Jump to content
Ellix

To do or not to do (MIDTOWN)

Recommended Posts

NEW THREAD HERE

 

 

c1da21c8fa938d4ebf8b837595ff5bed.png

 

 

 

Read_the_old_thread_here

 

lofTzoo.png

Hi all,

I love this post. and have enjoyed checking it occasionally to see the responses from players.
I figure it's probably time for me to weigh in.


First, I think the OP did a fantastic job organizing information and data about Midtown. We do have quite a bit in the archives, but the work was all temporary and never intended for the final product.
Second, I don't think the current version of the game would benefit from LO building out Midtown right now. In my opinion we need to make sure there is enough content in the current 2 action zones so they can progress characters and get matches. Having said that, we do have some ideas for possibly incorporating Midtown in the future when the game has different matchmaking and streaming systems. As others have mentioned, I also think it would be fun to free roam and drive all over the map from district to district.


Thanks,
Matt

 

------

 

Thank_you_very_much_for_the_response! @MattScott
I will keep working on Midtown as long as I can
(As a video game designer student this project is the perfect sandbox for me hehe)

I hope that one day it could be used for something!

 

============================================================================================

 

 

 

Hi there !
First of all I'm sorry that this thread is not originally supposed to be posted in creations
However I would like to give it some time to sit right here because this is a very important topic for me and I think that can help APB somehow
Well this whole project is based on APB...

This is project Midtown which is a project I started few years back and also posted a thread about it on the old forums.
It was abandoned but right now with the new management and with the news that APB is going to be ported to Unreal Engine 4
I hope that there could be a reason that Project Midtown could be renewed!
 

 ----------------
Now let me tell you about Midtown!
----------------
My name is Nick and I play this game for about 6-7 years
I always loved APB and it's great potential and lore
So when I was in high school (So about 3-4 years ago) I tried to make a project based on APB and it's lore

As you may know San Paro is a big place

0ffdf6a0838f68d19174545325049774.png

There is a lot of lore files hidden mainly in in-game email you receive trough time.
My favorite place in San Paro to read about is Midtown.
So one day I downloaded Sketchup and started to model something that looked similar (in my vision) to the Midtown District as described ingame
in email and by contacts..

I looked for references and some of old APB videos that apparently may have been some sort of early versions of the district as well as making (As seen in the image above a mock-up of full San Paro.. 
References such as APB Retribution and old leaked content helped to base the theme of the project.
Also I took an existing concept of the Midtown District and copied the clock sized and the roads..


7a42e06e27424b04402dd498e46d321e.jpg1bbf02a8092e35641e796762447ba298.png

===================================================================================

As you can see Midtown is a bit south out of what is known as Financial District

d34d19274d00178e331739a5316923b9.png

apb-bg-8.jpg

a738ce9cb09f77402097ba95a74fab29.png

====================================================================================

Based on concept art and lore it's quite easy to see what the original developers were going for..

21a26effe8b2681f508ccc9bfb63d2bb.jpg

ecc9b3f55e4f4b10050e393f51f3bbd8.jpg

617e6b3672340668187b2d9b25f3d3fa.jpg

f64d091935b44133ca152018a9bb0fe3.jpg



f9994593a681ab8adc5be6de71d7c88a.png  7d32cc8bb76819d9a31b5673be63dfbc.png

===================================================================================

I started with basic concept of a building and expanded from there 
First I looked at the concept art and then I tried to model something similar
Later I discovered that it is better to stick to current APB sized (Such as base ladder is 4m and etc.)
Current version is APB size based

Recently I tried to import the map to MAYA and work on it and there are some results..

===================================================================================

apb.png CONCEPT

8fe3bfa168fa8e4aa69f7c9ef3408b9c.jpg

sketchup-icon-32.png Sketchup

5b3d60671d46f753a16b31cdbd50b5ac.png

d09b3f0c9b5186b62e71fc1873fb38e5.png

autodesk-maya-icon-32.png Maya

a601ec696e0cb4c11734da3abb1cbdb4.png

====================================================================================

Eventually it's planned to test if the ready blocks can be exported to Unreal 4
And now as we know Little Orbit is working on exporting APB to UE4

Anyhow few years back I made a thread on APB forums describing my work and also tried to gather a small team of people who
may want to help with the project.

So for example Queen of Love helped with designing 3D models and was in charge of a block's environment design...



2bb12afe4b11d8c474a7c35505de2ef8.png

Soon enough the map started to look a bit more alive
It is far from being finished however there is a base image of environment to you can see the basic gameplay that is 
possible on this map.


f32d78469b1e1e91c27c8b0b866225ed.png

For example on the image below you could place the RAMP prop in APB and cars can get into the balcony of the
Police Department Building 

dc39cdf56997d5c38e1027ab7d73ede6.png

===================================================================================

Here we can see the Letsby court of Midtown (as described in the lore emails)  it's concept version..

8a0e08a31ba2dd2c7e75de29df0e1230.png

5fd5412d856b3fd3f711877328c3d38a.png

Paint-3D.gif PAINT 3D

7139555394ab906473f3fcb723de31aa.png

===================================================================================

Next step was importing some APB models
So I used Jenz's NinjaRipped models from the game and placed the m in Sketchup
This was somewhat the result:

b77a0d6864143faec22ebbd81da6d43e.png

62b60cfa9706d905b7084ac51b61277f.png

tumblr_nq98qnLES51uy37m5o1_1280.png

tumblr_nq98qnLES51uy37m5o2_1280.png

This is the same place in Maya

50109d4a312f0e933dcfa8331abe5c2a.png

And view in Paint 3D

8d178d7478cb25e7218e885c68030a6e.png

76cd7e1070f890f001764dc0cd2348af.png


====================================================================================
There been a lot of versions of some spots and it should be all balanced
Here is an example of such place
First image represents never seen environment feature of APB i would like to implement - Vents.
And second is more closed environment based on current level design seen ingame 


183b7ddb13798e5b87d9ca75798abecd.png

306da1d33b2fe7d4e4e44af32cebdde2.png

f71af893e48a8042b322d38cc13d24fc.png


8cda06105496473e3099ec18d360e78a.png

085b6b25154ba2e27bb1144f7ce2cb39.png

503d13b93626a3bee8112923ff375063.png

3021d89b87ffb67268aa4b19c8c181c1.png

===================================================================================

Some areas still need a lot of work and it is not clear yet in which direction some of the map changes should go
However if it it possible that the map will be implemented it should be balanced on the used game mode/cars and weapons

4b476efd8a98391c4d1fba679bb7ad5c.png

f2316632de0f8c1b38379bdfdafeef1d.png

(Green spot is place of Dump Truck)

===================================================================================


So to cover this all there is still a lot of work to be done however I see a possibility that this version of Midtown (Or some parts of it)
Could eventually be used ingame.. 

ffc702ed0e039f28c869e30227903c7a.png

f64d091935b44133ca152018a9bb0fe3.jpg

7a2615b27611896cc047fb5b5fc1796c.png


Midtown's streets are based on existing lore name and some parts of it are combined with Red Hill district
To compare the actual planned size for the map you can compare it to existing 2 mission districts...

2bb12afe4b11d8c474a7c35505de2ef8.png



3f5eb8ab9c8fcef22e4d36fbd3a4e494.png

===================================================================================

Some concept envirompents

a05f6ff165f7e50bd21d43df8f4f8282.png

0e399a4d591d0e0ae686d2fc4613a201.png

====================================================================================

So in the end when the map will be processed in Sketchup/Maya and other programs for designing and modeling as well as ported
into Unreal 4 I hope that it could be actually used for APB:Reloaded on Unreal 4 as a map that could be used as a mission district or 
entirely new game mode!

@ Little Orbit team
🙂 Hi guys I'd like it if you could answer if this project is something that is worth working for to export it to APB
I think it will be a great addition to the game considering you guys would like to add new maps to the game
In any case it's great to see that you guys are working on expanding the game and I hope that the future for you
and APB will be awesome!
 

To finish off I'd like to say that this is a very exciting project for me because it may let me insight into real video game level design
which is also very good for my studies of video game art design.
I don't know what will happen to this district next but I could always use this map with few changes in my own projects..
Still I hope that one day this project may come alive!

Thanks for your time!

-Nick
Ellix 


 

Edited by Ellix
Twitch
  • Like 69
  • Thanks 13

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Awesome work dude. i'm all for.

Edited by EMilika
  • Thanks 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If i had to pick one thing I always loved about APB, it'd be the maps. I really like what you've got so far. Hope we can see some new maps in the future. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's basically just a slightly modified Financial. Not worth the cost, both in dev time and playerbase splitting (not that what little playerbase we have could even sustain such a split).

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Awesome tbh. 
Now if we can have 1 server where everyone can login and find all the districts from all across the world to join, then maybe we will have enough players to keep all districts as full as posible

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

These look great!
Takes me back to some older days past, hopefully it can be actually added to the game should we get a high enough population.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I will be throwing some images here so you guys can see the basic level design..

77e7a17163a01d28c4bb2757e877c7ac.png

0a8b1f2cbfe527baae1c9301a16ada0d.png

83cc6f3debb458f6e2ce942f5211897d.png

e2b934e5b5dcff641f7fd0162bb33426.png

8e5a9b4e166830522113bd220e1ca17a.png

3a2ff6e9ef261055ab6cdc2f6e35e88f.png

e82616ae4e75dc052e276cf4acedabf9.png

 

  • Like 8
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow that's a lot of work. I would rather use the Esri City Engine or some freeware generator, base it on base layout and then do props and interiors manually.
I hope your work will get used by LO.

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Imagine having 1 BIG map with all the districts connecting up to each other. You'd only ever have to load into one map. And you could either drive to each district or maybe fast travel or something like that. So instead of joining another district to complete missions for a contact, you'd only need to drive over to a different part of the map.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Clandestine said:

Wow that's a lot of work. I would rather use the Esri City Engine or some freeware generator, base it on base layout and then do props and interiors manually.
I hope your work will get used by LO.

I feel like I have more comfort over balancing the spots using only Sketchup and Maya for now

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i dont know how this was made but i can see the effort and time you and your team put in, you need more attention, hope LQ see this post

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i remember thinking the og thread was pretty cool

while we dont have enough contacts or content (or population, as least on jericho) for a new district, i cant say that a map change wouldnt be crazy refreshing after all these years with financial and waterfront

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
7 minutes ago, BXNNXD said:

i remember thinking the og thread was pretty cool

while we dont have enough contacts or content (or population, as least on jericho) for a new district, i cant say that a map change wouldnt be crazy refreshing after all these years with financial and waterfront

even a new map can bring A LOT of players in. Even those who "quit" for like the 999th time 
  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, Keshi said:
10 minutes ago, BXNNXD said:

i remember thinking the og thread was pretty cool

while we dont have enough contacts or content (or population, as least on jericho) for a new district, i cant say that a map change wouldnt be crazy refreshing after all these years with financial and waterfront

even a new map can bring A LOT of players in. Even those who "quit" for like the 999th time 
Until the game runs like something other than shit, and the weapon balance isnt also shit... aint nobody coming back for long.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For those wanting midtown I am going to stop you. During the development of APB Midtown became Financial (map wise, not lore wise). All the design decisions and gameplay fundamentals in those play spaces are almost the exact same. Bringing in Midtown District provides no new gameplay space as it mimics Financial in its design. If a new district is to be, people should look elsewhere.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 minutes ago, NotZombieBiscuit said:

For those wanting midtown I am going to stop you. During the development of APB Midtown became Financial (map wise, not lore wise). All the design decisions and gameplay fundamentals in those play spaces are almost the exact same. Bringing in Midtown District provides no new gameplay space as it mimics Financial in its design. If a new district is to be, people should look elsewhere.

i mean, there would be different gameplay merely because of the map being different

as for weapon choice, i'd be fine with a repeat of financial meta since its pretty well balanced for all weapon types
  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

nice attempt.. All you need to do now is skin all the models (3 times over due to distance and detail changes) and make the game mechanics for it.. See you in say 5 years for your alpha preview if your quick 🙂 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
45 minutes ago, BXNNXD said:
i mean, there would be different gameplay merely because of the map being different

as for weapon choice, i'd be fine with a repeat of financial meta since its pretty well balanced for all weapon types
doesnt the prefix inversely correlate with the height of the buildings?

uptown - short buildings
midtown - medium buildings
downtown - tall buildings



 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Really neat, and hopefully it can be used as a base for a new district in the future. Though I miss your old topic with level design balancing for the existing districts:
https://forums-old.gamersfirst.com/topic/329214-not-so-lazy-ideas-for-map-changing/

I believe there's some work being done on the levels at the moment for the upcoming UE3.5 update, so I think now would be the most optimal time to post suggestions for improvements.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, Aeronaut said:
doesnt the prefix inversely correlate with the height of the buildings?

uptown - short buildings
midtown - medium buildings
downtown - tall buildings
1989309633-niggawhat.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

As long as midtown is bigger than financial and waterfront maps together then I'd be happy.
We all run into each other way too much.
Hope they get an overhaul to be bigger maps too.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Just now, Fortune Runner said:

As long as midtown is bigger than financial and waterfront maps together then I'd be happy.
We all run into each other way too much.
Hope they get an overhaul to be bigger maps too.

that's what they want you to feel though.
that "running into each other" is supposed to give you the feeling of a living, breathing city.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...