Off Limits : new HL2 mod launched

[simon]

Off Limts : new HL2 mod launched

Off Limits will be a team-based multiplayer mod revolving around two teams trying to take out a small but practically invulnerable alien. With a few twists to diversify the teams, some interesting strategies and tactics should emerge. The mod will use mainly conventional weaponry and special equipment, and will be set in a post-apocalyptic environment.

Our project is not that ambitious, but we do aim for a high quality product. We are recruiting several profiles, skinners and modelers being the most urgent. Check out our website at http://www.off-limits.be for more information about who we are, who we need, and ofcourse, what we've done so far.

 

[tim8604]

So basically: one massive ass giant monstor being attacked by 2 teams of mutliplayers?

Sounds cool, but watch out for these possible pitfalls....

-don't make it become too monotonous, no one wants to just stand there are shoot at one monster for 10 minutes, only decreasing its HP by like 5.

-don't let the monster keep its stamina ( and arms ). I don't know how extensive you were looking to get for this mod, but I think it would be cool to try to add a minor damage system where if you shot the guys arm enough, it would fall off or something, kind of like in starfox for N64, or any old shooting game back in the day. Also make it slower as it gets weaker

-don't make the teams not be able to kill eachother. It would be kinda cool if you had to not only fight off this huge monster, but an entire team of enemies also...



Sounds like a fun mini mod, you think you could elaborate some on the gameplay though? I'm still kind of confused. Good luck!

 

[simon]

euum, i don't think you read the concept good enough,
you will be able to shoot the other team (duh)
and the alien will not be very big, (human size +-)
1 team will have the alien on it's radar, but won't have the plasmagun to kill it
the other team WILL have the plasma gun to kill it, but WONT see it on there radar
so in order to kill the alien, you need to find the other team
but there are lots of items to use in this hunt, like camera's, flare, bomb packs, etc etc still a work in progress.

 

[keats]

Indeed, the idea is more a teeny weeny kind of alien (human to half human size), just one that you had better stay clear of when you're NOT the only lucky player carrying the plasma gun. That player will be able to kill the alien with one or two hits, but it's a slow, not too accurate weapon long range.

The teams are adversaries and try to kill each other. The basic idea is that one team with the plasma gun has got to go and find the alien (which should not happen TOO quick, as the HL² maps will be pretty complex). The alien is on the move and will evade its hunters, and hunt down the other players to a certain extent. The other team will see the aliens position on it's radar so they KNOW where it is; and will initially actually defend it, and try to kill the player with the plasmagun to steal that gun. If they succeed, the roles of the teams actually switch and the defenders will try to kill the alien, and vice versa. In the end, who kills the alien, wins the round.

The gameplay should be interesting enough; with added equipment like camera's to scout out positions, flares to indicate em, radar tags (sniper alt fire) to track an enemy to the alien or to track the alien itself, etc etc. The alien will have limited markov state machine based AI that will make it stay put for a while, go find another position etc. It will also respond to players ofcourse, so if you get to close or shoot it with a conventional weapon it will charge you (and, if you happen to be fast enough and survive, you could lure it to an easy to defend position for instance).

So it's not one big badass mofo of an alien that everyone pounds to death in an overkill kind of attempt, it's just a small alien that happens to be killable by only 1 gun in the game

 

[tim8604]

Ah..... now that you put it that way it sounds pretty sweet. More strategy that I had imagined from when i first read it ( late at night i think ). I can imagine it now, a blue squad running through the woods chasing down this creature with their plasma rifle blazing, only to be blind sided by the entire red team which had been following the creature on their radar. The last remaining blue soldier throws a flare to signal to the other squads of their platoons misfortune, and of the location of the creature. The mini cam on this soldiers helmet is viewed from a truck in a remote location in which the platoon leader notifies the rest of the squads how many red players they are dealing with, and which direction they made off in...

bad ass.

( lemme know if this is basically correct or not )

 

[keats]

no, even MORE strategy and less speed

Imagine a team that spawns in a desolate city, seeing on their radar the alien resides in some office building. They want to kill it, but in order to do so they will need the plasma gun first. So, they will take defensive positions around or in the office building, but they'll want to stay clear of they alien too, since they cannot harm it yet and it will try to kill them if it sees them. An other option might be that they send out a scout [in wars ofcourse, publics never provide the same amount of teamplay] that will try to lure the alien to their base, etc.

The other team will hunt down the alien and try to make the kill. They can be hinted where the alien is by the presence of the first team, and will probably have to get passed them to kill the alien.

The camera's are for personal use only, you can deploy a camera (maybe even remotely by throwing/manouvring it to a certain distance), we're checking into that now), and check what it sees as long as it isnt destroyed. In publics this will be for personal use mainly, in wars you can ofcourse communicate what you see to your team.

The ball flares can have different functions, from lighting up an environment, over blinding enemies to signaling positions to your team.

I personally don't believe in implementing a leader's position in a mod, since it will ruin public gameplay. In wars, who is leader will be defined by the clans themselves via their voice comm. program.

The vehicles won't have a fixed function, and won't be attack vehicles. Think more in the lines of a... euh... what's the word in english... *google google* forklift in an industrial map, a bulldozer in a construction site, a chevy in a suburban map, a tractor on a farm, etc. [these are merely ideas to explain what we're aiming for, no actual map plans yet ]. Although i don't exclude a squad car in certain maps, the old cs_siege map with the apc had potential that Source will be able to fulfill.

 

[Mako]

By "roles switching", do you infact mean that the other team will now see the alien on their radar, after the Plasma gun is stolen from them? If not, that team would be left wandering the level with neither a Plasma Gun nor any idea where to go. Just something to think about. Also, players will not appreciate the strategy you've envisioned while in midgame. You'll want to devise a way to award the player for doing things a certain way, using certain equipment, etc. At the same time you will want to award players for countering these strategic moves (for example destroying a camera, or picking up an enemy flare and throwing it somewhere else, putting the other team off track).

Also, what will be the mobility of this creature? Is it a fast, feril, agilic creature like ALIENS or is it a lumbering biped? If it's the latter, you will want to be warry of the fact that I fear this game becoming very linear. I hope that you can do some interesting things in terms of what that creature can do to keep people guessing. If you want any suggestions, let me know...

 

[keats]

Roles switching will include switching the radar too. If we'd want to make it plausible we could argue that the plasma techology screws up radar; but we're going for gameplay not plausability

As to the mobility of the alien, it will be like a monkey, both biped and agile four-feeter. It will definately be on the move, albeit in a restricted area since letting the alien roam the entire map could make the alien get to it's killer before the round has well begun; but this is a matter of balance that will solve itself in testing phases. As to what it will be able to do, depends a lot on the SDK and how much work we will have coding the rest of the game. If we could do as we please, we'll let it crawl on walls and ceilings, jump from floor to floor and then some. But again, a lot depends on Source, so we're waiting very eagerly for it's release.

Suggestions are ALWAYS welcome; even bad ones

Your points on rewarding strategies are food for thought, although we plan to make the equipment very valuable to he who knows how to use it properly, use it in team and with some intelligence.

 

[tim8604]

What about if you threw in other devices like snares and nets to capture members of the opposing team ( or even your own team if you are not careful ) to slow them down in trailing the creature. Maybe even some bear traps or whatnot.. that would be kinda cool

oh yeah, maybe the creature could also be caught be these means.. ?

 

[keats]

ordinary nets may be a bit hard to make realistic, but a futuristic equivalent of a trap is not a bad idea for our mod. I'll post a brainstorm-topic on our private fora and see what gives. But it might indeed turn up to be fun (eg. a booby-trap that sets off a laser fence or so, should give some interesting options ).

But we might want to watch it with too many possibilities/traps, too. Players don't want to get caught in a trap and be forced to stay put for several minutes for instance. We'll see

 

[Kwartjuh]

Hey, i really like your idea! But, that alien.. is it played by someone? What is its goal? to eliminate all the humans? I will keep checking this topic, it sounds very interresting!

 

[azzkiker]

Do u need mod/site hosting on www.hl2files.com?!
Read THIS PAGE if ur interested then contact azzkiker@hl2files and/or [email protected]

¬azzkiker

 

[simon]

Hey, i really like your idea! But, that alien.. is it played by someone? What is its goal? to eliminate all the humans? I will keep checking this topic, it sounds very interresting!


well, no, the alien = 100% AI, there is more info on www.off-limits.be
or #offlimits @quakenet.

thanks for the support

 

[Jhahn2k4]

This is a mod thread thingy.. dont advertise..

Other than that, I love the potential of the mod

 

[simon]

excuse me, won't happen again :cheers: