"Cube" series map

[Yamato]

I had an idea to create a DM map based on the "Cube" movies. I don't know if it's a very well known series in the US, but here in Canada, they have a small following.

If you haven't seen them, all three are basically about people who wake up trapped in this prison made up of cube rooms, each connected to another cube throught a small crawlspace in the center of the wall, ceiling, and floor. They try to escape the prison, but some of the cubes have traps (blades from the walls, acid sprayers, flames, etc.) that kill most of them off by the end. Also, the cubes would accasionally rearrange themselves.

Anyway, I tried to make a "Cube" map, made up of three floors, each floor having nine rooms (3 rooms by 3 rooms). I've never made content for a game before, so it had a few problems (couldn't place weapons, couldn't move to a higher floor, only down, couldn't publish to the game, etc), and it wasn't very pretty to look at either. I'm not sure what to do next, but if anyone thinks they can make version worth putting online, you're welcome to use my idea. Also, tell me what you think of the idea. Thx

[Nawrot]

But You did not wrote your idea! All you wrote is about Cube movie and that you did 3x3x3 room map. That is hardly any idea.

For FPS like UT3 empty cube room is boring, you need some cool twist for cube map to work.

And You can not call it your idea, there are some topics about cube map already here.

[Yamato]

Really? ****. I didn't know someone already posted about this. And sorry, I guess it wasn't clear but I wanted to make the map as I discribed the movies was. But ya, a bunch of cube rooms would be boring I guess. I wanted to put traps and have the rooms move, but I had no clure how to do that, or if it was even possible.

[RealF4lcon]

Ahoy there! I know this is getting to be an old post, but i just wanted to make a little note on it, having searched specifically for this topic.
A friend and I are currently attempting to develop a map based on the movie "Cube," and we're hoping to make it good enough for beta and final release within this arena.
Presently, the map has undergone a prototype in a 4X4 cube environment (only in the horizontal plane), as a 16 player DM level, using jump boots that spawn in alternate rooms (alternating with weapon lockers) to gain enough height to enter the smaller, "intermediary," cubes - with the premise that, to get out, you had to steal your kills' boots. Alpha tested at a mini-LAN, we found it to be claustrophobic, cramped and horrifying - even with the bot AI functioning at average. All-in-all, the players said they enjoyed it, so we decided to take the map further.
Currently, we have built a 4x4x4 cube (though not all rooms are playable - after all, 64 rooms accessible in all 3 dimensions is a little much for 16 people), so we decided that as a part of the game in our map, we would include a playable 3x3x3 cube. This is pretty much where we are at the moment - our intention is for play to start in a 4x4 area, then for a "lockdown" of the cubes to occur, to be re-arranged and included into a 3x3x3 playable "cube."
The re-arrangement of the cubes (and hopefully the initiation of the re-arrangement) will be able to be seen, by the player who discovers it, from a viewing area, outside of the "cube." We also hope to include "traps" in some of the rooms, though this is more likely to be secodary to an enjoyable and playable map. There are also some other little delights and touches that we aim to include.

Well, i must admit, on re-reading what i've just written, it sounds very ambitious and more than a little pretentious, so i would like to finish by asking anybody who, generally, has any hints or tips to make the rest of the process easier or anything they'd especially like to see included, please let me know.

Finally, i will upload some development screenshots when i work out how (i'm not very familiar with the working of forums, sorry!).

RealF4lcon

[RealF4lcon]

This is just a brief, prototype, view of what the outer environment will be like - the cubes that can be seen are the cubes in which the bulk of the action will occur (screenshot is 1280x1024):


There will be more to come... (we hope!)

RealF4lcon

Edit:

Here is a view of an interior of one of the cubes, looking through to its' neighbours - only a basic texture applied for this stage:



R

[Nawrot]

Just and idea:
instead of real connections use teleporters and camera actors to transmit look to other cube.

Then you can rearrange your cubes simply by modyfing teleporter destinations based on number of players on your map.

But that requires your cubes to be not just empty rooms inside, as you move fight from beet wen cubes to single cube at a time.

It is hard to pull off such map to be enjoyable.

[marilol]

Teleporters would make the map rally laggy though.

[RealF4lcon]

The teleporters idea is certainly a good one and we'll certainly be trying it out, thank you! At the moment, we have plans for teleporters and camera actors in a "control room" - so we shall see what works best!

Thanks for the input!

R

[marilol]

I wasn't saying it was a bad idea. I was just telling you from one post passed throughout the forums in teleporter map discussions:

teleporter = Fine

Plural Teleporters = little lag

Plural Teleporters close to each other = Heavy lag

[RealF4lcon]

My apologies - i didn't intend to feel that your advice had been misconstrued - rather, i am very grateful for it! Thank you! My experience of the forums, as of yet, is still rather limited, and as such, to have senior members giving such advice is a real honour! Thank you again!

Before this starts to sound as though i'm kissing a**, i just wanted to let people know that we will be attempting many teleporter combinations over the next few days, and we will see how they work out.

Hope everyone out there is well,

R

[ShadeMistress]

LOL, I was just watching Cube Zero and thought that it would be fun to entertain the idea of making a "Cube" map, traps and all.

I think it could be entirely possible, but would take a whole lot of Kismet and Matinee work to get the rooms to shift around... (along with a bunch of math, mostly trig, not really all that horrifying....)

The doors, I thought, would just be easier to make short hallways leading to the door (just enough to stand on) and use jump pads that are "attached" to the room to move with them...

[marilol]

My experience of the forums, as of yet, is still rather limited, and as such, to have senior members giving such advice is a real honour! Thank you again!

Don't worry, i only joined in October, if you go on the forums the amount i do it then you rank up post counts pretty fast.

If you finish this map then be sure to pm me about it because this loks amazing. Imagine a team deathmatch or invasion in those cubes.

That would be sweet.

[upL8N8]

A cube map wouldn't be fun unless it's for a puzzle only. Fighting wouldn't be fun. Also, the cube movies had each cube having weird effects, like time speed shifts, things that kill you, etc. I guess that would be interesting to add to maps, a dangerous environment.

However, what I'm taking from this idea is a map that modifies itself, which is always a good idea. Terrain deformation, or sections of maps that can move you around, or that are instantly relocated.

[Nawrot]

Just remeber: moving/changing enviroment = no bot support. Only one kind of changes those stupid bots can work with is teleporter destination.

[Nawrot]

Few days before I wrote my first reply here, I had idea for cube map. I do not think that I will make it, because too much work and too easy to make boring map. So I write my ideas, maybe you can do somwthing with it.

1) teleporters as a way to change size of map and connections
2) each cube should be mini duel map, like 1 ramp + some obstacles
3) map needs to rearrage according to number of players - more players more rooms accesible

4) Now most complicated thing that can make or break map:

destinations need to be picked not quite randomly. Goal is to make feel that destinations are totally random, but you may not bore players, and pursuits need to be possible.
so:
- This rule should always have top priority: teleporter destination may not change for few seconds after somebody travelled it, or better not change as long as anybody that was in starting room is when it was activated did not left that room, so anybody that could see enemy useing teleporter is still there.
- now how to pick "not so random" destination:
at start each room you want be accesible gets wage for eg 5 (from 1-10), Wages need to be remebered for each player
For player that entered room , set wage of that room to 5.
for player that left some room you set wage of that room to "0" this makes impossible for player to go back to room he visited before. But you need to keep last room connection as long as previous rule is true.
After each teleport use by player you increase all wages that are below 5, until they got to 5.

Now how to make things interestning:
If there was no kill in some time (like 10-20sec), increase wages of every room that has player inside. This will make them fight.
If player is running out of ammo increase wage of room with that ammo.
And randomly set wages of some rooms to 10, for eg room with powerup.

Then pick destination according to room wages.

Yes I know that all above is complicated, and probably not doable in kismet. I may make such map someday, but you are free to use this idea.