Halflife2.net Community Mod

[Kon]

sorry for long post, but please look over my idea

I had an idea, which is based off of the game blast chamber (really old ps1 game) but evolved for next gen options. Blast chamber was a 4 player game where everyone had time bombs strapped to them and were placed in a giant cube. Once your timer got to 10 you would catch fire, but move slightly faster, and at zero you would, of course, explode. there was an energy ball of some sorts, that was randomly placed on platforms up in the middle of the cube, and if you put the ball in your goal, your bomb timer would get twenty seconds added to it...or you could put it into an opponents goal and their timer would lose 20 seconds. Buuut the twist is at the corners of the level there were triggers that you stepped on that would rotate the whole level 90 degrees so that the wall is now the ceiling. one teams goal was on each side of the cube so people on the other side of the level or up in the middle would fall down to the new ground.one teams goal was on each side of the cube and on the sides of the level cube were traps such as spikes, lava pits and hidden pads that would flip the level 90 or 180 degrees, and there were power ups such as speed boosts and magnet boots. Rounds of this game were full of flaming people scampering to get the ball so they could get time on their timer(hilarious to see someone fly across the cube on fire then explode explode in midair because someone flipped the level)

but improvements with the hl2 engine would be:
first person view(duuh)
goals on all six sides of the cube, and the cube rotating in any direction
lots of players...so team play, not free for all
have guns to pass the ball between teamates (like UT bombing run....but you would actually have to touch the goal)
weapons (all you could do in original was shove people over)
possibility for many different shape arenas, like spheres that could possibly be constantly spinning

ill make some pics if someone doesn't understand, or needs further idea of whats happening

that sounds like a great idea.
I also had a concept where you are enclosed in a sphere with structures within that you would use as the sphere rotates.. but you seem to have a well thought out goal for the idea. nice
I'd support a mod like that.

 

[Briderider]

Something compleatly new

How about this.

Concept is all vs 1
Basicaly all players but one play as the army with tanks ect.
The remaning player is somthing like a huge (and I mean very very big) robot/godizillar kind of thing.
The object if you are this player is to survive as long as you can.
The person who lands the killing shot / does th most damage gets to be the monster/robot next time.
The monster/robot will have week spots or may be parts of the model could be destoryed. Sort of like old end of level baddies
Mod is desinged so that the army have to use team work to kill the monster.
Its a bit vauge I know but I think the concept is quite original and done well it would be great fun.

the main problem I see is balancing the game depending on the ammount of player on the server. oh and making it.

 

[Briderider]

Doh!

Just read the rest of the thread. Should have done this first really but then I wouldnt look like such a prize prat. Glad to see other people like the concept though.

 

[Ames]

What about....something B-movie like.....

A UFO vs. fighter jets mod...
Or a UFO abduction mod
Or a mutant spider mod

Wow...that was so stupid...

 

[dscowboy]

I was going to add a couple ideas to this thread, but after reading through the monkeyball and blast chamber ideas I think the best kind of 'community mod' would be something simple yet addictive, the kind of game that doesn't require many instructions. An instant-action, abstract, 'silly' game would be very refreshing after the glut of 'serious' CS clones out there, and more importantly, the simpler the gameplay the more likely that we'll be able to finish it.

Ok, now to add some thoughts. Instead of monkeys inside balls, headcrabs inside hamster balls. I'll start with a short description of a typical CrabBall team deathmatch game:

The map is a halfpipe, and each team starts with their players lined up on opposite sides of the pipe, sitting on the edge at the top. The round starts and the players push off from the rim, rolling down to meet with a crash in the middle, charging and releasing their 'punch' on the way down. Several players get knocked off the sides almost immediately, and the rest continue to battle it out, rolling up and down the sides of the halfpipe. Some players that have waited on top of the ridge to fully charge their 'punches' now descend to strike at the remaining players in the center, sending more of them off the map. The few crabs that are left duke it out while the others watch, and when a single team is remaining the match is over and everyone respawns.

Fast, simple, addictive, and relatively easy to code. Here are some other aspects that would contribute I think:

CTF maps where players respawn during the match. At certain points on the map/platform there would be buttons that would cause the platform to tilt in that direction. Example: one player sneaks over to the opposing side and starts hitting their tilt-button, causing the whole platform to tilt toward the opposing team's 'flag' and giving an advantage. Other artifacts on the map could include 'speed up' zones and ramps/jump zones.

Maps that allow more than 2 teams. A three-team CTF would be interesting, and a three-team deathmatch would be total chaos.

An option that gives players a limited number of ballistic explosives they could fire. The explosives would be fired in the air like mortars and would wreck havoc with any balls near the point of impact.

A 'downhill race' mode where all players start at the top of a long ramp filled with slowdown obstacles and speedup powerups. The first player to reach the goal at the end, or the last player left alive is the winner. The race would be relatively short, lasting maybe a minute each round.

So there's some ideas... I just want to emphasis that I think it would be best for this community to work on a fairly limited/simple concept, something we could all have a blast playing early versions of within a few months after HL2 release. One last crazy CrabBall idea I'll throw out there: A 'popcorn' map where all balls spawn inside a popcorn popper. The goal is to get popped out by punching your way onto the popping-mechanism at the bottom, and then help your team push the popper off the table toward your team's goal. The other team is trying to push the popper off the other side. The more crabs that push, the faster the popper moves.

 

[Glo-Boy]

Civil War.

 

[Glo-Boy]

Actually though, I believe you should stay away from mods with like tag points and "who's got the ball?" and waypoints and the rest. I never really liked those nor do I know anyone who has liked those. I believe that while it should not be just killing... it shouldn't be complicated with too many rules and obligations. One main goal...

Like which team can build the best catapult out of different objects, launch the farthest and break the most stuff? I'd like to see a mod like that, you know? Teams of people side by side, thinking and building stuff.

I guess that's not really what you guys are looking for though.

******
My other idea is maybe medieval warfare... or ancient japanese clan fighting... bushido blade style.

Okay it's late, I have class early. Goodbye.

 

[spinkitten]

My opinion on the whole matter (though I’m a musician, so go easy) :
For voting I recommend that you take things real slow, having been on boards where people couldn't organise a piss-up in the proverbial, it's important to centralise the concept so everybody who is on-board knows what to do. For example, I'd concentrate on setting this mod apart from the rest, getting the most out of the engine by aiming the mod around the engine as opposed to the storyline - with great physics, controllable NPC's it gives you a great scope, yet a lot of people are more interested in just having big mechs.

Personally, interactivity is the main aspect of the mods that is going to shine through, there will obviously be big shiny mods where you can do cool stuff with physics, but after a while, people are going to get bored with cheap tricks (manipulating giant rocks etc) and want something more in-depth and believable to the surroundings, whether that’s on land, space or sea.

The most interesting concept personally, was the Red Dawn and the TA concepts, the great thing about TA was the modular aspect of the game, if a mod could replicate that model (a new selection of units every month, for example) that would really set it apart from the rest. The low poly-count of the vehicles/mechs could allow huge numbers of units, coupled with AI for example; each player could command their own squadron or platoon of units. Pushing the concept even further if someone was able to figure out some RTS aspect (ala Savage), it could truly make a great mod.

Obviously, the only thing left is the actual plot, how many teams and more importantly, differentiating each team from another. Blizzard seem to have got the mix just right on War3 for 3 races (4 if you include the Nali), but seeing as there are so many different ideas, making the differences more akin to AvP, might be the way to go (the mech people can do their mechs, the medieval peeps can do their magic stuff), balancing those disciplines would be very difficult however.

Back to the voting, I’d start with the basic platform of the mod, maybe just seeing who would be interested, their skills and the general direction they would like the mod to go, then you may be able to split the mod into three sections, relating to the three teams and also referencing the earlier post of having groups where they don’t know what the others are up to, but in this case, it would be under far more controlled circumstances, with having the lead artist, programmer and level designer in each group in contact with other.

Anyway, I’m just a musician, but I’d thought I’d put my opinion in anyway. This is a really promising mod, without doubt this site contains some of the most talented people I’ve seen, it’s just that I’ve seen many a good mod go downhill.

 

[OCybrManO]

Have you ever played Super Monkey Ball or the sequel? It was my favorite GameCube launch title, bar none... and they didn't even take the concept very far. I mean, there are only so many innovative types of gameplay (that are fun) that can be implemented in a normal mod like CS, DoD, TFC, etc... but the "animals in big plastic balls" concept offers almost limitless gameplay modes, it's easy to program, it takes advantage of the Source engine's physics capabilities, it's a great change of pace from realistic warfare games, and it's easy to play because you only need a couple of buttons.

The huge variety of possible gameplay variations makes it a perfect candidate for a community mod. Everyone gets to submit a couple of possible minigames (like soccer, king of the hill, ctf, etc) and vote to determine the order in which they will be added. We start with two or three of the most popular ideas and release a version to see what everyone thinks of the idea. Then, in each update we go to the next idea on the list and add a whole new gametype. Also, for any one gametype there is a lot that can be done with level design (look at the third party maps for mods like Proball & QPong). Level design with a concept like this lets you go from huge creative levels that are as complex as in regular mods to using a single floating platform (a very simple sumo/king of the hill map). Being able to have fun in extremely simple maps allows even amateur level designers with a decent idea to contribute something. You don't have to spend weeks on designing a single level that takes 5 hours to compile for it to be interesting and addictive.

I can't think of any concept that would be more suited to being a community mod.

 

[dscowboy]

^^ Totally agree, we have to consider the unique challenges that producing a community-developed mod present. I think a simple, multi-player mod would be perfect for this situation.

Also, I wonder if it isn't possible to restrict or weight voting in favor of people who have the skills to contribute to the mod. If 70% of voters choose a certain mod idea, but only 2 of those people actually have any relevant skills, it'll never get finished. We need to assure that we choose a mod which is attractive to a substantial number of coders and artists.

 

[Kon]

Have you ever played Super Monkey Ball or the sequel? It was my favorite GameCube launch title, bar none... and they didn't even take the concept very far. I mean, there are only so many innovative types of gameplay (that are fun) that can be implemented in a normal mod like CS, DoD, TFC, etc... but the "animals in big plastic balls" concept offers almost limitless gameplay modes, it's easy to program, it takes advantage of the Source engine's physics capabilities, it's a great change of pace from realistic warfare games, and it's easy to play because you only need a couple of buttons.

The huge variety of possible gameplay variations makes it a perfect candidate for a community mod. Everyone gets to submit a couple of possible minigames (like soccer, king of the hill, ctf, etc) and vote to determine the order in which they will be added. We start with two or three of the most popular ideas and release a version to see what everyone thinks of the idea. Then, in each update we go to the next idea on the list and add a whole new gametype. Also, for any one gametype there is a lot that can be done with level design (look at the third party maps for mods like Proball & QPong). Level design with a concept like this lets you go from huge creative levels that are as complex as in regular mods to using a single floating platform (a very simple sumo/king of the hill map). Being able to have fun in extremely simple maps allows even amateur level designers with a decent idea to contribute something. You don't have to spend weeks on designing a single level that takes 5 hours to compile for it to be interesting and addictive.

I can't think of any concept that would be more suited to being a community mod.

I agree 100% , heh..

 

[Smawg]

To FORUM STAFF. and community.

Why don't we create something like Grand Theft Auto, but better.

We have people start out as neutral when they first enter the game. Then they can choose one of four gangs. This is where Majestic XII's territorial idea comes in. You have to keep your part of the city in control. If you don't, local citizens won't pay you protection money and you can't buy new and better guns, and knives. Plus if you don't protect your territory from other the other gangs, you could get killed.

You can drive around with four people and do drive-by's. Stuff like that.

Just an idea.

 

[Fluffy Kitten]

Sounds a bit steep... seeing as this'd just be a bunch of people basicly mucking about, it should probably be kept to something simple...

 

[fabricated]

I dunno if everyone has decided on a concept yet, but I would give anything for a Half-Life 2 version of Surprise.

If you've never heard ot it, Surprise was a script-only mod for regular HL deathmatch that added at least 3-4 new functions for ALL of the weapons.

The 9mm could fire regular rounds at incredible speeds, or it could fire tranq bullets that slowed down movement, or it could fire caltrops that slow down and injure people who run over them...The crossbow fires clusters of regular bolts, or napalm bolts, or poison gas bolts...Grenades could be cold grenades, MIRV, poison gas, fragment, flash, conc, etc. The crowbar could be thrown like a boomerang, or used as a grappling hook. I could go on and on for several PAGES on the changes. It was just awesome.

The only really unbalanced weapon in the game was the Tau Cannon, which could generate a blackhole that violently sucks people in and instantly kills them.

It was freaking awesome, if not very crashprone due to being buggy and not updated much.

And get this, it was only like 500KB worth of script files. You could log onto what looked like a regular DM server, and after a short download be thrown into an insane DM variant, thus the name SURPRISE.

It wouldn't take any art masters to make, just some really good scripters. Anyone could host it too.

 

[Dench]

A mario-like platformer that is multiplayer. You can run and jump and throw things at eachother. You can have cartoon-like weapons like a giant mallet.

 

[Wraith]

heres my idea from quite a while ago:

my friend and i came up with this idea but we cant work on it so i would like to see someone else make this mod (and let me beta-test it :-D) and you can have full credit but i want credit for the idea.

its called "shock media" and you are basically a ninja photojournalist, you look like james bond, you have a nice suit on and stuff but when you go on missions you wear all black and look like a ninja spy.

anyway the idea here is that you start catastrophes (wtc maybe? maybe that is too controversial but its an example) and you use a camera to get the best shots to sell to the media (since you already know its going to happen) and anyway you fight against a group of people who are against you for starting these horrible things.

you eventually join them and use your knowledge to defeat the people who you were working for (who you didnt know much about).

when you snap a photo it will save a screenshot on your computer and you can go through them in-game and they can be automatically added to newspapers or whatever in-game (superimposed on something like maybe a billboard) and the better the picture, the better the price you can charge for it (maybe the models will have points attached to them or something.

The more you get in one shot the better, im not sure how the points will be determined) and then online there will be a male and female model and you can take snaps of things just like this (each map will take up the entire amount of space possible, basically each map is a section of a city) other things would include blowing up schoolbuses and destroying churches, you know, horrible shit you see on the news.

Then, online, people can take photos too which would maybe be saved on the server temporarily and points will be determined automatically for how much of the bus is in the shot and how well you can see the flames or something, this is the only part your mod team will have to really figure out.

Then you can kill other photojournalists and steal their floppy disc (all ninjas use digital pictures) and then get it developed at one of the computer terminals in the random apartment buildings you can break into, then points are awarded for the pics and the one with the most points wins!

The best part is people can go on the (virtual) computers and look at other peoples pictures and maybe the server can set a point value at which to keep the pictures and not delete them automatically so that they can look through the best shots and put them on their website or something.

It will also include a team of all bots which will be security guards and stuff like that, i think this will make for an interesting online as well as one player game and whoever posts first that they want to work on this takes the project on, you must find modelers and all that im just the idea-guy, also please mention larry k in the credits or something. thanks.

 

[Sg.Bull]

Hmm.. very developed but it looks like there would be the need of a online server.. unless server side saves are avaliable.. and online servers = Money money money..(like mmorpgs)

 

[Xone]

I have a good concept.. very good if you ask me. A SWAT mod. If this idea has came up in the past forgive me, I havent read through all 10 pages.

But since the.. cancelation of Swat: Urban Justice, and waiting for Swat 4 to come out in the next couple of years, what better engine could you make a SWAT mod for.

Heres my idea, I was watching the 2nd E3 HL2 movie, and i saw a group of combine soldiers at the door banging it and saying something and they rammed in, this could be used for 1 team to enter from the front and a second team go around the side of the house.

There could be very many differnet types of scenerios. From hold ups in houses, drug raids, hostage situations, bank robberies, ect.

Also, since hl2 is all about making the atmosphere.. "realistic" like more than one thing going on at a time, i pictured a bunch of polcie cars in the front of a bank with a couple of heavily armed and protected gunman firing and citizens running for cover, screaming and pandamoniom everywhere, and frap metal from cars flying everywhere, kind of like the scenerio that happend in real life. Mabye some helicopters form above flying around like police or news.

Theres many differnet ideas that could go with this. Like how much armor or ammo you carry the slower you walk, and when you hit an enemy in the shoulder he flys back from the side he got hit and grabs his arm and starts shooting heavily..

It might be since im a major SWAT fanatic, but htis would be awesome.

An idea jsut popped in my head, mabye a swat member throw a rope down from a window and everyone slides down and team leader gives commands. Play with the idea.

 

[synth]

The community mod has now begun development.
Please apply to be on the team in this thread

Visit the forum to give suggestions and comments.

Thanks for everyone's ideas. We've now got something going thanks to you all.