(How-to/process coming soon) INTRO/PROLOGUE Lots of people have been posting maps in which the main feature is a colossal starship, complete with engines, bridge, and weapons. Ship making has become extremely popular with the release of Avalanche and Sandbox, and I am here to talk about what makes a ship map great. I will elaborate on purpose, design, and gameplay, and some extras. This is also my first guide, so please, spare me. Purpose Why the hell would someone want to build a ship map? Well, maybe their clan needs a new meeting place, maybe they want to remake a ship from Star Wars or Star Trek, or they want to become famous for making an aesthetically pleasing map or it's popularity in gameplay, or even more famous for pulling off both well. Whatever motivation they are...motivated by, thats their problem it should be rated as such. A gameplay focused map should not be rated on aesthetics. Design Types of ships and notable features: Starfighter (not really a ship, but whatever) - very small, lightly armed, no interior Gunship - very small to small sized, moderately armed, heavily armed little interior, small vehicle bay* Frigate - small craft, usually lightly armed, little interior, small hangar*, vehicle bay* Destroyer - small, heavily armed, little interior, no hangar*, vehicle bay* Cruiser - medium-sized, moderately to heavily armed, medium-sized hangar, medium-sized interior, vehicle bay* Carrier - medium to large sized, lightly to heavily armed, very large hangar (duh), medium interior, vehicle bay* * - may vary Most ship maps have one or two ships, in which gameplay is focused around them. Usually, two ships are used so multi-flag and assault can be effectively played, but maps with one ship can also have decent gameplay. Interlocking is almost always used in ship maps smooth out the surfaces or increase the aesthetic value, but it is not needed, like in UNSC Athena by Tyrtoth Dartvyn where almost no interlocking was used. In his maps, absolutely no interlocking is used, and his ships are decent, if anything. In case you haven't noticed, a ship map should really look like a ship, and not like this. Depending on what kind of ship you want, a boat-kind of ship (off-topic, but I'm trying to prove a point), a UFO, a starship, or like the Forward Unto Dawn from Halo 3, it should at least resemble one/it. Below is a picture of the Aegis Fate of Halo 3, the big ship in Sandtrap, that you guys probably never noticed when you were playing Big Team Battle. It is also the same type of ship as the Forward Unto Dawn. Clic for pic Spoiler Side-view: Another angle: As you can see on the exterior, the ship features engines, a bridge, and the MAC/weapons in the front, which are common on ships, so they should be included in yours, but weapons aren't really needed, like in barc0de's UNSC One. However, his ship has engines and a bridge, which again, you must have. In the interior, some ship maps have armories, crew quarters, engine rooms, common rooms, and cargo bays, which are also optional. Also...most starships are of slender and aerodynamic design, and are not boxes like the Borg Cube. Just google "starship" "Star Wars ships" or "Battlestar Galactica" and you will get an idea of how to design your ship. Required: The bridge of most ships are commonly seen at the front, or on top of the ship, and are usually square or rectangular shaped. It also features windows that provide a wide view of the surroundings and also the ship, which real bridges have. A large bridge can have multiple consoles and control chairs, and a small one may have a single chair and console, and are called cockpits on smaller ships. The flag or bomb plant are usually placed here. The engines of a ship are usually at the rear, or aft of the ship. They can extend from the ship's hull, like in the UNSC One, or are on the hull itself, like in Val's Pillar of Autumn. Not much else, because it's self explanatory. A killball or energy blocker usually acts as the engine exhaust glow. Optional: The weapons of a ship can literally be anywhere, whether it be on the sides, atop, on the underside, on the rear, but anywhere where it has a wide field of fire. Weapons can vary between MAC platforms, like in Val's PoA, or a scorpion tank held down with tube ramps or columns. A good idea is to have a single, and powerful main gun in the center, and smaller guns scattered around the exterior. Weapons can be any vehicle with onboard weapons that can be tied down with objects, turrets, or man cannons/grav lifts that launch items. A bomb plant may be found on, or around the main weapon. A vehicle bay/hangar may be found on a ship, and can also be found almost anywhere on one, but most are on the sides, or atop. These parts of the ship contain assorted vehicles, and are usually large and cavernous. Exits are usually one large 'hole', or multiple smaller 'holes'. Armories are usually found next to the bridge, or next to the vehicle bay or crew quarters, if they exist. These rooms contain numerous weapons and equipment, usually weapons designed for close quarters combat, to repel boarders. Multiple armories can exist, for the sake of gameplay or balance. The engine room is the part of the ship where the power comes from. The engines are usually next to the engine room, at the rear. Fusion coils can be found here, either for aesthetic purposes or gameplay purporses. Or both. In Gunship 'Odin' by Captain Onimaru, it can be used as a quick way to clear out the room of any defenders, or attackers. A flag or bomb plant are usually found here. Crew quarters can be present on the ship, complete with beds, a sick bay, some windows, and even a weapon or two, but are not that important on a ship. Gameplay A ship map does not need to be designed for gameplay, but it can win you some awesome points if you do. Popular game types are multi-flag, one flag, Assault, one bomb, territories, infection, or straight up team slayer like in Air Raid. Multi-flag/Assault - In multi-flag/assault, there are usually two flags/bombs at either end of a large ship, or are on two separate ships, and must board each other with vehicles to reach each other and plant/steal the objective. One Flag/One Bomb - The usual layout is, the attackers are on some sort of platform or smaller ship, or on the ground level, and the defenders are in their ship. However, this can be switched around. Territories - Haven't seen many territories maps with ships in them, but they are usually focused on defending parts of the ship, or having the ship as a middle territory and secondary territories scattered around the map. I haven't seen much or played much, so I can't say a lot. Infection - Basically, the ship is the humans impregnable fortress (for about two minutes) and the zombies lay siege to it. Or, if the ship's size is big enough, the humans start on one end and the zombies on the other. Team Slayer - Straight up killfest, one team attacking the ship, or both teams on ships attacking each other. Notable ship maps I have either posted these ships in my guide, or have come across them and thought you guys might need some inspiration, because these ships look cool. UNSC One by barc0de UNSC FFG-142 by Revoltingmadman Pillar of Autumn by Val Gunship 'Odin' by Captain Onimaru Air Raid by unknown UNSC Stone Fury by Weeden Project UNSC Athena by Tyrtoth Dartvyn Disclaimer: Never have I completed a ship map, nor do I take credit for the maps I have posted in this guide. I am also not homosexual. NOTES: This guide is incomplete, and I may add or delete content according to how I feel it should benefit the person(s) reading it. Also, an explanation for the fact that I have never completed a ship map is, I'm too lazy to finish them.
I've got a picture you could use for an example of a UNSC-style hanger. Img: Also, you should add information such as on-board weapon systems. E.g. You can use 2 'Cannon, Man's too make a M.A.C. Or... interlock 2 Upside-Down Tin Cups and they'll lock a scarab/wraith in place and they can act as a turret.
Instead of posting a link to the actual thread of the bad example, just post a picture. It keeps things anonymous and less offensive.