MH-Purgatory(finished beta)

[Terraniux]

MH-Purgatory

Size: Large, but not huge.
Adviced players: 4-8
Version: beta
Screenshot:
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9677/80177912.jpg


Download: http://crystalunreal.com/MH-Purgatory.rar

Have fun with it.

[Hermskii]

Thank you Terra! i saw some other map you did too that was real gray or black and whitish. Awesome looking.

[EvilGrins]

Right off the bat, no menu image:


Not a big deal, a lot of maps don't have those. However I didn't get to play it because not all files are included with the map.

The .rar contains the map and 2 .umx files.

When I tried playing the map I was informed I didn't have the Megatitan package.

[EvilGrins]

Okay, I had Meggatitan in my old UT directories so I got to play the map. It's beautiful but I did have some problems with it... and I haven't finished it yet.

- We are likely never going to agree on music but the intro gave the impression there's something to the music that may have to do with solving the map. I didn't get that.

- You've got some disguised trap switches as power items. Triggering a bunch of monsters, an evil cackle, and a gate drops to seal you in. Problem is that not all of these gates go back up after you die so those areas of the map are locked away permanently.

- Dunno if you intended the monsters to be able to attack through the gates.

- After you kill a massive queen there's this graveyard/crypt room. Didn't see much to it but when i passed through it a few times I noticed shooting the wall headstones triggered a message that said "three more to go" then "two more to go" but there was never a "one more to go" or anything after that. No idea what that's supposed to accomplish.

- Just a bit before the crypt room I accidentally triggered something that said a secret door had been opened. Must be a heck of a secret because I couldn't find it anywhere.

As usual with me, I ran the map with bots. Bot pathing is pretty good up until you kill the last slith, then they don't seem to know what to do or where to go. Goin to give my 2nd try with just a single bot to back me, think maybe one of the others before may've triggered something that I missed or made the map a bit trickier.

[EvilGrins]

Okay, having less bots helped. Apparently they were somehow getting gates not to open.

There's something fishy with the sound though. Dunno if it's an interaction with the music but the flak cannon and the rocket launcher were making a prolonged hissing sound on the map.

So, the crypt room mystery was solved:

That's cute

As powerful as the Devil was, a warlord was not a big surprise, he had surprisingly little health.

Although he got hung up on the altar and didn't so much die as continually flail as he got stuck.

This bugged me:

I couldn't figure out what that was for. If you step on it the thing sinks into the floor and then comes back up a few seconds later.

[Nelsona]

Interesting, but I have a small question: Isn't already a MH-Purgatory map anounced by a guy with ID FireFly and anounced at Skillz's site using a texture Ancient1.utx which in fact is Ancient.utx copied just to have a lower detail in this map and other 10 MB for UT useless? Maybe you don't want a mismatch, or I think people aren't using that one so much and you map better anyway.

[*POTS*]

Okay, having less bots helped. Apparently they were somehow getting gates not to open.

Do NOT use bots in this map, they use the grab cheat and mess up all the movers, causing gates to open prematurely.

There's something fishy with the sound though.

Actually, the custom sound effects for those "half angel" pictures, crashed my UT with a weird error:

Code: Select all

Critical: appError called:
Critical: Assertion failed: Playing.Channel [File:C:\UTDev\Galaxy\Src\UnGalaxy.cpp] [Line: 1250]
Critical: Windows GetLastError: Operazione completata. (0)
Exit: Executing UObject::StaticShutdownAfterError
Exit: Executing UWindowsClient::ShutdownAfterError
Exit: UGalaxyAudioSubsystem::ShutdownAfterError
Log: DirectDraw End Mode
Exit: UOpenGLRenderDevice::ShutdownAfterError
Critical: StartSample
Critical: UpdateSounds
Critical: UGalaxyAudioSubsystem::Update
Critical: UGameEngine::Draw
Critical: UWindowsViewport::Repaint
Critical: UWindowsClient::Tick
Critical: ClientTick
Critical: UGameEngine::Tick
Critical: UpdateWorld
Critical: MainLoop
Exit: Exiting.
Uninitialized: Name subsystem shut down

This bugged me:

I couldn't figure out what that was for. If you step on it the thing sinks into the floor and then comes back up a few seconds later.

It open those gates on the lower floor, where the curved path is. I have a screenshot, might post it later.

P.S. Couldn't finish testing the map cause of the above crash, but it looks nice so far.
Only problems are the movers and the sound-related error.

Oh, and +1 for the mantas' trap

[EvilGrins]

Okay, having less bots helped. Apparently they were somehow getting gates not to open.

Do NOT use bots in this map, they use the grab cheat and mess up all the movers, causing gates to open prematurely.

Not use bots?!? This is intolerable!

There's something fishy with the sound though.

Actually, the custom sound effects for those "half angel" pictures, crashed my UT with a weird error:

I had a similar issue with the sound, though more the music. Not just not a big fan of the music but it would not shut off.

When I test a new map I usually play it in UT and then pop out to write a blurb by exiting UT. Thing is the first time I tried this I got out of UT fine but the music kept playing and playing over and over again until I got an error message similar to yours.

Didn't happen the 2nd time I played it though.

Interesting, but I have a small question: Isn't already a MH-Purgatory map anounced

There's so many maps with similar names it wouldn't surprise me. Purgatory is an ideal name for anyone to use in any kinda game, except maybe Mario Bros

[Nelsona]

1)

There's so many maps with similar names it wouldn't surprise me. Purgatory is an ideal name for anyone to use in any kinda game, except maybe Mario Bros

Really ? If you knew something about mismatches maybe you could talk less. Exists a map with exactly the same name already done
http://forums.ut-files.com/mh-purgatory-t1638-20.html
And so on... Maybe Purgatory][ would be better, or Purgatory[], or ... nwm anyway because ...

2) Grab ? Still messing with Grab to shortcut ways ? Good ! Keep this good work in future too.

[EvilGrins]

1)

There's so many maps with similar names it wouldn't surprise me. Purgatory is an ideal name for anyone to use in any kinda game, except maybe Mario Bros

I wasn't justifying it, I was simply explaining it was hardly surprising.

Although, this wouldn't be a mismatch issue necessarily. I've logged onto servers with maps that were different from mine but had the same name. It's the support files to maps that cause mismatches, not the maps themselves... or at least not in any situation I've come across yet.

Which is why I've had so many problems with the various versions of the spinner.u file.

[Terraniux]

Everyone, especially Evilgrins: thanks for the comments.

On dU forums some bugs are already known to me, ill just copy it over here:

hm... I just played the map on the mapping server.

Thanks for the commentary, all of you.

- The shortcut, I really didn't notice that. Really good point Hellfire
- About the sounds, this is caused by the dUMH or some other mutator on the server. In offline practice modus it just works fine, no problem at all.
(Blackwolf or Bob, could you please comment on this specific point?)
All sounds are 8 bit mono @ 22050 Khz compressed and converted, just the way the unreal engine it likes.
(maybe Rork can help at this point too)
- About the Warlord, yes this was a mistake. I changed the warlord health on purpose to re-test the monster-end's dispatcher, and forgot to change it back to it's normal health.
- The ammo pickups were intentionally placed this way so offline players have some ammo in advance before they pick up the corresponding weapon(s)

And now that I have played the map on my own I think I can add a few points more:

- I make certain monsters stronger, they are just too weak.
- The traps are easy also to survive.
- Some extra decoration is needed at some points at certain points of view.

And btw did anyone notice the surprise I have put in the map? Here is a clue: It has something to do with the pentagram and shadows
I really wonder if anyone have found it haha.

- Yes the screenshot is missing, I did this on purpose cause I want a screenshot of final version.

-The .rar archive is updated, everything should be in there right now.
- The music's songtext is filled with keywords that are in this map.
- About the weird sounds, I have placed several ambient sounds, perhaps that's why.
I didn't notice it, even playing with my headset on.
- Yh the warlord is lowhealth, which was a little mistake. I lowered his health to quickly re-test offline in practice mode his attached trigger/dispatcher. I forgot to set the health back to normal.
- About the sounds yes, I will try to fix this.

Ok so it seems that there already a map called MH-Purgatory... ehm...
Could you guys help me thinking of a new name? Perhaps MH-Redemption would be a good one ???
I am sure EvilGrins knows a good one!

Thanks again for the help, everyone.
If find more things let me know!

[EvilGrins]

Ok so it seems that there already a map called MH-Purgatory... ehm...
Could you guys help me thinking of a new name? Perhaps MH-Redemption would be a good one ???
I am sure EvilGrins knows a good one! :mrgreen:If find more things let me know!

I say stick with Purgatory, just add a "2" or something to it. Maybe take a look at the other existing one to see which is better.

You could just add another hyphen or ditch it.

MH--Purgatory
MHPurgatory

You'd be amazed the number of UT maps that have no hyphen at all.

MH-MrHappysFunTown?

[Nelsona]

- About the Warlord, yes this was a mistake. I changed the warlord health on purpose to re-test the monster-end's dispatcher, and forgot to change it back to it's normal health.

Interesting. You need to modify health of monsters from map when is tested ? You have a small risk to alter something in assumed final good version (moving by mistake an actor or whatever wrong move).
Guys, you have knowledge about this mapping and testing works or not ? Let me present "just a few" things about tests with commands typed in console at begining of test (Local Practice Session):
- "set Warlord health 10" (I'll bet won't be more);
- or "set ScriptedPawn health 20" - all monsters are about to have 20 (except monsters spawned later);
- I think you know "addbots 6" and "killall bot" commands - If you don't know basics from modding and or mapping why you don't Google some help ?
Exist simple things but nobody seems to be interested about them after more than 11 years of UT99. Of course I know other craps but I guess is enough what I posted for testing purpose.
In my noob coding works I'm using more commands to spy if a code works or not. You even can determine if a Pawn is Monster or is Bot or is just a bullshit.

[Terraniux]

And how about "MH-Purgatorium", is that a proper english word?
I looked it up in our dutch dictionary and it is real word. Is this also in english Evilgrins?

@ Nelsona

Yes that is also a way to archieve the same goal, but I prefer doing it in the properties menu.
It just a typical thing I do before I release an updated map; playing the whole map again with low health monsters. This is especially effective when the editor is crashed and you don't exactly know anymore how everything was connected. Ofcourse u can overview the settings in an eyewink but, l had many encounters my mapping years with triggers that had correct settings and still didn't work u see?I wanna re-feel the gameplay after being done with the building and constructing. Each in his own way. I am a mapper, not a coder or some geek that wants to know everthing to its core.

And I appreciate your help Nelsona, but I have created more than 50 (acutally 70 if I count extra tutorial maps for specific persons) maps and have knowledge enough.Unfortunate for me, most of the most of them were never released in public due a hdd crash. And when I need something to know, I have about 20gb of UT/Unreal material that contains tutorials, techniques and other knowledge.

Anyway I hope you like the map.

[Nelsona]

If you have tutorials then is great. I just have some suggestions even for tutorials:

1) Using GRAB anybody can finish map in less than 2-3 minutes depends on first wave of monsters and bots will ruin party for Local players;
2) Mercs from roof aren't in map any more because they were too burrowed (fell out of the world), better stop messing with such ideeas, only one showed some attitude;
3) Try some bot pathing for MH as should be (I tested this one in my local games and can be done enough well) so this is not impossible to be mapped well;
3) More ammo in one place will stuck Bots (bad move) - In default Epic maps you won't see such load ever (better change respawntime to 15 seconds and spread them a little in more corners);
4) Bots boosted on roof won't hunt any more if they don have paths to come back LE-PP-LE (LiftExit-PainPath-LiftExit) linked to an assumed LiftTag;
5) Not only in this map I saw troubles in colliding triggers, my first play in this map was without first messages because I spawned too far from middle and usually I'm not walking in the middle of halls. You can dispatch messages starting at 10 seconds and put trigger collision to be touched safely by any player from a wall to another looking at radiiview of actors.

And this is not coding, is simple mapping. I admit, I didn't played this map in default MH because I hate it enough, I have a different one a bit fine tuned especially bot chapter.

For design and ideeas, no comment, map is runing smoother, you really know enough about geometry. In exchange, A.I. subject is not really described in tutorials, and speaking about monsters I can revert attack, more exactly Monsters will hunt players in all map if I'm enough mad.