Karnanga

[Addictgamer]

This map is a huge map that will most likely be included in my overhaul map.

It is not finished nor finalized, so...Please play it and give me suggestions.

So far, uses all the standard units included in RR.

In other words, unmodded.

 

Instructions:

Unzip all files into level25 folder, and overwrite. (Back up first).

Open cfg and paste code from "LevelCFG.txt" over Rock Horror's entry (Level25).

Now, start up the game and play Karnanga!

 

DO NOT DISABLE NERPS

I recommend that you install the tunnel transport mod, since it will help you win this mission.

In fact, it is necessary at some points.

 

I also recommend that you use the memory mod and set the value very high.

Why? This map is huge.

 

And last of all, I recommend that you give yourself several hours to play this map.

Download

[McJobless]

This is sweet, but you have to be carefull with that air meter in this mission...

[Addictgamer]

Are you sure you followed all the instructions I posted?

[Cyrem]

Are you sure you followed all the instructions I posted?

He is playing the level, so he obviously followed the instructions.

Why did you include a bunch of level 26 files?

[Addictgamer]

Oh, I forgot to delete those after I renamed them all to 25.

Guess I should.

And, if you skip the level code.txt copying part, the level still plays.

[Matt]

Well after getting sucked into playing this level, I guess I better give you some decent feedback:

Overall, I liked it. It was a decent challenge, quite different to most levels, but it did get a bit annoying at some stages. It did actually crash on me almost an hour into my first attempt, which was a bit of a set-back, but I tried again and here's my run down:

- I liked the opening cavern. Nice and small, and just short of the ore needed to build the Support Station, forcing you to open into the big cavern, starting the erosion process.

- Now unsurprisingly, the erosion annoyed me, but not only for the reasons you might think. When I saw it working its way down, along with the tonne of ore given from those few rocks, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that you would have to be quick and build rows of power paths to stop the erosion from cutting you off. This was an annoyingly slow process as the erosion rate was just about the same speed as you could keep repairing. I did eventually get over this managed to move my base across to the open space on the other side of the potential lava flow.

However, I eventually realised this was pointless. After I had done so and left the lava to its own accord, it would stop one square from the edge of the rock. There was no need for my frantic power pathing as the lava would conventiently stop on its own. What's more, I had now moved my base into the path of the lava now flowing along lengthways. I now had to start rebuilding my base further across as the lava would eat into my power paths and I wouldn't be able to repair in time due to my raiders always being busy with other things. But yes, as you would know as the level designer, the erosion stops on its own again, making my frantic efforts a bit worthless.

- Adding to the erosion, the constant landslides, I ended up losing numerous raiders. I eventually found a tactic of reinforcing the wall closest with a fresh 100% raider, who could survive the landslide long enough to reinforce it, but end up on about 20% health. I would just teleport him up and get another fresh one. This was a bit tedious, but was a different challange.

- The monsters that appeared were good. I wasn't quite expecting monsters at that point in time, so I was unprepared with having no raiders with laser beams. It was an extra challenge to the equation, and so at one point I was quite desperate with erosion, monsters, landslides killing my raiders, whilst trying to rebuild and defend my base. I don't usually come under such difficulty whilst playing Rock Raiders any more, so it was nice to have it back again.

- However, once I had controlled all the erosion, walls and monsters, it seemed all too easy. I teleported down the chrome crusher and some small transport trucks, upgraded them, and started drilling. I could see on the radar the huge collection of Ore and Crystal Seams, and once those were under my belt, things were flowing basically. No more extra challenges after that. I realise that you haven't finished the level yet, and so there's more to come. However, I wouldn't have all those resources so close and easy to get to, no matter what comes after.

So to help you improve, here's some suggestions:

- The erosion path. Don't make it stop so conveniently. Make it cut you off, so you're forced to quickly move your base across. As for turning the corner and going along, you could do that was well to make it extra hard. That would really push people. If you did do so though, maybe lower the erosion rate a fraction, just to allow for the player to do other things, and not have a full time job keeping the erosion at bay.

- Spread out your resources. Make people drill every last rock to find that last crystal. If you have a huge bunch of energy crystal seams, people can see that on the radar, and so they will head straight for it if they want a ton of crystals. By scattering out a few amonst many rocks, you are forcing the player to hunt harder. As said earlier, don't have all those ore and crystal seams so close. Make the player work harder to get to them.

- Lower the landslide rate a bit. Yes I know I managed to get around it, but is it really in the aim of the game to sacrifice raiders each time to reinforce one wall? It does seem slightly tedious, but I guess having to always get more raiders in to counter all the teleported out ones does make a change. I personally would lower it slightly, but I guess it's up to you, whether or not you feel mean enough.

- Make the height more varied. This applies to the height and the cavern shapes. The height was pretty uniform the whole map, apart from the valleys around a few of the lakes. I would try and make more gentle random slopes around the place to make it harder to build on. I did like the random streams and lava flows that jotted through the caverns. Good design there.

So yes, a good promising level. I look forward to the completed map at some point, and hope it gets even more challenging.

Nice work,

~Matt

[HarryControl]

I'll be sure to try it out once I get all the levels unlocked first! ;)

[Addictgamer]

Thanks Matt!

I never played far enough for it to get to the boring part, so even more thanks!

I forgot to set TextureUsage to something higher than normal, that's why.

Looks like I have my work cut out for me.

Yes, was kind of hard getting the right amount of resources to push you out.

Erosion is there just to tease the player.

For now.

Although I do plan on lowering the erosion rate for later areas of the map.

To handle constant landslides, I wanted the players to use laser vehicles.

Yes, actually giving them a use.

Maybe I have to add even faster landslides so that your reinforcement method won't work.

Yes, the monsters are quite the fun bit.

Although, I need to redesign some of the caverns so that monsters will ALWAYS be a threat.

Yes, I don't like the height editor, so I didn't bother with height.

Was hard enough doing it in the two caverns in the center of this huge mess.

And that huge amount of resources? here's my plan.

You have to drill around the whole map and loop back towards it.

As in, the entrance will change once I complete the level enough.

Yes, a "You win the level!" treat.

If you can move it all back to base safely, that is.

I'll still spread out the resources a bit, since then the main supply of crystals are gone.

Again, thanks for testing my level!

[Addictgamer]

Ok guys, I uploaded the second beta.

Have fun!

[TheDoctor]

Lets see how long this really takes.

Well that was annoying. Seems that I need to take matters into a rock raiders hands. As in first person mode. Incompetent morons thought that shoveling was more important then stopping the erosion. First person it is now. Also, what DOES fallin mode do anyways?

On 4/17/2010 at 3:18 AM, Matt said:

just short of the ore needed to build the Support Station

WRONG! I barely had enough for...wait.. this is V2... DAMN IT!

Edited September 2, 2019 by Slimy Slug

[Addictgamer]

Haha doc.

Learn to change priorities.

Oh, and I think fallin map is for landslides or something...

And doc, so many power paths wasted your ore. And why do you have only 1 crystal?

I didn't make it that hard, I tested the start of the level.

[TheDoctor]

No, the ore issue was from a canceled support station. And I DID change the priorities. Seems that clearing rubble is not the thing that they should be doing. And I only have one crystal because I only had 2 crystals before i started the support station. Damn, i need to delete the wav file for the landslides sound. Or just find the mod for it. Hah.

[Matt]

Well I managed to dedicate some time to Rock Raiders this weekend, and so had a little play around on your updated level.

However, I didn't get very far. Firstly I noticed some problems with the terrain on the radar:

Which when I opened after in the map creator could be explained:

Compare the Surf Map view with the Dugg Map view:

with

You seemed to have overlapped some places which it doesn't like.

But what was really the problem, is that the .cror file didn't seem to be working. I noticed when I drilled the block of rock which should have had all those groups of 25 ore, but had nothing. I copied the map files across again, but to the same result. After looking at it with the Map Creator, and it said the resources should be there, I came across the above problem with the conflict in surf and dugg files.

I had a brief look in the config to see if there were any errors there, but couldn't see anything obvious.

So sorry, but I gave up testing it when I discovered it wasn't working how it should. You might want to investigate further.

~Matt

Edited September 2, 2019 by Slimy Slug

[Addictgamer]

Oh right, I remember the slimey slug holes glitch.

As for the cror not working...Weird. It works for me.

OK, going to try to fix all these next time I boot into windows.

Thanks again Matt!

And everyone else who has helped me by testing this map!

[Cyrem]

Do you think you will finish this? I've kinda been waiting to play a finished version Or perhaps re-make it in the new version of MC?

[Addictgamer]

Ya, I'll remake it in the new version.

I honestly forgot about this map.

[Addictgamer]

Hey everyone. Yes, I'm working on the map again.

Just waiting for Cyrem to take a look and see why the emerges aren't working.

Hopefully I'll have the next version out by Christmas break.

Anyway, I want this level to be focused on fighting off monsters. That means RR should be modded a bit to get the most out of this.

Should I create a "patch" for RR that you, the player, can download (if you want to) and use instead of using whatever your RR copy might have?

I'd probably do it even if you guys say I shouldn't, but I want to know if it would be helpful.

[Aki Dazrold]

Go for it.

[Sonic322]

Anyway, I want this level to be focused on fighting off monsters. That means RR should be modded a bit to get the most out of this.

Should I create a "patch" for RR that you, the player, can download (if you want to) and use instead of using whatever your RR copy might have?

I'd probably do it even if you guys say I shouldn't, but I want to know if it would be helpful.

What would the patch contain?

Because if it was something like stronger lasers and not needing crystals for the mining lasers then that would be great.

But please don't weaken the fences because those alone would be hard to build in a swarm of monsters.

[Cyrem]

This level is available again, I reformatted the zip to make it a bit more clear as to what to do with the files inside.