The Mapcore Mod Team

[Sprony]

I've been here for a couple of years now and I've always wondered why there hasn't been a Mapcore Mod Team. There's so much talent around here. Imagine what great things you could do together. I know there have been collaborations between members (FMPONE has worked with a number of you) but never a mod. Or perhaps this happened before my time. Normally I would let something like this rest but after all the interviews I've done I just see so much potential.

 

Now I'm not being naive. I know for a fact that most mods are way too ambitious, don't make it past the pipe dream stage or ultimately die due to people losing motivation and moving on. It's hard work (I've been in 2 mods which never saw the light of day). But still, there are possibilities especially with this crowd. This post is meant to test to the waters and see if there's any interest. There's no ambitious plan, no preferred engine or killer design doc for the next big thing on the indie scene. No, none of that. The question is simple, who out here, has the time and the motivation to team up with others and take it from there? Perhaps nothing comes of it but getting together and having a talk doesn't hurt anybody.

 

Perhaps by now you are thinking:"Who does this guy think he is? He's not designer, he doesn't have credentials to be a team lead!". True, I'm not designer, I don't have credentials and I have absolutely no ambition of being a team lead. All I want is to bring interested people together and if something comes of it, help out with whatever I can (PR, Testing, Hosting, etc). Nothing less and nothing more. So, I always encourage discussion so feel free to post your thoughts and let us know what you are thinking. 

 

I'm going to hit post now and I'm really curious to see what becomes of this topic. Will it be ignored and fade away? Perhaps a couple of replies and then fade away or will we get together and chat?

[RaVaGe]

"HURG SOFTWARE"

[Sprony]

"HURG SOFTWARE"

 

Regardless of what will be made (if any) HURG will have to be represented at full strength of course!

[Minos]

I'd love to create environment art for blocked out levels

[Sigma]

I'd love to create environment art for blocked out levels

 

I don't know if time permits but I would be willing to help as I can (as well as have the mighty Minos teach me some things ).

Edited October 10, 2014 by Sigma

[tomm]

That would be a good motivation to get me started modeling some more 

 

just not a FPS mod pls

[text_fish]

Great idea, there's so much talent on MapCore that could produce something brilliant if they collaborated. I guess the trick is finding something that enough people want to work on.

 

I get why Tomm doesn't want to see an FPS mod (there are so many!) but I sort of think that seems to be where most peoples' experience lays around here, and also the genre with the most mod-friendly games. Of course, these days it's probably almost as viable to create a new standalone game using a free/affordable engine like Unity.

 

Personally I'd love to see a mash-up of Left4Dead and Quake 1 single-player. Something with bat-shit-crazy/scary monsters, fun weapons and very little narrative so as not to limit the level designers too much.

[Sprony]

I've setup a shared Google doc so anyone interested can PM me there email and I can add them to the doc.

[AlexM]

If this happens I'd be happy to be the programmer!

[FMPONE]

I thought this was about the Mapcore Moderation team, and Sprony was going to tell everyone about the weird stuff we do in the trees together at night. Thank God he didn't tell everyone about the weird stuff we do in the trees together at night, that would have been really awkward.

 

I don't think we should make a generic FPS. I think we should go more in a Aliens or Dear Esther type direction, more of a focused experience that does something fucking crazy we can all be passionate about. More interesting that way. Single-player a must. Seems like it's gotta be UE4, Source2 ain't out...

 

If there's one thing I know about this community, it's that we can make shit.

[kinggambit]

Do you think you could make the process transparent for newbies by letting us shadow along and see how a collaboration process would work?

 

I get the process of creating a level by myself, but I'm clueless as hell how a group of people streamline and exchange info and pass along work to each other all under 1 map file.

Edited October 11, 2014 by kinggambit

[FMPONE]

Do you think you could make the process transparent for newbies by letting us shadow along and see how a collaboration process would work?

 

I get the process of creating a level by myself, but I'm clueless as hell how a group of people streamline and exchange info and pass along work to each other all under 1 map file.

 

Obviously that's something that would have to be organized and coherent, there would have to be a mutual understanding by small groups in order for that to work. Groups of maybe one or two people per map, organized like how Minos was saying, would probably free up a lot of people to do what they're best at. That's how it works in CS usually.

 

The biggest problem with mods is that people go AWOL and aren't accountable for their work, that always ends up happening because at the end of the day, people aren't being paid, when they could be elsewhere.

[text_fish]

A mod about the crazy stuff the MapCore Moderation team do in the trees together at night would be very intriguing.

 

Long-distance working relationships can be really difficult, so I figure anybody who signs up needs to be aware not to be too "precious" about their own work -- i.e. if they disappear off the radar for a few weeks with no explanation they shouldn't be offended or surprised if somebody takes their most recent contribution and continues work on it without them. If everyone agrees to update a Google Docs spreadsheet with their latest progress at least once a fortnight then whoever's leading the team can keep a watch out for AWOL members and give them a friendly nudge to check they're still alive/motivated, and will also be able to see where the project needs more or less work put in to it etc.

[General Vivi]

If it's source, count me down to help with layouts and scripting. 

 

I should say...

 

The FIRST project should be something as simple as a Half-Life 2 level. I know I bent shawn's ear about this a while back and I think it still holds true. 

 

If you can't come together as a team and finish something simple like a standard Half-life 2 level (or Farcry level ect.). You prob won't be able to do much as a group. 

 

I would urge everyone to keep this in mind. 

[FMPONE]

I think the problem is more fundamental than keeping track of stuff with a spreadsheet or even scope. The main issue is why should people care to work on it, what is their incentive, what is the point. Money is a motivator, and I'm sure if Mapcore made something good there would be money to be had, however, that still doesn't provide creative direction, doesn't help us directly decide what to make. UE4 could be motivating in that it's a new exciting engine, but I don't even think that would be enough in the end because it's presents too many open-ended possibilities. Concrete, simple motivation would require a goal or an objective everybody can work towards. A standard HL2 level doesn't rise to that level either, although it is at least concrete. People would have to say, during this stage of the process, "we should make a three part HL2 level with a distinct beginning, middle, and end; which tells the story of escaping from a sinking ship". Something like that I actually think has some chance of success in this context, but then the hardest part would be to get everybody to agree with the overall mission statement and creative narrative arc.