Co-op mod ideas thread

[ironcladlou]

Perhaps there should be a sticky-thread for people to provide input for the co-op mod? Or do you guys already have it planned out, pretty much?

 

Feature wise, there isn't much that needs to be added aside from the physical ability for more than one person to play through the single player campaign; However, one other co-op mod seems to have gotten it very right in this respect... The Sven Co-op Mod for Half-Life.

 

Do you guys know anything about that? May be a great reference for what you're trying to do. Essentially, they managed to do in Half-Life single player precisely what you're trying to do here, and added a few helpful features that sort of self-correct bugs that occur. For example, easy ways to unstick yourself or suicide in the event that a player gets stuck, and a custom portal starting map that allows the players to begin at any point in the saga they wish (As well as access to a map cycler, in case they get stuck due to some bug).

 

I am a fledgling coder, but have never delved into modmaking, so I don't fully understand the implementation of such a venture itself -- but it would probably be greatly beneficial to have some open forums to express ideas for relevant features, as well as getting some of the coders to chip in with thoughts on how to make it happen on the code level. Surely a lot of the work to be done has already been done in other mods for other games based on the Quake/2/3 engine, so at least you're not flying blind.

 

Anything I can do to help, let me know. When is the SDK supposed to be released? I'm almost inclined to start tinkering with modding just to work on co-op mods nowadays. The last straw, really, was with Alien vs. Predator 2. That is one game that simply BEGS for a co-op multiplayer mode. But alas, nothing. Just a half-baked mod that is in sub-part-time development. I hope you guys succeed with this... it would be a great service to gamers everywhere

[UniKorn]

I'll ask Roger to make me moderator on the wls board so that I can make this sticky.

[Lord Darkblade]

For those of you that have played Halo for the X-Box with the co-op single player, you will notice that above your team mate head there is a little green arrow that you can see through anything e.g. walls, enemies, doors, bridges, platforms, etc. I was just suggesting maybe you guys do somthing like that in your JKII co-op mod so you don't loose track of your team mate.

 

Hope that helps

[Sven Viking]

The first thing to do if you're thinking about making the single-player maps playable in co-op, is to check for ways to edit the maps...

 

With SvenCo-op, for example, we were able to extract the entities from the Valve maps, edit them, then have an installer import them back in (including all the full maps with the mod would have made the filesize gigantic, as well as possibly raising legal issues... not that we had access to the RMFs, in any case).

 

Even if this isn't possible with JK2, though, there's a fair chance that most of the maps will be playable in co-op with just some minor code changes... as long as you were able to edit maps if necessary, things shouldn't be too hard. You'd just need to include edited versions of certain, problem maps, with the mod.

 

Making single-player maps work in co-op without being able to edit them in some way is likely to be very difficult (unless the maps already happen to be pretty co-op friendly, for one reason or another).

[TheSnerd]

We are going to develop two versions of cooperative gameplay:

1. Normal cooperative as you would think of it: Everybody spawns as Kyle Katarn and the players try to beat the game together

2. Team-Cooperative, see below:

 

-----------------------------------------------------------
| Team-Co-Operative Modification for Raven's Jedi Outcast |
-----------------------------------------------------------
Author: Stephan "TheSnerd" Reiter

1. Gameplay

After connecting to a co-op server a modified 'join screen' will appear, giving the player the choice whether to join the Imperials or the Rebels.

a) Teams:

blue... - The server randomly determines a connected client, who plays as Kyle Katarn ( NPC-Name: Kyle ), on mission start.
- If the Kyle-player disconnects somehow, the server will determine
another client to take his role.
- If he dies, the mission restarts.
- The rest of the team spawns as Rebel soldier ( NPC-Names: Rebel
and Rebel2; on map Bespin: BespinCop and BespinCop2 )
- Rebel soldiers only have 'force jump' available with the level
equal to Kyle's.
- Rebel soldiers' weapons depend on the map ( special entry in
arenas.txt to be added ). They cannot have a light-saber!
- Rebel soldiers start with maximum ammo.
- In case a Rebel soldier dies, he spawns nearby Kyle.

red.... - Players who join this game randomly replace one of the following NPCs ( some 'bad guys' have been left out, because they are vital for several scripting questions ):

Prisoner(2): Bryar Pistol
Ugnaught(2): Stun Baton
Gran(2): Thermal Detonator
GranShooter: DE-11 Blaster Rifle
GranBoxer: Fists
Rodian(2): DE-11 Blaster Rifle, Disruptor
Weequay(4): DE-11 Blaster Rifle, Bowcaster
Trandoshan: Heavy Repeater
StormTrooper(2): DE-11 Blaster Rifle
STOfficer: Golan Arms FC-1
STOfficerAlt: Heavy Repeater
StormPilot: Bryar Pistol
STCommander: Rocket Launcher
SwampTrooper(2): Golan Arms FC-1
RocketTrooper: Rocket Launcher
Imperial: Bryar Pistol, DE-11 Blaster Rifle
ImpWorker(3): Bryar Pistol
RebornAcrobat: Light Saber, Force Jump
Reborn: Light Saber
RebornForceUser: Light Saber, Force Jump, Push, Pull
RebornFencer: Light Saber, Force ?
RebornBoss: Light Saber, Force Jump, Push, Pull
ShadowTrooper(2): Light Saber, Force Jump, Push, Pull, Lightning

- In case a red team member dies, he respawns replacing another NPC, which is as near as possible to Kyle ( avoids having people run around through the whole map  )
- If there are no enemies left, red team members go into spectator mode...

b) Map-Cycle:

Mostly like in the single player version, but the following maps will be left out for multiplayer fun ( mostly missions where Kyle Katarn is more or less alone... ):

The Valley of the Jedi, where Kyle Katarn gets his force powers again. The Yavin Jedi Academy with the Force-Training Parcours

[Lord Darkblade]

I think there should also be a mode where there is a master and an apprentice. And a mode that will allow all jedis and not just one.

 

 

P.S.

 

THE SOURCE CODE HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!!!!!!!

[lord_kain23]

i was wondering if it was possible to create a mod for "ladder"

(where you fight 54 reborn) to include a lan buddy. i think it would be cool to fight through the 54 with my buddy.

[[Unlea$hed]]

Kinda minor(untill I think of something better ) an option[server settings?] to let people play as whatever character(or only jedi chars) they want? So it feels like a group of jedi and not just like a dozen kyles running all over the place...

[UniKorn]

According to the snerd every singleplayer map that is usermade can be played in co-op

[PerseJames]

it would be cool if u could play as any charater u want (ie. Obi Wan & Qui-Gon) insteat that everybody are Kyles.

 

But keep working on it! I really wanna see this!

[Reprehence]

Is there going to be a release order? I assume the first mod option where everyone spawns as kyle (or whatever skin) is a bit easier and will be released first. I hope you don't hold them back to release them together if one is more difficult than the other to get going. Course I'm just assuming...and ya know what they say....

[Galactic Magi]

If people have a custom skin for single player (maybe not custom but one replacing kyle) you should let them use that instead. You could limit some, (maybe desann) but i have a mod for jango fett, boba fett, sith jan, and vader for single player, and if people use these skins that arent in the game originally you should let them use that. It would make classifying which character your partner is MUCH easier. (i would probably get confused if my partner was a reborn if i was fighting a couple other reborns. that would be bad)

[BigMexican]

yeah i definately think there needs to be a way to phase kyle out and get some different characters in

[TheSnerd]

hehe, at the moment you can actually select all multiplayer models and play with them

[ZeroXcape]

It'd be sweet if players could interact by sharing weapons/ammo packs by dropping certain things you don't want/need. It's been done before, but it'd be entertaining and realistic for any co-op MOD.

[Reprehence]

Since this is based on the multiplayer game, are the force powers going to be based on that as well - i.e. the differences between light and dark? It would be interesting to play the game as a jedi or sith and be limited to those powers, though the mind trick is necessary in a couple of places. Will one use the point system to select those powers during play, like in multiplayer?

[V3NUUUM]

Ok, I know this is a little off topic, but is the SINGLE PLAYER SOURCE CODE ever going to see anyone else's hard drive other than RAVENSOFT????

 

Thats really directed at the moderators of this forum.

I heard something about TheSnerd the other day and was just wondering....................

[Expandable]

As far as I know, neither LucasArts & Activision nor Raven are planning on releasing the SP (or even engine) source code. TheSnerd (WLS Coder), however, managed to implement ICARUS and other stuff into multiplayer, even without seeing the original code by Raven.

[V3NUUUM]

You know, thats so frustrating. You can imagine what people are like at the moment. Just being able to expand MP is really lame, hey don't get me wrong on this, I love MP, but we need to experience the great stuff in SP aswell, or do you not agree?

[Expandable]

I agree - but Raven haven't released the SP code for Elite Force or SoFII (and probably some other games as well) either. In my opinion, what Valve did with the Half-Life source code was the right thing to do... but who listens to me? Nobody...

[V3NUUUM]

Forgive me for being stupid, but what did valve do with the source??

[Expandable]

As far as I remember, they released the MP AND SP code - thus the great mods and total conversations. I'm not sure about this but they might even have released the entire engine source code as well. Furthermore, they are still supporting the Mod community (though the game is about 3 1/2 years old now!!) by releasing tools and code updates and general game patches. But you can only do that if your game is a real success and if the Mods help to sell the game - and right now this isn't the case here - unfortunately. But I hope our projects will change that

[V3NUUUM]

Forgive me for being a fool, but what did valve do with the source code?

[V3NUUUM]

Oops, sorry bout the dual posts their, i couldn't see the next thread!! Well, I've got my ideas for mods and stuff, it's just a case of Raven doing something glorious for the gaming community and giving up the source code. Besides, why wouldn't they? Surely if they were worried about people making money out of mods and stuff they could knock up some sort of legal license agreement, no?

 

At the moment I just wanna cry, I can't give anybody dual sabers and it's so annoyin. I can't change any of the forces or anything.

 

On another note, would the quake 3 arena source code be of any use? Could you not port it over so that it uses all the variables and names of the jedi outcast source code? I 'spose that's illegal though? I know for a fact that decompiling the dll is illegal. What a waste of time that would be anyway, so I guess we back 2 square one then?

[Expandable]

I don't know what the reasons for this decision are, but maybe they just don't want other companies to steal their ICARUS scripting language for example. Moreover, I've heard that the guys at LucasArts (they actually decided everything concerning JKII) aren't very community-friendly...

 

Using the Q3A source code? That's pointless - the source code available on the internet doesn't include the engine code (which costs about 500.000 $, as far as I know) and great changes were made to the renderer and the engine for JKII. And yes, I guess decompiling is illegal.