Experimental Designs for New Payload Gameplay (aka - How to keep it fresh).

[zpqrei]

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS FOR NEW PAYLOAD GAMEPLAY - AKA - HOW TO KEEP IT FRESH.
Tom 'zpqrei' Pritchard.

Payload maps are everywhere. You have Goldrush, Badwater, and oh so many custom ones such as Hoodoo (Youme) or Swift (WhatIsSchwa). But in my opinion they are getting a little boring now. Sure, people like Mangy try to shake things up a bit with Frontier (brilliant map, try it out). I taken this one stage further. I've thought, okay, we need something new to spice things up a bit. So...I set out to spice things up. Drew a couple of designs and made this:

This provided many new gameplay ideas to me, for example, you needed to jump to get over the tracks, so that meant the map was, effectivly, split in half. Whilst I'm sure this was good for something everything drew to a halt when I realised one thing. It cannot corner. At all.

So...I brought up the chat. Was talking away and someone (I honestly cannot remember who) suggested making it a hover cart. So, I modified the brush based cart I'd made so far to be hovering (I even added little particles!) but ultimatly it fell under in one big way. When asked to play a test map, all of the people who QA'd for me didn't know were to go. Tracks were, in Payload a sign of progress, how do you know how progress works, when there is no sign of it? Thus brought the end of my brief experimentation.

Don't dispear, though! You haven't been reading this for nothing! I've learnt now, that if a feature isn't working, drop it. If a part of a feature isn't working, drop it. No matter how 'cool' or how 'wow' if it doesn't work. Drop it. There will be other ideas, better ideas. I hope this has sparked your creative juices (and hopefully no other juices).

But now, students, I've got a Payload map to go and work on.

zpqrei
:3

 

[[O]]

yeah payload, like many other gametypes have so much potential for variety.

the way i see it, there are 2 ways to innovate:

• taking the standard pl gametype and getting creative with the way the payload looks and moves.
  
• combining pl with cp [and perhaps ctf?] to do things such as trigger doors to open in order to progress.

speaking of getting creative with the look and mechanics of payload, i dont se why your first idea cant work. simply hide your rail guide [the thing that clings to the rail]. you can bend your rail as much as you like and no one would question how the cart is able to as well.

i think it is a brilliantly idea that provides nother dimension to the gameplay by dividing both sides. make it high enough so only characters with special jumps can easily move from side to side.

 

[Darth Cyrax]

If you want to have your cart to be able to turn, then rotate it.
I think the best way would be to have the cart stop, rotate WITH a small piece of track which could be a function_rotating_door, then continue.
It might be a bit tedious, but that would be a viable way to get turns in the track.

 

[GrimGriz]

Couldn't the hover cart be tied to a "magnetic" track?

An interesting thing about a hover or magnetic payload would be that speed at which it could theoretically move could be crazy fast...

 

[Pianodan]

Why not dig a channel for the hovercart to be confined to? It still bisects the map, like in your original idea, but with a trench rather than a rail. Plus, it is, in effect, a "track" so players can see where they're going.

 

[zpqrei]

Why not dig a channel for the hovercart to be confined to? It still bisects the map, like in your original idea, but with a trench rather than a rail. Plus, it is, in effect, a "track" so players can see where they're going.

I like that idea. Unfortunately, the map I had in mind whilst prototyping the idea (Paradox, check it out!) has gone for a track-based design now. But I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Sgt Frag]

I don't like the idea of the rail sticking up and impeding the flow of movement.
However if the problem is that the carts physics 'bind' on the corners you could just make the track corners func_brushes and remove their physics. Then copy it and make it a player clip (maybe another copy for bullet clip too).
Now it should block bullets/players but cart wont get stuck.

I do think a ditch for the track might just be better for gameplay though.

The hover cart looks cool. But that's more of a 'space thing'. Could look really cool in a moonbase type mission. Maybe you could have a 'glowing track'. Either glowing tex (think Big Rexy map) or lights that layout the track without having an actual physical track.

 

[Charron]

A hovercart might work if the path is, instead of a model or brushes, a matter of texture. Assuming it goes entirely over physical terrain, you could use blend_ textures and always have a more "worn" look be where the payload is capable of going. Combine that with a slight displacement ditch in terrain (as mentioned) and you've got a fairly overt path. The downside is that the rest of the terrain is a little more bland, but you'd be providing a subtle-yet-visible clue as to the cart's route. Could be worth a shot.

And I don't think a hovercart is too "spacey". The game's got teleporters. Hovercart's ok by comparison.

 

[A Boojum Snark]

And I don't think a hovercart is too "spacey". The game's got teleporters. Hovercart's ok by comparison.

That's a good point. You just need to make it look spytech rather than space-age. You could even use the teleporter "rising ring" effect upside down for the hover-device.

 

[Kill_the_Bug]

Ha I love the hovercraft idea but with a twist. Ever play wacky races?

Well, using the cart type of picture up top and combine it with the hover cart .

Here’s the idea – on a pl map when car goes round a corner you can make the angle settings different – at 0 cart stays upright – at 90 top of car would be left or right – more than 90 – say 145 – you would effectively dump out any players inside the cart to their doom if you had the turn happening over a death pit of some sort – or a mini combat pit.

You could then have it set so that players would have to right the cart (should happen automatically when cart goes straight) and because the cart rights itself players get dumped again.

Then have 2 tacks perhaps divided by glass wall so 2 teams can see each other for direct combat.

Combat for other players could take place in the pit and rotating platforms which move all over the place.

The challenge would be to get your cart to a specified location – the finish lines don’t even have to be at the same spots but combat would be absolutely everywhere.

Now if you could get it set so that the other team could flip your cart randomly…

If you can make it so teams can switch path tracks too..

 

[Void]

Your design honestly makes me think of this:

Edit:

Möbius Strip Payload. Do it.

 

[Vigilante212]

How about instead of a solid track you make a light rail. have occasional support posts that project the light like at corners etc. this way its easy to see where the track is, but it doesnt block movement.

 

[Gameslave]

Simple, make it hover over a beam or laser!

 

[ChronoTriggerFan]

Not to disagree with adding variety to payload, but having a rail pl or a hover pl doesn't do much for game play. I was thinking of having the trigger_capture_area be in 2 places, one in a cp, and the other on the payload. They would probably be in the same area, so RED doesn't have too much of a hard time defending.

 

[Ezekel]

why not just have a canal, and stick the payload on a boat?
it makes for more aquatic based combat, and following the body of water means the path is easy to understand.

 

[A Boojum Snark]

That's a good point. You just need to make it look spytech rather than space-age. You could even use the teleporter "rising ring" effect upside down for the hover-device.

How about instead of a solid track you make a light rail. have occasional support posts that project the light like at corners etc. this way its easy to see where the track is, but it doesnt block movement.

me likey.

edit: eh, looks better in motion. here's the VMF if anyone wants to compile and peek at it in action. You'll need to ent_fire hover startforward to get it going.

edit2:

Your design honestly makes me think of this:

I see your Monorail Cat and I raise you a Monorail Slug

 

[Westerhound]

If you do for the look Boojum has you need a new model. A hovering pl_waste cart should be good I think

 

[DaBeatzProject]

What do you think about this? Fully operational, but, there are still some small visual bugs:

 

[Westerhound]

DBP I think it is very unpractical as RED could just take some scissors nd cut the line Also does poles make it go weird, but maybe Im the only one thinking of that.

 

[Kill_the_Bug]

can you attach a prop_physics to it so would swing when shot?