08. April 2016, 20:11:21

#20

chuckles n chestnutsQuote

Quote by icemann:

Dayam. Surprised my FM didn't get the same criticisms as it has similar stuff (no audio logs, no MFD goals). Though mine has music.

I should point out that there are several action + no audio log style FMs out there, so don't go too hard on chuckles n chestnuts.

To chuckles n chestnuts I would suggest taking any comments on board (and not to heart, as no'one is saying it to insult you personally), and perhaps adding some extra stuff here and there where appropriate. That's how releases on the internet go, regardless of the game it's for, and in the end results in improved content.

Essentials to a FM in my opinion:
* Player start (duh) + end
* Music  - Just sit down and listen to the tunes on offer in the game, and pick the one that fits the theme of your FM most.
* Make it look lived in. As in, detail to rooms is good to see.

Beyond that, go with what you feel like. Want to do it 100% stealth? Go for it. I was making a FM like that at one stage ("Alone" which there is a demo of in the engineering section I believe). Want to go for 100% action? Sweet. Feel free. Or go with the traditional style that many have gone for which emulates the main game (eg audio logs and emails, MFD goals etc etc). It's COMPLETELY up to you.

The most important thing is to NOT TAKE OFFENSE when you release something online. It's guaranteed to happen. I worked on my completed FM "Ancient" on and off for 4-5 months, and got a response of "Ancient is mediocre" from one person, and sure I was annoyed, but that's the internet. Just take it on board, and if you have the time + interest for it, then take those comments on board and add improvements, OR implement them in future FMs that you develop.

Forum feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken here, but I think much of criticisms come from the extreme lack of newly created SS2 FM content these days. So when something does get released, it's held up against the best stuff out there (eg Christine's FMs for example). But just take it on board, and go with what you feel you want to do with it. Deleting your account here would be a silly thing to do though + a major overreaction.

Thanks Icemann,

Actually, your FM was one of the first (and only) FM's that I played!  And yeah there were no audio logs and only one music track and not much shock elements in it because it was a rendition of your doom map (I read your text notes) and no matter what, it was something it was your work of art, I am sure you put effort into it as you know much as I do that dromED is not so ABC simple to work with.  So whenever a fan shows some effort I think thats a good thing, there is always room for improvement of course but this is artwork not a  competition, but as far as these other comments go, yes they are right, and sure the help would be nice, but like you said I think some of the members on here came down hard on me.  Yes I can take internet critisizm but when its by critics that actually seem to speak the lingo and know the editor its kinda harsh at times, the random "oh this *bleep* sucks' is expected but detailed critisizm right of the bat is a bit harsh I will agree.  I appreciate your input Icemann

08. April 2016, 22:57:22

#21

unn_atroposQuote

Just finished your mission, and I enjoyed it! There is a bunch of cool ideas in there, some neat surprises and tense situations that break up my System Shock routine. I also like your humor Hybrid hangar.

You should really, really consider adding audiologs. xdiesp got some good people for Sys: Infinite, and voodoo47 worked on audio for "the minstrel" so I'm sure they can connect you to some voice actors.
Hell, I wouldn't mind speaking a part! Havn't had the opportunity yet.

Here are some things I noticed that I would like to point out (as constructive criticism and suggestions. Not in a "your mission sucks" way ):
- The gameplay is good though the balancing of how much items you get (and when) seems to be a bit on the rough side. Maybe I didn't find the chemical store room, but I just saw one lonely Cu container. Cybermodules are very scarce; a few more would be nice.
- the architecture is good; though in my playthrough I was a bit annoyed/confused by the long corridors leading to even longer corridors into every direction. This resulted into a lot of walking/backtracking
- the architecture is done on a great scale; giving me the impression of (too) vast emptiness. For your next FM you maybe could take a closer look at Fm like "return to the unn" or even "The Minstrel". They have a more compact design, thus creating some of Sys2 trademark claustrophobic atmosphere.
- minor nitpick: in some instances I had enemies spawn right next to me. Maybe you could hide that a bit better...
- the final part of the FM was a bit too trigger happy for me. Too much enemies in one spot, no enough corners and possibilities to outsmart them
the glowing trees in Cyberspace are just beautiful! Getting close to a Tron crossover Maybe add some ambience like in Darvinia to them?
- the finale: nice scenery but I could not beat it without cheating: I just jumped into the black beneath the platforms and exploited the respawn feature. Made the battle a piece of cake. Without that, the battle seems a bit unfair to me

cant get in: I didnt see a awy to open this room. Intentionall?
windows description: only appears from this far away. Happens with benches too
yeah unbreakable window: monkey can do it, but no me? Who's side are you on?????? (maybe give an option to do something /withto the other trapped monsters?)

corn army: nice, but they are all facing the same direction which makes them look like a bataillon of corn soldiers (hey voodoo: how about a thanks giving mod? ). Maybe rotae some of them to make it look more natural?
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09. April 2016, 01:05:16

#22

chuckles n chestnutsQuote

Quote by unn_atropos:

Just finished your mission, and I enjoyed it! There is a bunch of cool ideas in there, some neat surprises and tense situations that break up my System Shock routine. I also like your humor Hybrid hangar.

You should really, really consider adding audiologs. xdiesp got some good people for Sys: Infinite, and voodoo47 worked on audio for "the minstrel" so I'm sure they can connect you to some voice actors.
Hell, I wouldn't mind speaking a part! Havn't had the opportunity yet.

Here are some things I noticed that I would like to point out (as constructive criticism and suggestions. Not in a "your mission sucks" way ):
- The gameplay is good though the balancing of how much items you get (and when) seems to be a bit on the rough side. Maybe I didn't find the chemical store room, but I just saw one lonely Cu container. Cybermodules are very scarce; a few more would be nice.
- the architecture is good; though in my playthrough I was a bit annoyed/confused by the long corridors leading to even longer corridors into every direction. This resulted into a lot of walking/backtracking
- the architecture is done on a great scale; giving me the impression of (too) vast emptiness. For your next FM you maybe could take a closer look at Fm like "return to the unn" or even "The Minstrel". They have a more compact design, thus creating some of Sys2 trademark claustrophobic atmosphere.
- minor nitpick: in some instances I had enemies spawn right next to me. Maybe you could hide that a bit better...
- the final part of the FM was a bit too trigger happy for me. Too much enemies in one spot, no enough corners and possibilities to outsmart them
the glowing trees in Cyberspace are just beautiful! Getting close to a Tron crossover Maybe add some ambience like in Darvinia to them?
- the finale: nice scenery but I could not beat it without cheating: I just jumped into the black beneath the platforms and exploited the respawn feature. Made the battle a piece of cake. Without that, the battle seems a bit unfair to me

cant get in: I didnt see a awy to open this room. Intentionall?
windows description: only appears from this far away. Happens with benches too
yeah unbreakable window: monkey can do it, but no me? Who's side are you on?????? (maybe give an option to do something /withto the other trapped monsters?)

corn army: nice, but they are all facing the same direction which makes them look like a bataillon of corn soldiers (hey voodoo: how about a thanks giving mod? ). Maybe rotae some of them to make it look more natural?

Hey unn_atropos,

Thank you for your constructive input, and I am glad you liked my FM!   Your the first person on here who actually has played my FM before 'commenting' on it.  I will answer some of your questions below as best as I can:


As for Audio logs, I am still novice, as I literally learned dromED from the ground up.  So I was limited with resources to work with.  Having voice actors like in system shock infinite would be great but for now that is a big task to tackle but depending upon the future of my rapport with this website I will look into that.

As for the balancing goes, I tried to make it so the player really thinks about his/her actions I did leave alot of room for nanite procurement though (I put two recyclers in my FM one is slightly more difficult than the other depending upon the build path and playstyle of the player).

Thank you for admiring my arcitecture; and yes I will agree it was a little bit big in some areas, mind you
this was done over a span of two years and I didn't realize the size and scope of it all yet and how it would exactly come together but I will agree some of the walking time can seem like a bit much and it does seem a bit big in some aspects, which I will improve upon if I decide to make another FM.

As far as enemy spawns I tried my best to not make them sloppy, and if there were instances of enemies spawning next to you I am sorry about that, and I will see if I can look into it if you specify which location you had them spawning next to you; but no guarantee's I'll fix it but I will note it and keep it for future reference (but I might revamp this mission, it all depends really).  I hope that answers that.

As for the final part I am guessing your referring to the 'digital' part and if so, I kind of intended that to be a place where the player had built up ammo stockpiles through selling and purchasing ammo for his/her said build and getting ready for something which I had ready for them.  But I suppose I see where it could seem like a little much.

And as for the scenery for the finale, I am glad you liked it!  But the teleport part I put in there for that exact reason to exploit it
to win the finale, I tried to accomodate all playstyles....also did you know there is a second finale map?  (heres a hint search for a keycard on a downed 'man' in the 'cyber area')

And as far as the corn army (lol) I can explain, its basically genetic engineering for food and botanical life (the entire earth area) so it is supposed to emulate the genetic engineering and processing and testing of various plantlife via hydroponics

And as far as the monkey goes, my little storyline idea is, is that the glass had already been attempted to be broken several times by other monkies in the area and since the glass was weakened the monkey busted through it as you can see in my mission (thats my little backstory plot behind that there).

And as far as the radsuit room, no you can't get in its only aesthetical, that 'rad' area was closed off by the memebers on the ship (another backstory on that).

In closing thank you for your intuitive post and I am happy you at least liked it, I will take your comments into consideration unn_atropos 

09. April 2016, 03:02:58

#23

icemannQuote

Quote by chuckles n chestnuts:

Thanks Icemann,

Actually, your FM was one of the first (and only) FM's that I played!  And yeah there were no audio logs and only one music track and not much shock elements in it because it was a rendition of your doom map (I read your text notes) and no matter what, it was something it was your work of art, I am sure you put effort into it as you know much as I do that dromED is not so ABC simple to work with.  So whenever a fan shows some effort I think thats a good thing, there is always room for improvement of course but this is artwork not a  competition, but as far as these other comments go, yes they are right, and sure the help would be nice, but like you said I think some of the members on here came down hard on me.  Yes I can take internet critisizm but when its by critics that actually seem to speak the lingo and know the editor its kinda harsh at times, the random "oh this *bleep* sucks' is expected but detailed critisizm right of the bat is a bit harsh I will agree.  I appreciate your input Icemann

Only played mine? Damn lol. I'd HIGHLY recommend checking out the other stuff. Doc4's FM is excellent, as is RTTUNN, all of Christine's stuff, SS2 Infinite is the best of the lot imo and the 1 hour contest entries were mostly all quite good.

If your looking for straight up action (so not traditional SS2 style) then just the 1 hour contest entries + FM Proov are your best bet. Not many out there that went that direction. Oh and zombe had a great one in that style also. Forgotten the name of it.

With my FM I was going in with a "I'm going for Doom style action" style approach to it. I understood at the time that everyone else was making more SS2 traditional style FMs, which was fine and I love playing those. But I wanted to go for something different, where the player would need to be moving quite often, and have numerous challenging battles. Hence the Doom approach. And I'm happy with what resulted.

Sure I go back and play it now and think hmm the start of it is wayyyyyy too dark, or that it could have used some more rooms or whatever. But no'one is ever satisfied fully with that they create. There will always be something else you can add. Best thing is to take all the comments on board, then just go where you want with that.

Oh and the comment by ZylonBane, on that if you don't do the fixes, the community just may is totally spot on.

Something like a music track for example is EASY to put in. You just stick a once tripwire at the very start of the level that links off to a music track and hey presto. There must still be tutorials available for that stuff I hope? I kept all the tutorials people posted a decade ago, as it was of great help to me making my FM.

I'll make a point of having a play of your FM tonight, then will provide my comments on it.

09. April 2016, 04:56:21

#24

chuckles n chestnutsQuote

Thank you Icemann.  I hope you enjoy it, I appreciate your feedback.