Making The Void More Awesome: Non-Euclidean Design.

[[DE]Grzegorz]

First, if you don't have any idea what I mean, just play Antichamber. Do it. NOW.

 

Now, as we are at it.

Void is the twisted place in this game, where glamorous design meets one über-AI controlling many lesser units to politely ask us to leave. However, it kinda lacks in "twisted" department, there are no additional rules or mindbending concepts which would make Void all that more awesome.

 

What could be done to make Void twisted at all?

 

1. Non-euclidean geometry.

Whoever created maps for Build engine knows, that its rules were kinda weird and multiple rooms could occupy the same space, creating something impossible in our, euclidean world.

 

This could be a nice addition to the Void.

 

Stairs going up but effectively leading downwards, infinite corridors, possibilities are endless and I'm simply not-educated-enough to imagine it.

 

2. Variable gravity.

This could easily add to the gameplay, rooms upside-down or turned 90 degrees would add much more variety to gameplay without requiring too much additional work to create (implementation could be tricky but the end result would be amazing).

 

Both of these leave us with the problem of game UI, supposed to show us what our character knows and feels. This leaves us with Void Distortion Field, rendering minimap useless (like Regulators) when inside (or close to) non-Euclidean tile.

 

Inspiration.

M.C. Escher's works.

Antichamber Game

Edited December 6, 2014 by Mofixil

[MrNonApplicable]

Yeah, but these void towers were supposed to be lived in and defended, 'aint nobody got no time fo' that sh!t'.

[[DE]Grzegorz]

Yeah, but these void towers were supposed to be lived in and defended, 'aint nobody got no time fo' that sh!t'.

If you were to live in non-euclidean world, you wouldn't mind.

That's the same issue as two dimensional being being put in third dimension or something, mind-blown.

 

Adding non-euclidean tiles has no tiles, except initial shock and disorientation.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Mofixil

[AdunSaveMe]

I can definitely see that not being a detriment or hindrance to gameplay at all lol

 

Plus, they're towers people lived in, and it's evident that the orokin at least know what they're doing

[Morgax]

Would work with different game, the spawnrate can be problematic and having to deal with gunfire coming from everywhere would be frustrating.

[[DE]Grzegorz]

I can definitely see that not being a detriment or hindrance to gameplay at all lol

 

Plus, they're towers people lived in, and it's evident that the orokin at least know what they're doing

 

All I can think of is simply initial shock and disorientation, this concept is used very rarely (I can recall exactly 1 game and a handful of mods/maps which utilized such thing). Giving it a shot wouldn't instantly mean "eff it, I'm leavin'", or would it?

 

Would work with different game, the spawnrate can be problematic and having to deal with gunfire coming from everywhere would be frustrating.

Spawnrate is problematic within current, euclidean design.

We are still getting shot from every direction, we'd be aiming within three-dimensional space anyway, but with a twist.

 

The only problem would be AI trying to navigate through non-euclidean space but with enough AI flags, it could be done.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Mofixil

[AdunSaveMe]

All I can think of is simply initial shock and disorientation, this concept is used very rarely (I can recall exactly 1 game and a handful of mods/maps which utilized such thing). Giving it a shot wouldn't instantly mean "eff it, I'm leavin'", or would it?

 

Spawnrate is problematic within current, euclidean design.

We are still getting shot from every direction, we'd be aiming within three-dimensional space anyway, but with a twist.

 

The only problem would be AI trying to navigate through non-euclidean space but with enough AI flags, it could be done.

Aside from sounding confusing and needlessly annoying, it'd probably be hell to implement.

And if it becomes a thing, it shouldn't replace normal orokin towers. I quite like those.

Give it to some other non-orokin tileset so at least then I can avoid it and not miss out on anything.

Edited December 6, 2014 by AdunSaveMe

[[DE]Grzegorz]

Aside from sounding confusing and needlessly annoying, it'd probably be hell to implement.

And if it becomes a thing, it shouldn't replace normal orokin towers. I quite like those.

Give it to some other non-orokin tileset so at least then I can avoid it and not miss out on anything.

It's mostly smoke and mirrors, illusions, as current engines cannot reproduce what engines in 1990's could easily do (and vice versa, we lost non-euclidean design for the ability to place one room above/under another).

 

My idea was to enhance current Orokin Void by adding non-euclidean tiles/tiles with variable gravity, not exactly turning every tile we have into non-euclidean one.

 

It needs to be tested on a larger scale, if somebody at DE were to create one and implement it for testing...

Edited December 6, 2014 by Mofixil

[Playford]

While I would love non-euclidean stuff, implementation, testing, bugtesting woud be a nightmare and as seen by some of the responses in this thread, it's not everyone's cup of tea. Also the engine might not be suited for it.

Variable/changing gravity is awesome and really should be in some tiles, maybe in secret tiles that you need to search for, rather than being regular tiles.

One of my favourite segments Serious Sam: The Second Encounter:

http://youtu.be/j3IYM6-jedc?t=3m5s

Edited December 6, 2014 by Playford

[Goblin_Wizard]

Nice idea. The only problem I see is the AI. Mobs have problems navigating actual maps. When you turn the maps 90 or 180 degrees they will be completely lost. It will be like:

- Hmm... is this corner good to hide?

- Should I crouch in here?

- Can I shot though this? No!? Let's try a few more shots. Still no? I have to try harder!!

- I don't know what to do!? Wait.. They said running in circles always help!

[Playford]

Nice idea. The only problem I see is the AI. Mobs have problems navigating actual maps. When you turn the maps 90 or 180 degrees they will be completely lost. It will be like:

- Hmm... is this corner good to hide?

- Should I crouch in here?

- Can I shot though this? No!? Let's try a few more shots. Still no? I have to try harder!!

- I don't know what to do!? Wait.. They said running in circles always help!

They act like that in normal gravity, it would be business as usual for them.

[Goblin_Wizard]

They act like that in normal gravity, it would be business as usual for them.

 

I'm not talking about gravity. AI barely can handle maps as they are now. Turning them upside down will make stupid AI behaviour notorious.

[[DE]Grzegorz]

AI is stupid as it is, the only problem it would have would be traversing through non-euclidean parts of the tile, rest of them would work normally (AI doesn't perceive world as we do, they don't see e.g. a tree upside down but obstacle of given shape).

 

Traversing could be solved by some teleport-orokin-magic or properly done AI flags.

Anyway, AI doesn't even have to be affected by non-euclidean geometry.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Mofixil

[Playford]

I'm not talking about gravity. AI barely can handle maps as they are now. Turning them upside down will make stupid AI behaviour notorious.

Turning a map upside down is just changing the direction/value of gravity, but I guess it depends on the engine, in some it's trivial, in others it could be a nightmare.

[[DE]Grzegorz]

Turning a map upside down is just changing the direction/value of gravity, but I guess it depends on the engine, in some it's trivial, in others it could be a nightmare.

...or literally creating upside-down tile. There's little to no physics involved.