User:Hectate
My name is Nathan Mitchell, but I go by Hectate online. I'm primarily a mapper, although I remotely understand programming, and have a good grasp of modelling (but in Blender, so not for HL). Mapping is mostly a hobby for me, so it's not often that I complete a level. In most cases, they're only big enough to test an idea or concept I wanted to try out. The only maps I ever completed and "shipped" were the following.
- pb_theater : CTF map for HL Paintball mod, came included in the 2nd or 3rd release only, don't remember which. It was a 2-screen, multi-level movie theater with a few special team color associations. I.E. the red side had a poster for "The Thin Red Line" and a Dr. Pepper machine, while the blue side had "Deep Blue Sea" and a Pepsi machine. Simple and fast gameplay, but fun.
- si_wolfen : I, er, borrowed textures and sounds from Wolf3D and made a map for Science & Industry based on it. The scientists were held in the cell block, and the Administrator was in the warden's office. There were loads of secret sliding walls (just like Wolf3D) and even a super-secret, impossible-to-find-without-me-telling-you-how, if-you-pushed-the-wrong-wall-you'll-never-be-able-to-get-to-it fishtank with a Dopefish inside. As a side note, the flow of the game was pretty good, and hearing those doors brought back memories. Also, since it was only as tall as the players, jumping wasn't possible in this map, just like in Wolf3d.
Due to the level of complexity in Source maps, most of the levels I create for it remind me of Quake-era maps compared to what people are putting out nowadays. So I don't bother competing, but I enjoy dabbling. Anyway, if you remember me from HL's glory days, cool! Drop me a line!
Tactics Mod
Dumping thoughts before creating an "official" design doc.
wikipedia:Tactic (method)
My goal for a tactical mod is to have a single and multi-player mod/conversion where a single player controls a squad of about 4 characters, preferably in a turn-based style gameplay system, with a top down viewpoint. I believe that this can be accomplished without seriously altering the core game engine (Source). It would most likely require some major alteration to the player class, however, as well as custom maps and entities, with particular attention to the squad member NPCs/bots. The following are the major design points that I would like to incorporate or are currently considering. I highly appreciate all comments and suggestions, and recommend that you make them on my talk page as needed. Thanks!
- Multi-player
- Either Turn-based play cycling through players, or
- Plan-phase/Action-phase system, where everybody selects actions simultaneously, and then those play out simultaneously
- Voting system to eliminate AFK players and griefers
- Timers for the Turn/Plan phase?
- Scoring based on "squad" (player) effectiveness, not individual character's
- Grid-based movement/actions
- Action points to make grid movements and actions a "cost" issue?
- Pre-assigned weapons and proficiencies? Complete squad customization? RPG elements?
- Teamplay
- Round-based games ala Counter-strike
- Objectives and such
- Multiple squads arranged into two teams, starting points for the different squads may vary (different "entry" points?)
- "Deathmatch" free-for-all
- Respawn during turn/planning phase
- Single player
- Objectives and missions that follow a story
- Briefings and Debriefings including game statistics/score
- RPG elements to develop your team?
Voice Acting
I'll be glad to do voice work for free if anybody needs a new voice for their mod, map, or machinima (sp?). I sing bass regularly in a choir, and have taken many speech and presentation classes while in college. I will have a sample of my voice available shortly. I'm afraid that I cannot do accurate accents or characterizations, so you'd be stuck with "American", primarily Mid-Eastern, although I live in Kentucky and have picked up a few bad habits (avoidable during rehearsal, however).