Maniacal Mansion

Predicide · 12-21-2008

Maniacal Mansion
Strapped into Dr. Fred's brain sucking machine... you won't feel a thing...

Download Map: Maniacal Mansion
Download Gametype:Tuna Diver

Maniac Mansion is a classic NES game that involved a group of teenagers point-and-clicking their way through a spooky mansion inhabited by a mad scientist, his wife and son, a pair of anthropomorphic tentacles, and a mutating plant. Nintendo censorship at the time was heavy but reagardless, the dark humor permeated and MM is now considered a cult classic.

My Halo 3 map is a tribute to this. The action is nothing at all similar to the NES game, but it does involve a large mansion-like structure. So what is it then? Maniacal Mansion is a(n up to) 16 man tournament, all in one game. It features a series of 1v1 face-offs. Every 30 seconds, the winners will advance to the next stage to face the next opponent in a new room with a different weapon selection, while the loosers will lie silently, decorating the floor. After 4 stages, there will be only 1 man left standing.

Let's get to the pics. Here's the layout.

Stage 1

8 rooms, 16 players

The first floor consists of 8 rooms, with 2 starting points in each. The weapons available here are the Magnum you start with, and a Spiker and SMG at your feet. The rooms come in two flavors:

L shaped

and square

Fight and kill your opponent. If there are fewer than 16 players in your party, not everyone will have an opponent in this room. Treat it like a bye in a tournament, and just wait for the lift.

After 30 seconds, a man-cannon will appear to lift you to the second level.

Stage 2

4 rooms, 8 players remaining

Fight it out with whoever won in the room next to you. In this room, you will find a Mauler and a Spike Grenade.

After 30 seconds, this area will spawn

The Sniper Rifle becomes available, and you have a panel to jump up to the third floor.

Stage 3

2 rooms, 4 players remaining

The third stage is more open, and has a single Flame Grenade in it.

Of course, you will have any weapon you care to bring from down below.

After another 30 seconds, the door will open to the final chamber.

Stage 4

1 room, 2 players remaining

An Energy Sword and a Custom Power-Up will also appear.

At this point, only two people will be left alive. With the Swords and the CPU settings (500x damage resistance, no shield recharge), the final battle can be very reminiscant of Duel of the Fates.

That's it!! Now, some specifics of the game type.

Tuna Diver

There's an arcade in one room of the mansion in the NES game. To the far right, there is a game called "Tuna Diver". Tuna Diver??? For an amusing story about this, here's and article all about it. Anyway, you can go to the game machine and play it, but you don't see anything. If you ever wondered what your character was experiencing when he/she played Tuna Diver, now you know. The NES couldn't properly represent the Xbox 360 gameplay from the future, so that part was left to the imagination... until now.

So... there are 3 rounds. 1 life per round. CPU settings mentioned above. Fast shield recharge. That's about it.

I'll leave you with this:

YouTube - Microwaved Hamster - 1st Attempt

Thanks and enjoy!!

Download Map: Maniacal Mansion
Download Gametype:Tuna Diver

Black Theorem · 12-21-2008

Wow, a map based on an arcade game inside another game. Really cool.
The forging technique is good, aesthetics are nice, but nothing REALLY unique and noteworthy.
for now 3/5, I'll DL and report later.

Edit: just noticed... smg and spiker much?

sexy dude · 12-21-2008

it is k, i always thought of doing this but you are better than me so yeah, you could make it look better, also is there away where you can make it so then there are more than 2 people at the last section

Master Debayter · 12-21-2008

I already have designed 3 maps before that utilize the free-for-all tournament where the winner of each round advances to the next one in thirty seconds (one of which I posted on the site). However, this one is better forged than mine, so I'll give it a download and see how well it plays.

Since I've made maps like these, I know specifically what to look for when I play these maps:

The weapons for each round must be effective when used in battle.
The transition for each round must be clean and precise, so even inexperienced players have no trouble getting into the next room. When a player enters the next round way after their opponent has, they will almost always gain some sort of disadvantage.
The rooms should start off smaller and expand each round with the final room the largest.
Weapons picked up from previous rounds can be used in future rounds, so you must pair up each new opponent with another with a weapon set fair to their's.
The map must be inescapable. Players who cheat by escaping the map interfere with the flow of gameplay.
Forge an effective spawn systems for any excess players who join in mid game or quit and rejoin.
Time limits aren't to long so dead/eliminated players don't become too annoyed and leave.

Most of these things can only be determined in the mists gameplay and I'll be looking out for them when I play this. But from what I see you balanced out all weapons at the very least and I can't really determine anything else from the pictures.

I'm glad to see my idea for this kind of map expanded by other forgers.

Security77 · 12-21-2008

This looks like a fun idea, I would play it if I had a gold membership, but w/e. Anyway, I've seen a map like this before, but it was open and boring, this map looks entertaining and exciting, good job! :D

One thing I don't understand is the Tuna Diver thing, and that for some reason I really want to microwave a hamster.

LIGHTSOUT225 · 12-21-2008

argh i didn't know you posted this! I love maniacal mansion. SOO much fun. Its one of the only maps that's stood the test of time on my hard drive since you mocked up the first version months ago. Great game for large parties and a great TGIF game. The changes you made were all great improvements on the original. Can't wait to get some games on this.

Youtuber · 12-21-2008

I love these types of maps, I am trying to produce one at the moment, and I hope it turns out well. I like how you don't just give them swords and let them go at it. I will try out.

Predicide · 12-21-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by hselaisse

Edit: just noticed... smg and spiker much?

All for good reason, my friend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexy dude

...away where you can make it so then there are more than 2 people at the last section

That would defeat the purpose. It's a tournament.... only 2 players make the finals.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Debayter

[great post]

Thanks a lot for that... that's an excellent, and accurate list of concerns. I can tell you've done some ground work on the idea, and I'd like to see some other interpretations. LIGHTSOUT said he might rebuild it (which would be amazing) if he ever gets a chance. I really just like to put ideas out in the form of a working model, so better forgers than myself can take off with it.

Mine definitely has some problems. It is still potentially breakable. It's way over-built (every single piece of immovable scenery is used) which can cause lag. The interlocking is sloppy in spots, by current standards.

But thanks again for sharing your experience with this concept.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Security77

....One thing I don't understand is the Tuna Diver thing, and that for some reason I really want to microwave a hamster.

Inside references, you had to have played the original Maniac Mansion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIGHTSOUT225

argh i didn't know you posted this!....

Thanks, lol. Yeah, I held onto this for a loooong time. It's been circulating for a while but it took some subtle encouragment for me to finally publish it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Youtuber

... I like how you don't just give them swords and let them go at it. I will try out.

Thanks, and thanks to the members of the Ghosts of Onyx who helped me come up with the weapon set.

HaloStriker · 12-22-2008

This reminds me exactly of that 1v1 map by smelly taco that he posted a while ago. Although I think this one is better because it has the same concept only it isnt just wide open... it has cover and such. I will actually take a look at it some time in forge then play a nice game on it with some friends. My rating from the screenshots: 4.4/5

Shiranu777 · 12-22-2008

this game is awsum i have played it like 4 times now with different sized partys, and its always great! yes it has been done before but its never been done as well as this one in my oponion! 5/5 for sure!