NcSource:Gameplay

This is the base idea behind Neocron: Source as discussed in private amongst Whitestuff and Sarduin and in no way outlines anything that is set in stone. Cheers!

Introduction

The gameplay of Neocron: Source will differ greatly from that of Neocron 2: BDoY in the fact that NC:S is a deathmatch mod. The goal of this project is to give the community an intense, action packed deathmatch experience outside of the world of Neocron. At this point early in development, gameplay is still being decided on and what is reflected on this page now may change drastically before release.

Please submit all ideas and comments on this wiki talk page or the Neocron: Source Thread on the official Neocron Forums.

The Story Behind Neocron: Source

The setting for Neocron: Source takes place during the period between the end of Neocron and the release of Neocron 2: Beyond Dome of York/Evolution 2.2. It was a time of great turmoil for the citizens of Neocron. The Anti-City factions were forced from their long time home inside the city of Neocron and took refuge inside the walls of the Dome of York. War was errupting in the wastes and on the streets of Neocron. Tech Haven was invaded and the Tech Angels were also forced from their homes. The problem: there was little evidence of this struggle inside NC2 itself. When Dome of York hit the live servers, all of this action had already happened and the Dome was in ruins... and as a player, I felt like I had missed something big.

Neocron: Source, by virtue of being a round based DM mod, is a good way to address this time in Neocron's history by letting the player be a part of the large battles that led to the release of NC2. From fighting in the subways of Neocron, to taking the Military Base and launching a nuclear assault on the opposing faction, Neocron: Source will be a way to address the timeline gap between the end of Neocron and the beginning of Neocron 2. And, most importantly, it will let the players be a part of that history instead of accepting it and playing through it as we all did in NC2. Now, obviously, we can't change what Reakktor has written as their lore, but who said that the Dome didn't bomb Neocron once or twice?

Game Phases

Since NC:S is in development and basically no gamerules have been decided upon yet, I have taken the liberty to outline different releases (dubbed "phases" for now) that will show everyone how this thing is probably, most likely going to be released. Once again, not set in stone, so bare with me...

Phase 1: You got your Half-Life 2 in my Neocron!!

Phase one consists of completing at least 1 map with deathmatch spawn points, dynamic weapon spawns, health kits, etc from HL2:DM and releasing it for the community to run around in. This phase will most likely be dubbed an early alpha release to allow some feedback on the workings of the maps. How does the collision work, do you get stuck on a certain spot, do the elevators work appropriately? These are questions that the development team may not be able to answer because we are so used to working with the subject, we need another set of eyes to show us what to fix. And, oh, you get to kill each other on the streets of Neocron, Gordon Freeman style, so it's not like it's a total wash...

It will also encourage feedback on where to go from there. Do the levels need to be larger? Should we incorporate something "extra" into this map or that map? Really, it will get the community excited (even more so) about what we are doing and get some much needed direction on how to make everyone happy.

Phase 2: Is that a Plasma Rifle in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Phase 2 will hopefully consist of a larger "beta" type release where we have incorporated some of the weapons and models that we are working so hard on. Phase 2 differs from Phase 1 in the fact that we actually need a programmer who can code the ideas and get them in the game and start turning this beast into Neocron. We can develop all of the most wonderful artwork and map design you have ever seen, but if it just replaces the HL2 pistol, we haven't done much for the game have we?

Phase 3: Control point mania

Work on control point style games, in which for example a number of players fight over control of an outpost (the irony of maybe having more opwars in this mod than on nc ;))

Phase 4: Persistent play Persistent gameplay, ability to set up your own characters which are stored online, and maybe even have a leveling system and weapon gathering/upgrading system, this should be possible by having only a limited number of servers which run a specific map, which then synchronizes with a central web/character server (like NS communicated certain badges of honour to all servers).

To be continued...