what the **** is free running?
UK site: http://www.parkour.org.uk/
damn cool sample vid: http://www.le-parkour.com/speedairman.ram - link may not respond immediately, bear with it. 5.6mb
French site hosting that clip: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/parkour/parkourenglish/
Free Running
A serious mod idea I'm considering embarking on.
Overview
Free Running is a HL2 mod simulating the urban sport Free Running. Concentration will be on dynamic, physically effected, para-metric animations allowing the player to smoothly jump, climb, balance upon, and swing across an angular concrete metropolis. Players will be able to develop their own style of movement via an intuitive control system that visually rewards player skill and provides an instantly gratifying, very physical experience.
Mechanics
The game will focus on the technique of player movement. Tribes (the original/Vengeance) would be good parallels to draw to Free Running - there is a finesse in the way you play, a distinct, unique fluidity to it.
To achieve this effect, movements must be mouse orientated. By this, I mean wherever possible, by the tiniest increments, the mouse must govern the animation and drive momentum. For example, jumping may involve dragging the mouse down to crouch, then pushing up to extend the character's legs, propelling them into the air. While animations to a large extent would be subjective to the surroundings, the aim is to keep the mechanics as organic as possible. Basically aiming to avoid a Prince of Persia style lack of interactivity, where the simplest button combination sends you into an elaborate gymnastic routine. Free Running should make you feel like those movements are really yours, and how you approach a gap or set of geometry shapes will be as open ended as your skills allow for.
Health could work in one of two ways. Like any other game, where damage is taken according to momentum you hit a solid at, past a certain threshold. Alternatively, ragdolls are activated (you're killed) if your head touches anything, and if you drop a certain distance. Elements to be tuned according to play testing.
Competitive multiplayer will be races and gaps, arranged organically by players without rules, or in another game type with a more structured scoreboard system.
Equipment
There will be no equipment to speak of. Keeping a simple focus with elaborate possibilities will be important for the flow of the game.
Environment
Grey, oppressive concrete tower block shapes combined with surrealist architecture for variety and challenge. Litter, desolate streets, grey skies and neon lighting. Maps should never be dark - this would detract from the purpose, and finding ledges in low-light conditions would be fruitless and frustrating. What will be important is that shapes are clear cut, plentiful, and will generally have routes upwards.
Rewards for players should be having clambered a final ledge of a towering apartment block in record time, to then gaze over the blocky sprawl below. Perhaps sighting a new spot far below they'd like to experiment with before vaulting and dropping their way down again to go looking for it.
The eerily quiet cityscape will serve the purpose of making players want to team up out of sheer loneliness. While there's a serenity to practicing alone, with the whistling wind higher up and the concrete echoes of your footwork when nearer street level, players should feel inclined to try 'runs' in groups or pairs. Much in the same way skateboarders would.
Maps could be moderately large with Source. Some optimisation is preserved purely in the mainly angular geometry. Compared to some more organic HL2 maps, quite a low LOD will be required for Free Running.
NPCs
Non existent, for now at least.
Story
No story to speak of, this is an MP mod.
Sound
As mentioned above: tireless haunting wind for the tops of buildings and fast-following echoes for lower, more sound-trapping spaces. There is also the possibility of un-intrusive drum and bass beats for main menus.
User Interface
Providing none of the gameplay elements are changed, the HUD could be minimal to none.
-------------------------------------
So, yes. My input to the project will be all the mapping and animation. I'm competant with DoomEd and Hammer, and I've animated extensively for Second Life with Poser5. (Currently learning XSI).
What I'll need assistance for will be every scrap of coding required to build the new movement system, and incorperation of the anims.
Post if you're interested.
UK site: http://www.parkour.org.uk/
damn cool sample vid: http://www.le-parkour.com/speedairman.ram - link may not respond immediately, bear with it. 5.6mb
French site hosting that clip: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/parkour/parkourenglish/
Free Running
A serious mod idea I'm considering embarking on.
Overview
Free Running is a HL2 mod simulating the urban sport Free Running. Concentration will be on dynamic, physically effected, para-metric animations allowing the player to smoothly jump, climb, balance upon, and swing across an angular concrete metropolis. Players will be able to develop their own style of movement via an intuitive control system that visually rewards player skill and provides an instantly gratifying, very physical experience.
Mechanics
The game will focus on the technique of player movement. Tribes (the original/Vengeance) would be good parallels to draw to Free Running - there is a finesse in the way you play, a distinct, unique fluidity to it.
To achieve this effect, movements must be mouse orientated. By this, I mean wherever possible, by the tiniest increments, the mouse must govern the animation and drive momentum. For example, jumping may involve dragging the mouse down to crouch, then pushing up to extend the character's legs, propelling them into the air. While animations to a large extent would be subjective to the surroundings, the aim is to keep the mechanics as organic as possible. Basically aiming to avoid a Prince of Persia style lack of interactivity, where the simplest button combination sends you into an elaborate gymnastic routine. Free Running should make you feel like those movements are really yours, and how you approach a gap or set of geometry shapes will be as open ended as your skills allow for.
Health could work in one of two ways. Like any other game, where damage is taken according to momentum you hit a solid at, past a certain threshold. Alternatively, ragdolls are activated (you're killed) if your head touches anything, and if you drop a certain distance. Elements to be tuned according to play testing.
Competitive multiplayer will be races and gaps, arranged organically by players without rules, or in another game type with a more structured scoreboard system.
Equipment
There will be no equipment to speak of. Keeping a simple focus with elaborate possibilities will be important for the flow of the game.
Environment
Grey, oppressive concrete tower block shapes combined with surrealist architecture for variety and challenge. Litter, desolate streets, grey skies and neon lighting. Maps should never be dark - this would detract from the purpose, and finding ledges in low-light conditions would be fruitless and frustrating. What will be important is that shapes are clear cut, plentiful, and will generally have routes upwards.
Rewards for players should be having clambered a final ledge of a towering apartment block in record time, to then gaze over the blocky sprawl below. Perhaps sighting a new spot far below they'd like to experiment with before vaulting and dropping their way down again to go looking for it.
The eerily quiet cityscape will serve the purpose of making players want to team up out of sheer loneliness. While there's a serenity to practicing alone, with the whistling wind higher up and the concrete echoes of your footwork when nearer street level, players should feel inclined to try 'runs' in groups or pairs. Much in the same way skateboarders would.
Maps could be moderately large with Source. Some optimisation is preserved purely in the mainly angular geometry. Compared to some more organic HL2 maps, quite a low LOD will be required for Free Running.
NPCs
Non existent, for now at least.
Story
No story to speak of, this is an MP mod.
Sound
As mentioned above: tireless haunting wind for the tops of buildings and fast-following echoes for lower, more sound-trapping spaces. There is also the possibility of un-intrusive drum and bass beats for main menus.
User Interface
Providing none of the gameplay elements are changed, the HUD could be minimal to none.
-------------------------------------
So, yes. My input to the project will be all the mapping and animation. I'm competant with DoomEd and Hammer, and I've animated extensively for Second Life with Poser5. (Currently learning XSI).
What I'll need assistance for will be every scrap of coding required to build the new movement system, and incorperation of the anims.
Post if you're interested.
