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[Brentai]

If there is one thing that Half-Life exemplifies in its game design though, is the idea of sets and loops.  Making the most use of the littlest area.  In this vein, we could have the map as kind of come up with your layout and gameplay, then kind of iron out wrinkles to make it more cohesive if we wanted to.

I think you're really onto something there but it kinda went over my head.  Care to elaborate on it?

[jsnlxndrlv]

I think it could work really well if we passed around the level the first time really quickly: people just built (basically) a series of featureless boxes to represent their "area".  After everyone had done that and we all understood the basic layout and flow of the level, everybody would then take their individual section of boxes and replace them with actual structure and level-design, etc.

[Royal☭]

If there is one thing that Half-Life exemplifies in its game design though, is the idea of sets and loops.  Making the most use of the littlest area.  In this vein, we could have the map as kind of come up with your layout and gameplay, then kind of iron out wrinkles to make it more cohesive if we wanted to.

I think you're really onto something there but it kinda went over my head.  Care to elaborate on it?

It's discussed in the commentary quite a bit at times.  Valve designs their levels as little mini-games.  Not mini-games in the "Here is something other, incomplete game to tide you over" sense, but in that when you get to a section, it's usually it's own complete section with a beginning, middle and end to get through.  It creates a kind of peak and trough rhythm to the game, where you have frantic gameplay in between more low-key traversing.  It's part of the roller coaster feel of the series.

Examples include the fight with the Antlions in the parking garage in EP 1, the multiple points where you get out of the vehicle in vehicle segments, etc.  Basically fights, puzzles, whole setpieces that exist independent of each other, but are joined by both plot points and the seamless gameplay.

It could work for an exquisite corpse style map by allowing everyone to to do their own sections, building off what the previous person had done.

[JDigital]

also each of us has to do the voice acting for our own part

for all the characters

[Brentai]

Including Gordon.

(In all seriousness if we are doing the make-level-solo, flesh-out-by-collaboration thing, we could conceivably build up a cast to voice.)

[Brentai]

Are we doing this after the Knorpse is finished or what?

[jsnlxndrlv]

Or better yet, immediately?  Starting now?  RIGHT NOW?

[Frocto]

Or better yet, immediately?  Starting now?  RIGHT NOW?

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hahaha

Anyway, I was telling yyler about this and he was interested. So I thought I'd give this a hopeful bump.

[Catloaf]

I'm interested in this.  And no, I'm no better with Hammer than the rest of you.

This is the sort of thing that if we do, we should not wait for one person to finish their section to start on the next, though.  Because that would take way too long unless we all intend on making boringville, home of the bore-dome.

And I have a feeling that this will only lead to Frocto being brutally raped by an endless sea of headcrabs.

[Royal☭]

 

Yeah, sounds like a plan.  The best way I can think of to do this is to give someone a week to make a level, at the end of which I chop off the end part of the level and pass that on to the next person, who then builds from there.  We can also choose a weapon or two to add to our areas, with grenades and upgrades being applicable anywhere.

If you're interested, sign up here with where you'd like to go and what weapon you'd like.  Just for note, I'll be starting off the map with the pistol, shotgun, and gravity gun.  That way everyone can use physics puzzles!

Feel free to suggest any methods for how to make this work a bit easier, as well.  Half-Life maps are a lot more complicated than Knytt Stories levels.  One idea I'm floating is that people create their beginning and ending areas first, then I can pass the ending on to the next person immediately so we can all make simultaneously and have a bit more time.

[Catloaf]

Well, we could have a central theme and at least for now have every level begin and end in the same type of room.  At least for the start of things, then after we see who's after us we could work on transitions.

But I dunno, First things first, we need to see who's on board.

And since HL2 doesn't work quite like metroid, or even knytt, I don't give a damn about what weapon I get, since all that's absolutely required is there at the beginning--the gravity gun.

[Royal☭]

For this first one, I'd go with a rather simple theme.  Probably something like: While working deep in the underground science facilities of Black Mesa Research and Development to cure both cancer and gay cancer, Chief Badassologist Gordon Freeman suddenly finds himself under attack by irritable mutants from outer space.  Armed only with the experimental zero-point energy manipulator - and the laboratory's surprisingly robust artillery stash - Gordon must fight his way out of the besieged institution to freedom and explosions.

This way everyone could design a floor of the building separated by elevators.  They could add whatever weapons or items they need for their level.

[yyler]

I can try to learn Hammer to do this. Try being the keyword. I'd still like for EK3 to happen though.

[Miss Cat Ears]

I would play it.  But I can't make anything.

[Royal☭]

I can try to learn Hammer to do this. Try being the keyword. I'd still like for EK3 to happen though.

That's cool.  Hammer isn't that hard once you start getting the basics down, it just takes a little bit of time.  And I think the Knorpse people are taking a breather so I figure we can whip this up while they wait.  I designed my concept so that people don't have to wait until the next person is done.

[yyler]

I think I can pick it up. I fumbled around with it while trying to make a TF2 level once and just gave up, so maybe that head start can help me out here. I remember how to move the camera.

[Catloaf]

My Hammer Experience: Just fucking around/going through tutorial, got a good grip on everything up till entities, where it got a little confusing and I called it a day.

I like the begin/end everything with an elevator idea.  But I call dibs on the inevitable broken elevator scene.  Not a falling down the shaft thing or anything, just *clunk* crowbar open the door and go to level.

[Frocto]

I would do this if someone could exhaustively hold my hand through the entire process.

[Royal☭]

TUTORIALS:

The Whole Half-Life
Half-Life Mapping Portal
Edit Life
Valve Developer Community

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n0NUJ_6dbU


That stuff should help you get started.  You don't have to do anything really fancy, if you just want to make a floor that's just Gordon charging through a bunch of zombies in the Doom/Serious Sam style, go nuts.

Also, if you do want in on this note: Don't feel constrained by the laboratory setting.  It's supposed to be an experimental research laboratory, so anything could happen.

So play around a bit, then we can compile a list of who is participating and hash an end date for people to finish their levels.

[jsnlxndrlv]

I'm still interested in doing this. I got impatient while waiting for it, though, and that's why I started EK2 when I did. And as long as I don't have to organize it, I'm jazzed to start doing this immediately.