zp_meltdown brainstorm

[Dr.X]

Hi, Im new to mapping, and have been a long time fan of zp. Up until now, I havent really had the time to make a source map. Now I do, and expect to make a high quality zp:S map.

My first project is zp_meltdown. The city in which the map takes place has a waterway going down the center to make the survivors either take the boat to the other side, or the drawbridge.

The Zombie comes out of one of the reactors, The survivors from another. They dont actually come out of the smokestack, they come out of the circular building directly below it.

I plan on making as many "secret" features as possible on this map, and plan on learning as much as possible in the meantime. I really like quad 17 and zombie kill house, so I would like just about everything on the map to do something if possible. I also really like to have balanced, and exciting gameplay, and I think this map could deliver that.


I would like serious suggestions as to what people would like me to do for this map to make it as fun as possible. I will consider any helpful input as to what I should do on this map. I plan on taking my time and delivering one really good map, like zp_rhs22.

Here is a sketch I made in paint of the map :)

[http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q99/Bowyerma/ZP_Meltdown.jpg

[Shing-Shing]

nice =)

i cant wait to see it finished =)

[barker_s]

Looks like you put some effort into that plan, that's a good thing :) . I like your idea as it has potential in it and is quite original. I hope it won't share the fate of many maps that are left unfinished by their authors (you might find out that it's really hard to keep yourself motivated for a long time). Good luck with it!

[Dr.X]

yeah i'm gonna try my best to keep myself motivated long enough, it will probably take much longer than most maps, Im gonna guess 3 or 4 months or so.

[Shing-Shing]

yeah the longer the better =)

[cheese]

4 months is about what it took for my third map, and it's not even polished. You'll find that once you start to get around to doing all the detail work it can get really tedious. Balancing the map can also be a bit tough. No matter how rough things get stick to the original plan and try not to deviate from it too much unless you really have to.

[NeoAssassin]

Looks like it'll be a pretty big map. I'm sure it'll turn out great if you do finish it though.

[Dr.X]

I'm not sure if I will be able to, I am returning to work soon and probably wont have time grrrrrrrrrrrr. Maybee someone could help me, or take over?

[cheese]

it took me 4 months while I was in college. Work will take a toll on getting your map done, especialy considering sometimes somethings need a good few hours. If you really do want to get it done, you'll find time. But if you're just doing this for a hobby, find time when it's best for you. Remember it's supposed to be fun, not another job.

[Dr.X]

im lazy, so maybee i could pay someone money to make it for me :)

[Kezei]

It looks, to me, as though the zombie spawn is going to be a little too close to the survivors, and that the survivors will have to pass the zombies in order to get to the rest of the map. I would suggest, if you want it to be close like that, to add to the immediate adrenaline rush of the players, switch the zombie and survivor spawn points. That way they're still close, but the survivors will have the opportunity to run.

[Dr.X]

What I would like to accomplish is have the zombie get a chance to make more zombies if the survivors choose to screw around before opening the bridge early in the game. And the spawn would still be off-center from the fastest route the survivors would have to take to cross. I guess it would be in some ways similar to running past the zombo spawn in zp_bridges.

[cheese]

well if theres only one zombie that starts it's probably not going to be a problem

[de[th]]

that looks really good... i want to try and make a mall level and A LOT of places to go in to the mall with like stores and stuff. ughh i'm drooling about it