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3DThe Challenger - Galaxy-class Interiors for L4D2
Legion0
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Since I don't want to keep answering the same questions over and over again, here is a list of some of the features in "The Challenger":
- Almost fully-explorable Galaxy class starship based largely on the Enterprise D.
- Discover rooms such as Engineering, Ten Forward, the Holodeck (one will even be "activated") and the Bridge. Navigate throughout the ship using Jeffries Tubes, the corridors, turbolift tubes, and (maybe) transporters.
- Custom zombie models include original infected and new "Starfleet" infected that will be wearing Starfleet uniforms. No word on different races yet.
- Player models may be customized as well to be wearing Starfleet uniforms.
- Campaign will start in the bowels of the ship, where players fight their way through Engineering and the saucer section until they reach the bridge, where the finale begins and they must defend themselves in close-quarters until a rescue ship can beam them out.
- Custom models, textures, sounds, and voice acting.
- Three campaign mini-campaign that will also have maps for Versus modes and Scavenge modes.
Original Post
First off, it's been awhile. I love coming back and seeing many new faces and many of the oldest members still posting. It's good to be posting again.
I've been working on a campaign for the zombie-survival horror game Left 4 Dead 2, and I'm hoping to use this thread as a WIP thread to get feedback as I develop it. Generally I'd stick to my friends and such, but of everyone I know, I'm the biggest trekkie (and that's not saying much, as I'm not really -- I know the ins and outs of technical stuff, sort of). I thought that maybe the ol' Scifi Meshes community might be just the help I need in really recreating this ship.
I wanted to do a Galaxy-class ship because, let's face it, it reminds of us good times. It's familiar; it's comfortable. Obviously the first thought would be to set the campaign aboard the Enterprise. As I started getting into what would be needed for this project, it occurred to me that small details would be very difficult to recreate using Hammer (the 3d software/scripting program Valve uses for its games). With that in mind I decided to put the campaign aboard another canon ship, the Challenger.
The great thing about the Challenger is that it's appeared on screen, it has some history, but that many of the smaller details are left to uncertainty. Plus it was a good name for the campaign, both as the ship and a description of the campaign itself -- almost as if the ship were challenging the players to succeed.
So I've changed the colors a bit, smoothed over some of the details, and generally made it look a bit "newer" than the Enterprise. I'm only assuming it was built in the years after the Enterprise was. I don't know if there is a canon date for its launch.
Attached are some of the first screens.
The Engineering section will be a real challenge, and it's what I'm working on right now. I've got the basic corridor setup and some of the custom graphic (LCARS by Tobias Weidmann - fully credited) and am currently working on the Pool Table. Custom props, when I need to build them, will be built with 3ds Max.
I'm hoping the warp core will be fairly straight forward and is able to be replicated in Hammer. Likewise, smooth curving surfaces will likely be made angular (another design decision) to make them easier to replicate in Hammer.
The second image is the Holodeck, which is also a work in progress. I still need to build the arch and doors, so beyond that there isn't much to look at yet. The smooth curvy corners were tough to do, but I think they add a nice subtly to the room square corners just didn't provide.
The last image is the hallway leading up to the Turbolift. It's mostly done. And yes, the red lights fade in and out with almost the same timing as in the show. No annoying red-alert sound, though.
So please, let me know your thoughts and opinions. Let me know what you'd like to see if you were a player. Let me know which parts of the ship you would like to explore.
The basic campaign idea right now is to start out at the very bottom of the ship where no escape pods remain, move upward through jeffries tubes to engineering, make your way through engineering, and then through the secondary hull until the survivors reach a "safehouse" in one of the rooms. I plan to have two more levels, one detailing moving from the secondary hull to the saucer section (and ten forward) and then onto the upper decks (again, more jeffries tubes) and onto the bridge, where they will call for help and an emergency beam out.
Aside from the zombies and dead bodies of crewmen, the ship will be fairly clean. I'm attempting to recreate the dark and heavy atmosphere of a ship running on reserve power and in a state of red alert. Engineering will have "system failure" messages in places and the computer will be unaccessible (this is a plot device and a reason to make it to the bridge).
So Trekkies, what do you think? What would you want in this?
I've got a development area for this (and ultimately to download it to play) over at l4dmaps.com, which you can view here: http://www.l4dmaps.com/details.php?file=5560
I'd leave it there, but what do those people know anyway? The one comment I have about it referred to it as "Startrack." Yessir.
Edit: What happened to my postcount?
Oh well.
Since I don't want to keep answering the same questions over and over again, here is a list of some of the features in "The Challenger":
- Almost fully-explorable Galaxy class starship based largely on the Enterprise D.
- Discover rooms such as Engineering, Ten Forward, the Holodeck (one will even be "activated") and the Bridge. Navigate throughout the ship using Jeffries Tubes, the corridors, turbolift tubes, and (maybe) transporters.
- Custom zombie models include original infected and new "Starfleet" infected that will be wearing Starfleet uniforms. No word on different races yet.
- Player models may be customized as well to be wearing Starfleet uniforms.
- Campaign will start in the bowels of the ship, where players fight their way through Engineering and the saucer section until they reach the bridge, where the finale begins and they must defend themselves in close-quarters until a rescue ship can beam them out.
- Custom models, textures, sounds, and voice acting.
- Three campaign mini-campaign that will also have maps for Versus modes and Scavenge modes.
Original Post
First off, it's been awhile. I love coming back and seeing many new faces and many of the oldest members still posting. It's good to be posting again.
I've been working on a campaign for the zombie-survival horror game Left 4 Dead 2, and I'm hoping to use this thread as a WIP thread to get feedback as I develop it. Generally I'd stick to my friends and such, but of everyone I know, I'm the biggest trekkie (and that's not saying much, as I'm not really -- I know the ins and outs of technical stuff, sort of). I thought that maybe the ol' Scifi Meshes community might be just the help I need in really recreating this ship.
I wanted to do a Galaxy-class ship because, let's face it, it reminds of us good times. It's familiar; it's comfortable. Obviously the first thought would be to set the campaign aboard the Enterprise. As I started getting into what would be needed for this project, it occurred to me that small details would be very difficult to recreate using Hammer (the 3d software/scripting program Valve uses for its games). With that in mind I decided to put the campaign aboard another canon ship, the Challenger.
The great thing about the Challenger is that it's appeared on screen, it has some history, but that many of the smaller details are left to uncertainty. Plus it was a good name for the campaign, both as the ship and a description of the campaign itself -- almost as if the ship were challenging the players to succeed.
So I've changed the colors a bit, smoothed over some of the details, and generally made it look a bit "newer" than the Enterprise. I'm only assuming it was built in the years after the Enterprise was. I don't know if there is a canon date for its launch.
Attached are some of the first screens.
The Engineering section will be a real challenge, and it's what I'm working on right now. I've got the basic corridor setup and some of the custom graphic (LCARS by Tobias Weidmann - fully credited) and am currently working on the Pool Table. Custom props, when I need to build them, will be built with 3ds Max.
I'm hoping the warp core will be fairly straight forward and is able to be replicated in Hammer. Likewise, smooth curving surfaces will likely be made angular (another design decision) to make them easier to replicate in Hammer.
The second image is the Holodeck, which is also a work in progress. I still need to build the arch and doors, so beyond that there isn't much to look at yet. The smooth curvy corners were tough to do, but I think they add a nice subtly to the room square corners just didn't provide.
The last image is the hallway leading up to the Turbolift. It's mostly done. And yes, the red lights fade in and out with almost the same timing as in the show. No annoying red-alert sound, though.
So please, let me know your thoughts and opinions. Let me know what you'd like to see if you were a player. Let me know which parts of the ship you would like to explore.
The basic campaign idea right now is to start out at the very bottom of the ship where no escape pods remain, move upward through jeffries tubes to engineering, make your way through engineering, and then through the secondary hull until the survivors reach a "safehouse" in one of the rooms. I plan to have two more levels, one detailing moving from the secondary hull to the saucer section (and ten forward) and then onto the upper decks (again, more jeffries tubes) and onto the bridge, where they will call for help and an emergency beam out.
Aside from the zombies and dead bodies of crewmen, the ship will be fairly clean. I'm attempting to recreate the dark and heavy atmosphere of a ship running on reserve power and in a state of red alert. Engineering will have "system failure" messages in places and the computer will be unaccessible (this is a plot device and a reason to make it to the bridge).
So Trekkies, what do you think? What would you want in this?
I've got a development area for this (and ultimately to download it to play) over at l4dmaps.com, which you can view here: http://www.l4dmaps.com/details.php?file=5560
I'd leave it there, but what do those people know anyway? The one comment I have about it referred to it as "Startrack." Yessir.
Edit: What happened to my postcount?
Oh well. Post edited by Legion on
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I'm finishing up the textures for the Pool Table now (please ignore this awful render, just the default scanline):
And also attempting to use my artistic talent to take the original characters and Trekerize them for the campaign's loading graphics:
Also like the loading image, pretty cool so far!
Do you have any idea for Crescendo Events?
Each level will have one! (There are only three levels.)
The first level, "Escape from Engineering", will find the survivors trying to fight off a horde as the locking doors around the warp core open (they will be inside, waiting for that big glass door to rise up as zombies swarm them).
The second level, "The Saucer Section", will have a crescendo event probably on the tenth deck, probably in Ten Forward. I may change this and do something involving jeffries tubes instead, since those will be in the level as well.
The last level will have its finale on the bridge and deck one.
I might need to turn down the brightness of the LCARS, but that is pretty easy to do. Getting it compiled and in the game was a real pain.
One small thing though, the entire level looks about 150% too big. In the second pic in the first post, you're struggling to get half way up the corridor.
Other than that, it looks awesome! Can't wait to play it.
Ha, I was kneeling in that pic. I will make sure to grab a screen where I'm standing the next time I'm in the level.
Are you going to change the character models at all? Will the zombies be wearing starfleet tatters (that would be awesome)?
What will be the finale event? Escaping in the shuttlebay?
Current Projects:
Ambassador Class
I think my biggest concern will be that it is extremely difficult to replace the weapons in game. I think I'm just going to have to go with pistols and shotguns and all what's in it. Oh well.
The finale will take place aboard the bridge, in which you hit a button to restart the computers, contact a nearby ship to come rescue you, and then proceed to fight the horde until the rescue ship arrives (you'll be able to see it warp in on the main screen). I posted some voice acting requests on another forum and even got a pretty good reply I'm planning to use:
http://tindeck.com/listen/fwhu
(Obviously I will static it up a bit for the campaign)
I think I will try injecting some destroyed section of the ship. That's a great idea that will add tons of variance and give me an excuse when I don't want to model something (I can block it off with a fire and some broken pipes jutting out of the ceiling). Good idea.
And thanks for all the responses, guys.
Any help would be super-appreciated.
Thats exactly the scene I was talking about
Regardless, I still really appreciate the help. I'll be getting the blast doors in soon (I found out there are two!) but I wanted to post some updates on the Engineering section while I was working on them.
Work on the side room has begun, though it's pretty spartan at the moment. You'll have to forgive the fact the alcoves are white, I found out there are no suitable black textures in the game so I will have to make one to fill those spaces up with, so for now they are painted white as a placeholder. You'll notice that the consoles are all missing too - that's the next step.
In addition you can see the beginnings of the warp core housing and the catwalk around it. I'm fairly content with the glass at this point. I can't wait to get started on the other levels.
Here's a view of the rest of Engineering. Sorry for the missing ceilings and walls. Without them there it is casting a lot of light from the nearby star. In places like Ten Forward and cabins this will be a great effect (sort of like first light of dawn) but in Engineering it just looks silly. So use your imagination and pretend its really darker and artificially lit.
I'm anxious to get working on the Bridge, but I really want to try and get more of Engineering done. Unless you guys would like me to start work on the Bridge; I don't need a lot of convincing.
I've still got to get the warp core in place, but that will take some extra work outside of Hammer. I have setup a bit of the lighting, however.
And a view looking through the Engineering. I've still got to get that master systems display in the game. It looks a little funny just blank back there.
So far so good. I'm happy with the proportions of everything and moving around inside the level feels very... familiar.
Keep it up
Looks great as usual.
The "Arch" is going in. Still need to do the doors, get them functioning, and add textures.
The new Master Systems Display in Engineering. This is Alexander Richardson's work, but it is used unapproved as of yet so I may need to change it if he says no. I'm waiting for a response. I hope he agrees to allow me to use it because I think it looks beautiful.
And finally a shot of the entire Engineering section (sans warp core, which is behind me).
Don't worry. Most of the display screens have "SYSTEM FAILURE" in bright red letters on them somewhere. Life support is still on, and the red alert lights are flashing, but everything else is basically offline.