https://forums.epicgames.com/threads/990965
Info about the old version, A22:
DOWNLOAD: DM-UTCRAFT-A22
Since this is a test version please do not mirror this file.
UPDATED 2015-02-17
This is the fourth (and hopefully final) public test.
New in this version:
Based on comments from the previous version, I extended all of the beaches outwards and made them less jagged. I also reworked the cave system to make the rooms a bit less boxy and added some new pathways to make them flow together a bit better. I reworked most of the dirt and stone mix textures to larger sizes so that they would repeat less noticeably and look a bit more "natural" (by Minecraft standards, anyway.) This also helped me simplify the geometry of several rooms, especially the stuff I designed in the first alpha, since I didn't need to depend on BSP as much to break up monotonous texture patterns.
I replaced the old mountain on the eastern edge of the map with a new area, consisting of a house on a hill with a small cave underneath. I initially made a "natural" structure there, but wasn't happy with it, so I asked my son to build something in Minecraft that would look good in that spot. He came up with that house design and the lava skylight.
Muir pointed out to me that grass normally doesn't grow on Minecraft beaches (unlike Texas beaches) so I put in some scrub there. While I was at it, I also put in a bunch of flowers, and fixed the grass (and similar masked meshes) so they don't have little lines around the edges of the mesh when viewed from a distance. (This is thanks to DGUnreal, I found his post https://forums.epicgames.com/threads/572381 explaining the fix when looking up something else on the forums.)
The opacity issues with the water should be fixed on most skins now. Highly complex skins like my Hologram pack still won't be visible under water. I revamped the lava animation as well. It's not quite as fast as in Minecraft, but looks a bit better this way, I think.
Bots are improved from the last version. Due to the unusual (for UT) terrain style, the bot network connects paths that aren't traversable. So I had to proscribe (mark that you can't go from this node to this other one) paths all over the place. Most of the various hidden paths still aren't pathed, and probably won't be unless they prove to be problematic on my server.
The jukeboxes still work by pressing "E" to activate a song - but this time there is a nice little animation of a disc. There are also a few other custom emitters, check out the TNT and lava. With Great Emerald's invaluable help (I wouldn't know where to start on my own) I made a random music script that chooses one of the five included ogg files randomly at the start of the match. It works online, even. That's also why there is an item frame with an emerald in it that probably does not open any hidden doors. I really wanted to embed the music mutator into the map but no matter what I tried, one of the referenced class files would not store itself, so I've set it up as an external mutator. (It's called by the map automatically, so you don't have to set it as a mutator. By the way, the mutator will work for other maps, but as long as they have a music track set up, both the normal song and the Minecraft song will play at the same time.)
There are now some paintings in the level; some are from Minecraft, one is of a beam warlord from the Disastrous Consequences server, two others are based on artwork from UT99 and UT2003. And there's a portrait of an enderman somewhere. Also, i put in lots of signs. And I redesigned the health pickup base.
There are now all kinds of ambient sounds from Minecraft. I used DGUnreal's ambient voice actor for the various mob sounds. Not only does it randomize the location and directions of the sounds, it also doesn't make them play loudly in the Unreal Ed when you press the preview button unlike normal sound emitters. I highly recommend it. There are various triggered sounds as well, such as when you grab a DD.
So that's about it. I plan to release a tweaked final version in a week or so. Feedback is appreciated! I need to squash those last-minute bugs.
Info about the old version, A19:
New in this version: New custom Minecraft-like pickups and pickup bases. Lots of work to layout and pickups. New tunnel system and beach greatly increasing the playable area of the map and the recommended player count. Lots of small hidden shortcuts. Forest and village left mostly the same, aside from moving one of the buildings and smoothing/extending the area a bit, and adding lots of stairs to the beach areas. I got a few comments about the water surrounding the beach area being hard to get out of. It's actually very easy, just move toward the edge of the beach (DO NOT PRESS JUMP) and look slightly upward and you will hop out of the water automatically. Let me know if you have problems with this, and I might try another solution, like sloping blocking volumes around the edges of the beach, or maybe extending the beach out a bit farther so there is more room to maneuver. There are still a few places where bots have problems in this version, but they can traverse most of the blocky terrain. The rear mountain and shortcuts are NOT pathed for bots.
I left the rear mountain mostly untouched from the previous alpha, but I do plan to remove it or build a new area there in the next release. I left it in because I wanted to finish the main area before making a final decision about it. I also plan to refine the tunnel layout and make it a bit more "natural" looking.
Press "E" to activate the jukeboxes (brown boxes with checkerboards on the sides and a slot on top.) Each jukebox plays a different song. That's why there are several music files (also for people who want to reuse them.) The ogg music from Minecraft was a bit too quiet compared to regular UT2004 tracks, so I've increased the volume a bit since the last release. Be sure to replace the tracks. Pressing "E" will also interact with a few other things.
I need your comments to make this map better! Thanks
Info about the old versions, A12 and A10:
I'm looking for feedback about weapon placement and gameplay. At at this point I think I have the basic layout locked in, so I don't want to make any huge changes there. But definitely still open to suggestions. I do realize that the blocky style creates a lot of sharp edges, and it's easy to hit blocks while trying to strafe and shoot. I've tried to minimize the blockiness in the main gameplay area, partly by adding stairs and slabs that can be walked on like ramps, and also by minimizing the number of single blocks jutting out of the ground, and by treating them as platforms. These issues are inherent with this theme, but I'll do what I can about it. The main gameplay area is a bit small, I was going for a slightly larger than 1-on-1 size.
In terms of theme, this is based on a Minecraft NPC village while playing survival mode. As such, I don't plan on adding the sort of huge structures or complicated mechanisms that you might make in creative mode. I've considered a nether portal (a teleport to another zone,) and I don't think it will work with this map, think of this as a new world where you are just now exploring the map and gathering weapons and resources. Also teleports mean telefrags, and monsters blocking the teleport and getting stuck. I'd rather avoid that whole mess.
Another thing that's been brought up by a few people on my server is a dynamic sky with a day/night cycle. That simply will not work in UT2004. While I'm sure it's possible to do some sort of complicated skybox with a cycle, map lighting is baked in and won't change to match the sky. So I recreated a pretty time of day. Similarly, I won't be doing anything complicated like programming destructible blocks or making a crafting system. Mobs are also beyond the scope of this project, although I wouldn't mine seeing a few of them as invasion monsters. This is simply a standard UT2004 map with a Minecraft theme.
There are jukeboxes (brown blocks with a slot on top) set up throughout the level; press 'E' to change the song.
Other things to note:
Terrain is very blocky on the hill at the rear of the map. I don't plan on putting pickups on it; it's not pathed for bots and they will definitely have issues traversing it. It was originally intended to be an island far in the background that could be explored, it's still basically that, I just moved it just closer to the main gameplay area.
Also, I just trimmed down the "block" comprising the bottom of the village and forest as much as possible. The sides of the map are very square around the edges at the moment; the reason I trimmed it down is because I am in the process of creating a more "natural" border around the main gameplay area. I decided to upload this version while still in that process to get some feedback before "locking" in the edges.
I'm aware of a few minor issues like floating grass and platforms jutting out over the edges - results of the trim, I will fix them. Also on the to-do list: Pixelated pickups.
One thing I could use help with is getting the clouds to cycle the way I want them. They are set up as mesh emitters that travel the length of the level (not inside the skybox) over the course of about ten minutes. They start out on one edge of the map, and slowly drift to the other side. What I've tried to do unsuccessfully is get a couple of them to start in mid-cycle in the middle of the map. From what I've researched on emitter properties setting the warmup should do this, but I've fiddled with these settings for hours and haven't figured them out. As it is, they work fine, and travel as a group, but it takes a good 4 or 5 minutes for them to appear overhead.
Changelog:
016-03-06 DM-UTCRAFT (1.0) Public Release. Here it is finally. Enjoy!
2015-12-07 DM-UTCRAFT-A24.
Private test.
*Added more cover to the beach areas to make the map a bit less hit-scan dominant.
*Redesigned the room under the forge a bit more.
*Made the emerald a call button for a lift going directly below.
*Tweaked the low detail settings so that people with low spec systems would have better performance.
*Some more pathing tweaks for a better invasion experience in the caves, and to keep bots from getting stuck on blocky terrain.
2015-02-25 DM-UTCRAFT-A23.
Private test.
*Moved assets to an external package, UTCRAFTResources.utx. (Although a texture package, it also contains the sounds and static meshes.)
*Made a wildcard base for the secret room, made opening it simpler. (Shoot the gold block.)
*Put a call button under the forge to make going back up possible without a translocator.
*Various other minor changes.
*Updated UCL for the random music mutator so it will show a description on the mutator tab.
2015-02-17 DM-UTCRAFT-A22.
Fourth public test. DO NOT MIRROR.
*New random music script (made with Great Emerald's help.)
*New emitter effects on jukeboxes and other things.
*Replaced the old mountain on the eastern side of the map with a brand new new area.
*Reworked a few textures and remade the health pickup base.
*Expanded beaches outwards and made them less jagged.
*Fixed water opacity issue.
*Revised tunnel layout with a few new routes and made them a bit more open and a bit less boxy.
*Got rid of a lot of the grass meshes, put in some flowers (on grass) and scrub (on beach.)
*Lots of signs with scripted messages showing score, etc.
*Added ambient sounds from Minecraft.
*Various new meshes and textures.
*Lots of secrets.
2015-01-21 DM-UTCRAFT-A19.
Third public test. DO NOT MIRROR.
*New custom pickups.
*Massive layout expansion, including new beach and tunnel areas.
*Better music volume.
*Various new meshes and textures.
2014-07-27 DM-UTCRAFT-A12.
Second public test. DO NOT MIRROR.
*Rearranged some of the houses and made the plaza area more spacious.
*Stairs leading from the forest area up to the middle hill for better flow.
*some weapon rearrangement.
*A bit more work on the edges of the main area (but not finished.)
2014-07-22 DM-UTCRAFT-A10.
First public test. DO NOT MIRROR.
Credits:
MINECRAFT TEXTURES, SOUNDS AND MUSIC COPYRIGHT MOJANG. (http://minecraft.net/)
All other custom meshes and textures by Jefe.
"Multi Adrenaline" based on DGUnreal's version.
"DG_AmbientVoice" actor by DGUnreal.
Random Music script by Jefe and Great Emerald. I've included the code so you can modify it to work for other maps. .
Thanks to everyone who has given me feedback and ideas, including Muir, Dragon7350, Hollon, Imperial, Cancer, Demonslayer, Ollievrthecool, Budboy and Robosaber.
P.S. This is all Muir's fault!
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