================================================================ Title : Swimmin' Pool Version : 1.0 Release Date : March 13, 1999 Filename : DmSwimminPool.zip Author(s) : Brasdf (aka Brad Chalfan) Email Address : bradc@hevanet.com Description : Small & pretty deathmatch level. Dive off the diving board for weapons. ================================================================ --- Play Information --- Game : Unreal Level Name : Swimmin' Pool Single Player : No Cooperative : No Deathmatch : Yes (2-5 players, 3 is about optimal) Dark Match : No Difficulty Settings : No New Sounds : No New Graphics : No NewUnrealScript : No External DLLs : No Known bugs : Nothing important (see below). --- Construction --- Editor(s) used : UnrealEd (Unreal 220 Public Beta) Also used Mathematica to create an icosahedron. Base : New level Construction Time : 2 months on & off Installation ------------ Unzip DmSwimminPool.zip into your Unreal\Maps directory. You can then choose DmSwimminPool from the Botmatch menu. Alternatively, double-click the map file DmSwimminPool.unr. Extended description: -------------------- This level was inspired by a ROTT deathmatch level of the same name, but this is a fully Unreal version of it with some enhancements. Item placement is purposely unconventional: Run to the diving board and jump off to get a weapon, head to the hot tub for shield/health powerups. Ammo is scattered around, and there are a couple of non-fatal traps that let you interfere with your friends' progress. You can rocket-jump out of the pool, but there aren't any items out there. I paid a lot of attention to detail on this level and spent a lot of time optimizing botmatch play (see below). Because of the item placement, it's still pretty easy to beat bots once you learn the level though. Author's Notes -------------- While working on this level I learned a couple of things about bots that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else, so here they are: 1. In this level you have to jump off the diving board to grab weapons that are floating in midair. As of the Unreal 220 Public Beta, bots don't know how to do this sort of thing. Also there were a couple of ledges that the bots would occasionally trip over. I worked around both of these problems by building "temporary AI barriers". I created normal CSG_Add brushes that are positioned as platforms under floating inventory and as barrier walls in places where the bots shouldn't try to walk or jump. I would normally leave these brushes in the null space somewhere as I worked (open the map in the editor to see them; they're still in there below the main level). Whenever I needed to define paths I would temporarily drag them into position in my map and rebuild geometry, BSP, and lighting first. After the "paths define" was done I would drag them back into null space and rebuild geometry, BSP, and lighting again, but not paths. I grouped all of these AI barrier brushes together (by doing a big intersect) so it was easy to drag them all into and out of position quickly later. This turned out to be a relatively easy way to achieve some customization of the path network. 2. While experimenting with bot navigation I found that it saved time if I placed NavigationPoint actors rather than PathNode actors (apples) because then I could experiment with "paths build" and the editor wouldn't delete all the PathNode actors I had placed manually. NavigationPoint is the base class for all classes that are used as AI path nodes, and it's not abstract so you can put them in your map. The only annoyance is that you don't seem to be able to Duplicate (Ctrl+W) them so you have to add them all one at a time. In the end I didn't wind up using any "paths build"-placed PathNodes after all because I wanted more control, but this still seems to be a useful technique, and I never had any problems with it. (For a description of "paths build" see http://unreal.epicgames.com/AI.htm.) 3. Problem watching a botmatch game as a spectator: As of the Unreal 220 Public Beta, the built-in bot AI has a couple of problems that show up especially well in this level. If you just watch a botmatch game as a spectator, it's possible for the bots to all run out of ammo and just end up running around. This problem seems to be a result of two things: (1) The built-in bot AI seems to prioritize attacking a visible enemy above everything else always, including finding a weapon. This is a small level, so it's not uncommon for bots to see each other and stop looking for weapons. (2) The bots' dispersion pistols don't seem to recharge, making it possible for them to run completely out of ammo. None of the weapons on this level are in a spot where a bot would accidentally run over them, so if everyone is an exceptionally bad shot and blows all their ammo, it's possible for all the bots get stuck in a state where they're just running around targeting each other without anyone ever shooting. Hopefully at least problem (2) will be fixed in future Unreal patches. Copyright / Permissions ----------------------- This level is copyrighted by Brad Chalfan 1999. Authors may NOT use this level as a base to build additional levels. You are NOT allowed to commercially exploit this level, i.e. put it on a CD or any other electronic medium that is sold for money without my explicit permission! You MAY distribute this level through any electronic network (internet, FIDO, local BBS etc.), provided you include this file and leave the archive intact. ---------------------- UNREAL (c)1998 Epic Megagames, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by GT Interactive Software, Inc. under license. UNREAL and the UNREAL logo are registered trademarks of Epic Megagames, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.