Another Stupid Campaign Mod: a10 (The Pillar of Autumn)

[Ifafudafi]

It's awaiting admission at Halomaps, but in the mean time you guys can get it first. Enjoy.


Another Stupid Campaign Mod
Release 1: a10 (The Pillar of Autumn)

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OVERVIEW

ASCM is a complete reimagining of Halo's arsenal, and a vast overhaul of its particle effects. Every single weapon has undergone changes, most of them drastic, and several new ones are added; on top of this, most of these weapons' particle effects have been rebuilt from the ground up. The screenshots can do a far better job of illustrating this than I can.

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INSTALLATION

To install, simply place the a10.map file inside your Halo Custom Edition\maps folder (Default directory will be C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo Custom Edition\maps). To uninstall, remove a10.map.

To play, you need to either utilize the included ui.map file (this is much simpler) or the in-game console.

1. To use the ui.map, head to your Halo Custom Edition\maps folder. Simply copy and paste the included ui.map inside here; you will be asked to replace an existing file. Click yes. When loading Halo CE, the main menu should now include a Campaign option. (If you want, you can back up the old ui.map file, but there shouldn't be any notable changes other than the background music and the campaign option.)

2. To use the console, head to your Halo custom Edition folder. You should see a file called haloce.exe. Make a shortcut to this wherever you want (likely, there's already a shortcut in the start menu and on the desktop.) Right-click on the shortcut you want to use, and select Properties. Cilck on the "Shortcut" tab inside the properties window. Under the "Target" field, move the cursor to the far right, add a space, and then type in "-console". Press OK, and use the Shortcut. Press the tilde key (~). you should see a small pink prompt in the bottom left corner. Type in "map_name a10" to load the map.

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NOTES

Unless you have another HCE campaign mod, the game will not continue after finishing the level; you'll either have to type "quit" into the console or press Alt+F4 to exit. This is just the way Halo is set up; I can't do anything about it. If you know where and when the level ends, you can quit back to the main menu before the cutscene triggers to avoid this.

This release is protected, and every individual map release will also be protected; however, the last release of b40 will include all maps and will be unprotected. This is to ensure that the final product is as polished and balanced as possible, so that you won't have to be overwriting and replacing tags as they're updated. If you encounter a bug, or if a weapon seems too weak or too powerful in comparison to the rest, please post in the thread at either Halomaps or Modacity so I can fix this for the next map release.

Things I already know about:

-The SMG's sound will cut out and occasionally do weird things. This is just the way Halo CE handles looping sounds; there's nothing I can really do about it.

-The Pistol's pickup icon has a silencer. The image editing software I use (GIMP) doesn't allow me to do as many tricks with alpha channels as Photoshop, so I can't properly make weapon icons. I'm using CMT's set of icons so that I have one for the SMG, but they don't have one for an unsilenced pistol.

-The Plasma Burst does not have a unique model. I can't model to save my life, so I'm stuck recoloring existing models. If you or somebody you know is willing to model, skin, rig, and animate new weapons from scratch, please let me know.

Thankfully, that's about it so far.

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THANKS TO

Bungie/Gearbox - For the obligatory.
CMT - The SMG's model, skin, and animations, the Elite models and skins, the Plasma Pistol's animations, the Plasma Rifle's skin, and a couple of sprites.
CtrlAltDestroy - The SMG's sound (ripped from Halo 3).
Gamma927 - The Pistol's animations.
Flibitijibibo & Inferno - The Plasma Burst's sounds.
F.E.A.R. - The base for the blood decals.
You - For downloading and supporting this mod.

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Enjoy, and tell your friends! With more interest comes quicker releases and fewer bugs; help make ASCM as good as it can possibly get.

Be sure to check my Youtube channel (MrIfafudafi) for video updates every Wednesday, and watch the threads at Halomaps (http://forum.halomaps.org/index.cfm?page=topic&topicID=32513)or Modacity (http://www.modacity.net/forums/showthread.php?21879) for more information and updates.

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/9905/haloce2010072415094297.jpg

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1255/haloce2010072415143042.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8012/haloce2010072415141764.jpg

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8269/haloce2010072415334113.jpg

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/1571/haloce2010072415380173.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/3884/haloce2010072415364118.jpg

More screens (these don't have shot tags):
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2642/haloce2010072415381963.jpg
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/4513/haloce2010072415143640.jpg
http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/6598/haloce2010072415151813.jpg
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/8251/haloce2010072415145959.jpg
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/1807/haloce2010062400024676.jpg
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/744/haloce2010072415120526.jpg

Filefront (116 MB) (http://www.filefront.com/17143709/ASCMa10.zip/)
Halomaps link coming soon

If you've got something to say about this individual map, post it here. If it's about the mod in general, post it in that thread (http://www.modacity.net/forums/showthread.php?21879).

E: well holy dicks looks like this was post #1000, guess it's kind of appropriate in a way

[Kornman00]

bump

look at dat plasma pistol ffffffffffffffffffffffff

[Cagerrin]

I was sort of expecting the effects to be nice but jarring. Somehow they're missing the second quality, which makes them loads better than any other "nice" effect I've seen for CE.

also the SMG firing sound seems like it's not coming from the gun itself.

[Syuusuke]

You're full of crazy effects =D

[TeeKup]

I love the plasma spread. It's awesome. Everything is so fucking pretty. D:

[FRain]

Playing this shit tomorrow, I'll post my review of it.

[Pooky]

Just got through playing this, ran through the first time on Legendary and it was pretty entertaining. I have to make one gripe though, the homing on the plasma pistol was fucking ANNOYING. It feels like in Halo 3, where it just arbitrarily misses your target for no reason. It took a lot of fun out of using that weapon.

[Timo]

Very pretty. The only thing I didn't like is that it seems that the chief is now a panzy, or grenades weigh around 10kg a pop. They fall to the ground like bowling balls.

[Syuusuke]

Question: DOes the included UI.map do away with the multiplayer version update check?

[Ifafudafi]

I was sort of expecting the effects to be nice but jarring. Somehow they're missing the second quality, which makes them loads better than any other "nice" effect I've seen for CE.

also the SMG firing sound seems like it's not coming from the gun itself.
One of the hardest parts of designing a particle effect (or designing anything, really) is to know when to keep things subtle. MASSIVE EXPLOSIONS EVERYWHEREEEEE is sort of entertaining for a bit, but then it's just, as you said, jarring. Not sure what you mean about the SMG, although I'll bet you it's just the fact that HCE handles .sound_loopings terribly, in which case there's little to nothing I can do about it.


I love the plasma spread. It's awesome. Everything is so fucking pretty. D:
Technically, it's called the Plasma Burst (maybe I attached it to the wrong pickup message); it's a new weapon I haven't talked about as I just added it in about a week ago. The Spread is a more faithful shotgun replica; you probably won't see it until a50.


Just got through playing this, ran through the first time on Legendary and it was pretty entertaining. I have to make one gripe though, the homing on the plasma pistol was fucking ANNOYING. It feels like in Halo 3, where it just arbitrarily misses your target for no reason. It took a lot of fun out of using that weapon.
Noted. I'll mess around with it a bit.


Very pretty. The only thing I didn't like is that it seems that the chief is now a panzy, or grenades weigh around 10kg a pop. They fall to the ground like bowling balls.
Noted. This is actually left over from when I (like everybody else) was trying to duplicate H2, where the grenades were much heavier. I've gotten so used to working with those tags I forgot they weren't the defaults. I'll put them back.


Question: Does the included UI.map do away with the multiplayer version update check?
Probably not; I use 1.09 so I wouldn't know, but all I did was rip the tags out of HPC's UI.map and compile it again so that it'd work with HCE.

[Pooky]

Played this a few more times, under different difficulty settings and using different weapons, and I have some more criticisms to make.

First off, I don't like the initial explosion of the Needler. While it's pretty and all, it somehow fails to convey that visceral feeling of something exploding inside your enemy's flesh. I think adding back the giant lens flare that the original had would go a long way toward making the explosion feel more violent.

Second, I can't seem to figure out what the point of that pink plasma pistol thing is. I tried using it in a multitude of situations, and it just seems to suck compared to all the other available weapons. Maybe I'm missing the point of it somehow?

Also, this isn't really a criticism but a suggestion, I think you should try and get a different firing sound for the AR. The original one was wimpy to start with, but when you combine that with a reduced rate of fire, it just isn't a very satisfying weapon to use.

Don't get me wrong though, I think this mod has a ton of potential for awesomeness, and you should definitely continue it. I'm very much looking forward to playing some vehicle maps and seeing what you did with those effects.

[supersniper]

i can't wait to see what your going to do with the jackels.

[FRain]

Try to find a way to use the Reach AR sound. That sound is epic.
Also, I loved it, but I didn't find a plasma spread (which I wanted to see) or Battle Rifle.
E: also you need better pistol animations (ill make some for you)

[Pooky]

Try to find a way to use the Reach AR sound. That sound is epic.
Also, I loved it, but I didn't find a plasma spread (which I wanted to see) or Battle Rifle.
E: also you need better pistol animations (ill make some for you)

The battle rifle is actually in a10 (though it uses the AR model) if you cheat_all_weapons .

[assassinchief107]

Try to find a way to use the Reach AR sound. That sound is epic.
Also, I loved it, but I didn't find a plasma spread (which I wanted to see) or Battle Rifle.
E: also you need better pistol animations (ill make some for you)
Are you stupid? These animations are PERFECTLY top notch. Let's see you do bettter than Gamma.

[ODX]

FRain is actually quite the experienced animator, or used to be back when he was more active in like...2007 was it?

Now-a-days I'm not so sure but I wouldn't doubt him so much.

[FRain]

Yeah, I still do stuff, but real life stuff has me more busy than before
for instance fucking band camp had taken my life from 6am-9pm daily all week D:

[assassinchief107]

Yeah, I still do stuff, but real life stuff has me more busy than before
for instance fucking band camp had taken my life from 6am-9pm daily all week D:
Okay, the reload animation is the only top notch one, but the melee and walking definately needs a new one.

[EagerYoungSpaceCadet]

Excellent mod, the only things I don't like are grenades - they just feel heavy (Chief doesn't toss them far enough) and there is a delay after throwing grenades in which you can't crouch (It killed me a few times in the end of the level, with the ton of frag nades. When I get there I just spam them!). But still, I like it :neckbeard:

[Lateksi]

I've always wondered why there are problems with crouching and grenades. By default, you can't get up for a while if you throw a grenade while crouching. This has killed me too many times!

[EagerYoungSpaceCadet]

Ahhh now I see, I have been playing too much H2V and you can throw grenades and crouch in the same time there!

And I thought why crouching while throwing nades doesn't work in Halo CE/PC - Bungie has, while making the grenade throwing animation, included the legs in the animation, and they don't move while you throw grenades (it could be easier to understand if you get on a server with a friend, and tell him to run and throw a grenade, his legs will stop moving for an instant)!

[assassinchief107]

And you slide instead of walk. Even when you're in a Warthog. He gets up to throw a nade, then sits back down.

[FRain]

That's an animation issue which I don't know if it can be fixed.