	>>> AS-FoT-Chronoshift <<<

   Map Name: Project Chronoshift
   Map Type: UT-Assault
       Game: Unreal Tournament
     Author: Revelation
    Players: 12 - 16
Bot Support: true
 Build Time: about six months, finished sometime in September 2008, done some minor changes later
Editor Used: UnrealED 2.0 (plus massive use of Photoshop and 3DS Max)
       File: AS-FoT-Chronoshift.unr (every other stuff I used is in "MyLevel")

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Installation and requirements:

Simply extract the file "AS-FoT-Chronoshift.unr" to this folder: ...\UnrealTournament\Maps

The only requirement is Unreal Tournament v436. I've done the map without any BonusPack-stuff, so you don't need those.
BUT: A really fast computer is also required because of the high polycounts and various specials (e.g. HUD effects, particle systems, lots of meshes) in this map! By using the included performance-tool to disable the high-end effects, you can improve the map's framerate about 25%, but hardware requirements are still high.
It is STRONGLY recommended to use a modern render device (Direct3D 9 or OpenGL 3.4), as the map's visuals are absolutely optimized for these render modes. Using older devices will clearly impare both the performance and visuals! I would also suggest to set your Color-Depth to 32Bit and activate Detail- and Macro-textures, otherwise some areas might look a little strange.

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Story:

According to recent intelligence reports, our enemy has developed a revolutionary technology which is capable of manipulating the curve of spacetime. We've got reason to believe that this technology is kept in a secret research lab near the geographic South Pole.
Your mission is to infiltrate this facility by using its cargo transit system, to obtain as much information about the project as possible, and inevitably, to shut down the entire annex.
Since we don't have knowledge about the facility's interior at this point, your mission briefing will be consecutively updated as you proceed...

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Other information:

Chronoshift was born as a simple test-map. I just wanted to build a nice looking "energy core", with moving meshes, sprite-effects and some more features like that. When the core was finished, I thought I could try to script a "gravity field" for it. After I succeeded at that, I started decorating the core chamber, mainly because I had nothing else to do... And while I did so, I got the idea to use an older script of mine, the "time shift", include it into the map, and start building an Assault-map on this base.
A few months later (the architecture and lighting were almost finished at this point, at least I believed so...), Swanky asked me if I wanted to join the upcoming FoT5 map pack. I had a look at the pack's thread on UnrealPlayground, where FragNBrag stated that it would be "fan-freikken-tastic" (thanks for this nice neologism^^), if I could contribute Chronoshift... Well, I said the same thing a man with two penises says when his tailor asks him if he dresses right or left: Yes! :D
During the following weeks, Chronoshift became a true monster of a map. Not only because of things like over 50,000 nodes, but mainly due to the vast amount of custom content (many 512*512 textures, music, etc) I needed to include. I guess that explains most of the huge file size, but honestly, who cares about that in times of high-speed Internet and harddisks with more than a TB of storage?!
However, there was another thing that probably took even more time than the mapping process: The scripting! For the statisticians among you: Chronoshift contains about 3,000 lines of self-written UScript, and that's not even close to how much I really wrote and afterwards deleted again, when it didn't work the way I wanted... In the end, most of the code does what it's meant to do, at least if you play the map offline against bots.
So I think it's not a complete waste of time to mention a few of the most important scripts here:

- Selectable graphics: Since the hardware requirements where really damn high in this map, I included this script. So now everyone can decide for himself if he wants to see all of the "high-end" effects, or rather prefers to have more decent framerates.

- Automated visual optimization: Dependent on the render device you use, different temporary adjustments are automatically made both in the map's settings and in your INI-file. This way, best possible visuals are ensured on all common render modes.

- Variable game speed: A key element in Chronoshift is the dynamic change of the game's velocity. Two different classes are used either to shift the speed to a static value, or to make it periodically oscillate in a rather "chaotic" way.

- Specials HUD effects: In order to have a visual representation of the shifted game speed, I built a new HUD which displays the "Chrono effect". Later, I also used it to realize the "sun glow", and besides, all visual adjustments mentioned above are controlled by the player's HUD as well.

- Texture-based footstep sounds: This feature isn't completely new in UT, as Singleplayer mods like ONP used it before. However, Chronoshift is probably the first Multiplayer maps without an own gametype, in which custom footsteps are working correctly.

- Dynamic mission briefing: Playing other UT-Assault-maps, I never liked the fact that you exactly know what to do right from the beginning. So I decided to write this script that consecutively updates your objectives when you reach certain points of the map.

- Adjusted scores: This script affects the number of score points you receive for completing objectives. Since I found it unfair that attackers get 10 points for any objective, and totally insane 110 (!) points for the final one, I used this actor to balance these numbers a little better.

- Advanced ending sequence: I got the idea for this script when watching the sequence in Orion's Curse 1, where the cams are moving along with AttachMovers. I liked the idea a lot, but I also thought that a smooth interpolation curve would be even cooler... So here we go. ;)

- Brand-new sentry guns: When Chronoshift was already finished, I started studying animated meshes in 3DS Max. Soon I had finished my first completely selfmade "Pawn" actor, a fully functional "Team Cannon" that superseded the old UT versions I had used before.

There are many more scripts in Chronoshift; most of them are just invisibly running in the background. But I think the ones I described should be enough to give you a rough idea about the "news" in this map. Another thing I could mention: If you really have nothing else to do, try to find the map's eastereggs. ;)

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Special thanks to:

- Evil-Lair (once again) for his great textures; like in DM-Hyperion, I used EvilLair8 here.

- ShockSystems for some "Coldsteel"-textures that served as a base for the entire terrain-parts.

- Juno Reactor and Don Davis for the song "Navras" from the soundtrack of "Matrix Revolutions".

- Mychaeel for the MeshMaker tool which I used for creating most of the deco meshes.

- Daire Stockdale for the ASEtoT3D converter that made importing meshes from 3DS Max much easier.

- Dave Townsend for 3DS2UNR, another great converter tool especially for animated meshes.

- Planetside Software for Terragen 0.9.43, where my skybox textures came from.

- UnrealWiki for simply being a great help while writing all those scripts for the map.

- Radon, sklare and Dimö for the placards at the map's starting point.

- And last but not least, Swanky, Lenvris and FrozenDozer for some great beta- and playtesting.

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Copyright and permissions: 

AS-FoT-Chronoshift is part of the "Fate of Time" mappack. Therefore, it must NOT be separately uploaded to any website, at least until I do so myself. You are also NOT allowed to distribute the map commercially in any way.
You may copy this map and give it to friends, but do NOT change it or build other maps on its base. You are free to use the included scripts in your own maps, as long as you give me credits. If you plan to use anything, please notify me by writing an email to "revelation@unrealed.de".

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Have fun playing!

Revelation

(for futher maps visit www.revelation.de.ms or www.timewarp.beyondunreal.com)