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Secrets.
Posted By: RyokoTKDate: 9/30/05 8:29 p.m.

In Response To: How to use monsters. (RyokoTK)

Secrets have their good sides and their bads, but the definition of a secret is varied in single player maps and netmaps. In a solo map, the idea of a secret is to give the player one of the following things:
-A shortcut
-An ammo stash
-A funny/not immediately relevant terminal
-Access to a secret level

Good secrets provide something along those lines. They're out of the way, unobtrusive; they reward players that are willing to take the time to explore. However, under no circumstances should a player need to access a secret. Don't put 60% of a level's ammunition in one hidden cabinet, and expect that Total Carnage players will know where it is, because most people won't (the definition of a secret!). Don't put the level's only pattern buffer or recharger in a secret room. Least of all, don't put the EXIT in a secret room. There's nothing really preventing you from adding secrets in a solo map, but if you add too many hidden ammo caches, you might make it too easy for people who find them all, and that's no good.

On the other hand, secrets should generally be avoided entirely for netmaps. In a game where you want to encourage balance as much as possible, you don't want to have things where the mapmaker or a very familiar player would have a huge advantage over less knowing players. The result? You don't have to have all of your netmaps devoid of ammunition, but for the love of god, don't put the only TOZT and three napalm packs in a hidden cupboard. So here's a couple guidelines for netmap secrets:
1. Don't put in any weapon that you can't find outside of the secret, unless it's a weak one like the Alien Weapon or Fusion Pistol.
2. Don't put in Invincibility (ugh). This is a general rule, though. Don't put Invincibility in your netmaps.
3. Don't put a ridiculous ammo stash in there. This is not so much an issue of fairness, but rather, it might screw up ammo respawn rates (so that 90% of the respawned ammo is in the secret). Then it IS an issue of fairness.
4. No health! Period! If you're pursuing someone, and then suddenly they disappear for a second, and then they come out of a secret door with triple shields... that's pretty bogus. ESPECIALLY do not add rechargers.
5. "Control booths." You might be tempted to add in a switch that floods the rest of the level with lava in a secret... please, don't. It's ridiculously annoying and unfair. Avoid anything that would modify the level outside of opening or closing some minor doors.

What does this leave you? A few things. The following things are good:
1. Sniper ledges. That's not much of an advantage, especially not one that can be exploited too heavily unless you do it REALLY poorly.
2. Invisibility. It's nice to have, but it's not a huge bonus unless you have two. Then it's pretty big. Solution: have only one Invisibility and you're set.
3. Teleports, shortcuts, sneaky passages, or any other accelerated transport. It's handy to know without being a massive advantage.

With that covered, what's left is how to make a secret secret, without being ridiculous. A good secret is in the map Waterloo Waterpark. You know that little fork in the hallway where, if you go right, you get the Assault Rifle, but if you go left you just end up in a dead-end with monsters? There's a secret in the far corner. It's not immediately visible, but a reasoning player would think there's SOMETHING because a good mapper would not waste space on meaningless rooms.

A bad secret, on the other hand, is the secret in Poor Yorick with the 2x canister, SMG with 7 clips, and a Pattern Buffer. It's a large boost, provides another place to save, and also looks just like the wall. There is absolutely nothing that would give it away, neither to the casual player nor the discerning one. The only thing that COULD give it away is if a bumbling Hunter might casually open it, but that's not common nor particularly noticeable.

A good secret in a netmap would be the Invisibility in Morpfhine. It's small, it's only one Invisibility, and it provides a teleport to a handy area as well. Nothing major nor gamebreaking; all of the main carnage areas are brightly lit so Invisibility does not serve a great purpose. Handy without being game-breaking.

A poor secret in a netmap would be the SPNKR in Mars Needs Women. It's the only SPNKR on the level, it's very powerful in such a level (so crowded you can't miss), and there's also a ton of light switches in there too to plunge the whole game in darkness! That's not very fun. Now you hae this secret that one player might know about, and abuse everyone else the whole game via this secret. Please, don't do this.

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Pre-2004 Posts

Replies:

What makes a nice map?TDJ 9/29/05 7:41 a.m.
     Re: What makes a nice map?RyokoTK 9/29/05 12:39 p.m.
     Re: What makes a nice map?C Lund 9/30/05 12:18 a.m.
           Re: What makes a nice map?Forrest of B.org 9/30/05 6:34 a.m.
                 Re: What makes a nice map?RyokoTK 9/30/05 7:11 a.m.
                       Applying weapons to maps.RyokoTK 9/30/05 9:05 a.m.
                             Appropriate platform usage.RyokoTK 9/30/05 9:36 a.m.
                                   Lighting.RyokoTK 9/30/05 9:50 a.m.
                                         How to use monsters.RyokoTK 9/30/05 10:07 a.m.
                                               Secrets.RyokoTK 9/30/05 8:29 p.m.
                                                     Monster Behaivor (first version)goran 10/1/05 9:35 a.m.
                                                           Re: Monster Behaivor (first version)RyokoTK 10/1/05 9:57 a.m.
                                                                 Re: Monster Behaivor (first version)goran 10/1/05 10:20 a.m.
                                                           Re: Monster Behaivor (first version)Steve Levinson 10/1/05 7:03 p.m.
                                                                 Re: Monster Behaivor (first version)goran 10/1/05 10:52 p.m.
                                                                       Wow-A compliment from Goran for unsolicited advice *NM*Steve Levinson 10/2/05 6:40 a.m.
                                                                             Maybe his life depended on it... *NM*D-M.A. 10/2/05 6:59 a.m.
                                                                                   Re: Maybe his life depended on it...goran 10/2/05 11:28 a.m.
                                                                                         IMO, we're looking to deeply into this... *NM*Blake37 10/2/05 2:17 p.m.
                                                                                         Re: Maybe his life depended on it...D-M.A. 10/2/05 6:49 p.m.
                                                                                               Re: Maybe his life depended on it...RyokoTK 10/2/05 7:02 p.m.
                                                                                                     Re: Maybe his life depended on it...D-M.A. 10/2/05 7:10 p.m.
                                                                                                           Re: Maybe his life depended on it...Steve Levinson 10/2/05 7:27 p.m.
                                                                                               true if Steve=DMAgoran 10/2/05 10:24 p.m.
                                                                                                     Re: true if Steve=DMAD-M.A. 10/3/05 8:28 a.m.
                                                                                                           gorans experince of uagoran 10/3/05 2:41 p.m.
                                                                                                                 Re: gorans experince of uaForrest of B.org 10/3/05 3:08 p.m.
                                                                                                                 Re: gorans experince of uaD-M.A. 10/3/05 6:43 p.m.
                                                                                                                 Re: gorans experince of uaSteve Levinson 10/4/05 4:38 a.m.
                                                                                                                       Re: gorans experince of uagoran 10/4/05 6:34 a.m.
                                                                                                                             Re: gorans experince of uaD-M.A. 10/4/05 10:27 a.m.
                                                                                                                                   Re: gorans experince of uaNick Hoad 10/4/05 10:59 a.m.
                                                                                                                                         Re: gorans experince of uagoran 10/4/05 12:21 p.m.
                                                                                                                                   Re: gorans experince of uagoran 10/4/05 12:05 p.m.
                                                                                                                                         I actually agree & perhaps misinterpreted you *NM*Steve Levinson 10/4/05 12:46 p.m.
                                                                                                                             Re: gorans experince of uaSteve Levinson 10/4/05 11:23 a.m.
                                                                                                                                   Re: gorans experince of uaSimon/team Sigma 10/4/05 12:20 p.m.
                                                                                                                                         True, and horribly off topic, but fun ;) *NM*Steve Levinson 10/4/05 12:47 p.m.
                                                                                                                                               Re: True, and horribly off topic, but fun ;)Simon/team Sigma 10/4/05 1:31 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                     Taken at face value - no offense taken at all *NM*Steve Levinson 10/4/05 3:21 p.m.
                                                                                                                                         Re: gorans experince of uaD-M.A. 10/4/05 7:15 p.m.
                                                                                                                                               Re: gorans experince of uaForrest of B.org 10/4/05 7:34 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                     Re: gorans experince of uaBlake37 10/5/05 9:54 a.m.
                                                                                                                                                           Re: gorans experince of uaForrest of B.org 10/5/05 10:54 a.m.
                                                                                                                                                                 Re: gorans experince of uaBlake37 10/5/05 3:37 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                                       Re: gorans experince of uaForrest of B.org 10/5/05 6:40 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                                             Re: gorans experince of uaBlake37 10/6/05 12:22 p.m.
                                                                 Re: Monster Behaivor (first version)goran 10/2/05 11:08 a.m.
                                                                       Re: Monster Behaivor (first version)Steve Levinson 10/2/05 7:35 p.m.
                                         Transitional lighting.RyokoTK 9/30/05 10:40 a.m.
                                         lighting goran style (basics)goran 9/30/05 10:47 a.m.
                                         Re: Lighting.treellama 10/1/05 3:47 a.m.
                       Re: What makes a nice map?C Lund 9/30/05 12:30 p.m.
                             Re: What makes a nice map?RyokoTK 9/30/05 4:54 p.m.
                                   Re: What makes a nice map?Steve Levinson 9/30/05 9:33 p.m.
                                         Re: What makes a nice map?RyokoTK 10/1/05 3:50 a.m.
                                   Re: What makes a nice map?C Lund 9/30/05 11:30 p.m.

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