I'm pulling for:

1) Some new texturing for the outside area at the top.

2) A private area that is accessible to RJs-Only.

3) Other ways to get to the top level besides the center elevator(s).

4) Moving the respawn points so that they are not in way of what have become common dueling areas.


Lots of people love the map, huma ... I'm sure the next version will triple it's coolness.

JB

awww. if he puts an RJ only section, would i be allowed into it?!

Xero

Actually, we were wondering, if we made the private room have a door that could only be opened from the inside, would there be a way you could get inside the room to open it?
The outside texturing and spawn loc movenment is definite. We may attempt custom textures.
Another thing... we want to completely redo the towers to make them more useful. Any suggestions? We do plan to make more ways up/down inside each tower.
We are considering 4 slightly raised spots (probably octagons) outside between each tower.
Any comments/suggeestions would be extremely helpful.

Defster!!

So glad to see that you've joined us here on the forums ... esp for the second version of your fabulous co-written map.

There would be a way to have someone (an admin) get inside the room by Teleporting into it --- as long as we keep running Academy Mod.

I know Ruggiero had some ideas for some custom textures. You may want to confirm that with him.

I'll have to wander around the tower area and see if anything comes to mind concerning them, maybe they could server some additional function as you re-do the spawn points -- spawn into the towers somewhere ... at least it would be out of the way.

And no Xero ... you would really have to have remained a member of RJ to reap it's benefits ....

Defster,

Thanks for asking our opinions. And... of course... as most know, I am happy to offer mine!

First, I would like to say that the map as it is now, is great: functional, high fps, etc. These things should not be sacrificed for the sake of 'eye-candy.'

I suppose what I will do is say the things I LIKE about the current map, then the things I think could be improved, and then whatever ideas I might throw in regarding any future 'alterations.'

What I like:

1: functionality. It is easy to get from place to place, with a minimum of time spent running around.
2: High fps
3: the dueling areas in the basement are perfect, except the mystery door leading nowhere.......


What could be "improved"

1: the color of the central octagon is a bit dark. it is easy to lose dueling partners in the dark, esp. those with dark skins.
2: the rock texture is a bit high contrast, making it a little hard on the eyes in the courtyards.
3: the table and glasses in the basement is a little gratuitous, and unnecessary Rarely do people congregate there to 'chat.' usually it is on the top walkways or on the center octagon.

alterations:

I am not a fan of the any more raised octagons: it is first of all common: every map seems to have octagons. Second, for instance, in the fishtank at cloudshark, the slightly raised octagon screws up duels a little. I always find myself wanting to duel on the flat floor.

The map is symmetrical. I understand that that is part of its appeal, but, perhaps what could be added is a grand courtyard off of one side of it. So the whole map would become more of a 'rectangle' with the already-existing square 'castle-area' at one end. Getting around could be facilitated through tele-points if you needed: like in cloudshark, but if one of the walls had a doorway into the courtyard, that would probably do as well.

I am curious why no dueling areas are 'triangular.' Perhaps the grand courtyard could be a triangle... Or... As you have it, the map is a square, within which is another square (bounded by the towers) within which is the octagon. What IF ( ) the outermost square was rotated 45 degrees, and made larger to accommodate the inner square? that would slightly offset the symmetrical feeling, while still keeping the map coherent and tight, and easy to get around.

Symmetry makes the map a little difficult to navigate: every side looks similar, so it is hard to 'remember' where certain people are: I often find myself running all the way around to find the person I just dueled (and lost to). If, for instance, (in my above square-within-a-diamond "plan," two walls of the diamond were notably different from the other two, then the navigation problem/getting one's bearings, etc. would be simplified. If you do NOT want to discard the current 'plan' then shifting the textures (or adding a decal) on each 'outside-wall' would probably help. Perhaps even adding different colors to each tower would do the trick.

Secret Room. I think that is a good idea, and, with that, the table chairs, etc. can be discarded.

Lastly, textures: the rock textures are a little busy, as I noted above, and can get hard on the eyes. Perhaps they can be made to be lower-contrast, or switched (if that is easy-enough to do) Another help might be to change the texture on the floor to something easier on the eyes.

I am also happy to make custom textures for you guys, or custom decals, as needed. I sent an example to huma a while ago of a texture, and would be happy to do them for you. Just let me know if you need them to repeat or not.

Anyway, I am excited to see what you come up with! And, despite all my suggestions, I really like the rjduelarena map as it is, so perhaps the solution is not to revise it, but to add to "RJ-Duel-Arena" the RJ-HEADQUARTERS!

Thank you for all your time and help with this. I am curious also to what others think of these suggestions.

Ruggiero

Ive got my ideas about the secret room, because it wont matter if I sacrifice fps in there...

We're considering making the dark room much darker. We had experimented with darker during making it at first, but huma didnt like it. It was extremely disorienting, but I found it a lot of fun to duel there, and I never see that foom being used anyway.

We're planning changing all the textures outside, if we can. Should we still keep the same castle-like theme outside though?

I kinda like the symmetry, but maybe I could offset the towers and stuff...

you mean.... my towers? ;D

-Well either way, most of the ideas you're talking about rugg/jay/random bum will probably be implemented. The only question we really have
what theme we should redo the top as, we can't really do temple theme... they're all rocks. All in all, I think the best bet to make it easy on the eyes
would be some type of futuristic theme for the topside. If you have any more ideas, please let myself, or my personal slave (defster) know.

<---- uber ninja! D=

...

well, i suppose i will be doing all the work, BUM!

While ur at it make that big door lead somewhere

//me still shaking off the sleep from Rugg's post ...

I do agree with the whole 'easy on the eyes' thing. I know that my skin gets a bit lost up there.

I think people tend to congregate in either the top or the bottom ... collectively. We'll have some days where no one is in the 'arenas' and other days where no one is up top. How odd would it be to have some 'transparency' going between the some of the tiles between the ceiling of the arenas and the floor of the topside --- so that one could feel part of either area, no matter where you were dueling? Almost like having sunlight from outside coming into the arenas below -- and you could actually see through them. Is that to strange? It may be cooler in my head than in reality.

Just another one to chew on ....

JB

that would be quite strange... but we could see how it works.

And the big hangar door will lead somewhere, but you may not be able to get in.

You're right ... it probably is quite strange ...

Keep in mind, I'm only imagining a couple of tiles above each arena ... not the entire ceiling. (Yes, that could still be very strange .. )

Thanks again for your work on this. Post when you've got some progress.

JB

I'll start working on the map after defster gives me the hard copy of the new one

Tell Defster I'll double his salary if he can put a rush on that ..

I thinking .. a huge Tyrannus statue. Yes .. sounds just lovely.

or how bout a statue of the RJ clan skin reborn somewhere? the skin Angel made... try makin it gray or somethin and makin a statue? i dunno, just babling.

Xero

This needs to be included in the new map.... banners everywhere.

Huma,

I am not sure what you mean to imply by the above link: is there something you are not telling us?

--Ruggerissimo

we're not trying to scare people away tyr.....

Oh, we're not? Then perhaps we shouldn't let that hidious Rodian roam the server daily. At least, not without a cloak of some sort.




--Tyrannus

I second tyrannus on this one....

i agree with Huma and Tyrannus....i mean, at least Liz covers up his deformed scaly body! but nooo..that rodian always walks around like hes an ADMIN or something...waving his tentacles left and right, his big bulgy eyes staring into nothingness...and that face!! eww! but yes, i agree!

<{AP}>Xerosaber

Hey Ty, i like the idea of the statue, but tell me one thing. How do you plan on keeping the statue from falling over... I mean with it being all top heavy and stuff


-Deacon

Oh man .. you dare take a swipe at me, the Mighty Tyrannus?! You are going to go down, boy .. faster than when that silly Rodian faces me in a duel.

Sure I might go down (FTACGOPN ... if you don't know email me.) , but I'll ware you down in the process. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be so tired of wiping my blood from you're boot that you'll be forced into submission.

-Deacon

Ok you flirts, get a room.

----SNAP----

Back on topic.

Huma: what about a dueling room that was small as well: one gets used to duels in areas the size of the bespin pad, or, as Rodians prefer, on the wide-open-spaces of cloudshark or StarHell, but what about one that was smaller... that has always been a good way to train.

The one thats in the center of the upper courtyard is smaller, if you haven't already noticed, people fall off all the time.

... sniff sniff, Ruggiero cares, he really cares...

As for ideas, what about a dueling platform, or multiple (4 in a cross) that would force players into more controlled duels. Wide open is great, but all the jumping can prolong a fight. The pad on bespin streets is cool, but there are always a lot of people there. I'm thinking a teleport spot that takes you to a platform. From there, you can jump to 1 of 4 dueling platforms. If you fall off of any of the platforms... !!SPLAT!! .The platform could be surrounded by pits or placed way above the map or you could opt to send the player back to a teleport spot if they fall. You can be as evil or nice as you want here.

Platforms are based on the Bespin Street Platform (BSP). The platforms should be spaced far enough apart so that people cannot jump from platform to platform... only back to the teleport platform. Each platform is a different size, causing a Jedi to change fighting styles to fit their environment. (I'd like to see a jumpy Jedi fighting ontop of a pinhead!)

(Sorry for the dots, php isn't ASCII art friendly)


...........................................(100 % BSP)
...................................................||
...................................................||
...................................................||
.................( 75 % BSP)===(Spawn Point)===( 50 % BSP)
...................................................||
................................................... -==<0>======> (Deacon, being a smooth arse Jedi, jumpin into a duel!)
...................................................||
............................................( 25 % BSP)


*Spawn point could be teleport point that is 50 % BSP. This should be big enough to handle the incoming and outgoing traffic.

Any thoughts?

-Deacon

Of course, silly.

However, an enclosed area is different than a platform off of which one can fall.

Deacon ...

Loving your involvement here. Def has sent word in another thread that progress is being made in the ol' mapping department. Hopefully we'll have something soon at which to look.

JB

OK.. umm.. update....

Huma and I have been talking... and I've been messing around with the new ideas a little in the map...
Basically every idea so far has been scrapped, we are just going to stick to Jay's original criteria, but do it in a different way, with a lot of completely random drastic changes...
Though I am mapping, im not sure what it is im trying to do...

I apologize, but Huma has spent the past two hours confusing with me stupid crazy new ideas/plans over the phone while i mapped...

but is being made... kinda...

Tell Huma to keep his trap shut and do what he is good at: look for leaks.

hey now.... i have a general idea of what i want done... maybe... somewhat..... GO AWAY!

Defster, from what I understand, lightswitches are only available in the SP version of the game.

FYI

Rugg

really? that sucks... are you sure though? there are door switches are there not?

I am pretty sure I saw it on one of the mapping forums on Jk2files.com, pcgamemods.com, or jediknightii.net... I forget which. However, you can try it and see if it works in a simple little room.

If I run across the links again, I will let you know. But you should be able to verify this with checking in the entity window of your light if there is a "START OFF" button. Also, there might be a way around it with some fx runner effect that generates light, but I am not sure.

Good luck.

Rugg

Oh by the way.... in the latest version of rjduelarena, all rodians will automatically explode.... this keeps the server clean.

Still thinking this would be a good map to have ported to Academy ... with improvements.

Misters Huma/Defster, if you're still out there .... thoughts for the transfer to JK3?

JB

I'd be up for it... Would I have to remake it completely in a different mapping program? I guess i need to ask rugg...

Right now the only editing tool for JK3 is QERadiant. However, it should open your old map just fine. You will probably have to do a lot of texture finding/replacing, as some of the ones you used will not work in JK3. Also, I found that doors and elevators all got screwy. Shouldn't take too much time. Go to QERadiant.com, to find the software.

Good luck.

Rugg

Thx for the interest Defster. Now, go wake up that Huma friend of yours and put him to work

JB

Egad, Man!!!

For the sake of all that is holy, don't wake Huma up! He's too annoying!

Ruggiero

I'll agree with Rugg on this one...

Still hoping that someday we might see a v2 of this gem ....

JB