LD Prologue - Golbah: Outskirts

[Sky_216 Profile Website]

Golbah: Outskirts

The "story mode" campaign for Last Days' story has developed over more than a year, gradually getting more and more refined. Originally, this 'chapter' was intended to be an unlockable bonus chapter for the first last days release. Since then I've decided its important enough to the story to merit a full mission and map all by itself.
Just on a side note, no its not inspired by current real world events. As far as I can remember the idea for the setting came after looking up some info on Geonosis after looking at a WIP toic by acryyptozoo.


Last Days: Prologue

Geonosis, 24 years before outbreak of the Clone Wars...


Story:

"Never found out exactly why Golbah happened. Maybe it was centuries of resentment and barely controlled rage festering just under the surface. Maybe it was all the new technicians and engineers and scientists needed among the drones to create the new Banking Clan chemical weaponry getting the idea that just because our species evolved with a rigid caste system didn't mean it needed one. Maybe it was months of labourer drones dying slowly and horribly from noxious chemical fumes, so often that the warriors at the chemical plants started to get something approaching a social conscience."

"Whatever it was, one night the hive went from calm to utter mayhem within a few hours. Warriors sent in to stop drones rioting joined the rioters themselves, factories and plants got torn apart, most of the aristocracy fled. By dawn Golbah was calm, nervous, excited. The calm didn't last long."

"The aristocracy sent in the warriors in force, bringing them in from other hives and from their personal guards. We fought them. They were better armed and better trained, but we had them outmaneouvered and outnumbered fifty to one. After a few days they retreated. Then they sent in the elites, the starfighters, the assault craft, the cannons. We fought them. Thousands of us died, but thousands more took there place. Five days after the revolt began Golbah was still ours, and the constant attacks were slowing down."

"Trouble was, we knew that we could never win. Not in the end. No matter how many attacks we fended off they'd never let a free Golbah survive. We had one last option, one plan: Run. Run so far and so fast they'd never, ever find us."


Map:

Golbah: Outskirts has three (planned) modes - Campaign (Last Days Prologue), Team Deathmatch, and Firefight. Campaign and TDM are set in the 'Golbah Uprising' era, while Firefight is set in the CW era.
Most of the map is dedicated to the campaign mission, with areas for firefight and TDM.

Screens:





Campaign:

Player character - rebel Geonosian Warrior.
Gameplay types - combat, platforming.
Mission - The 'Last Days Prologue' campaign mission starts in the night, with the player character fighting royalist drones and traversing a river of deadly chemical sludge to reach and protect rebel drones and warriors evacuating Golbah Hive. Fallen enemies' weapons can be picked up to give you a better and more varied arsenal.


Weapons:

Because a sonic blaster and fusioncutter just isn't enough to keep things lively, various other geonosian weapons are at your disposal in TDM and campaign....

Sonic Grenade
A fairly standard grenade, hurls and kills enemies.

Credits to DarthD.U.C.K. for the model.

Sonic Hammer
A mining tool appropriated as a weapon, the hammer can be used to blast foes backwards and do heavy damage to structures and vehicles. Due to its large size you cannot fly while carrying it though.


Quarrelthrower
A sort of mix of crossbow and railgun, the quarrelthrower hurls electrified metal quarrels at high velocity. Best used at long range to pick of infantry.





More to come.....

[Anakin Profile]

that sounds and looks great can't wait for release.

[Lephenix]

Excellent Sky .

[TK432 Profile]

Looks amazing, very original map.
The story sounds interesting aswell.

[Sky_216 Profile Website]

Forgot one other little thing...........

Release Date

This map is going to be released before LD Pt 1 as a standalone. Minimum 2 weeks till release though.

[Nihillo Profile]

One problem I've always had with science fiction is that most stories are told from the perspective of human characters, the universe could be full of strange beings with entirely different perceptions of the universe and life, and instead of exploring that, we remain attached to our humanity; not that there's anything wrong with that, it is always important to give the reader/whatever an easy concept to grasp, something that they can relate to, but writers often fail to understand that you don't have to literally use human characters to achieve that.

For that reason, I like to see a story being told from the alien's point of view, it allows for a lot of creativity on the writer's part and makes for an interesting and exotic experience -much like learning more about the different culture of the people in a foreign country- such an experience helps us reflect on what we take for granted, how we percieve our own lives, and how things could be done differently.

This is such an instance, and I know it's no big deal, the purpose of this plot is just to give this scenario a sense of direction, but I compliment you for going this route, you could have just as easily gone with a bunch of rebelling miners in an asteroid or something, instead you chose Geonosians, that's good.

tl;dr: cool.

[sim-al2 Profile]

Looks awesome Sky! Love the effects from the toxic pool, and a different point of view from most stories in Star Wars is a great idea.

[Sky_216 Profile Website]

@Nihillo:
Thanks, but using Geonosians will make a lot more sense later on than if I'd used miners....

Weapons update:



Geonosian Pike
Usually carried/dropped by elites, the pike has infinite ammo and is very effective at cutting through enemies at close range. The downside is players can't fly while holding it.

Hidden/Spoiler:

Throwing Spear
Primitive yet effective, throwing spears are hurled like grenades. A spear will instantly kill any Geonosian it hits.

Hidden/Spoiler:

Shockfield Orb
The orb effectively generates a localised storm, stunning and doing massive damage to infantry for several seconds. Very useful for area control, but can only carry two at a time and they can damage the player and your allies...

Hidden/Spoiler:

[THEWULFMAN Profile Website]

Your geonosian weapons are amazing

I like the way they all look like geo weapons. Great work.

[Nova Hawk Profile]

Very nice map, Sky. Like you didn't see that coming...

[AQT]

I completely agree with Nihillo, Sky. This is a very interesting concept indeed. The idea of a Geonosian civil war really does give the bugs some sense of "humanity." Keep up the good work!

[Lagomorphia Profile]

This looks pretty awesome. It'll be interesting to see how this connects to the main story.

Not sure about the sky though.

[Anakin Profile]

that's really nice waiting for release

[CressAlbane Profile]

Wow, I like the "you can't fly with heavy weapons" idea. Choices, choices...

[Unlucky13 Profile]

Can't wait for release!

Btw, will you make a Geonosian Beam Weapon, like in RC.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Geonosia ... eam_Weapon

That thing would be a beast.

[Sky_216 Profile Website]

@Wulfman: thanks, and thanks for your own contribution
@Unlucky13: decided against it, beam weapons for infantry are kind-of messy in BF2 and I've got something else that uses beams anyway.....

Update:

Psawgen Assault Craft

(Needed a 'gunship' like aircraft for the geos. Inspired by CIS gunships, horshoe crabs, the letter Omega...)

The 'story' section of the first post mentions Assault Craft. These are them. Big, bad, heavily armed, more effective at attacking ground forces than the standard Geonosian starfighters. Their main weapons are "Splinter Beams", although they can also be outfitted with a variety of powerful bombs.

Chances are you'll learn to hate these things in campaign mode.

They may also make an appearance in TDM mode, in which case they'll be fly-able.
A modified and modernised version will also likely appear in Last Days proper...

Screens:

Hidden/Spoiler:

[Nova Hawk Profile]

Wow Sky, that's a freakin' awesome ship of destruction! I don't think I wanna be face to face with it.

[Nihillo Profile]

Yeah, it looks good, I like the design.

[Lagomorphia Profile]

Chances are you'll learn to hate these things in campaign mode.

In that case, can it have an amazingly satisfying death explosion?

YMIR headshot...

[Lephenix]

I love the design , the map is just looking excellent .