I imagine they would be possible, just have a criteria that X amount of adverts at X variety of sizes must be placed prominently in a map. Maybe it's too hard to enforce so they won't allow custom content but in theory the criteria is pretty easy and mappers could easily incorporate them....and I think it would be fair to accept the need to include ads...

I also agree with Carmack's reasoning about a very tourney game and exactly the same thing would apply to UTX for example. 

A fair point, and could be integrated well so not to intrude on gameplay.

The real problem is the back and forth pissing about that it'll almost certainly create - advertiser X doesn't think that their jpg is shown enough because it's dark and so is the lighting, or it's a shade of grey and becomes washed out. Or its a 1000x2 texture and becomes warped etc. etc.

Which adds guff to development time, taking away from what the designers are able to put into the game itself. Probably negligible, but even so. 

That isn't an easy solution at all, I doubt any developer would consider that.

I don't like ads in tourney games, even if they try to make them fit with the setting etc, it won't stop me from playing a game if it's good though. But with this, I'm just worried it means NO to custom maps, they pretty much said mods would not be possible, and to them, custom maps = mods probably. 

I did read somewhere that "fresh off the compiler" maps wont be possible in live, but id will be releasing regular map packs (im guessing they will use community maps but set rules like x billboards etc).

Because its an ad-supported game, what if everyone just played the good custom maps with no billboards? Epic fail :)

Im also pretty sure that there will be standards for the ads themselves, im sure they will use a shader that makes them appear backlit/fullbright so "my ad is too dark" wont be an issue.

Still im wondering why they are using the stock q3 maps, 90% of them were utter shit or gimmick maps... Surely it would have been wiser to use the best x number of community q3 maps and pay a royalty to the mapper of each one... 

I think Carmack said something (in a previous shacknews interview) that they might have some kind of competitions/screening process for custom maps with the best ending up in a map pack.

Ads will probably come in the form of one or more ad shaders that will be responsible for showing the current ads, having fixed ad textures seems very unlikely. 

You have shader/advert1 - 3 (or whatever) and the server loads up whatever is the currently posted advert on map start. I've integrated one for a splash screen. 

in a fair few q3dm maps there are "mapper ads" on the walls already, which show the map name and/or author and they don't really look out of place in an arena game, so they won't really bother me that much :) 

But it is man's sociological nature that gloriously bent advertisement will eventually be replaced with degenerate PSA's (Public Service Announcements). Having fun in the Arena? Maybe you are having too much fun. If you are having too much fun, seek the advice of a professional.

I remember a time when riding in the morning to work, listening to FM disc jockies, the commercials were all silly, sick and full of adolescent humor. Now, turning on the same stations, all you get is paternalistic advice telling you to quit smoking, seek help for your depression, practice safe sex to avoid AIDS, don't judge others, avoid fatty foods, and don't swerve into traffic because the onslaught of publicly financed PSA's is really pissing you off. 

Still im wondering why they are using the stock q3 maps, 90% of them were utter shit or gimmick maps...

Because they made them and they can't tell.

Remember the Tim Willits multiplayer map advice I posted? He reccomends gimmick maps. 

but for casual players, gimmick maps are actually fun. The depth of a good "serious" map is not discernible to people that don't have a deep understanding of the game. So they don't miss the lack of depth in a gimmick map, but they do notice the gimmick, which is fun and interesting. You'd have to be a more seious player to notice that the gimmick overshadows the other game mechanics and distorts or breaks their usual balance. 

Take the 10% of gamers who bother to complete a game.

Remove from that the 80% with no aptitude.

Remove from that the 90% who prefer not to sit in a darkened office on the weekend, pissing about with new problem n.

There you have a game developer, probably the only people who can tell.

And most of the Q3 mappers can tell, but their bosses don't care if they're complaining, because they're not in that hallowed (socially misfit) group.

At least it pays the way. 

But what I mean is that the publishers want a few bells and whistles, some flashy visuals (not necessarily the latest graphics engine) and mediochre gameplay, because that appeases marketing, and they think that it'll sell.

And they're fucking right.

That's why there's so many people still playing and mapping / modding for this ancient game, and not a few developers. Its basically the inverse of the list above. 

and the rest of us (that is the minority) have to deal with that.

Although, surely id can tell BY NOW that most stock q3 maps were crap. It's actually amazing that they built such a compelling, efficient gameplay with so few good maps to test it in... 

 

Word. 

is like crossfire in half life - that annoying map where it's a big normal open map with a bunker at one end, and whenever some idiot presses the button there's an alarm and anybody who isn't in the bunker when the doors shut gets nuked. Or there's a chamber with an item in it and when some other idiot hits the button you get trapped in it and it fills with lava or something. Or the map is a maze with spawns at the edges, and whoever gets to the middle first hits the button that makes the floor drop out and fall into spikes or whatever other kind of contrived shenanigans that go above just the simple interaction of players, items, and layout, usually breaking the aforementioned in the process because now all anyone wants to do is camp the button.

At least, that's in multiplayer. I guess part of the whole tumult we've had recently here is a dearth of good single player gimmick maps. 

Crossfire was actually a nice map. The gimmick would work only every 5 minutes or so, which made it pretty balanced, and quite interesting. Most often turned the tables.

Agree on the other gimmicks ;) q3dm17 ftw 

Does anyone know if there exists video of it? i can't find anything anywhere :( And reading some dumbass reporters 'main points' isn't quite the same. 

q1 dm2 would be a gimmick map I guess. And just look how great it is.
A map can only be as good as the players play it and vice-versa. Who would give e1m2 or dm6 a first look and say they are good? 

And for the other 4 minutes and 30 seconds everyone clustered around the button waiting for it. 2/3 of the map was empty except for people who'd spawned out there and had to walk back to where the 'gameplay' actually was. 

hm, my games never were like that. all the action always is in the atrium. That's where i get the most frags, and every now and then someone pushes the button so all my powerups and weapons aren't that useful anymore and i need to actually move my arse ;) 

That map's weird. There's a cool secret area I found once. I like it inside the buildings because it's quite cramped and in a lot of places you really can't see very much at all. 

secret areas in DM maps! those are great for seperating the men from the noobs. 

Shoot something that doesn't look like a button and the RA area turns into a pit of death - thats the business.

Was it Deadmeat maps that did that? 

I agree some of those things are annoying in DM, although I'm not against certain unusual elements/features (eg. Quad trap) as long as they're not the main focus of the map that distracts from proper gameplay.

Which Q3A maps in particular qualify as gimmick maps then? I can't really think of any, except maybe the grenade shooter in the Quad room of one map, and maybe the crusher in that space tourney map.

Bler: You can't be seriously considering dancing monsters, exploding scenery, the goatse guy, happy textures, or silly centerprints as gimmicky... :P