NEW MAPS !!!!!

[Punk_FAS.old]

Ok mr. "you dont need to play more than 8 maps in 7 years".  

sounds funny to me about how you dont like playing 10-15 of the "one style" of maps.

instead you would prefer to play the EXACT SAME 8 maps over and over for years on end.  and you dont even mind servers that play even just ONE map over and over all day

Chatt, as I do prefer dm1-dm8 over any single player maps, I realize that isn't going to happen on Xquake.  I believe what I was saying, is that I accept the fact that single player maps, custom maps, and some of the dm1-dm8 maps will be cycled together on Xquake.  Since this is the case, I was just suggesting to not run 10+ single player maps in a row.  Instead, keep it fresh by running one single player map, then a dm1-8 map, then a custom map, and repeating that rotation, or something like that.

I just notice myself that I can stand playing one single player map, if I know there'll be another map more to my liking the next game.  I could stay longer and have more fun on the server.  But as it is now, I know when dm1-dm8 are done, and then it's dm1 again, that yer gonna get the 10-1 countdown, and it's a string of single player maps which I don't enjoy.  Need I remind you that single player maps were NOT designed with multiplayer or net play in mind.  They are designed to start at point A, and move to point B killing computer controlled monsters on the way.  Most "good" FFA DM maps IMO are ones that are generally circular in nature.  Where there are no crappy spawns which have you spending literally 1 minute perhaps trying to make your way back to the action.  And when games only last 4-5 mins sometims, 1 min is a LONG time.

And yes, the most intense games I think I've ever played (and for me intense = fun) are on Mage Warehouse.  Why is this?  It's a combo of a few things I think.  Certainly one is the average skill level of people on Mage.  Mage gets a lot of good to really good players, and not too many total newbies.  As well as DM8, it's a great map.  Has 3 levels.  It's a large map, but even still, from any given point on the map, you can get to anywhere else that you want to in relatively short time.  So good players + good map design = fun.

And no I do not like playing 10-15 or really even just a couple maps of "the same style" if it's a style that isn't designed for online multiplayer fragging, IE single player maps.

More to add on the DM8 thing.  When I'm playing and playing really well, I guess I get into "the zone" of sorts.  You know, the same zone pro-basketball players among many other people describe.  It's just where you get to a level of focus & concentration where you think a lot less, and everything is reaction, but controlled reactions and accurate reactions.  There's no time for pretty sky or lovely wall textures when you're in that kind of focus.  You're just thinking about killing the next guy you see as quickly as possible.  DM8 has some cool jumps that can mix it up.  Quake 2 DM to me is about a test of skills.  It's never the same fight twice because of the human vs. human factor.

[applejacks]

i think if i played the same 8 maps for years too id be in the zone and get tunnel vision and not even think about what im doing!
what who am i kidding i never know what im doing

heheh
jk
there are bookooo maps now! i think we should set the fraglimit on dm1-8 to 10 lol jk

[Slikkster]

I hate commenting on my naivate/ignorance about maps, as it's always embarrassing given the amount of time I've put in this game.  But the newbiest of newbie questions is this:

Other than the designation "DMx" where x= a number, what constitutes a "multiplayer" map vs. a "single player" map?  I did read Punk's comments about point a to point b for single player maps, and comprehend that.

What doesn't make sense is that we now have all of these custom maps created outside the ID/Activision realm, and it's hard to believe that they were not conceived with multiplayer in mind.  Are these maps all part of Q2 mods that were originally meant for single play?  

There is a new map that is frustrating; the spawn point is up a hill and you have to run down the hill and up again to get to a porched area where most people grab the rail.  Inevitably, you are fragged while running to get the rail and have to go through the tortuous process all over again.  That sux!  Again, I wish I paid attention enough to detail to know the map's name.   Damn ADHD!  heheh

[{TNP}Dukie]

single player maps are just the maps used in the original game.  broken up for online multiplayer use, afaik.

[Punk_FAS.old]

Other than the designation "DMx" where x= a number, what constitutes a "multiplayer" map vs. a "single player" map? I did read Punk's comments about point a to point b for single player maps, and comprehend that.

What doesn't make sense is that we now have all of these custom maps created outside the ID/Activision realm, and it's hard to believe that they were not conceived with multiplayer in mind.  Are these maps all part of Q2 mods that were originally meant for single play?

Can't tell for sure from your comments, but you do realize there is an entire single player game for Quake 2 right?  Where you have missions, keys to gather, secrets to find, and lots of computer controlled monsters of varying difficulty to kill on your way to a super-boss. (boss2 being that map)  

There is a new map that is frustrating; the spawn point is up a hill and you have to run down the hill and up again to get to a porched area where most people grab the rail.  Inevitably, you are fragged while running to get the rail and have to go through the tortuous process all over again.  That sux!  Again, I wish I paid attention enough to detail to know the map's name.   Damn ADHD!  heheh

Yeah, that's the problem with a lot of custom maps.  I'm thinking a lot of times people make maps largely based just on how they'll look, and not on how they'll actually play with 10+ people running around on them.  I definitely like some custom maps, but many have annoying little traps and such, and not well thought out places like the one you mention above.  There's definitely some custom maps I enjoy, or non-ID maps.  Like The Rage, I quite like that map.  Though it has been around a while, it's design is quite good for DM play.  Some of the 4u2 maps are kinda cool too.

[Slikkster]

Punk,

Yes, of course I realize there are the maps that came with the original game.  If that's what's meant by single-player, then that's that.  However, multiplayer was always a component of the regular game, so to characterize them as "single-player" vs. just the regular Q2 maps seems a little off the mark.  Hence, my confusion (at least on this issue, lol).

[Chattanoo]

Koth2, (the Dirt Pile)

i am pretty sure thats what you are referring to Slik.

those koth maps were designed with CAMPing in mind.

they deliberate make it hard to get to some spot, and easy to camp/defend that spot.  thats why most of those maps have spawns all in the same area.

i am pretty sure they were designed for the King Of The Hill mod.

which doesnt score based on frags, the score is based on how long somebody can hold/camp a specific spot on the map.  with everyone else focused on taking them out and occupying that spot for themselves.

so they are generally not good for deathmatch IMO, and very good for campers.  

the only one i really like is koth6 (the pirate ship)

[Chattanoo]

the so called single player maps.....

the DM maps are generally more ciircular/connected and less easy to camp than many of the single player levels.

but they are far from genius and and not really MUCH different than the majority of the sp maps

i am not going to start naming all the campspots and poor spawn layouts in the dm maps, altho i was about to, i dont wanna spend too much time in here.  

but it seems to me that the dm maps were only a NOD towards multiplayer, without testing them much with high player counts.

even before i got totally sick of them, even when they were new, i still preferred the "single player" levels.

because of their "accidentally fun" multiplayer game play, they have much more variety and dynamics in the gameplay.

the dm maps are more similar to each other by design.

i think people are sold too easily on spoonfed concepts.  so many things are packaged for consumers in a simplistic way.
id says those are multiplayer maps designed for multiplayer, so it becomes law, and virtually every server just runs those.
after all you cant play SINGLE player maps in multiplayer.  they MUST be crappy.

there are so many mass delusions where popular opinion is opposite of reality.

[Chattanoo]

oh, almost missed your question about custom map design Slik.

i am guessing most of them are ONLY designed for multiplayer.
some (like the following) are designed for both.

if you have these maps type in at the console

map techcity
map hub
map cross

you will see the quake 2 monsters start coming at you.

i think the map downfall was ONLY designed with single player in mind.  you cant access most of the map, and only sg and ssg weapons are available far from the spawns that are all in one place.  

[Slikkster]

I do have those maps, and was interesting to see the monsters.  Took many, many rails to kill some of them.  Thanks.