Ns_Nexus is my masterpiece map, having taken over a year to bring to a first beta. It is built for the demanding Natural Selection mod on the Half-Life 1 engine. Due to the peculiar gameplay of the mod and the complexities of its mapping, I have created a short summary of its level design requirements. There are also the official mapping guidelines, but that is a rather extensive document.

If you are looking to simply see the map, then check out the Screenshot Gallery found further down this page, or download the map itself and give it a run. If you would like to understand the Level Design concepts and methods used to build Nexus over its 16 month build cycle, the following Page Shortcuts can direct you to any specific section.

Even if you do not fully grasp the requirements of NS mapping, you will find that NS maps are great fun to wander around. They are expansive and detailed, and your trusty minimap (C key) will help you navigate. Nexus has more ambience than almost any other NS map, and since it's a full-sized Spaceship, it can be exciting to explore at your own pace!

Download and Install

1. Download the Natural Selection Installer (follow the instructions on the page - requires Half Life 1)
2. Download Ns_Nexus_v2 and unzip the contents to the
   steam/steamapps/(email)/half-life/ns/ directory
3. Load NS, and type 'map ns_nexus_v2' in the console
4. You will begin in the Ready Room. Choose your team and enjoy!

Note: If you are running Vista, the gamma ramp will likely be unsupported. As such, you should go into the video options in NS before you load the map, and set both the Brightness and Gamma to full. It will be lacking the full contrast of the gamma ramp, but it will mostly compensate the loss.

Page Shortcuts:

Page 1

Download & Install

Map Overview

Screenshot ImageMap

Page 2

Planning for Consistency

Abstract Layout Innovation

Page 3

Specific Layout Design, Inspiration and Execution

Page 4

Special Visuals

Ambience

Scripted Events and Tools

Page 5

Vent system

Hidden Aspects and Routes

Page 6

R_speeds and Engine Limits

Dev History

Future Releases

Final Word

Overview

I had numerous goals for Nexus from its very inception:

• I wanted to create a cohesive and complete Spaceship experience.
• I wanted to take the best concepts or characteristics from each of the standard maps and apply them in my own style.
• I wanted to create one of the first truly balanced Hive layouts by breaking away from the standard Diamond layout.
• The vertical component of NS gameplay is sadly lacking from so many of its maps, and I wanted to use the design mechanism to its full potential.
• I wanted an extensive, intuitive, and extremely useful ventilation system.
• I have greatly enjoyed finding 'hidden-in-the-open' routes in some of the standard maps. Hence, I wanted to create the ultimate playground for players skilled in jumping and movement, while leaving the routes and puzzles so visible that regular players would be oblivious.
• I aimed to create fantastic visuals to show off just what potential the HL1 engine really had.

With my design goals firmly planted within my head, I set out on its planning, and then construction. The following pages will detail every worthy aspect of the map, many of which would have been missed on a simple run-through, especially by anyone who is anything but a veteran NS level designer.

Screenshots ImageMap

Click on any of the rooms you see here to view a screenshot. Note that many rooms have two screenshots (top and bottom of the overview image of the room): Bridge, Chromosynthesis Lab (Chromo), Coordinate Mapping, Docking Wing, Engineering, Keystone Interface, Logistics, Mag Pump, Nexus Mainframe, Port Shaft, Railgun Weapons Systems, and Res Block. Many screenshots include written details and descriptions. Also note that the orange circles denote Resource Nodes, and the red cirles are Hives.

Total: 32 screenshots.

Go to: Nexus Shortcuts

Next Page: Planning for Consistency,
Abstract Layout Innovation