ZEN - Preying Mantis II by TseTse on January 28, 2002

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Capture the Flag Lush Clear Client Side Custom Textures Custom Shapes Night

Custom bases & bridges are by Akira...

WARNING: This is designed for dedicated servers. IF YOU HOST IT SOLO/LAN, load it once and then change mission to Zen again. This makes sure the scripts all load properly.

ZEN, aka Preying Mantis 2, came out of extended email exchanges, dating back to early September. Same theme as the original, with teams fighting for control over The Okamantan (center switch) and the teleportal system. While we sought lots of eye & ear candy, we tried to keep it grounded in the best of CTF game dynamics.

Flag capping routes will generally be on the ground, and teams thus must control the center while staying true to basic CTF principles. The idea is to add another "verticle & strike" aspect to the game (hence the praying mantis theme). MPB Teleporters further add to these dynamics.

Hope you enjoy it. It will alternate night/day by default. Run on full graphics and turn the sound up to appreciate this puppy. ;-)

Kudos to those who find the easter egg without cheating.

CAEVEAT: While designed for "base," this should run fine on many server "mods." If it doesn't fully function on a specific mod, and you want to see it work on that mod, PLEASE just contact me. It shouldn't be very hard to work out.

The README has further info on the code and source of various stuff.

Mucho thanks to Akira for his brilliant talents and ability to help make this vision come together.

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by TseTse on January 19, 2002 · Rating:
Action

REMEMBER, if you host it directly, load it and then change to ZEN again. Feedback very much desired, especially on any bugs. Star, you WOULD be downloading maps at 3am. ;-p

by TseTse on January 19, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Oppps. 1. the MapSupport scripts might not work the first time you boot your server (ooops) 2. this map requires the Final Dynamix map pack (ooops) 3. somebody reported having a problem with the teleportal system (getting stuck in a loop), and currently tweaking it a bit more (this is an effect of lag, in a sense). Please EMAIL any big or small bugs, as Im gonna try to get a tweaked update posted ASAP.

by alingis on January 19, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Once again, the stunning beauty and amazing gameplay possibilities of T2 are brought to life by the very talented base designer, Akira, and superb mapper and scripter, TseTse. Zen is beautiful, a rich display of amazing color and effects, with realistic and eerie sounds to complement the maps atmosphere. Almost, I wish to avoid capping, so that the harsh commentator voice does not disrupt the soothing, realistic environment. Gameplay is likewise top-notch, with open flags, a complex-maze-like base, teleporters, a capturable objective, and HO opportunities which rival that of any other map I've ever seen. The only problem I've experienced is the hit to fps this map causes, but that is a small price to pay for the map experience provided. Very Well done, TseTse/Akira, if this does not make MOTY, then none (besides Insurgence maybe) deserve that honor.

by Alundra on January 19, 2002 · Rating:
Action

THE BEST MAP OF ALL MFING TIME!!!!!!! OMG THIS MAP ROCKS.. The feel is excellent, the Bases by akira rock.. the scripting in it is just unreal, and there are billions and billions of other reasons its awsome, plus the plenty of ti bits that come with the map.

by Iczer3 on January 19, 2002 · Rating:
Action

*Insert large gasping sound here*
woooowwwwww, I feel like I'm watching LotR again when i look at that ominous tower in the screenshots... I liked the first one, and this one (both from comments and from SS) looks poised not to displease.

by TseTse on January 24, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Thanks for the kind words. Folks have reported problems running with some admin "mods" like bwadmin, and I'll fix that asap...

by TseTse on January 27, 2002 · Rating:
Action

New version posted which: fixes teleporter bug in laggy situations; runs right on BWadmin; $MantisNight=1 sets server to night-only with better FPS; $ZenEggOff=1 turns off the easter egg; you might not need to boot a 2nd time when hosting directly. Thanks to Zod, for the help. YOU NEED THE MAP CALLED PANTHEON, at http://www.tribes2maps.com/finalmaps/.

by PeachSkin on January 28, 2002 · Rating:
Action

it deserves a A+, really gr8 work. but unfortunatly i dont see how to counter or escape from snipers/shrike def...i would suggest to add fog and to remove the flagstand who sometimes blocks cappers. Technically its a must without a doubt but the gameplay isnt good imho.

by Echo Storm on January 28, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Wonderful map! The huge towers are great! But.. a flashback... from Myst? I think so. The third screenshot looks very familiar. It's a great map!

by Echo Storm on January 28, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Oops! disregaurd what I just said. Goshdarngeewillikers! This is the best map I ever seen! Hope this map does make best of the year!

by Snow Storm on January 28, 2002 · Rating:
Action

I think I found the easter egg, but does it do anything, and does it hav any effect as to what time it is? Thanks for the blessing. =)

by WILLYNILL on January 28, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Bases are the best I have ever seen.
Scripting is also. Very well done. Which I would give a A+ for that. But the gameplay value is not. I would give that a B+ at lest. But anyway
this map everyone should download. GREAT WORK OVERALL.

by BFGiggles on January 29, 2002 · Rating:
Action

I just wish the teleporters had a more stargate feel to them (The actual teleport was larger, and the effect bigger and longer), but that is purely cosmetic.

As for the gameplay this seems to be one of those "Teams have to be teams" maps. If one team plays together and the other is a bunch of lonewolves then, the intricate balance is lost, IMHO.

So many particles. The bases are great, and I love the safety net force fields. This map is another one to set the bar.

by BFGiggles on January 29, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Just checked tribalwar, gave me a little insight to the reason for the teleporters working the way they do). Congrats TseTse and good luck.

Oh yeah and the new Inventory spin texture/animation is amazing.

by TseTse on January 29, 2002 · Rating:
Action

hehehehe. Well, the 1st map emerged out of my experience with several excellent old-school UT maps which used teleporters and added different paths between flags. The gameplay concepts translated into T2 only when pulled far away from the flags, so as to ADD a new dynamic, but not REPLACE basic T2 capping and defense dynamics. Hence semi-open flags and ski-tweaked terrain (but not TOO easy). Verticle teleporters are a truly classic sci-fi image, and it was a fun concept to play with. I like the gameplay, but I do realize not everybody wants this kind of (apparent) complexity in T2...

by Mathias Black on January 29, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Mapping perfection. I love the hidden surprise on this map. Took me almost half an hour to get it right, but it's totally worth it. The teleport effects and the "blessing" nova are spectacular.

by Vimp on January 29, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Excelent map. Has its own envirenment completly with sounds, landscape, scenery and structures that contribute to the asthetics of the map. Plus an awsome portal gameplay dynamic making the capping along with other team rolls having a new twist to the gameplay.

by Red Shifter on January 29, 2002 · Rating:
Action

This map is simply amazing. The atmosphere is excellent, the gameplay is great, and the MPB interference thing was originally my idea. Truly unparalleled in all mapping as we know it today.

Red Shifter - The Legendary Cynic of Siege

by Deathscythe~40 on January 30, 2002 · Rating:
Action

well, it has been said b4 but i will say it again: this is quite possibly the best map on this entire site. i idea that one of the scripting gods: TseTse and the mapping/custom object god: Akira teamed up to make a truely spectacular map. i can see where the UT aspect comes into play here. ALL UT maps are CS, all have custom shapes/buildings and no one bitches about it...so, yea. i did not find the easteregg cus i was so busy just looking around at the scenery and getting lost in akira's massive base (his trademark obviously). the multiple power system is good and the teleporter gates are truely a spectacle to jump thru over and over! this will definatly be on my map rotation as with all your other maps. i will contact my tribe and get them ALL to download this map. AWESOME work. and im itchin to see more from you two. hmm...the "Zen Team"?

by HolyWar666 on January 29, 2002 · Rating:
Action

This has to be the best out there!
You should get a job with the big boys. Work on T3 or something!!!LOL
You guys are GODS here!!!

by Echo Storm on January 30, 2002 · Rating:
Action

YES!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO! I found the Easter Egg! Hey a suggestion to all people out there who play this map! First find the Easter Egg (Oops! there goes about 85\% of my audience!) Then be a diamond sword armor with voice as hardcase... then use your Easter Egg and use the Woohoo! animation! This brings you back to the disco days! And another thing, Oh Spirit Zen.. is that all that the egg does or does it have a special use?

by Krieg Titan on January 30, 2002 · Rating:
Action

This is the BEST map I have ever seen. Sweet easter egg too. If you do this kind of work on the Stargate MOD noone will play anything else. Time to find a server playing Zen now.

by FooMan on January 31, 2002 · Rating:
Action

I sure as hell can find it! But I only played it for about a hour or so.
GOD! do I love those bases. If Dynmix
come out with another patch I hope they include those bases!!! AWSOME WORK!

by TseTse on February 2, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Hey, I just like seeing people enjoy it. I do wish i could play it with people and see it on a real server at least once. lol

by Lathrose on February 2, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Awww you will man...give it time!
people find out how much this map rocks.....ohhhh you'll see. I cant put into words how much I love this map. Scripts work great. The sounds are great. The feeling and atmosphere
is overwhelming. I could just sit alone or walk around for awhile and just breath in everything. all I can say is WHOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YEAH!!!!! AWSOME!!!!!....ok overacting there but you two did a damn good job! So you working on another?

by v5planet on February 3, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Tsetse, I don't think you have to worry about this one showing up on servers. It's surprising how many Clientside maps run on relatively "popular" servers. Mostly just clan servers, but those are open to the public most of the time anyway. I mean, just look at how many servers are running Boss and the |Classic|'s.

by TseTse on February 3, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Those are maps which reflect only T1 aesthetics and get hyped by certain in-crowds. I added a new dynamic on this map, but the gameplay is actually rather basic for standard CTF gaming (assuming a gaming horizon beyond T1). Heck, it was based on observations of the gameplay with the first Preying Mantis on the Necro server. All considered, there are many GREAT maps on this site which never see the light of day, as you know. I don't expect this map to get support, although I'd love to play just ONE match at least. lol

by Bison Bars Inc on February 7, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Wow! the bases are amazing, and so is the map. Took me a good hour to figure out how to get the egg. To bad no servers are running this map..

by SylockAssassin on February 12, 2002 · Rating:
Action

now mainly pertaining to what my veiws on this map were before. i was finally able to test this out for myself and to but it in a mature and nice way of saying it...i nearly shot a load ... this map has everything from custom sounds and scripts its awesome. the fact that the tower is so huge i just had to climb all the way up just to plummet all the way down ;). it has a great effect and high playablity, now if only i can get a server which host such maps as the ones like this and the ones from akira. i really like this map and the feel u get from playing it i also like the fact of the teleporter, because what if ur finally get all the way out to the middle of the map and u find that ur base is getting raped it would prolly take a while if ur in a shrike which makes the teleport so neccesary. very well done and it was worth the wait (i remember tsetse talkingb about his preying mantis 2 when we were beta testing his first mantis in necrobones' server) well done to the both of u tsetse i hope u continue to bring us such great works

by TseTse on February 22, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Well, yes, the teleporter network is really only useful for heavy assault and securing the center of the map. A smart jug squad could sneak down the side of the enemy tower, and down underneath into the basement to camp the enemy gens...

by Iczer3 on March 1, 2002 · Rating:
Action

Niiiiiiiiiiiiice... I loved the ambience in the map. The smaller scripts that you added in as well were a nice touch too (the station light swirls and the "shockwave" like thing that appears when you teleport to the center tower). The grav lift is nice and large as well, making any attempt to block it impossible. The bouncy part of the base (the ring-like red stuff around the upper part of the lower base) suprised me as i attempted to just fall through it while jetting slightly. Suddenly i bounce up and get hit by the missile turret... Ow... Aside from that, this map is completely amazing...