I hate this Map

One of the lingering problems I keep hearing from folks getting bummed or burned on CoX is the repetitive nature of the mission maps. I know and can see the efforts that have been taken to date to kind of mitigate that, and the variance/modularity of the mission maps within their own vein is somewhat better, but I suggest that more needs to be done.

To avoid the "same map" syndrome, why not take advantage of the already existing methods linking map zone modules to interlink to different map types within a mission?

Office building upstairs? Why not a Warehouse/Industrial sublevel, Sewer sublevel below that, possibly even Caverns below that. Vary within a mission set some offices/warehouse floors intact & some ruined. This can be transitioned between the elevators or divider door sets. Blend the classic caverns with some of the locales like the mines the Christmas missions occur in.

why do i feel like this was discussed before 0.o

Transitions in maps to a different map (like the Office to Sewer/Cave maps) would add a new face to the game.
Gets my vote.

After giving this some thought, I have to agree with this. However, it still poses a problem - our maps aren't random and not generated on the fly. If you want to have a warehouse that goes into a sewer, they'd need to create a whole new subsection of maps.

The other problem is, how exactly do you make the transition? The transition from a warehouse to a Council base in the Striga TF is done via a special lift room that's not native to either warehouses or Council bases. Would you envision using something like this? Because it might be incredibly odd to go down into a lift in an office (which typically have the light on for going up, mind you) and then coming out of a sewer pipe. And things like caves, Council maps or Rikti bases, and generally maps that don't have separate floors, don't actually have anything to enter in order to come out in a different map.

That said, I'd still love it. That and the tileset-transition maps are what I think they should focus on a lot more. I LOVE that Rikti map that puts me in a cave, takes me through the sewers, than back in a cave and finally into a Rikti map, or the one which takes me from an abandoned lab to a cave to a Ritki base. More of that is never a bad thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

I see the map setups as highly modular, with each distinct room or corridor setup segment within a map-pack well defined. Thay may have taken those "tiles" and pre-arranged a whole host of complexes "pre-fab" but that is just to guarantee no intersect or dead-end glitches. (which could be just as guaranteed against with solid coding). But Mission parameters and Content are randomly assigned (with guidance) to the existing Map Complexes from mission to mission. I have entered a mission on one map, exited and abandoined the mission, re-started the mission and (thru the SAME doorway) entered an entirely different map. It already is a (column-a) + (column-b) mechanic, just begging for an extra layer of variety.

You see all the repetitive parts over and over put together in new-ish ways long before you exhaust the arsenal and begin memorizing all the layouts they have. This notion would break up the monotony.The key would be creating additional baseline interface tiles, like that special elevator zone you mentioned, or the blown floor in the Breakout (Transition from Prison to Sewer). Using these interface pieces, you can then assemble multi-terrain map complexes.

The easiest to do would be the Office to Ruined Office, which is simply using another floor layer and the existing elevator system.Next would be the creation of a Office to Warehouse transition. This could be with either an office elevator that decends into a cargo sublevel (create the interface for the warehouse), or a roll-up freight door that attaches to an office complex (create the interface in the Office segment). The trick here is to make the "street level" map like an upstaris map, have two elevator hubs. One that goes up to the rest of the office, and one that goes down to the Warehouses or sewers. We have that "street-level go down" interface in the University, during the Recepie tutorial.

Sewer interface can be done from an Office, Warehouse, Prison, Hospital, Arachnos/Longbow complex, or Rikti base with a destroyed floor element like the prison. The Sewer/Cave/Rikti interfaces already exist above. Place a sewer grate door piece in a warehouse and you have that interface type handled as well handled. Create a Sewer start point that interfaces with a cave-style door and you have another interface type. The mine/cave wooden door is another useful interface that can have a transition tile built around it.

Office to Arachnos/Longbow interfaces already exist, and should be expanded, to reflect that hiding in plain sight aspect of the villianous base behind a corporate facade. Start in an Office elevator and end up in a base elevator.

And on, and on.

Basically it comes down to making use of the vertical transition elements (Holes, Elevators) and the lateral transition elements (Outer Doors, Warehouse Freight Doors, Cave Doors, MineGates, Sewer Grates, etc) to craft the interface tiles around. From that base tile (replacing the "existing "start" tiles) you then lay out the standard approved complexes thru to their next transition item. Layer or chain those story elements in logical ways to reflect the mission content and viola, you have exponentially increased the variety of the mission maps characters can face, and drastically reduced the burnout potential for long term play.

There are maps, I down right despise, such as the cake room cavern and the pool room as well.

I also hate the room that is really a zone, I sarcastically refer them as "Verizon" rooms, for in the missions where the boss is always at, has to be one of this insulting maps rooms where you defeat the boss, his guards and then forced to defeat his friends, family, cousins and folks who thought saw Elvis... I don't have an issue with a large room, where the mobs in the room can be found within the immediate area, not in the "room" upstairs, or the "room" downstairs as such in the pool room.

I also have an issue, say Citadel, where is mission after mission, same map, same layout, but oh yeah its different because its done in a different zone; oh please, give me a break! Why not have random maps for the TF, it can be done in AE, why not in TFs?

Also make map size based on group size, if it is a small group, use small maps, not gargantuan ones. Perhaps choose map sizes based on mission types, if its a kill all, make them in small maps; if it is a rescue, perhaps a mid size; if it is a glowy make it large.

Hugs

Stormy