Hi guys,

Heh, it's funny that when I first checked out this forum that I saw another Talon with a similar idea to the one I'm about to post. Go figure.

Just had a real cool idea in the shower this morning. Strangly enough I tend to have all my best ideas in the shower. I used to get really great ideas while doing my paper round, but that was a long time ago and I'm getting off track.

Anyhow I was just thinking of what would be a really cool and original map for the First Strike mod, and then it hit me. What would really test the scale potential and be a crazy assed map to boot that really shows what the BF 2142 engine is capable of?

A map centered on an Imperial Super Class Star Destroyer!

Now I don't know how First Strike plans to handle space based maps, I'm presuming they'll do something similar to SW:BF2 where they had a planetside based ground map, and then a space based map supposedly taking place in orbit around that planet or something.

Now my thoughts on this would be to have two maps based around the SSD, one space based one, and one interior based one similar to the Death Star and Tantive IV maps from SW:BF2, but on a much bigger scale. The senario could run something like the Rebels have discovered the secret Imperial dockyards where they are building their newest SSD(there was a similar senario in one of the Rogue Squadron/Leader games). The Rebels could aim to attack and board the vessel before it becomes fully operational with their mission to either take the vessel intact for the Rebel Fleet, or if unable to commandeer the ship they must destroy it from within (Titan style).

So with the exterior map you'd have this massive model of the SSD in spacedock. The Rebel faction would have the aim of assaulting the SSD taking out it's defensive screen of TIE Fighters and point defense turrets, and escorting the boarding party's ship to the main hanger on the SSD. Now I'd make the boarding vessel something large like a Blockade Runner. The Imperials have to defend the SSD using the point defense Anti-Fighter turrets and TIEs. With their ultimate goal being the destruction of the Blockade Runner. In the space map it would be similar to the SW:BF2 space maps in that the only interior of the ship excessible at this point would be the Starfighter hangers, and adjacent rooms which would house the controls for the defense turrets. All other areas would be sealed off at this point. I'd say that enemy fighters could land so they could blow up the turret controls and sabotage enemy ships in the hanger, but that is an option that I could go either way with. The Blockade Runner would run on a path for the entire length of the level heading slowly towards the SSD's main hanger. Rebels could spawn on this ship to operate it's defensive batteries or launch in fighters to defend it this way. This level would end either with the destruction of, or the safe arrival of the Rebel Blockade Runner in the SSD's main hanger.

And then we come to the second level, the interior of the massive SSD. According to Star Wars lore there are massive cargo bays, hangers etc on a normal Star Destroyer. So you can imagine the size of certain chambers aboard an SSD. I'd have the design of the level be like this. The Rebels start off in the main hanger, a cavernous chamber housing their landed Blockade Runner and with all the hardware they've unloaded from their ship this will be their forward command post. This will have the added defense of the ship's belly mounted turbolaser, and the point defense turrets on it's underside hull. They have brought aboard vehicles such as speeders and tanks to aid in their mission to hijack the SSD, and they will need vehicles to travel the massive distance they have to cover. They have two goals to achieve. One, reach the Bridge to take over command of the ship. And Two, to reach the Reactor Core and set up a self destruct sequence if they can't successfully commandeer the mighty vessel.

Now the Imperial faction, a skeleton crew really for a ship of this size, maybe there to just oversee the construction and provide security, or maybe a platoon that has just loaded it's equipment onboard the SSD has to repel the Rebel invasion of their ship, almost like a role reversal of the Tantive IV map. The thing is that their main base is in the military hardware cargo bay where all sorts of goodies are stored such as Imperial Walkers lying dormant in their Dropships ready for deployment. Basically it's going to get very ugly.

The environment would be a mixture of huge hangers, cargo bays, and the massive cargo service corridors that run the length of the ship that allow these massive war machines access to the launch bays further forward on the ship. And smaller standard sized corridors and rooms. There may also be some sort of rail transit system to allow troops to move swifter along the length of the ship, and working turbolifts. Other key areas would be the Engineering section which would have a different style with myriad pipes and conduits and platforms leading to the massive Reactor Core at it's center. The Rebels would have to blow up control consoles to gain access maybe to a sensitive component that if destroyed would set off a chain reaction. And the Command section and Bridge with it's authentically detailed crew pit and massive window overlooking the mammoth topside of the SSD.

The round would be over and be a Rebel victory if they manage to gain control of the Bridge and Engineering section and get the Imperial tickets to zero. Or failing to get command of the Bridge section if they manage to get to the Engineering section and detonate the Reactor Core they get a lesser victory.

The Imperials win if they mange to ge the Rebels tickets down to zero. So it's a Rebel Friendly map in the respect that they have more ways to win the map, but the Imperial faction will have the majority of the spawn points at the start of the round, so it should even out.

And if you are wondering what would happen if the Imperial's won the space defense round, wouldn't that mean that the second round aboard the SSD would not happen?

Well yeah, that would be the idea.

Or they could just be two seperate maps.

I guess it would be like SW:BF2 in Galactic Conquest Mode, where if you want to assault a planet occupied by an enemy force you have to defeat them in space first before you get to the ground assault. If the defending team beats the attacking team in space the attacking team has lost before even getting to the ground assault.

So I guess you could have two modes of play, a Free Play mode where you can just play either map as you want. And a Story/Conquest style mode where you as the attacking faction have to win the first round to get to the second boarding assault round.

Then again, I suppose if the BF 2142 engine could handle it, I guess you could just make it all into one massive map.

So what do you guys think? Do you reckon it's a good idea?

From reading the forums it sounds like you First Strike guys are already planing an SD map. Sounds cool to me.

And before you ask, yeah, I take long showers.