SS2 Training Missions Project

[6743b19feacf5icemann]

I think it would be good for a community based assets (if and when they are used) scheme of having any new assets introduced be available freely to all others working on other levels.

That way that would speed things up at times. Also for information to spread if and when ways are discovered to do something, as the more information that is available to the mappers, the greater the work that they can accomplish through providing a greater amount of options available.

For those considering doing a level I would highly recommend checking out existings FMs which you can find in the Fan Missions section of the forums here to see how others did certain things. The old levels archive I uploaded last night to there would be quite useful also.

I would mention this new contest over on TTLG but as there isn't a SS2 editing section there anymore I have no idea where to mention it. The Editors Guild section seems to be only filled with Thief related stuff.

[6743b19feb0f1Nameless Voice]

Modifying the gamesys is probably not desirable for a mod like this. That's not a rule though. If your mission is so awesome that people go with it, more power to you.

They would be new maps.  Custom gamesystems is fine - there's absolutely no reason why they need to use shock2.gam.

[6743b19feb2f2Kolya]

You heard the man. He knows way more about this than I do. Speaking of... Do you want to make some money, NV?

[6743b19feb3e1icemann]

*imagines the mass of levels created if news of this really gets around*. Though be a heap of average ones but still.

[6743b19feb8abJamesRossi]

I think it would be good for a community based assets (if and when they are used) scheme of having any new assets introduced be available freely to all others working on other levels.

There's some simple assets that we already know is needed that could be created right away. Things like door textures with the different ship names. If someone like ZB has a door texture with the name cleared off those could be slapped on.

I would mention this new contest over on TTLG but as there isn't a SS2 editing section there anymore I have no idea where to mention it. The Editors Guild section seems to be only filled with Thief related stuff.

Might as well mention it to the Thief people. For prize money they might be willing to make something up.

[6743b19feb9abicemann]

True. Might make a post in both the Thief and SS2 general forums then. Or should I leave this one to you Kolya?

OSA briefings added to first post.

[6743b19feba91Kolya]

Please go ahead and spread the word.

[6743b19febcc1Kolya]

Oh yeah! Now it's finally time for the joke that I was carrying in my brain for years!

Maybe my mind can't but my stomach is more than able!

[6743b19febdadZygo]

I really ought to get around to uploading the new dark modified version of the original tutorial...

[6743b19fec2e0JDIS]

Oh yeah! Now it's finally time for the joke that I was carrying in my brain for years!

i have just experienced mind explosion

Modifying the gamesys is probably not desirable for a mod like this. That's not a rule though. If your mission is so awesome that people go with it, more power to you.

if inventory cleared after training missions(you get nothing but skills) why not to do really large interesting training missions(including gamesys modification) on mid sized(in relation to VB) space ships? Concerning seamless experience - its not a problem really, i am sure player's mind will interconnect training mission events with original game ones, by itself alone, especially if the autor of the training mission will do the best to visually create final connectivity staff to game(some logs, emails about mission end, maybe even entire after-training location(from the original game) with screen fade out(like with thought in mind:"ok, it was good training, now goes original game...[screen faded out]"))

concerning new assets in game - i am against them, they are breaking original game atmosphere, especially logs with new voices(especially non professional actors) that were not present in original game. but at the same time it is clear that in this case there is no way author can do training mission without new content added.
and one more moment about voice acting - i think training mission should be quite calm  - there should be no special intricated plot, no crew members' vendettas, no special logs - only skill gaining. it can be really done in HalfLife gameplay style - where player mostly interacting with real world simulation's physics and dealing with enemy AI in combat and just some little get involved in to the game characters relations and plot things. saying this, maybe it is really possible to do without voicing at all.

[6743b19fec4e3icemann]

I'll get onto it with spreading the word.

Two things to consider by the way. Both concerning the OSA training missions. The first 3 to choose from involving you being in a tank of water whilst they somehow train you better in things. How that could be done as a FM I dunno. Maybe do VR training missions for it and say it occurs during it possibly?

The other is that if you read some of the later missions, they sound pretty complex. Working your way through criminal organizations etc.

Oh and one last thing. In the event that we get above 10 people entering into the contest and some of them are professional mappers vs amateurs we might want to separate them into different categories to allow for a more fairer contest. Thoughts?

And I'd be happy to chip in money for the contest.

[edit]
Spammed several forums across the net about the contest. Hopefully get a big influx of people shortly *fingers crossed*.

I've also asked Al_B over on TTLG if he could sticky the threads I created there. Hopefully that gets the ok and happens.

[6743b19fec644Kolya]

Thanks for the signal boost, icemann. As for spreading entries into categories, let's see how many entries we actually get.

About the OSA missions: It's certainly a long term target to get all the missions done, but not in this contest. So if one is too hard to do, just take another. Or get creative! And yes, I agree that lying in a tank for a month will probably not make a great mission. Then again anything could happen in that time. They say you get hallucinations due to the sensory deprivation... What you dream about will not appear in the final report, it's yours.

[6743b19fec7a4voodoo47]

yeah, something crazy could do - headless people walking around, lot of ghosts or something like that.

[6743b19fecae7Olfred]

Yeah, the water tank stuff really works your mind.

Just a quick idea. You could also be in a upright water tank where your floating in and the mission starts with people talking that you are complete. Then you see the tube lowering and water flowing out. After that the evolution of your skills will be tested.
Nothing too impressive and more or less just a repeatment of the osa training, but it would work.

But yeah, some kind of hallucination stuff would make a more interesting mission.
Maybe let it be scientifically designed hallucination to force you learning a specific thing. Just build something into it where you like *swosh* learned it due to some occurence.

[6743b19fecbe7icemann]

Sounds cool.

[6743b19fecd24ZylonBane]

Or you de-differentiate your DNA, bust out, and eat a goat.

[6743b19fed019RocketMan]

Just some feedback on the home page contest notification message.  It easily gets lost in the rest of the stuff around it.  Recommend making it flash red or purple or something to become the focal point.

[6743b19fed18fOlfred]

make it flashy blinking with some bobblehead screaming at you to click the fucking link.
Just like those "you won 10000000$" ads.
This will surely get everyones attention.

[6743b19fed336ThumpieBunnyEve]

A training mission that emphasizes the use of
☐ Lean:  Left, Right, Forward
Would be snazzy. Perhaps with a ) shaped window or something, so you have to Laser a Power cell off a table, and have it ricochet to a jammed partially open door across the room for pickup.

Training in the various Ledge grabs would be good:
☐ Falling Ledge Grab,
☐ Jumping Ledge Grab,
☐ Ledge Grab while Crouched into the Prone Crawl position.

☐ Climbing On-top of objects tossed out from your inventory, such as Armor or the Stasis-Field Generator.

☐ Something with a little back tracking, since it's the rule of thumb in SS2.
☐ A little log file or email file navigation to find segments of a pass-code for the door out of the training segment.

~

☐ Graphics from SS1 perhaps? A romp through Citadel Station to do all of the above?
☐ An old-school jacked-in hacking experience from SS1?

*Just brain storming, I'm only just learning SS2 modding.*

[6743b19fed432icemann]

Well if your looking for an easy-ish way to learn, pick an easy tutorial to recreate (ie one of the test tube missions) and you'll be done in no time.

[6743b19fed523Kolya]

5 more days. Is anyone working on anything or can I keep my money, I cravenly hazard to ask. 

[6743b19fed68aTricky]

I'm sorry Kolya, I feel partially responsible for inciting and being quick to go with the idea. Maybe the regulars will whip something up fast, but I kind of stopped seeing the point. This may be the biggest mapping project to date. The mod would require a coordinated effort among many mappers and I just can't see that happening. Most of people here are individualists at heart. A contest is a good idea for this community, but I don't think it would breathe life into this beast of a mod.

If anyone wants to prove me wrong, there's really one way to do it. And I welcome it.

[6743b19fed781Kolya]

Actually I thought the idea was to create separate missions? Not a huge concerted effort.
I started one mission myself, as a text adventure. I don't think I'll meet the deadline though.

[6743b19fed886Tricky]

Well..yes, but if it's not going to lead to the whole thing being done.. what's the point?

Text adventure sounds interesting. Could you play that in the game?