GodlyPerfection
04-09-2009, 08:15 AM
Here are some tips that I dropped of spontaneously for the Atlas members on Bungie (the custom content matchmaking group run by Shiska)... this is a good basis to know for placing spawn points effectively and this is the base for what I follow when helping players fix their maps... hopefully this helps you guys. I will be covering a more detailed and in-depth version of this in Forging Theory:
As there is currently no direct guide to this at the moment, I am currently working on incorporating it into my Forging Theory guide... until then here are some things that may help the technical aspects of your map.
It is highly suggested to have some "backing" for a spawn point. What I mean by this is to remove the ability for one to be assassinated on spawn. This is a simple and common guideline, but should be mentioned nonetheless.
For every spawn point you have, imagine a line in the direction that the spawn point is facing. This line should be about as long as it takes to walk in 2-3 seconds (not a solid rule, just something to work with). This line is your state of "confusion" line (I had to coin a term off the bat lol).
While in that "confusion" line a player is taking the time to figure out his surroundings... situational awareness. The time it takes for them to figure things out is based on a lot of variables. Previously having played the map is one of these variables and could reduce the length of the "confusion" line.
During a state of "confusion" a player should not have to worry about any interferences or have to make any decisions. Common instances of this include:
- Change in verticality (i.e. dropping off an edge, running up or down a slope)
- Collision with a wall (even a slight brush bump can cause more "confusion")
- Crossing into line of sight/fire initiating combat (don't have your spawn lines enter into the line of sight of other spawn lines)
- Running past a weapon effectively forcing a decision to be made (this makes people stop, move back a little, and pickup the weapon if it's good... this disrupts game flow)
You should always point the spawn towards the shortest and smoothest path into a main path of the map. For example, if you KNOW a player is going to go around the corner in front of him because it is the shortest path to the destination then don't turn him towards the center of the entry way, face him towards the corner without brush bumping any obstacles in the spawn line. Otherwise you are just forcing the player to make another un-needed decision.
Keep incentives in the vision of the player for a certain amount of time based on how much you want that player to be "pulled" by the incentive. For example, if there is a sniper rifle in line of sight you MAY want to have that player recognize it. Or you may not... it is up to you as the forger to make that decision. Sometimes you want them to grab it when they spawn. or maybe you have another spawn point that his it in his visual and you don't want to give too much attention to that incentive. The more time an incentive is in the vision of a player the better chance they have of noticing and snagging it... but incentives is a whole nother topic entirely.
For now I will leave you guys with those tips, until I get to the spawning chapter of my guide. hopefully I will finish that chapter with in a couple weeks. Shiska, I hope this isn't stepping into any of your territory, just looking to help out some of the community. If you see any wrong points in those statements, please point them out. I am still perfecting my spawning theories...
BTW, FH's guide is WAY too basic. Referring to that is like referring to the manual. However, I guess it is a way to start learning.
As there is currently no direct guide to this at the moment, I am currently working on incorporating it into my Forging Theory guide... until then here are some things that may help the technical aspects of your map.
It is highly suggested to have some "backing" for a spawn point. What I mean by this is to remove the ability for one to be assassinated on spawn. This is a simple and common guideline, but should be mentioned nonetheless.
For every spawn point you have, imagine a line in the direction that the spawn point is facing. This line should be about as long as it takes to walk in 2-3 seconds (not a solid rule, just something to work with). This line is your state of "confusion" line (I had to coin a term off the bat lol).
While in that "confusion" line a player is taking the time to figure out his surroundings... situational awareness. The time it takes for them to figure things out is based on a lot of variables. Previously having played the map is one of these variables and could reduce the length of the "confusion" line.
During a state of "confusion" a player should not have to worry about any interferences or have to make any decisions. Common instances of this include:
- Change in verticality (i.e. dropping off an edge, running up or down a slope)
- Collision with a wall (even a slight brush bump can cause more "confusion")
- Crossing into line of sight/fire initiating combat (don't have your spawn lines enter into the line of sight of other spawn lines)
- Running past a weapon effectively forcing a decision to be made (this makes people stop, move back a little, and pickup the weapon if it's good... this disrupts game flow)
You should always point the spawn towards the shortest and smoothest path into a main path of the map. For example, if you KNOW a player is going to go around the corner in front of him because it is the shortest path to the destination then don't turn him towards the center of the entry way, face him towards the corner without brush bumping any obstacles in the spawn line. Otherwise you are just forcing the player to make another un-needed decision.
Keep incentives in the vision of the player for a certain amount of time based on how much you want that player to be "pulled" by the incentive. For example, if there is a sniper rifle in line of sight you MAY want to have that player recognize it. Or you may not... it is up to you as the forger to make that decision. Sometimes you want them to grab it when they spawn. or maybe you have another spawn point that his it in his visual and you don't want to give too much attention to that incentive. The more time an incentive is in the vision of a player the better chance they have of noticing and snagging it... but incentives is a whole nother topic entirely.
For now I will leave you guys with those tips, until I get to the spawning chapter of my guide. hopefully I will finish that chapter with in a couple weeks. Shiska, I hope this isn't stepping into any of your territory, just looking to help out some of the community. If you see any wrong points in those statements, please point them out. I am still perfecting my spawning theories...
BTW, FH's guide is WAY too basic. Referring to that is like referring to the manual. However, I guess it is a way to start learning.