Creative Maps! - What YOU Want to See!

[MsHannerBananer]

So! Because I lack any further creativity that diverges from what area's I already have in my full conversion, I need a few more area's that are unique, and bring something new to what I have!

I know that a lot of people won't answer, especially if they're mod developers and want to save their creative idea's for themselves, but I'm asking anyway!


My custom story is set in an advanced underground facility/laboratory (yeah yeah, it's been done before, don't remind me). What kind of area's would you like to see in it that are unique, and aren't completely impossible to do?

Throw some idea's my way! This is for the benefit of my potential players just as much as it's for my benefit.

[Unearthlybrutal]

I've been thinking to make puzzle to NOT get out of the water (everybody seems to fear the water parts (because of the monster)). Like if you jump on the box (from the water), monster appears,.. or something like that (taking the mod to psychological stage).
I'm just too busy to make mods and custom stories these days, so,.. The idea is free to use

[Romulator]

I've been thinking to make puzzle to NOT get out of the water (everybody seems to fear the water parts (because of the monster)). Like if you jump on the box (from the water), monster appears,.. or something like that. I'm just too busy to make mods and custom stories these days, so,.. The idea is free to use

o.0

That idea is so simple a mechanic to make it's practically genius.. Nobody would expect it :o

[Unearthlybrutal]

I've been thinking to make puzzle to NOT get out of the water (everybody seems to fear the water parts (because of the monster)). Like if you jump on the box (from the water), monster appears,.. or something like that. I'm just too busy to make mods and custom stories these days, so,.. The idea is free to use

o.0

That idea is so simple a mechanic to make it's practically genius.. Nobody would expect it :o

I think that there should be a letter or something to let the player know that do not get out from the water.

[The chaser]

In my story, water is a pretty common thing in certain areas, and I have planned lots of things for it... I'm even trying to apply a swimming system (not working as I would like).

I have thought about a room that gets filled slowly with water, and it's only at the final, when the room is pretty much filled, that a key floats from a vent (because of the water pushing it up), for example.

[PutraenusAlivius]

Swimming and Zero-G would be fun.

[Daemian]

I've been thinking to make puzzle to NOT get out of the water (everybody seems to fear the water parts (because of the monster)). Like if you jump on the box (from the water), monster appears,.. or something like that. I'm just too busy to make mods and custom stories these days, so,.. The idea is free to use

AddEntityCollideCallback Player, WaterArea, WhenLeaves > GivePlayerDamage

I'm guessing xD

---

How about a hallway with lasers? you gotta find each switch to turn them off.

[MsHannerBananer]

@ Robosprog: Whoa there boy. xD Calm down there. I have minimal amounts of backtracking, and I wouldn't even think of doing something like "Oh, they haven't seen map 3 in 2 hours, TIME TO PUT THEM BACK AT MAP THREE SO CONFUSE THE FUCK OUTTA THEM."

I do loop back to a map once, however, it's a map recently travelled and you literally just go down through the hallway to a newly opened door. Whether or not the player wishes to re-explore the map they're brought back to is their own prerogative, however it's made blatantly obvious to move on.

Also, I meant unique in the sense that it's different to look at and somewhat different to experience, which is, indeed, where custom entities come into play. There's a lot to be done when one successfully manages to fiddle around with particles, and if I had any talent in modelling, I'm sure I'd take up that too, and give players something even more different to look at. When I say unique, I'm talking about area's you've never seen before. I don't think anyone's ever created a hydrotherapy room, or an incinerator. Stuff like that. Lol


Awesome suggestions so far guys, thank you very much.

[MsHannerBananer]

There's no need to be condescending, and if you wanted something unique to look at, you should have chosen a different environment. And incinerator has been done, can't recall exact story name, and hydrotheraphy is basically just a pool, which, has been done.

Again, your environment has been done to death. It's literally just Penumbra. As you said, it's been done before, you will not get a really unique environment out of it, and if you're only going to focus on how it looks, well, that will not bode well for the end result.

Never meant to sound condescending, sorry if I came off that way.

Obviously we will never see eye to eye about it, because you're obviously very tired with what people have been creating with HPL2. But there's only so much I can do to impress you, IF I can impress you at all.

Also, I know you're just stating your opinion, however, if you wanted to scare me away from working on my own stuff, for fear of it looking like just another Penumbra remake or because it might end up shitty, then well done. I'll be putting my mod on the back shelf for the next few weeks to rethink it's existence.

If you hate that everybody remakes the shit out of Penumbra and other story lines, then why do you still hopefully hang around? I assume for HPL3 and SOMA, but honestly. I didn't ask to be told that everything I'm putting my time and effort into is going to end up like crap because it resembles Penumbra. Draw your own conclusions if you will, criticize it all you want, but don't treat me like dirt. Give me something to work off of, not "Your mod sounds like Penumbra so it'll turn out like crap".

In this modern day world, pretty much EVERYthing has been done before. I can't claim any idea as my own because chances are, in some remote part of the world, it's been done before. I'm NOT just working with aesthetics in this mod of mine, there's a decent story line that, of course, has probably been done before and I'm not even going to waste your time, or my time outlining the details of that because I'm sure you'd have a lot to say about it.

I won't be scraping what I've made so far, I'm halfway done so there's no point. But I'd like to add that you shouldn't judge things as hard as you do. Yeah, I'm making something that's caused you to draw ties to Penumbra, yeah, some of the environments have been done before, but not every mod is created equal, and just because it SOUNDS like it's going to be too much like something else, doesn't mean it IS. Everybody should be given a fair chance to create something interesting, even if only a little interesting.

[The chaser]

Well, let's take this with calm, okay?

Let's see:

Yes, indeed: the amount of resources that Amnesia offers is limitated. It would feel like that to do something new, you need custom assets---FALSE

Yup, false. Yeah, maybe people get tired of seeing the same floor over and over again, but a new material is something pretty easy to create, actually. I can show people how to make them if they ask me.

So, MsHannerBananer:

If you want, I can P.M you with things I'm going to do in my story, and how I'm going to make them, so you get a glimpse of how I try to innovate in these matters. I think that would definitely help you.

About Robosprog:

Yup, the underground laboratory has been done to death. But, what's the deal with many other things? Why don't we get tired of seeing very similar environments in different horror games? The mansion theme has been done a lot, the castle theme, a lot, the asylum, a lot... what adds the touch is the context.

Sure, an underground laboratory is something typical. But what assets are used for it?

Consider it: most of modders don't know how to make custom content. They use what they have with Amnesia. What really makes a cellar area with the same assets differ from another one is the story and context behind it. Custom assets help, but these aren't the most important.

An underground laboratory can be done in many ways, not just the typical dungeonbase, though.