Outpost FPS

[leeor_net]

Been toying with this idea for awhile and decided to hunker down and get something done today.

I downloaded the source code for the Tesseract Engine, modified the project, set it up in a way that I think makes sense and took some time today to start getting familiar with the editor. The map I came up with so far isn't great but it's a start.

Download Here

Here's a few screenshots:

I thought it could be fun to have a deathmatch/CTF FPS game based in Outpost 2 (maybe Outpost 1) structures.

So, question is, is there any interest in developing this further? I haven't done much and haven't gotten very far, I wanted to get my hands dirty on the Cube 2 / Tesseract engine anyway but it was a fun diversion.

Anyway, if there's interest, let me know! I'll get the prototype published and we can start building maps and if there's enough interest we can host a server.

[Hooman]

Woah, cool. Took me until the last image to see what you were getting at.

If you were killing people though, you'd probably need some Savant voice guilt tripping you and discouraging your evil actions, and perhaps have a counter showing how little of humanity is left alive.

Mind you, what would the victory message be for such a game? "You have done well, humanity is doomed!"

[leeor_net]

That would be GREAT. Lol'ing over here. Though it would take some effort to find a voice talent to get the Savant sound right.

[dave_erald]

So, i figure the story line for a fps could follow more along the lines of helping and problem solving with shooting, kind of like a Myst game with Call of Duty or Doom 3d aspects.

Base it on following along with the colony from base move to base move with problems arising along the way naturally, helping with base setup and defense, remember the missions where you had to go back to an older large base to retrieve documents - there's a mission. Anytime you need to drive around in a lynx or tiger and attacking other colonies or the blight infested vehicles.

Ummm, missions could be about stealing resources and what not. You could also do it where you play as Eden and you are fighting against the fanatical portions of colonists that are prone to stealing and bombing facilities (this could at the very least give you a direct enemy to attack)

I think I would more enjoy and buy into the idea of a Myst/Call of duty crossover than i would a straight out Call of Duty ripoff i guess

Your call

[Vagabond]

I like Dave's idea of entertaining more problem solving and less combat. Maybe similar to the mechanics in a game like Ultima Underworld (except space and not fantasy). There are definitely several interesting missions already detailed in the Outpost Novella.

* Eden stealing the Gene Bank from Plymouth
* Plymouth kidnapping scientists from Eden
* Plymouth's attack on the Gulag that allows Axen Moon to escape
* The Masters showdown with Axen and Brook over the Eden Gene Bank
* The Masters systematically destroying the Eden colony when they lose the space race
* Running from the blight for an evacuation transport in the original Eden base when the blight appears
* Same for Plymouth except it would be running from lava

Or you could just go with finding a special blight proof suit and then going in to kill all the Blighted colonists (aka Zombies).   

[leeor_net]

These are great ideas but requires real time and effort to make happen. The Cube 2 / Tesseract engine doesn't have provisions for anything like that. They're designed from the ground up as a multiplayer deathmatch type of game. With the right modifications this is doable but in its present state afaik this is not possible.

My thoughts on doing this was just pure fun -- in the past I'd hosted Quake3Arena games with a number of users at OPU and we had a blast. This was a nod to that but set in an Outpost setting vs. in random environments.

Still, very cool ideas, worth looking at and maybe even pushing in the future (thinking UE4 for this)

[dave_erald]

Cool. Wasn't thinking you should change what you are doing, just tossing out ideas.

So, op2 fps deathmatch. We needs maps and weapons...

Suggestions?

[leeor_net]

I started with the trade center because I thought it would be easy.

I was wrong.

As for weapons, it has a pulse rifle and 'rail gun'. I think both of these fit.

As for other weapons, I was thinking either standard fair (hand gun, automatic minigun, rocket launcher, grenade launcher) or more OP2 style weapons (laser/microwave rifle, stickyfoam launcher, acid cloud launcher, lightning gun (thor's)).

Maps... well, that's why I was asking about internal architecture. I'm not very good at that sort of thing -- I get easily lost and the current state of the Trade Center is a good example -- it's a big, cavernous thing and I really have no idea what belongs in a trade center.

The good thing is Tesseract comes with a lot of decent free/public domain assets (like desks, computers and the like) which ought to fit well with the OP2 theme. Despite being on a different planet their tech isn't a whole lot more advanced than what we currently have.

[dave_erald]

Thor and Acid cloud be wildly uncontrollable but fun as hell. Esg and the like could be feasible in outdoor locales.

So, interiors and map making and the like. What do i need to download and where?

[leeor_net]

When I get home I'll put together a clean package for quick/easy download and post a link. Editor is built in -- check out the Cube 2 map editing tutorial and guide to get familiar with the editor (can download tesseract or cube 2 in the mean time but those are kind of... huge... downloads).

Editing is fairly straight forward but does take some time to get used to -- basically, the map geometry is a bunch of cubes. You can subdivide the cubes down to a small level but generally you're going to do the base detail using the cube map and fine details using models.

[lordpalandus]

Alternatively, you could have a horde-wave based mode (like UT2004) with Scorpions (those are what about the size of a human right?) armed with different weapons.

Also, Spider Mines like in UT2004. You have Spiders after all; just equip them with a micro-starflare device and BAM instant spider mine.

For the Trade Center, since its not trading in stocks or money like modern day Trade Centers, likely it would look like a giant logistics factory (or warehouse) from inside, with cranes, lifts and forklifts, and tons of materials stocked up on multi-level shelves, with an administrative section to it to do all the paperwork.

If that image was of the Trade Center, then logically the upper levels would be administration, while the majority of the structure is the logistics/warehouse part.

[Hooman]

I just have one question: Will there be cake?

Oh, gotta go. The advanced lab savant says there is science to be done. And I've been promised cake.

[leeor_net]

The cake is a lie.


EDIT:

Link to download current minimalist build: http://leeor.outpostuniverse.org/opfps/opfps.zip

Will update first post as well.

[lordpalandus]

The cake is indeed a lie

but...

The truth is in the pie