat program and it's really nifty! You just need to make sure you know which files / textures are the default one's and which are your custom ones.