Is JO single-player mapping dead?

[Dart Zaidyer]

The short answer: Yes.

 

The long answer: Yes. In fact you could say it didn't even get off the runway. Heck, to be honest, it exploded in the hangar.

 

The delays and ultimate cancellation of Mace Windu: Party Crasher was probably the largest blow. Here we were, convinced that SP couldn't get past a solid Kyle-kills-stormtroopers-with-blue-lightsaber formula without a sourcecode rewrite, and in short order we were treated to the coolest Jedi ever kicking ass and taking names in beautiful scenic Malastare. Not only that, but in serious style. This would have easily been the best Single Player experience ever....

Except that the framerate was just bad enough to can the whole thing.

 

Since then, the 2-level campaign Dash Rendar: Resurgence has been the only Single Player map worth playing. It could have appeased the masses and started the revolution that Party Crasher was poised to, even though it wasn't quite as inventive.

The problem is, it was released on the eve of Jedi Academy's availability.

Jedi Academy, need I remind you, offers painless map conversion, and with all the new features, who wouldn't want to do that? It's as easy as jumping ship and taking a few things with you.

 

It's nothing to get all flamey over, though. JA is great. It's the MotS of Jedi Outcast. But it's sort of saddening the way JO turned out. If anything, Collosseum showed us its' true potential, in spite of being 65 megs of "ladder" with a plot.

 

 

 

That said, what are your thoughts?

[Antizac]

It's not a big deal, Anthony has other things in life. He doesn't need to be working on SP projects 24/7. He probably will release it, yet, (maybe not for JO) he just needs some last few things, which you can blame me for...

 

 

...Except for the yoda model - which I could just as easily do, as well...

 

So blame me for the death of "Party Crasher".

[lassev]

I wonder who are you, Dart Zaidyer, to evaluate things as you do? If compared to some past titles, it may be said that JO SP never get off the runway. But you have to remember one simple truth, before you throw into a wastebasket all the SP maps out there: they were built by non-professionals just for fun. None get paid for their troubles, and thus it's totally insolent to say they are not even worth to have a look at.

 

In short, my thoughts are that you can't demand or even expect anything of the community. Every single custom map you get is an extra gift.

[Dart Zaidyer]

Keep in mind that my evaluation is based on the ratio of average levels to levels that equal or exceed the quality of Raven's work. It's probably not a fair one, because that kind of work takes time, and the editors of DF, JK and MotS had plenty of it. There are like, what, only 50 JO single player maps in existence right now.

 

Perhaps instead of taking the time to dissect my obviously erroneous opinion though, you should tell your own and keep in line with the topic? A thread like this is skirting the fine line of derailment already, because everybody has an opinion that everybody else may not sit well with.

 

I stand by this conclusion, though: JO single-player is dead by virtue of the fact that JA can do it all and more. Porting a project you've spent half a year on, for instance, is a snap.

[Kengo]

Originally posted by Dart Zaidyer

Since then, the 2-level campaign Dash Rendar: Resurgence has been the only Single Player map worth playing.

Jedi Academy, need I remind you, offers painless map conversion, and with all the new features, who wouldn't want to do that? It's as easy as jumping ship and taking a few things with you.

 

It's nothing to get all flamey over, though. JA is great. It's the MotS of Jedi Outcast. But it's sort of saddening the way JO turned out. If anything, Collosseum showed us its' true potential, in spite of being 65 megs of "ladder" with a plot.

 

Have you tried Project Lighthouse? As good as any Raven levels I remember.

 

I kind of agree with some of what you said - if not the tone - it is fair to say most people will map for JA as its similar but offers a tonne of new features for SP mappers to play with. I am sure a few people will still create SP maps for JO for some time, just as people still create SP maps for JK and even DF, but on the whole, JA all the way for most JO editors.

 

I'm not entirely convinced porting SP projects over to JA will be quite as easy as some people think, especially if they have a lot of modification not just maps. I am sure its possible, but it could be a long haul. You got all the textures to re-do, entities I think all need re-doing, aside from any other hangups it has. I am sure its possible, but I'll bet its a pain.

 

I think Lassev and myself, as part time SP level creators, have a right to feel slightly miffed at someone announcing that since Party Crasher's halt "the 2-level campaign Dash Rendar: Resurgence has been the only Single Player map worth playing". You have a right to your opinion sure, but thats a bit of a sweeping statement and is merely an opinion, not some kind of fact.

 

I was never around in the JK community, but it sounds like the really good maps there mostly started appearing around a year after JK came out, which is about what happened in the JO community. Some of the bigger projects like Resurgance took a good part of that year to actually finish.

 

Although there won't be many, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few more great levels for JO over the next year which make us go back and play it some more, as well as some seriously brilliant JA levels.

[lassev]

OK. Maybe I was a bit hasty in my accusatory post. Of course everybody has his right to any opinion. And to speak the truth, I also agree a little bit on one thing: JO SP might be soon dead because of JA. And I think it might be only good. JA offers some new possibilities, yet it's basically the same game, so nobody should have any problems starting mapping for it instead of JO.

 

All things considered I would almost say that JO mapping continues in JA mapping.