Level Design: The Train Station

DJ Dooms Day on 23/3/2008 at 02:58

Hiya, i'm just trying to inspire my self into modifying the levels a little to make more sense. So i'd like to start a bit of a discussion on what exactly the train station at the start of the game is.

I'm trying to decipher what elements of the level were based on design or on poly limits. Take for instance the train subway. Is it even a public train station? I get the feeling that since its so small and that the whole facility seems seems to cater to the UNN Training and Recruitment center, that its actually an underground tram loop that services the whole UNN facility, which i presume is huge.

But the whole place is pretty damn run down. Which makes it feel more like a slums suburb of the city. More of a public place. Maybe the UNN facility is meant to be a bit top secret. But then its really not trying to hide itself is it?
*shrugs*

Any discussion would be welcome. :)

Kolya on 23/3/2008 at 03:07

There is a (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=103) mission design forum, but yeh, the earth level was meant to be much larger than it is. Some parts that were laid out but not used by the developers, were finally put to use in the (http://www.strangebedfellows.de/index.php/topic,860.0.html) SS2 level selector. So I think it was meant to be a public space, even a part of a lively city named New Atlanta. After all, a secret recruitment center doesn't make much sense. At least not one like Ramses that accepts absolute beginners.

DJ Dooms Day on 23/3/2008 at 03:34

I just downloaded and tried The Level Selector mod (great mod!). What developer created parts were put to use?

What kind of theme do you get out of the level? I get the feeling that 'New Atlanta' was one of those cities that were meant to be all that and then some, but was cut short in the early stages and everything is under woefully under budget and under maintained. Then theres this massive recruitment center, as if its the place to be. Your ticket out of this hellhole.

Kolya on 23/3/2008 at 03:41

If you want to see which parts were created by the original devs have a look at earth.mis in (http://www.strangebedfellows.de/index.php/topic,387.0.html) shocked.
To catch a bit of that New Atlanta feeling I suggest further (http://www.strangebedfellows.de/index.php/topic,283.0.html) reading.

DJ Dooms Day on 23/3/2008 at 04:56

Oh wow, how did i not ever read that. Cheers.
Though i didn't seem to read too much about New Atlanta itself, apart from Anatoly mentioning it as one of the places where his gangs had a grip hold before the UNN took back control.
Sounds like New Atlanta is a bit of a scummy area, full of underclass people. What do you think?

Kolya on 23/3/2008 at 05:08

I always *thought* of it as the capital or at least an important metropolis. So there would be run-down areas as well as prestigious places. Of course the scruffy look serves a cyberpunk setting best, but it really catches the eye when offset against aseptic corporate institutions.

DJ Dooms Day on 23/3/2008 at 05:35

Hrm i think thats pretty much spot on. Does the area you pull into at the train station have a name at all? I'm thinking this unknown area is in the outter parts of the city, the less well maintained parts. It makes sense for the Recruitment Center to put its self right in the middle of the worker-class people it trys to get.

P.S. Where are these unpublished parts of earth the devs left out? I have ShockED.

Kolya on 23/3/2008 at 05:44

Well it's pretty much what the levelselector uses. That is behind the gravshaft.
There was a mentioning in an interview that they wanted to make earth much bigger. In the (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3406/postmortem_irrational_games_.php) post mortem on gamasutra I think.

DJ Dooms Day on 23/3/2008 at 06:56

You wouldnt want to stray too far, or at all, from the original SS2 work. That said, i don't think there'd be much major work we would want to do to the EARTH level. What could be done? I think just adding more detail and meaning to the existing infrastructure would be the only thing that could be done.

TF on 23/3/2008 at 12:48

There's also (http://tf.interstellarburst.com/Ionostestlevel.zip) this greatly enhanced earth level by Ionosfear who I haven't seen around lately; the level incorporates some of the unused subways I think, and definitely incorporates that large hexagonal building that's mostly made out of windows, that and adds tons of street level stuff.