Left4Dead Style Complete Modification

by s3ntry_Designs on 02/22/2011 00:21, 73 messages, last message: 04/28/2011 20:42, 35513 views, last view: 12/09/2021 02:32

Hello everyone! I am looking for a team to develop a mod for Sauerbraten in which Players must survive a Zombie Outbreak.

The mod would be very similar to Left 4 Dead, where players must all reach a point on a map to progress, or kill every enemy on the playing field.

The Sauerbraten engine is by far probably the most fitting for this type of game and also one of the best to design it on. I am very interested in starting this project as soon as possible!

Please post back here if you are interested! We are accepting any members who will help ON A REGULAR BASIS! Please contact me here, or by email! Thank you!

Current Positions To Be Filled (More than one person can apply and work in a specific field)
------------------------------

Lead Designer - s3ntry_Designs

Lead Animator -

Lead Level Design -

Model Designer -

Sounds - s3ntry_designs

Coder -

Story Designer -

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#20: ..

by SheeEttin on 02/23/2011 01:28

Note that there's also Red Eclipse, which already has zombies.

Unfortunately, while its predecessor, Blood Frontier, was single-player zombie-oriented, Red Eclipse seems to be more oriented towards varied multiplayer environments.

Red Eclipse is probably pretty much dead now that Quin's dropped off the face of the earth, though. (There is apparently some kind of development going on, but I don't know anything about it.)

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#21: Re: ..

by suicizer01 on 02/23/2011 02:16, refers to #19

Too bad there isn't existing such thing as an open slot for importing your own playermodels, since it's very cheat-risky (would be incredibly easy to create an "ultimate target").

In other words, modify the sourcecode to get such thing.

Good luck again...

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#22: Re: ..

by tman elite on 02/23/2011 02:50, refers to #21

Eh. If you're making a mod and trying to do minimal work, just replace the models and skins in the folders where the current player models are located. There are 5 of them right now, so just use four of them for you characters and the fifth as your zombie model. Then remove the fifth model as an option in the playermodel menu in menus.cfg so that the player can't choose to be the zombie (they could do so from the console, call it a "cheat" or "easter egg"). No source modding necessary. Your folder names would be a bit misleading but it should work in-game.

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#23: @ #22

by s3ntry_Designs on 02/23/2011 04:21, refers to #22

@ tman elite - Thanks tman, that's essentially what I'm looking to do. But wouldn't bots pick up weapons and use guns? How could I restrict a bot to only use mele, or the "bite" function that a hellpig uses? Is there a way I can reconfig the bots to use only one weapon, and assign a specific damage amount for that weapon, and not make it available to the player?

I wouldn't say I'm trying to do minimal work entirely, but the method you explained seems to work for me at the time being...

@SheeEttin - I'll probably search it up myself, but dos Red Eclipse use the Cube engine? And is it free for modification and redistribution?

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#24: Re: @ #22

by tman elite on 02/23/2011 04:32, refers to #23

This would require source modification (so would making all the bots use zombie models anyway, but this would require a lot more). Essentially all you'd need to do is make all zombies use knife/chainsaw/fist all the time. And make them not pick up items. And make them not run toward items. Look at ai.cpp and ai.h

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#25: Re: ..

by suicizer01 on 02/23/2011 10:01, refers to #22

I know that's the cheap way, but you've got to make sure the zombie-playermodel has exactly the same ammount of animations and are all carrying the same name as animation like the default playermodel did.

Why? Since it's hardcoded...

You would be able to press "/playermodel 4", wich makes you have the zombie as playermodel...

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#26: Re: ..

by tman elite on 02/23/2011 15:08, refers to #25

It shouldn't be a problem if he's just changing skins. And as I already said, let the players be a zombie through the console if they want and call it an "easter egg."

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#27: Re: ..

by |ice|sub-zero|L on 02/23/2011 16:20, refers to #26

it isn't hard to put a model in by hardcoding it (since its all copy and paste)

the hard part is getting someone to model. and the person who models can make a skin for it too.

now however you can put in cut scenes (this can be done through demo) and once you hit a trigger (this is only in sp, unless you feel like actually making it MP) the trigger will have a command (demo (number or name)) and it will play the demo that you made. (this was just an idea)

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#28: Re: ..

by suicizer01 on 02/24/2011 01:01, refers to #26

If you would only change the skin, it wouldn't look that great as your going to hope.

But go ahead, I won't stop you...

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#29: Re: ..

by s3ntry_Designs on 02/24/2011 05:57, refers to #27

Yeah, nice idea sub-zero! I was thinking cutscenes too.

A model maker is currently working with me to move things forward, so I think I can make skins for his models! :]

Basically what you and tman are saying is to:

- make 4 available players
- give each available player a different character model
- make 5th player model a zombie character
- ban players from using player model 5 unless they use a command to do so (as an easteregg as tman is suggesting)
- 5th playermodel is assigned to the bots in-game, and will be fit to use only fist/chainsaw and not pick up items, health, guns etc.

Essentially my friend told me that this would make more sense as a FFA environment rather than a team, but is it possible to cap the FFA environment at 4 players and have only the rest be bots?

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#30: ..

by s3ntry_Designs on 02/24/2011 09:25

Okay Guys, I have a few pictures of my GUI overhaul, and a logo I created for the game mod so far. A few of the things are recycled from cube itself, and the overhaul isn't finished entirely... This is just some progress..

What do you guys think?

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/7402/28722142.jpg
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/2830/90718566.jpg
http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/883/29023776.jpg
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/1076/44524220.jpg
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8052/34522011.jpg
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/2734/13808537.jpg

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#31: Re: ..

by suicizer01 on 02/24/2011 11:37, refers to #30

The loading bar and guifont isn't fitting the background very well.
But it looks pretty nice tough...

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#32: Re: ..

by |ice|sub-zero|L on 02/24/2011 22:09, refers to #29

your friend if a fool. you should make sure its a teamplay (mode using teams) because you don't want a fre for all death match against you, online players, and bots. in real life, human's vrs. zombies. this means that all "human" players help each-other and if they frag one another, they get a penalty.

to top it off, instead of banning everyone who uses playermodel 5, lets think of a smart solution to the problem. how about it either forces you to be on the human side, and if you died you become a zombie (like roblox if you have played it) or if they have playermodel 5, they count as a zombie.

again, thinking only counts when you use your brain, and come up with a solution that makes sense.

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#33: Other Possibilities

by tman elite on 02/24/2011 22:49

Put it in a team deathmatch setting, where the human team either can't respawn or have a limited number of lives, and make them survive until the time limit is reached. The zombie bots could continually respawn, or they could have a limited number number of lives also.

Another possibility is to have no time limit, and let the humans play until they are all dead (like CoD's Nazi Zombies or firefight mode in Halo ODST, if you're familiar with those. I'm assuming if you play Left4Dead that you might be familiar with these). This could be even better in a team efficiency setting, where there are no pick-ups so you must use your ammo wisely.

An idea for a "multiplayer" game type is essentially what sub-zero said, where most players start as humans and a few start as zombies (aka playermodel 5). When you are killed by a zombie, you become one, and the game goes on until the time limit is reached (humans win) or all players are infected (zombies win). This is essentially the same as "Infection" from the halo games, if you've ever played it.

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#34: Re: ..

by tman elite on 02/24/2011 22:56, refers to #29

By the way I never said to ban all players that use playermodel 5. I called it an "easter egg" as in a secret hidden in a video game, like the skulls in halo or yoshi in super mario 64. I'm assuming you're looking for a game audience in which the majority won't have a working knowledge of the cube 2 engine, meaning that in order to discover the "secret fifth player model" they'll have to do some behind-the-scenes digging.

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#35: Re: ..

by s3ntry_Designs on 02/24/2011 23:15, refers to #32

I think you guys misread what I was saying sub-zero. :p Sub-zero you make some pretty heinous statements unwarranted sometimes. It's pretty offensive xD

My friend was saying that because, as you say in real life, people can work together, but in all actuality, I could kill one of my friends who is not infected, should I shoot him. It's realism, is it not? I can understand the penalty system, and it makes sense, but I don't think you understood the basis behind the idea of Free For All, which real life, actually is.

Also, I wasn't implying we ban anyone who uses the 5th playermodel, I was saying that we should.

- ban players FROM using player model 5 unless they use a command to do so.

I think you guys kinda misread everything I said... :P

Tman Elite - I totally see what you're saying, that idea is technically implemented in CounterStrike, if any of you have played. The zombies, carry knives, and if they strike anyone, the person damaged becomes a zombie. I was thinking less of that idea, and more of the survival mode thing, where there is no time limit, but the players must work together, to eradicate the zombies in given area. (This would fit in more with the storyline I have developed.)

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#36: Re: ..

by tman elite on 02/24/2011 23:26, refers to #35

It would be difficult to work a storyline into the survival type of game mode I described above without source modding. Since it would be in a team deathmatch environment, you wouldn't be able to have triggers, working doors, etc. Zombies would spawn at a random playerstart entity, which could inches from the player. No working doors or lifts or anything. And you wouldn't be able to beat the level by making it to the end, you'd have to reach the kill or time limit. Your entire story would have to be developed between levels via cutscenes.

Otherwise you could try to mod the source to allow multiple players in sp mode, which would allow for triggers, doors, lifts, level ends, etc. And it would allow you to choose enemy spawns.

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#37: Re: ..

by |ice|sub-zero|L on 02/25/2011 02:38, refers to #35

your friend is still a fool. just think would you want to kill the guy sitting next to you if there WERE zombies? NO! would you help save this guys life because he can save your life later on YES! think before you say too. -_-

two: to make sure people don't mis-understand what your saying. as an example for what you said up there^
"- ban players FROM using player model 5 unless they use a command to do so." you should re-word to being "don't tell anyone the command for changing to playermodel 5" which btw would only happen if you were to change all of it up in the source by making the playermodel command like /zombie player (or something of the sort so few to none know)

and i am not being as rude as you would believe. if you want to see rude, talk to skiingpenguins, or darkf, or IMMJR. (IMMJR being the worst there is). the reason i say what i say is because i am blunt about the truth. now again, to make it simple. your friend is only a fool because he want to teamkill, and thats a bad idea because then it will just become a FFA match (this being that everyone will forget about the zombies, and it'd be just like the default mode) the way to avoid it being a simple FFA instead of zombie match is to make sure its teamplay.

and btw, the reason i say things like "think" and "you need to think" and so forth is to get you to look around the entire thing, think about what could happen, think what would happen. and i actually want you to PAY ATTENTION and THINK. the purpose is to expect what would happen, like i am. often when i tell people to do such, they start feeling bad about not doing so, and in order to stop feeling bad, they start working harder on what the problem is. berating can be a good thing if done correctly.

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#38: Re: ..

by tman elite on 02/25/2011 03:35, refers to #37

I don't think he'd have to hide the playermodel command. Sure I'd know, you'd know, anyone reading this forum would know, anyone who's familiar with how the engine works could probably figure it out. But how much of the game audience is that? I'd venture to guess that 10, maybe 15 percent of the games players would ever use the "/playermodel n" command to change their model anyway. Most would do it from the menu. And those few who do use the console, how many of them would know that the zombie model was one of the playermodel options? Most people would have to look around a bit to find this out, or else type "/playermodel 5" by mistake or out of curiosity.

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#39: Re: ..

by |ice|sub-zero|L on 02/25/2011 04:00, refers to #38

*hrm* except anyone who has read this thread (a good 10-50%)

or anyone who looks at the trhead after its released.

which is why you change the playermodel command.

this is of course why i said that rather than saying "leave it alone".

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